Phillies Highlight First TBOH MLB Power Rankings

The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a great start, and as a result have a place on the first TBOH MLB Power Rankings of the 2016 season.

Every month here at TBOH we release our current Power Ranking of the Top 10 teams in Major League Baseball. Beginning with the June 1st rankings, a statistical evaluation of each team’s pitching, offensive, and defensive performances will provide the bulk of the placement, along with each team’s overall win-loss performance factoring in recent results.

But for this first month it’s more about “feel” – how do the teams look after the first month of play. Statistics take time to play out. It takes a while for trends to develop into seasonal performances that truly reflect anything of lasting merit. But four weeks of play is enough to get a sense of direction, and at least an early sense of which clubs look ready to contend.

I still don’t believe that the Phillies are a 2016 contending team. The pitching is fine, and getting better by the week. But the consistent offensive production needed to stay afloat over the course of a 162-game schedule is still lacking. After Maikel Franco, Odubel Herrera, and the occasional heroics of a Ryan Howard (as we saw last night), there is no “there” there in the everyday lineup.

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So by basically looking at how the teams from around MLB have actually been producing in the win-loss column during this first month of April 2016 that will be ending tonight, as well as by factoring in what I “feel” about each team’s performances, let’s move on through the first Power Ranking of the season.

You might not like where your favorite club falls in our rankings at any point. That’s fine, we’re all entitled to our biases and our opinions. However, if you really want to blame someone for where your team is ranked, well, you might have to blame them for their actual performances. Play better, win more, you’ll get ranked higher.

Come back on June 1st for our next Power Ranking, which will include much more of a statistical analysis. But for now, click through at the bottom of each page for this nice slide show representing the first month of play in Major League Baseball.

Next: TBOH MLB POWER RANKING: #10

10. DETROIT TIGERS

The Detroit Tigers are at 12-10 and in 2nd place, three games off the pace in the American League Central Division. The Tigers are 9th in baseball with a +13 run differential, and have won three games in a row heading into Saturday action.

Miguel Cabrera has begun to heat up, which is going to make a tough lineup even more difficult for opposition pitchers to navigate. DH Victor Martinez, 2nd baseman Ian Kinsler, 3rd baseman Nick Castellanos, right fielder J.D. Martinez, and surprising catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia are already off hot.

Jordan Zimmermann has been their best starting pitcher by far, and setup man Justin Wilson has been lights out. If the Tigers are going to climb in the rankings and the standings, they are going to need more from starters Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez, closer Francisco Rodriguez, and outfielder Justin Upton.

Next: TBOH MLB POWER RANKING: #9

9. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Fightin’ Phils are fightin’ once again. Easily baseball’s biggest surprise team, the Phillies have pushed themselves three games over the .500 mark at 13-10 and into 3rd place in the NL East despite ranking just 23rd in MLB in runs differential.

The Phillies poor run differential is a bit misleading, however. They were outscored 19-10 while getting swept out of Cincinnati in the season’s first three games. They also were destroyed by Washington on back-to-back nights by a combined 17-2 mark a couple of weeks ago.

Since losing their first four games of 2016, the Phillies have gone 13-6. They paid Washington back for those earlier thrashings by sweeping the Nats in D.C. just the past week. This is clearly a team that is playing with much more moxie under manager Pete Mackanin, and with one of the top farm systems in the game, we should begin to see Philly show up more often in the Power Rankings.

The club is led offensively by 23-year old budding star 3rd baseman Maikel Franco, and rapidly improving 24-year old center fielder Odubel Herrera. But it is on the mound where the Phillies are making a difference. Starters Vincent Velasquez (24), Aaron Nola (23), and Jerad Eickhoff (25) are all young, talented, and just beginning to make their mark in MLB.

Next: TBOH MLB POWER RANKING: #8

8. BOSTON RED SOX

The Bosox are 13-10 and in 2nd place in the AL East, just 1.5 games out of first. The club has won seven of it’s last 10 games, including Friday night’s thriller in the opener of a three game series with the historical rival New York Yankees at Fenway Park.

A pair of veterans are leading the way on offense for Boston. Retiring DH David Ortiz is one of them. Big Papi is tied for the club lead in homers and leads the team in RBI. 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia is the other veteran off to a hot start. 26-year old 3rd baseman Travis Shaw is a pleasant surprise, swinging the bat well, while 23-year old right fielder Mookie Betts is showing signs of becoming one of the best young players in the game.

It’s out on the mound where Boston is held back. Knuckleballer Steven Wright is having a solid season, and Rick Porcello seems to finally be reaching the potential once envisioned for me back in Detroit. But big free agent signee David Price has been a bit of a disappointment. He’s striking out a ton of batters, but is also getting hit hard at times. And Clay Buchholz has been just awful.

Closer Craig Kimbrel has, like Price, shown that he still dominates most hitters. Yet he too has given up a couple of key longballs, and has been hit a bit harder and more frequently than usual. Those two need to settle down and become more dominating, and the Red Sox need another arm or two for the rotation.

Next: TBOH MLB POWER RANKING: #7

7. TEXAS RANGERS

The defending AL West champions are again on top of the division with a 13-10 record, but have three teams right on their tails at this early stage of the season. They have now won three straight, and are looking forward to getting ace

back in about three to four more weeks. The Japanese righty missed all of last season after undergoing

surgery.

When he returns, Darvish will find a co-ace has joined the rotation. Lefty Cole Hamels came over from the Phillies in a big deal at last season’s trade deadline. Hamels was a major factor in winning the division a year ago, and is once again the leader of the staff. Problem on the mound has been that the Texas bullpen has pretty much been a disaster. That must change in a big way for the team to reach its full potential.

At the plate the Rangers attack has been led by future Hall of Fame 3rd baseman Adrian Beltre, while 22-year old 2nd baseman Rougned Odor has been a breakout player. The new left fielder, Ian Desmond, has produced while converting from shortstop. The club has called up 21-year old outfielder Nomar Mazara, and he has produced immediate dividends. They need to get more out of DH Prince Fielder, who has hit for just a .193/.255/.289 slash line thus far. 

Next: TBOH MLB POWER RANKING: #6

6. PITTSBURGH PIRATES

It’s a fourth consecutive season that the Buccos are raising the Jolly Roger at PNC Park. The Pirates are off to a 14-9 start, good enough for 2nd place in the division. Problem for the Pirates? They just can’t seem to outright WIN that NL Central crown. They keep getting caught up in the Wildcard game, and then losing to a tough opponent in a one-and-done.

That’s a problem for another, much later day. For now the Bucs are trying to get back into the postseason in any way they can, in what is an improved division and improved NL race overall. They are led by one of the most talented outfield trios in the game in Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco, and Starling Marte.

The 29-year old ‘Cutch’ has made the NL All-Star squad for five straight seasons, and has finished among the top five in the NL MVP race four straight, winning the honors in 2013. The 24-year old Polanco is a major breakout candidate, and the 27-year old Marte is pushing to join McCutchen as an All-Star. Heck, for that matter so is Polanco.

Their infield lacks punch, but they are all hitting and contributing, as is the bench. On the mound, 25-year old Gerrit Cole is an emerging Cy Young contender, and Francisco Liriano gives them a nice 1-2, righty-lefty punch. But thus far the contributions of Jon Niese and Juan Nicasio have been surprising, and important. If the bullpen can improve just a bit, they’ll be in the race all season again.

Next: TBOH MLB POWER RANKING: #5

5. BALTIMORE ORIOLES

is one of the emerging superstars in the game. The O’s 23-year old 3rd baseman is an AL MVP candidate providing power in the lineup and defensive excellence in the field.

is also providing the Orioles with tremendous power numbers here in the season’s first month.

If manager Buck Showalter‘s squad gets Chris Davis and Adam Jones fully untracked, they are going to be in contention all season in the AL East. A big key here will be the pitching. So far, Chris Tillman seems to finally have unlocked his full potential, but the rest of the rotation is a weak link.

Kevin Gausman staying healthy would be huge, and how long will it be until Dylan Bundy is back in the rotation? It will be very curious to me to see if this club is still this highly rated a month from now when we again do these Power Rankings.

Next: TBOH MLB POWER RANKING: #4

4. CHICAGO WHITE SOX

No team in baseball made more significant veteran additions this off-season than did the Chisox, and all of it is working, at least for now. Chicago has two 1st place teams because of it, as the White Sox at 16-8 are on top of the AL Central with the best record in the American League.

One of those newcomers, 3rd baseman Todd Frazier, has supplied consistent power. He joins his partner across the diamond, Jose Abreu, to give them a nice 1-2 offensive punch. The club is also solidified by the veteran contributions and locker room presence of 31-year old Melky Cabrera and 37-year old shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

On the mound, 27-year old lefty Chris Sale just might be the best starting pitcher in the game. He has four straight finishes among the top six in the AL Cy Young voting, and this year could well take home the honors.

Mat Latos has come in and answered a lot of questions about his attitude and his performance in a positive manner, and 23-year old Carlos Rodon is coming along well in his career development. Righty Jose Quintana is one of the most underrated starters in the game. David Robertson closes in a bullpen that is also coming through for manager Robin Ventura. Don’t expect Chicago to fade away.

Next: TBOH MLB POWER RANKING: #3

3. NEW YORK METS

The defending National League champions have begun to get it all back together. The last piece missing was their power, conspicuously absent the first couple of weeks. No longer. Since moving 23-year old left fielder

into the 3-hole, the power has taken off across the lineup.

Conforto provides the youthful exuberance in an outfield that also includes talented veterans Yoenis Cespedes and Curtis Granderson. The Mets lost their star 2nd baseman, and decided to bring in veteran Neil Walker to replace him. Mission accomplished. Walker has been a stud, leading the club with nine homers.

On the mound, the Mets simply have the best starting pitching, top to bottom, in the game today. 23-year old righty Noah Syndergaard is particularly emerging as one of the NL’s top arms, and may be the best of this staff. That says a lot here, where 27-year old Matt Harvey, 28-year old Jacob deGrom,and 25-year old Steven Matz perform.

Toss in ageless 43-year old vet Bartolo Colon and a talented pen led by closer Jeurys Familia, and pitching alone should get New York back to the postseason. But they have more than pitching. If veteran 3rd baseman David Wright can rediscover himself, they could run away with the NL East. They are already 14-7, have won 12 of their last 14 games, and are only in 2nd place because of a slow start to the season.

Next: TBOH MLB POWER RANKING: #2

2. WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Don’t look back, Nats, something may be gaining on you! That would be those Mets. However, for now the Nationals are just slightly ahead. A nice 15-7 start to the season was speed-bumped this past week when the Phillies came to D.C. and swept them, but Washington isn’t going away.

Leading the way, of course, is 23-year old Bryce Harper. The right fielder is one of, if not the, top offensive threats in the game today. The reigning NL MVP is fully capable of winning another and carrying this team into contention on his own, but he won’t have to do that. The Nats robbed the Mets of 2nd baseman Daniel Murphy, and he has been a great addition.

The Nationals are still looking for the big bats of Jayson Werth, Anthony Rendon, and Ryan Zimmerman to get it all together. This lineup still has another gear that it can and likely will reach, assuming health. New manager Dusty Baker has the experience to hold it all together and get them back to the postseason.

On the mound, Stephen Strasburg is looking as dominant as he ever was in he early career pre-TJ surgery. Tanner Roark, Gio Gonzalez, and 23-year old Joe Ross have also gotten off to strong starts. If Max Scherzer solves his early season woes, and he is not far off, this is the one rotation in the league that can match up with the Mets. That bodes well for this remaining a two team race all summer long…again. Great budding rivalry here.

Next: TBOH MLB POWER RANKING: #1