GRRRRRRREAT! Again
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Everyone here at ArmchairGM probably hasn't seen my weekly MLB Power Poll before, so I just figured I'd start off this week's edition with this introduction to it. As most "Power Polls" go, mine is based off of recent performance, as well as overall performance for the season. Last week, the Detroit Tigers held the number 1 spot in the "Fanatic Power Poll", and the title of that article was "They're Grrrrrreat". One would guess based on this week's title that the Tigers are once again on top. Not much changed in the shortened week of baseball action due to the All-Star Break. I can't really make any judgement calls on the second-half outlook for teams until after the trade deadline. At that point, we can truly assess where a team will be at for the remainder of the year. However, commentary will be provided for the Top 10 teams. So, without further delay, here is this week's poll.
The "Fanatic" Power Poll (Records as of the completion of games played on 7/15)
1. Detroit Tigers (54-36, LW 1): The Tigers maintain their place atop the poll with another week of just pure, solid play.
2. Boston Red Sox (55-36, LW 2): The Sox are looking a little shaky as of late. Nothing to be alarmed about, just not as "on" as they were earlier this year.
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (55-36, LW 3): The Angels aren't playing badly, but again, just not up to the level they were at about a month ago. That series against the Yankees before the break could worry some fans of the Halos.
4. Cleveland Indians (54-37, LW 4): The back-and-forth battle between Detroit and Cleveland that is bound to carry on for the rest of this season will be as dramatic, if not more so, than the Detroit-Minnesota slugfest of last year. Note to the loser though: Detroit lost the division, but made the World Series. Not suggesting anything, just some food for thought.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (52-40, LW 9): The Dodgers pitching is great, and the teams play as of late is as well. That being said, a deadline deal for a bat could only help things.
6. Seattle Mariners (51-38, LW 5): The Mariners just continue to be under everybody's radar screen. We'll see if their impressive W-L holds up by the end of the month, but right now, I would not want to be playing these guys come September.
7. New York Mets (51-40, LW 7): The Mets are playing solid baseball without starters Odalis Perez and Jorge Sosa, who return this week. It's a good thing too, because the Braves are coming up fast in the rearview mirror.
8. Milwaukee Brewers (51-40, LW 8): Even though the Brewers lead has gotten smaller as of late, it is nothing to panic about. This young team can't rest though. If they give the Cubbies the chance, they will overtake them come September.
9. San Diego Padres (50-40, LW 6): If any team could use a hitter (or two?), it's got to be the Padres. I mean, the team has only given up 311 runs all season, but they need to do better on the 385 runs scored.
10. Atlanta Braves (50-42, LW 11): As a Mets fan, I can't say that I'm happy about putting the Braves this high up, but well, they've earned it. The Braves have shown great poise with their strong play as of late. They shouldn't need any deals to keep up with the rest of the National League at this rate.
11. Minnesota Twins (49-43, LW 13)
12. Chicago Cubs (47-43, LW 10)
13. Arizona Diamondbacks (49-44, LW 14)
14. New York Yankees (45-44, LW 16)
15. Philadelphia Phillies (46-45, LW 17)
16. Colorado Rockies (45-46, LW 12)
17. Toronto Blue Jays (45-46, LW 18)
18. Florida Marlins (44-48, LW 20)
19. St. Louis Cardinals (41-47, LW 21)
20. Oakland Athletics (44-48, LW 15)
21. Baltimore Orioles (41-50, LW 25)
22. Pittsburgh Pirates (40-51, LW 19)
23. Chicago White Sox (40-50, LW 22)
24. Texas Rangers (39-52, LW 27)
25. Kansas City Royals (39-52, LW 24)
26. Houston Astros (39-53, LW 23)
27. Cincinnati Reds (37-55, LW 28)
28. San Francisco Giants (38-51, LW 26)
29. Washington Nationals (37-54, LW 29)
30. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (35-56, LW 30)
