MLB Week 15 Power Rankings: An overview of the teams – Part 1
Week 15 of Major League Baseball did not witness any major changes. One particular reason for this was the All-Star break because of which there were no games for three days.
The All-Star break technically marks the end of the first-half of the season and teams doing good at this point are generally expected to persist till the end. The top four spots continue to be shared by the same teams, i.e. Philadelphia Phillies, Boston
Red Sox, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves.
A major improvement this week came from the Texas Rangers who are now on an eight-game winning streak. The American League West Division leaders have improved five positions this week, joining the formidable four to complete the top five this week.
The St. Louis Cardinals were a disappointment this week as the Red Birds slipped four positions to move out of the top ten.
The following is an analysis of the teams in accordance to their power rankings for week 15.
1. The Philadelphia Phillies have cemented their place at the Number one position in the power rankings. They have been persistent in their performances and thus have league-best win-loss record of 57-34.
The Phillies undoubtedly have the best pitching rotation in the Majors with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino leading the pack. Victorino missed the All-Star Game due to a sprained right thumb and is now on a 15-day disabled list.
The Phillies will look to continue pitching hard and add an attacking nature to their batting if they have to take a substantial lead from the fast-approaching Atlanta Braves. Raul Ibanez needs to step on the next-level to prove his nerve on the big stage.
Phillies begin the second-half when they take on New York Mets on Friday. They have a good chance to create a winning momentum as the season progresses.
2. The Boston Red Sox ended the first-half on a sky-scraping performance with a six-game winning streak. With a 55-35 win-loss record, the Red Sox are leading the American League East Division. They are one of the two teams who have a winning percentage
above .600 (.611), the other one being the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Red Sox have a strong team. Their number of runs scored, batting average and slugging percentage are all ranked the first in the Majors. Complimenting this is their powerful pitching led by Josh Beckett and Jon Lester who form a fearsome pitching rotation.
With the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles to start off with, Boston has an excellent opportunity to improve its six-game winning streak and take their win-loss record to the league-best level.
3. At Number three are the pin-striped New York Yankees. The Yankees have been sturdy this season with a winning percentage just under .600 at .596.
They have a 53-37 win-loss record for the season but the last ten games have not been so good for Yankees. They have a 5-5 record in their previous ten outings and need an urgent improvement to stay in contention for the top notch in the American League
East Division.
Derek Jeter has completed his 3000 hits and will now be relieved to focus on the season. The Yankees, however, have lost Alex Rodriguez for at least four to six weeks after he opted for a surgery. His likely replacement Eduardo Nunez and historically sizzling
second-half player Mark Teixeira will play a key role in what the Yankees achieve this season.
Continued in Part 2
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: