marsh Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 (edited) Sox on top. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylc=X3oD...=yhoo&type=lgns Power Numbers: South Side success By Ryne Sandberg, Yahoo! Sports May 2, 2005 Each week during the regular season, I will rank the 10 best teams – and the five worst teams – in the major leagues. I will also single out a team that is on the rise and a team that is on the decline. To view previous rankings, click here. Team records are through May 1. THE TOP 10 ADVERTISEMENT 1. Chicago White Sox (18-7) – They've gotten great pitching from Jon Garland, who's 5-0 after recording two shutouts last week. He's been able to throw his sinker for strikes and he's beginning to realize his potential. With a lot of speed, their offense keeps finding ways to get on base and score quickly. Both Carl Everett (23 RBIs) and Paul Konerko (17 RBIs) are doing a good job driving in runs. 3. Baltimore Orioles (17-7) – This team just won't go away. Everyone has been waiting for them to go into a slump and for the Red Sox to overtake them. But it's not happening. Melvin Mora (.323) and Miguel Tejada (.374) are swinging hot bats, and I like the fight in this team. They're out to prove people wrong. 3. St. Louis Cardinals (15-8) – They continue to dominate the NL. They've gotten great starting pitching from Chris Carpenter (4-1, 4.01) and Jeff Suppan (2-3, 3.23), and their offense is the kind that refuses to slump because it has guys who hit for average and power. They don't strike out a lot, either. 4. Florida Marlins (14-9) – They're the quiet team of the top 10. The Marlins lead the majors in team ERA (2.28) because they have Josh Beckett (4-1, 1.36) and Dontrelle Willis (5-0, 1.29) at the top of their rotation. Juan Pierre has yet to get hot, but when he does, watch out. 5. Los Angeles Dodgers (16-8) – Derek Lowe (2-2, 1.96) and Odalis Perez (4-1, 3.64) lead the pitching staff of the NL West's first-place team. Veteran second baseman Jeff Kent leads the offense with six home runs and 20 RBIs. 6. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (14-11) – They're going to get a huge boost now that Kelvim Escobar is back and their offense is still coming along. Vladimir Guerrero is off to an MVP-caliber start while leading the team in average (.347), home runs (six) and RBIs (20). 7. Minnesota Twins (15-9) – They're still a very good team that will push the White Sox for the AL Central title. Johan Santana (4-1, 3.29) has been sharp, and the offense is led by Torii Hunter (four HRs, 17 RBIs). 8. Atlanta Braves (15-10) – John Smoltz (2-3, 3.22) got off to a bad start but he's coming around, and closer Dan Kolb (seven saves) is starting to pitch better. To stay in the top 10, the offense needs to pick it up a couple of notches. 9. Boston Red Sox (13-11) – The injuries to Curt Schilling and David Wells could really hurt the Red Sox as they're going to have to count on big games from Matt Clement, Tim Wakefield and Bronson Arroyo. Boston's solid lineup will help pick up the slack, though. 10. Arizona Diamondbacks (15-10) – They have shown big improvement over last year. The veteran bats of Luis Gonzalez and Troy Glaus must lead the team through the summer. ON THE RISE San Francisco Giants (13-11) – They've won five straight and are glad to have Moises Alou back. The offense is doing its job as the fourth-best hitting team in the majors (.281). However, the loss of closer Armando Benitez for four months is a serious blow. ON THE DECLINE New York Yankees (10-15) – They remain a mystery to me. I keep waiting for them to win 10 in a row. They're getting good offensive production from Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez, but the starting pitching is the weak link right now. Only the Devil Rays and Rangers have a worse team ERA. Without Randy Johnson, they probably would be in last place in the AL East. THE BOTTOM FIVE 26. Pittsburgh Pirates (8-15) – They have scored the fewest runs in the majors (68) and are the worst hitting team in the NL (.228). They're a team that I think will do better, though. 27. Cleveland Indians (9-15) – They're not at as bad as they've been playing, but with that record, you have to put them near the bottom. The Indians are hitting a majors-worst .225, and that lack of an offensive punch has hurt them the most. 28. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (8-17) – They're another team with young talent, but they're just not ready to put it all together, especially in the tough AL East. Dewon Brazelton and Scott Kazmir should be good pitchers but you never know how they'll develop while pitching for a losing team. 29. Kansas City Royals (7-18) – They've had some injury problems (third baseman Mark Teahen, for example). They're in jeopardy of finishing with the worst record in the majors. 30. Colorado Rockies (6-16) – The Rockies are trying to find a way to win. They do have some young talent in shortstop Clint Barmes (.417), outfielder Brad Hawpe (.396, four homers) and third baseman Garrett Atkins (.357). But you know you're in trouble when Jamey Wright (1-2, 6.85) and Jason Jennings (1-3, 4.55) are leading your pitching staff. Longtime Chicago Cub Ryne Sandberg will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July. Send Ryne a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast. Updated on Monday, May 2, 2005 1:35 pm EDT Edited May 2, 2005 by marsh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSteve Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 HAHAHA... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Man we are so good, no one even rates #2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valponick Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 I sent an email to him last week telling him not to be such a homer and realize there is baseball going on outside of the NL central, maybe he listened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UofIChiSox Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Hell, he can't even count to 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbaho-WG Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 (edited) Either the person who published the article screwed up, or he made a tie for 2nd. Let's think beyond a first grade level. Edited May 2, 2005 by Cerbaho-WG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHarris1 Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 QUOTE(Cerbaho-WG @ May 2, 2005 -> 02:40 PM) Either the eprson who published the article screwed up, or he made a tie for 2nd. Let's think beyond a first grade level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamTell Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 2, 2005 -> 01:39 PM) Man we are so good, no one even rates #2 lol I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerhead johnson Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 QUOTE(marsh @ May 2, 2005 -> 06:30 PM) 29. Kansas City Royals (7-18) – They've had some injury problems (third baseman Mark Teahen, for example). They're in jeopardy of finishing with the worst record in the majors. 30. Colorado Rockies (6-16) – The Rockies are trying to find a way to win. They do have some young talent in shortstop Clint Barmes (.417), outfielder Brad Hawpe (.396, four homers) and third baseman Garrett Atkins (.357). But you know you're in trouble when Jamey Wright (1-2, 6.85) and Jason Jennings (1-3, 4.55) are leading your pitching staff. The Rockies would probably sweep the Royals. Interesting column, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh Posted May 2, 2005 Author Share Posted May 2, 2005 QUOTE(Cerbaho-WG @ May 2, 2005 -> 02:40 PM) Either the person who published the article screwed up, or he made a tie for 2nd. Let's think beyond a first grade level. Isn't there a parade somewhere you should be raining on? If he had a tie for second then there would be two teams listed as #2 and then skip to #4, not two #3 teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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