2011 NL Power Rankings: Week 2

NL Power Rankings Week 2.

2011 NL Power Rankings: Week 2
Team	RK(LW)	Record	Comment
	1 (2)	3-0	The Phillies haven’t let the offseason expectations get them off on the wrong foot. They did need some late heroics to lift them on Opening Day, but they are the team to beat now.
	2 (3)	2-1	The Braves will be the team that pushes the Phillies this year and both of these teams are off to a strong start.
	3 (1)	1-3	This isn’t exactly what you want to start the season. The defense let them down and they lost some close games that could have swung in their favor.
	4 (7)	3-0	The Reds are trying to regain the upper hand in the Central that they had all last season and an opening series sweep against a much improved division rival is a great start.
	5 (4)	1-1	They had one of their games snowed out, so we only got to see two games for the Rockies, but they seem to be about what we expected so far.
	6 (6)	1-2	The injury bug keeps biting the Cardinals and Albert Pujols looked mortal on Opening Day. Are the baseball gods telling us something?
	7 (8)	3-1	The Dodgers looked good against the defending champs. They scored enough to win the series but before long, you are going to worry about Jonathan Broxton and his gopher balls.
	8 (10)	2-1	The Padres beat a tough Cardinals team twice on the road which is impressive. I still don’t know how they score runs but Bud Black has his team playing like last year again.
	9 (5)	0-3	That is not the start the Brewers wanted to get off to. Yikes! For a team trying to contend and a team that made splashy moves, a sweep is bad news. Luckily for them, it's a long season.
	10 (13)	2-1	The Mets took 2 out of 3, but I think this is still a rebuilding year without monster years from Beltran, Reyes, and Bay. Not likely with the Braves and Phillies in front of them.
	11 (9)	1-2	Losing to the Pirates hurts and the Cubs cannot feel good to have dropped 2 out 3 at home. I could have dropped them more but I don’t want to overreact.
	12 (12)	1-2	The Marlins are another team that dropped 2 out 3 at home but they did it to the Mets who could be a good team. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt here.
	13 (15)	1-1	The D-Backs went into Coors Field and have worked a split, which is quite the accomplishment because the Rockies are so tough to beat at home. Hopefully this isn’t the high point for their year.
	14 (14)	1-2	The Nationals were unlucky and drew the Braves, who are a much superior team. Hey, at least they won one of the games.
	15 (16)	1-2	The Pirates are above .500 and at this pace will break the record for futility. Screw statistical fundamentals and extrapolate Pirates fans. It could happen.
	16 (11)	0-3	The Astros start another season with a sweep and in heart breaking fashion. At least they have the Brewers to share the cellar with for the moment.

---

Become a fan on Facebook and follow The Crazy Crabbers on Twitter. There is lots of good stuff going on there.

2011 NL Power Rankings: Week 1

The NL Power Rankings to start the season.

2011 NL Power Rankings: Week 1
Team	RK	Record	Comment
	1	0-0	The Giants move into my top spot with the injuries that have struck the Phillies. Plus, they are the defending champions, so until someone else knocks them off their pedestal, they are #1.
	2	0-0	The Phillies have had injury problems and will be without Chase Utley for what's looking like the first half of the season. I have my worries about the offense, but they should win a lot of games with their pitching.
	3	0-0	I almost moved the Braves above the Phillies and I think that they're really close. The team seems well balanced and I expect them to push the Phillies all year long.
	4	0-0	The way things look right now, the playoff races should be tight. The Rockies are another good team and I think that they will challenge the Giants in the West and whoever is second will be right in the thick of the Wild Card race.
	5	0-0	Picking the leader of the Central is tough as the Brewers, Cardinals, and Reds are all pretty closely bunched. Right now, I think the Brewers are on top, but the talent level of all these teams is really close.
	6	0-0	Before Spring Training, the Cardinals were the team to beat in the Central and then Adam Wainwright went down for the season. The loss of Wainwright makes this division a toss up.
	7	0-0	The Reds played above their heads last year and I don't think they will quite live up to that again. I could be wrong, but I can't see them overcoming the Cardinals and Brewers.
	8	0-0	The starting pitching depth that they started with has diminished with injuries, but the rotation will still be the strength of the team. The question is if they will score enough runs. Right now, I don't think they will.
	9	0-0	The Cubs are interesting, but I think they're in a transition phase and this year will be something they build on for making a run at the division next year.
	10	0-0	I think the Padres will come back down to Earth with the departure of A-Gon. They will continue to be scrappy and they may surprise again. The injury to Mat Latos hurts them a lot because behind him, the rotation isn't anything spectacular.
	11	0-0	The Astros are rebuilding and are probably the fourth most talented team in their division. They are likely to have some growing pains.
	12	0-0	The Marlins are a young team with talent. I just think they will lose a bunch of games to the superior Braves and Phillies. They probably deserve to be higher and they may even surprise me this year.
	13	0-0	The Mets are cleaning house and have injury problems like always. They have a smart GM who could turn things around, but it will take a few seasons to work off the bad moves of the previous administration.
	14	0-0	The Nationals spent money like they were contenders but lets not fool ourselves. They are not good. Hey, at least Bryce Harper will be exciting when he finally gets the call.
	15	0-0	Arizona spent money to try to rebuild their horrible bullpen, so that will help them win some more games. Other than that, they're still a few pieces away from contending, but have a solid offensive nucleus to build around.
	16	0-0	Hopefully the Pirates lose less than 100 games. I am pulling for them to turn it around. I just don't know when it will be in the cards for them. Good luck.

---

Become a fan on Facebook and follow The Crazy Crabbers on Twitter. There is lots of good stuff going on there.

NL Power Rankings

A new feature that I am looking to start is ranking the teams in the National League. I don't follow the American League as closely so I decided just to leave them out.

The first edition is below, I figure to start updating regularly after games get started in the Spring or after something big happens that shakes things up in the off-season.

In the comments section I have gave a quick run down and my general thought on wins for each team. We will see how I do as things progress.
 

2011 NL Power Rankings: Pre-Spring Training Eddition
Team	RK	Record	Comment
	1	0-0	I expect that the Phillies will be a juggernaut next season with good offense plus good pitching. 95-100 wins.
	2	0-0	The Giants are a good team, but they don't quite have the same juggernaut feel to them as the Phillies. 90-95 wins.
	3	0-0	The Cards faded badly at the end of last year but are a better team then they showed. Any team with their pitching and Albert Pujols has a chance. 88-93 wins.
	4	0-0	The Braves should be a better team then the one that the Giants beat in the NLDS. Dan Uggla was a good pick up. 88-93 wins.
	5	0-0	The Brewers made a big splashy move getting Zach Greinke to lead the pitching staff. Should be in contention. 85-90 wins.
	6	0-0	The Rockies had a signature late charge but fell apart after getting to within a game of the lead. I expect them to be in striking distance again. 85-90 wins.
	7	0-0	The Reds played a above their heads last year and the rest of the division has gotten better. I think that they are solid but not repeating. 85-90 wins.
	8	0-0	The dirt bags are a scary team but a bit of a head case. Great depth at SP with a volatile bullpen that could blow wins for this team. 82-87 wins.
	9	0-0	The Cubbies should be improved but it is hard with 3 other teams in the division that will be playoff contenders. 80-85 wins.
	10	0-0	I think that the Padres will come back down to earth with the departure of A-Gon. Could still give the Giants fits with the scrappiness of the team. 78-83 wins.
	11	0-0	The Astros played above .500 ball at the end of last year should bring them back to respectability. 78-83 wins.
	12	0-0	The Marlins are a young team and young teams can surprise people but hard to imagine them getting past Braves or Phillies in the East. 75-80 wins.
	13	0-0	The Mets are trying to deal with some bad moves made in the past with new management. Should hover around .500 this year. 75-80 wins.
	14	0-0	The Nationals went out spending a ton of money this off season but I expect a disappointment for Washington fans. 65-70 wins.
	15	0-0	Arizona could be a team that goes either way with all the young talent. If everything breaks right this could be the 2011 Padres. 65-70 wins.
	16	0-0	Hopefully the Pirates lose less then 100 games. I am puling for them to turn it around I just don't know when it will be in the cards for them. 60-65 wins.