MLB Power Rankings for May 24

By Scott Jackson

Feel free to get reacquainted with my last rankings.  All statistics and records are through Monday’s games.

Cabrera could be the Tribe's first MVP since Al Rosen in '53

1. The Indians (30-15, 1st AL Central).  Cleveland Rocks.  The team has the best record in the majors, and the biggest lead in the standings (seven games) of any division leader.  Interleague play was very good for the tribe as the Indians swept the in-state rival Reds, winning by a combined score of 19-9.  Asdrubal Cabrera has been on a tear of late, hitting .444 with four home runs over the last week.

2. The Phillies (29-18, 1st NL East) fall to the number spot.  They went eight straight games without scoring more than three runs until exploding for ten last night; they went 3-5 over that stretch.  Hopefully for them Chase Utley can make an immediate impact now that he’s returned.

Saltalamacchia is heating up

3. The Red Sox (25-21, 3rd AL East) go from the ninth spot to the third. The Sox are 8-2 over their last ten.  And over the last week Adrian Gonzalez is batting .440.  More impressively, over that same stretch Jarrod Saltalamacchia (the name that destroys spellcheck) is hitting .308 with two homers.  The team is 5-1 against the rival Yankees.

4. The Yankees (25-21) and Rays (26-22) are tied for first in the AL East, so why not have them tied here?  The teams fall a spot behind the Red Sox, a team they both lead by a half game, by virtue of their poor performance of late (the teams are a combined 8-12 over their last ten).

Berkman is hitting .389 after falling behind 0-1

6. The Cardinals (29-20, 1st NL Central) were sixth last time, and they get to be sixth again.  They continue to do it with offense; Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman are the top two hitters in the NL hitting .349 and .341, respectively.  But the teams pitching is coming around with 2.14 ERA over their last seven games.

7. The defending champion Giants (27-19, 1st NL West) go from unranked to seventh by virtue of a five game winning streak.  The team’s pitching staff has an ERA of 3.17, good for third in the NL.  And they’ve allowed an MLB-low 24 home runs.  Two Red Sox castaways, Javier Lopez and Ramon Ramirez have ERAs under 1.50 out of the bullpen.

Will Florida be fish out of water without their ace?

8.  The Marlins (26-19, 2nd NL East) fall from fourth to eighth.  Their only 5-5 over their last ten, but worse for them, ace Josh Johnson (1.64 ERA) was shelved because of shoulder issues.

9. With Johnson sitting out, the Braves (26-23, 3rd NL East) could soon overtake the Marlins.  The team has the second best ERA in the NL (3.07) but their only hitting .242, good for eleventh in the league.

10. The Rockies (23-22, 2nd NL West) round out the top ten, falling from the fifth spot.  Colorado is 4-6 over their last ten, and lost a Ubaldo Jiminez  two-hitter 3-1 over that span.  Their offense has been stagnant all year (.240 team average).  Carlos Gonzalez, an MVP candidate last year, is only batting .245.