ESPN Power Rankings

dEVIL · Apr 21, 2004

Stros # 1

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1786788

JPM0016 · Apr 21, 2004

wow, it's strange seeing a Houston team at the top of the power rankings.

Hippieloser · Apr 21, 2004

Could somebody paste the article? Thanks.

Phillyrocket · Apr 21, 2004

Originally posted by JPM0016
wow, it's strange seeing a Houston team at the top of the power rankings.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I was thinking I can't recall ever seeing a Houston team at the top of any sports rankings.

Nick · Apr 21, 2004

I'd rather see this in August... but you can't argue against how well this team has been playing.

Lets bounce back tonight!

Fegwu · Apr 21, 2004

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

ESPN.com
It's quickly becoming all Barry, all the time. Having hit a home run in seven straight games and with nine homers in his first 14 games, Barry Bonds is truly a one-man wrecking machine.

That said, the Giants are falling fast despite Bonds' offensive exploits. And this week's rankings show the Giants are closer to the bottom than they are to the top. The Power 10; Bottom 5 rankings were determined by a poll of 11 people -- both writers and editors -- on ESPN.com's baseball staff. ESPN.com contributing writer Bob Klapisch ranks the teams from 11-25 and also writes the comments for all 30 teams.

Click here to view the rankings from Week 2, and then rank the teams for this week as you see fit. Numbers in bold type in parenthesis represent first-place votes. Numbers not in bold type in parenthesis represent last-place votes.

ESPN.com Power 10
Rank Team Klapisch's comments

1. Astros (5)

At this rate, with an 0.87 ERA, Roger Clemens may never retire. Assuming Andy Pettitte's elbow heals, the 'Stros should be a factor all summer -- and into October, as well.
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2. Marlins (3)

As long as the Phillies continue to underachieve, the door is wide open for the Marlins' still-formidable starting rotation. They're leading the NL with a stunning 1.79 ERA and Dontrelle Willis proved why Tuesday night against the Phillies, allowing just one unearned run in a 3-1 win.
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3. Athletics (1)

Billy Beane's low-budget, high-output formula appears to be working -- again -- and a full week of games with the Angels-Mariners only should provide an early clue as to what's what in the AL West.
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4. Red Sox (1)

Even bigger than taking 3-of-4 from the Yankees last weekend was Pedro Martinez out-performing Roy Halladay in a 4-2 win over Toronto Tuesday night. Without Pedro, the Sox have no chance winning the East. With him, expect the mother of all pennant races.
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5. Dodgers

Offense will likely be a problem all summer, but the Dodgers have opened up a miniature lead on the Padres after sweeping the Giants in San Francisco last weekend.
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6. Twins (1)

Havw won six games in a row, and sit on top of the pack in the Central Division. Talk about eye-openers, the Twins aren't just the division's top run-producers, they lead the American League, too, and are second in the majors only to the Astros.
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7. White Sox

They were atop the Central Division before the 11-8 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday, but overall, the White Sox have performed with surprising efficiency in April. Esteban Loaiza is 3-0, but even more impressive is the mere 14 hits he's allowed in 21 innings.
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8. Braves

Everyone's still trying to determine what kind of transition-summer this will be for the Braves. No dominant starters, and not enough hitting to prevail in high-scoring games. Meanwhile, John Smoltz still dreams of returning to the rotation.
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9. Yankees (1)

Still hard to believe Alex Rodriguez went 0-for-16 at Fenway before a final at-bat single. The Bombers were built to dominate the East and the Red Sox in particular. But it hasn't happened yet. The 11 runs against the White Sox on Tuesday night were closer to the blueprint.
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10. Angels

There's more than enough offense to go around, but the Angels have given up 33 percent more runs than the division-leading A's. At least Bartolo Colon is holding up his end of the bargain, with a 1.64 ERA, third-best in the league.
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11. Orioles

The Birds don't figure to spend much time in the AL East's top spot, but it's been a great week for them. Five straight wins, and they're leading the division in runs scored.
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12. Mariners

A four-game winning streak has preserved the collective sanity in the Pacific Northwest, but there are still long-range issues with the pitching staff.
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13. Reds

Enough people picked the Reds to evaporate in a hurry this season, which is why a 4.15 team ERA -- still better than half the league's -- has opened our eyes.
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14. Pirates

Sweeping the Mets last weekend didn't qualify the Bucs for world-beater status, although it was an upbeat moment for a team not expected to leave much of an imprint on the Central division's race. The Pirates scored seven runs in the eighth inning off the bullpen after being shut out by Tom Glavine through the first seven innings. They ended up winning, 7-6.
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15. Cubs

Reduced to middle-of-the-pack status until Mark Prior's health-issues are resolved and Greg Maddux wins his first game. Without those two, the Cubs are nothing more than non-threatening entertainment.
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16. Tigers

No question this is an improved version of the 2003 disaster. But just how far will the Tigers climb out of the cesspool? Anything fewer than a 100 losses will be considered a triumph. So far, so good.
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17. Padres

The real key in San Diego is whether David Wells, 0-2, is motivated to clone his Yankee-dominance, or if he's content to coast. So far, Boomer has been invisible, striking out just two batters in 17 innings with a 6.35 ERA.
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18. Giants

It'll take more than Barry Bonds' home runs for the Giants to capture this division, even though Bonds' streak of seven home runs in his last seven games is reason enough to stay interested in the Giants. There are plenty of holes elsewhere, including Edgardo Alfonzo, who's batting just .163 with no home runs and two RBI.
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19. Rangers

It's too early to call the Rangers the division's surprise team -- although, maybe not. They're just a game out of first place, and have so far come out ahead on the A-Rod-Alfonso Soriano swap. The former Yankee is batting .351, and has struck out just eight times in 57 at-bats. That's far better than last October, when Soriano was whiffing at a rate of once every three at-bats.
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20. Cardinals

Talk about a team of excess -- they're the Central Division's top run-scorers, but have also allowed more runs than anyone else, too. Interestingly, the Cardinals are a perfect 4-0 on the road, but have lost 7-of-10 at home. Go figure.
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21. Mets

Those three straight weekend losses to the Pirates at home represented the low-point in Art Howe's short career at Shea. He was booed thickly by Met fans, especially in that traumatic 7-6 loss on Friday. Howe removed Tom Glavine as he was throwing a shutout. Could be a long summer.
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22. Rockies

Same profile as the Cardinals, except in the West: lots of runs, not enough pitching to back it up. Actually, it's the story of the ages at Coors Field, where everyone hits. This could be a significant week, however, as Colorado is hosting both the Dodgers and Astros.
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23. Devil Rays

Three straight losses have sent Lou Piniella's squad into the lower regions of the AL East, where everyone suspects they'll stay put. The D-Rays live and breathe on Sweet Lou's energy, but it'll take more than that to keep from being flattened by the Yankees and Red Sox.
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24. Phillies

Have actually played better since a 1-6 start, but anything under .500 is a crisis for this heavily-favored team in the NL East. The only question is how long Larry Bowa can stay composed -- although with Bowa, composure is relative.
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25. Diamondbacks

Losers of 8-of-10, the D-Backs are already in last place, five games out. It's nothing that a moderate hot streak couldn't fix, but to accomplish that, the pitching will have to improve. Arizona's starters have combined to win just two games.
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Click to expand...

ESPN.com Bottom 5
Rank Team Klapisch's comments
26. Indians

Without Milton Bradley, the last-place Tribe has become the almost-all-anonymous team. Losers of 7-of-10, they're on a long, flat road to nowhere, although C.C. Sabathia continues to dominate, with a 1.71 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 21 innings.
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27. Brewers (2)

Last in the Central Division, although in this homogenous race, that's not necessarily a death-sentence. But the Brewers are desperate for offense. As of Wednesday, they didn't have a single starter batting .300.
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28. Royals

Not a bad team, really, except on the road. The Royals are April's worst team away from home, just 1-6, and don't return to Kaufman Stadium until Friday. Worse news was losing shortstop Angel Berroa to the disabled list with migraine headaches.
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29. Blue Jays (1)

If anyone can solve the mystery of this talented roster, saddled with the worst record in the American League, send them to GM J.P. Ricciardi. There's a million mysteries here, including Carlos Delgado's current .152 average.
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30. Expos (7)

Pity GM Omar Minaya, who has no money, no resources, and virtually no chance to compete in the NL East, at least not with a .203 team batting average. Even manager Frank Robinson says he feels helpless.

Click to expand...

Courtesy of http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1786788

Uprising · Apr 21, 2004

15. Cubs

Reduced to middle-of-the-pack status until Mark Prior's health-issues are resolved and Greg Maddux wins his first game. Without those two, the Cubs are nothing more than non-threatening entertainment.

WOW. I love to see them down there.

KaiSeR SoZe · Apr 21, 2004

Originally posted by JPM0016
wow, it's strange seeing a Houston team at the top of the power rankings.
Click to expand...

it looks weird at the top of the list

Hippieloser · Apr 21, 2004

Thanks for pasting the article!

Rocket Fan · Apr 21, 2004

I wonder if this is the first time a houston team has ever been at the top of a list other than maybe comets... I dont know about the rockets.. maybe they were at top of rankings in champ year after 15-0 start?

Nick · Apr 21, 2004

Originally posted by Rocket Fan
I wonder if this is the first time a houston team has ever been at the top of a list other than maybe comets... I dont know about the rockets.. maybe they were at top of rankings in champ year after 15-0 start?
Click to expand...

Haha... in 1994 the internet was barely a microcosm of what it is now.

Half the country hadn't even heard of the world wide web or e-mail, let alone ESPN power rankings.

Man its crazy how far we've come since then...

Rocket Fan · Apr 21, 2004

nick.. yeah I wasn't speaking specifically of espn power rankings.. but I'd think there were some type of rankings somewhere on tv or whatever.. i doubt we were ever the favorites though

Preston27 · Apr 21, 2004

Of course the stro's lose 2 in a row when they're ranked #1. Oh well, rankings don't count, winning does.

arkoe · Apr 22, 2004

Originally posted by Nick
Half the country hadn't even heard of the world wide web or e-mail, let alone ESPN power rankings.
Click to expand...

It's true. Al Gore didn't really start pimping his invention until around the time of Clinton's campaign.

StupidMoniker · Apr 24, 2004

I wonder what Boston correspondent gave the Yankees a last place vote.

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dEVIL Member

JPM0016 Contributing Member

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Hippieloser Contributing Member

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StupidMoniker I lost a bet

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