Power Poll: Yanks Back in Charge
Ryan Fagan - SportingNews.com
Aug 10, 2009
On Sunday, the Yankees finished off the Red Sox in what just might have been the most impressive four-game sweep of the Alex Rodriguez era in New York. That's how you take a stranglehold on first place in your division. The Yankees got contributions from everywhere: A-Rod with his homers, A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte with their brilliant starts and the bullpen with their (mostly) outstanding efforts.
The Yankees got the types of individual performances that contending teams need down the stretch (and moved back into first place in the SN Power Poll). But what about the non-contenders? If the games don't really matter in the standings, who's worth watching? Glad you asked. In this week's poll, we give you the guys to pay attention to in the final few weeks of the 2009 season.
1. Yankees (last week: 3). 3B Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees' star at the hot corner hit a couple of huge homers in a season-defining sweep of the Red Sox, and a hot Alex Rodriguez isn't good news for anyone outside of New York.
2. Angels (1). 1B Kendry Morales. He has absolutely killed the ball since the middle of June; he has a .331 batting average, 13 homers and 38 RBIs in 39 games.
3. Dodgers (4). SP Chad Billingsley. Can he be the ace of the staff? He's the most logical candidate and has throw well his past two starts (0.82 ERA in 11 innings) but that pesky left hamstring (and Billingsley's postseason struggles last year) leave some doubt.
4. Rangers (6). SP Derek Holland/RP Neftali Feliz. The future studs of the Rangers rotation are making an impact right now; Holland with the three-hit gem he tossed against the Angels in a must-win game Sunday and Feliz with the 101-mph fastballs he's pumping out of the bullpen on a regular basis.
5. Cardinals (7). CF Colby Rasmus/CF Rick Ankiel. Ryan Ludwick and Matt Holliday have the two corner spots locked down in the Cardinals' outfield, and Rasmus and Ankiel both have the ability to play center field full-time. But neither has displayed anywhere near the consistency manager Tony La Russa demands; whichever one finds a groove will get a chance to produce down the stretch.
6. Phillies (5). SP Cole Hamels. The dream team duo of Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee will only be dreamy if Hamels can get back on track. He's sporting a 4.77 ERA for the season, including an 8.71 ERA his past two starts.
7. Red Sox (2). Any starter other than Josh Beckett or Jon Lester. Can anyone else pitch into the sixth inning?
8. Giants (9). 2B Freddy Sanchez. The former Pirate has found a home hitting in front of Pablo Sandoval in the Giants' batting order. No coincidence they were 4-2 in his first six games.
9. Rockies (8). SP Jason Marquis. He's done so much for the Rockies already this season, but for them to get to the playoffs he can't have many (OK, any) more outings like the walk-fest against the Cubs in his last start.
10. Tigers (13). RF Magglio Ordonez. The Tigers need all the offense they can muster, and Ordonez is batting .333 in August. If he shows even a flash of his former slugger self, the Tigers would feel much better in their push for the Central title.
11. Rays (10). SP David Price. He's starting to figure it out, and the Rays aren't at the point where they can afford many (OK, any) more inconsistent starts from their rookie lefty.
12. Cubs (11). RP Kevin Gregg. He has to be the consistent one in the Cubs bullpen.
13. Marlins (12). 1B Nick Johnson. The Marlins' new first baseman has the ability to get on base, and he did exactly that in his first week with Florida (a .571 on-base percentage).
14. Braves (15). SP Tommy Hanson. The rookie righthander fills the weak spot in the Braves rotation and gives Atlanta one of the best, if not the best, starting fives in the NL.
15. Mariners (16). SP Felix Hernandez. Because every time you miss one of his starts, you're missing one of the best pitchers in baseball. Shame on you.
16. White Sox (14). SP Jake Peavy. Because if he comes back healthy, the White Sox will have a pretty stacked starting rotation.
17. Brewers (17). 1B Prince Fielder. Can he beat out Albert Pujols for the RBI title?
18. Astros (18). SP Bud Norris. Rookie has looked outstanding in his first few games in the bigs.
19. Twins (19). SP Francisco Liriano. At this point, he's kinda sorta pitching for his spot in the 2010 rotation, isn't he?
20. Blue Jays (21). 2B Aaron Hill. Because he is, shockingly, still in the race for the AL home run title.
21. Mets (20). RP Bill Wagner. If he makes it back, he'll be angling for a 2010 contract.
22. Diamondbacks (22). 3B Mark Reynolds. Will he get to 45 homers or 200 strikeouts first?
23. Athletics (27). 3B Brett Wallace. He gets the unofficial title as the best prospect to change teams during the trade-deadline festivities. Will the A's give him a shot at big-league pitching this September?
24. Indians (23). OF/1B Matt LaPorta. His first stint with the big club didn't go so well, but the prize of the CC Sabathia trade (how long will he be known as that?) has hit .295 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs at Class AAA Columbus this year.
25. Padres (25). SP Mat Latos. The rookie sensation has won four consecutive decisions and has captured the attention of Padres fans. What bears watching is how much the Pads use the 21-year-old righthander. (Hint: it shouldn't be much.)
26. Orioles (26). SPs Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz. These rookie starters are solidifying their long-term spots in the Orioles' rotation.
27. Nationals (30). First things first: Out of last place on the strength of a where-did-that-come-from eight-game winning streak. Most impressive. And, OF Nyjer Morgan gets the nod here as the heart and soul of these new Nats (or, should we say Tony Plush?)
28. Reds (28). Brandon Phillips. Can he get to 20-20 for the third consecutive year? He's at 17 homers and 18 stolen bases entering the week.
29. Pirates (24). SS Jack Wilson (oh, wait). 2B Freddy Sanchez (um …). 1B Adam LaRoche (give me a second …). CF Nyjer Morgan (yeah, no …). How about OF Garrett Jones and his power? Perfect. For now, at least.
30. Royals (29). SP Zack Greinke. He's still throwing well but the offense just isn't scoring runs for him. After that hot start in the win column, can his offense give him enough support to even top his career high of 13 wins?
Ryan Fagan is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at rfagan@sportingnews.com.
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