I had the San Diego Padres ranked eighth again this week. I think that is as high as I am willing to go with this team. Its not that the team is bad–it isn’t–its just that it does not have the same amount of talent that a number of other teams do.
Here’s how I had the N.L. West ranked this week, along with my comments (Yardbarker rank in parentheses)…
7. Colorado Rockies (14): Perhaps the Rockies won’t miss Jorge De La Rosa so much after all. His replacement, Jhoulys Chacin, has now thrown 15 innings of shutout ball.
8. San Diego Padres (7): Tim Stauffer has only allowed one run in 23 innings. He’s the team’s 7th starter.
9. San Francisco Giants (6): Mark DeRosa (0.279 OBP, 0.258 SLG) is having a nightmare of a season.
16. Los Angeles Dodgers (19): The concept of having a knuckle-baller in the rotation is neat, but Charlie Haeger (20 BB in 23 IP) needs to go.
22. Arizona Diamondbacks (23): Ian Kennedy is having a lot more success in the NL West than he did in the AL East.
Other notes…
- I like the Rockies a lot more than the other voters. I truly believe they are the most talented and well balanced team in the division.
- The Atlanta Braves are too talented to continue losing games at this rate. I had them ranked 15th this week, but 5th in my pre-season ranking. Eventually they will string together some wins.
- In week 3, I had the Seattle Mariners ranked 10th. This week, I have them at 25. That team is an absolute wreck right now.
- I am still not buying into the Washington Nationals. Their pitching is terrible, and outside of Ryan Zimmerman, their position players are pretty junky as well. Despite a winning record, I have the Nationals ranked 27th, well below the Yardbarker rank of 16.
- One team that has not moved much in my rankings has been the Diamondbacks, a team that is certainly below average, but not laughably terrible. Over the course of the rankings I have had them: 19, 19, 22, 21, 22, 22.
- But the Diamondback’s consistency in my rankings cannot even compare to that of the New York Yankees. I have ranked the Yankees first every week, and am likely to continue ranking them first for the foreseeable future.
Don’t you usually link the actual rankings?
Josh-You’re right. Here’s the link: http://mlbrankings.yardbarker.com/blog/mlbrankings/MLB_Blogger_Rankings_Week_5/2576086
It’s perfectly okay to go with the superstitious excuse of not wanting to “jinx” them.
I check yardbarker and several other rankings, and most of them place the Padres 6th to 8th, except for the “computer” rankings that don’t adjust for Petco. They’re not yet in the top five, though they have a top five record. They have yet to face the Dodgers, St.Louis or Philly, or even the Mets.
What I find encouraging is that there’s no ONE thing to explain their success. Pitching, yes; defense, yes; stolen bases, yes; timely hitting, yes – but no ONE thing.
I have to agree with the Nationals assessment. They’re 19-15 but the pythagorean is 15-19. How long can Pudge keep it up? I have to disagree that their pitching is terrible. They Have Livan, Scott Olsen and Atilano as decent starters, and Capps and Clippard are outstanding as the closer/setup tandem. Stammen and Lannan aren’t doing so well. I’d like to see local kid Lefty Matt Chicoget more starts, and I hear they have a fireballer in the minors. Overall, I’d rate them as better than terrible, maybe mediocre, with the possibility of becoming adequate.