Kuzul

These rankings are based on a 300 point system, 150 for offensive production and 150 for pitching production. 30 points (one point for each team) is the most points any team can get in a given category. For instance, if the Rays lead the league in HR’s they will get 30 points for that category.

The five offensive categories used: HR’s, RBI’s, Runs, Average, and SB’s .

The five pitching categories used: Wins, Saves, WHIP, ERA, and K’s

1.(↔) New York Yankees (40-23): The Yankees regained tw o things this week: they are again atop the AL East and lead the league with 135 batting points (tied with the Reds). New York scored in the top-10 in 9-of-10 categories (strikeouts) while winning seven of their last 10. With the rise of Phil Hughes this year there really are no glaring weaknesses on this Yankee team. Still though, they will probably acquire another pitcher to ensure that they have everything needed to repeat.

2.(↔ ) Tampa Bay Rays (40-23): The Rays could be in trouble as far as the AL East lead is considered after this week. The Rays start the week out against the Braves (three games) and finish with the Marlins (three games). Both series are at home, but the Rays are better road team than they are at home. This week will say something about the Rays team, with all the pressure the Yankees are putting on them and Boston breathing down their necks.

3.(↑2) Texas Rangers (35-28): Texas has won 7-of-10 and still lost ground to the Angels. Their below average road record (12-17) will be tested this week as they face the Marlins for three games in Florida. They also play the Astros on the road, but should finish with a series win against the hapless Houston team.

4.(↓ 1) Cincinnati Reds (36-28): The Reds are the only team in the NL Central that have a winning record (14-13) on the road. This is a huge reason why they lead their division by 1.5 games over the Cardinals, it also doesn’t hurt that they scored in the top-six in every offense category to tie the Yankees for the most offensive points this week.

5.(↑ 2) Boston Red Sox (37-28): Dice-K has been placed back on the 15-day DL with forearm issues. Oddly enough, I don’t think this will either hurt or help Boston, but they do need Beckett to come back strong if they intend to catch the Rays and Yankees.

6.(↑ 3) Los Angeles Dodgers (36-27): The Dodgers dropped three straight, and are now a game under .500 on the road. Both of these statistics could get worse as they are set to face the Reds to start the week.

7.(↑ 9) Los Angeles Angels (36-30): The biggest movers of the week, the Angels have won 8-of-10 and sit just a half game back of division leading Texas. The rumor mill has the Angels in the market for a first baseman now that Morales has been declared done for the season.

8.(↓ 4) Toronto Blue Jays (34-30): Well Toronto has fallen four spots in our Fantasy Power Rankings and after going 3-7 in their last ten, have dropped to 6.5 games back for the AL East lead. It looks like the descent took a little longer than expected, but they are out of the playoff race in my eyes. 

9.(↓ 1) San Diego Padres (37-26): San Diego continues to play well, and have the best record in the NL. The Padres have a ridiculous 2.97 team ERA and a very nice 1.19 WHIP. If they can keep these numbers in this area, they will certainly make the playoffs and possibly have home-field in the NL race.

10.(↑1) San Francisco Giants (35-27): As usual, the Giants scored in the top-10 in every pitching category, and with the help of Buster Posey, their offense is starting to show some life again. San Fran swept the A’s and are 7-3 in their last ten to sit just 1.5 games back in their division and just a half game back in the Wild Card race.

11.(↓ 1) Minnesota Twins (36-27): The Twins have the third best record in the AL, a catastrophic event would have to happen for them not to make the playoffs.

12.(↓ 6) St. Louis Cardinals (34-29): The Cardinals are in the bottom ten in just one category, but in the top ten in just two.

13.(↓1) Atlanta Braves (37-27): Atlanta has the NL East lead by 1.5 games over the Mets, more importantly, the Phillies are 3.5 back.

14.(↓ 1) New York Mets (35-28): The Mets have four solid pitchers in their rotation, I just don’t see them winning the division or the Wild Card.

15.(↓1) Colorado Rockies (33-30): Colorado swept the powerful Blue Jays but are still four games back of division leading San Diego.

16.(↓ 1) Florida Marlins (31-32): Rookie Mike Stanton is batting .368 through his first week after being called up. The power will come soon.

17.(↔ ) Washington Nationals (31-33): We all know what is going on with the Nationals, but will it be enough to finish above .500?

18.(↑ 2) Chicago Cubs (28-35): Ted Lilly pitched a gem against the White Sox yesterday, going 8+ IP allowing just one hit.

19.(↑ 2) Kansas City Royals (27-37): Greinke finally got his second win of the season on Sunday and lowered his ERA to 3.94.

20.(↓ 1) Milwaukee Brewers (26-37): According to these rankings the Brewers have the seventh best offense, and fourth worst pitching.

21.(↑ 5) Chicago White Sox (28-34): The White Sox were able to put together a season-long four-game win streak to help move up five spots.

22.(↔) Oakland Athletics (32-33): Oakland’s power numbers, as predicted, is their one major weakness.

23.(↑ 1) Arizona Diamondbacks (26-38): Just 37 of a possible 150 pitching points.

24.(↓ 1) Detroit Tigers (33-29): The Tigers just swept the Pirates but still drop a spot at week’s end.

25.(↓7) Philadelphia Phillies (32-29): Chase Utley’s numbers: .256/10/26.

26.(↔ ) Seattle Mariners (24-39): The Mariners are just 2-8 in their last 10. There is no hope; bye, bye Cliff Lee!

27.(↔ ) Houston Astros (25-39): After being swept by the Yankees, the Astros sit 11.5 games back in the Wild Card race.

28.(↑ 1) Cleveland Indians (25-37): The Indians finally called up top-prospect Carlos Santana, so they have that going for them.

29.(↓ 1) Pittsburgh Pirates (23-40): When you score in the bottom two in 6-of-12 categories you can’t expect much.

30.(↔) Baltimore Orioles (17-46): Well, at least the Orioles were able to win one game last week.

Best Offense: (135) New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds

Best Pitching: (141) San Diego Padres  

Worst Offense: (19) Houston Astros

Worst Pitching: (16) Baltimore Orioles

For PDF chart with full rankings please visit www.FantasyBaseballSportal.com

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These rankings are based on a 300-point system, 150 for offensive production and 150 for pitching production. 30 points (1 point for each team) is the most points any team can get in a given category. For instance if the Rays lead the league in HR’s they will get 30 points for that category. The 5 offensive categories used:

HR’s, RBI’s, Runs, Average, and SB’s . The 5 pitching categories used: Wins, Saves, WHIP, ERA, and K’s.

1. (↑2) New York Yankees (35-22): With 250 total points, the Yankees find themselves back at the top. New York is 7-3 over their last 10 and are in the top-five in five of the ten categories. Phil Hughes is 7-1 with a 2.54 ERA; they need to let him shine and forget about a pitch count!

2. (↓1) Tampa Bay Rays (37-20): Seven teams have cracked the 200 point total this week and four are in the AL East, the Rays are the second in that bunch with 236 points. The most impressive stat about Tampa Bay’s season so far is that they are 22-8 on the road.

3. (↓ 1) Cincinnati Reds (33-24): The Reds finished the week one point ahead of the Yankees for the best offense (134). The Reds offense is carrying the team but their pitching staff is in the top three in two pitching categories (Wins and Saves) behind rookie Mike Leake.

4. (↔) Toronto Blue Jays (33-25): Just like the Rays, the third team from the AL East is an excellent road team at 16-11. The Blue Jays power numbers remain high but they need to concentrate on getting singles as well with a team average of just .245.

5. (↑ 3) Texas Rangers (33-26): Texas is having a good year overall and it looks like catcher Matt Treanor is starting to add some offense with three homers in four games. The Rangers are in the top-12 in eight of the ten categories but are just 10-16 on the road.

6. (↑4) St. Louis Cardinals (33-23): The Cardinals are 7-3 in their last ten and anytime a team leads the league in ERA (2.98) they have a chance to do big things. Jaime Garcia has been phenomenal so far with a 1.32 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, while Wainwright (2.05) and Carpenter (2.76) are also contributing at elite levels.

7. (↓ 2) Boston Red Sox (33-25): After all of the talk about Boston having a lackluster offense this season they currently rank third in this system only behind the Yankees and the Reds with 117 points; and they’re last in steals. With a 7-2 record and 2.73 ERA Jon Lester is surely on pace to get consideration for Cy Young votes.

8. (↑1) San Diego Padres (33-23): The impressive Padres are 15-11 on the road and even more impressive than that, they have the most pitching points again with 138. The Padres are in the top eight in all pitching categories and put up nearly 200 total points (199) with only scoring out of the bottom ten in one hitting category (steals).   

9. (↓3) Los Angeles Dodgers (33-24): The Dodgers fell three spots this week but remain one of the hotter teams in baseball winning seven-of-ten. Their 196 total points effort was supported by earning the seventh most pitching points (111).

10. (↓3) Minnesota Twins (33-24): The Twins are 18-9 at home to date and have remained in the top-ten of the Fantasy Power Rankings most of the season. Minnesota’s offensive numbers have been slipping a bit but their pitching remains exceptional with the exception of K’s (seven points).  

11. (↔ ) San Francisco Giants (30-25): San Francisco is 7-3 in their last ten and are 19-11 at home. With 130 points the Giants are currently second in pitching.

12. (↑7) Atlanta Braves (33-24): The Braves are two games up on the Phillies after winning eight of their last 10. Atlanta has MLB’s best home record at 19-6.

13. (↑1) New York Mets (30-27): The Mets are on a three-game winning streak and are quickly climbing this list.  

14. (↓ 2) Colorado Rockies (29-27): Colorado is 15-9 at home but sit 3.5 games back of the NL West leading Padres.

15. (↑1) Florida Marlins (28-30): As I continue to say, the Marlins are probably the most well-balanced team in the league and this week they scored 85 points in both batting and pitching.

16. (↑2) Los Angeles Angels (31-28): Even without slugger Kendry Morales for the last six days, the Angels are 8-2 over their last ten.

17. (↑ 3) Washington Nationals (27-31): Honestly, did you think that it would be possible to see the Nationals ahead of the Phillies on any list this year? I can’t wait to see what they can do with a legitimate number one.

18. (↓5) Philadelphia Phillies (30-25): Even though the Phillies have the least amount of offensive and total points in the NL East, I wouldn’t panic just yet, as they are still five games above .500.

19. (↓2) Milwaukee Brewers (22-34): The Brewers have blown half of their save opportunities (9/18), but as I called, John Axford has taken over as the closer and is a perfect three-for-three.

20. (↓ 5) Chicago Cubs (25-31): The Cubs are just 3-7 over their last ten and a troubling 11-18 on the road.

21. (↑2) Kansas City Royals (24-34): Kansas City is the second team from the AL Central on this list, and no that’s not a good thing!

22. (↔) Oakland Athletics (30-28): Oakland is two games above .500 and are still only at 22 on this list. What does that tell you?

23. (↓ 2) Detroit Tigers (29-27): Detroit is second in the Central but sit 3.5 games back of the Twins. The Tigers are another bad road team with a 12-17 record.

24. (↔) Arizona Diamondbacks (22-35): Dontrelle Willis picked up the win in his first game with Arizona, but let’s face it; he is not enough.

25. (↔) Chicago White Sox (24-32): The White Sox, sadly enough, are below .500 at home (13-17) and on the road (11-15).

26. (↔ ) Seattle Mariners (22-34): Seattle, who I will admit I had in the top-10 preseason, are already 12.5 games back in the AL West.

27. (↔ ) Houston Astros (22-35): Houston has won six of their last ten but still can’t seem to muster up any offense (20 total points).

28. (↔ ) Pittsburgh Pirates (23-33): The Pirates have a 3-7 record in their last ten and are a pathetic 9-19 on the road.

29. (↑1) Cleveland Indians (21-34): Cleveland scored in the bottom-five in seven of the ten categories.

30. (↓1) Baltimore Orioles (16-41): 6-25 on the road, the Orioles are the only team in the league who the Pirates feel bad for.

Best Offense: (134) Cincinnati Reds

Best Pitching: (138) San Diego Padres  

Worst Offense: (20) Houston Astros

Worst Pitching: (13) Cleveland Indians

Originally published at www.FantasyBaseballSportal.com

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The only way to measure a closer’s true success is by looking at their performance come year’s end. Since we don’t have the luxury of looking into the future, we measure a closer’s success on a weekly basis.

For this reason, we may have players such as Billy Wagner at the top and, as we saw last week, players even as great as Mariano Rivera at the bottom.

No reliever is safe in this report, and an A grade will only be given to the week’s most outstanding performers.

Grade A

Jonathan Broxton (Dodgers)

The Dodgers’ hard-throwing closer was able to record all three save chances while striking out six in 4.2 IP. After somewhat of a slow start, Broxton leads the league over the last month with 12 saves and has a 1.84 ERA over that span. For the season he is fourth in the National League with 13 saves.

Billy Wagner (Braves)

The Braves are in first place in the NL East and have won eight straight. In turn, closer Billy Wagner had a huge week. Wagner struck seven out while going 3-for-3 in SVO. He now has nine saves on the year with a stellar 1.69 ERA.

Joakim Soria (Royals)

Soria pitched in four games this past week and went 3-for-3 in SVO while striking out three. He allowed just one runner to reach base and now has a 2.61 ERA with 28 strikeouts in just over 20 IP.

Octavio Dotel (Pirates)

Next to Broxton, believe it or not, Dotel has been the second best closer over the last month as far as stats are concerned. A 0.75 ERA and 18 K’s in 10 IP can back the previous statement. Last week he added two saves and four strikeouts while giving up just one hit.

Grade B

Andrew Bailey (Athletics)

Bailey was just one of five closers to pick up three saves last week, but he gave up a run and struck out just two. While the A’s closer does not have overwhelming strikeout numbers (12 in 21 IP), he does have a 1.29 ERA and 1.00 WHIP on the season.

Jon Rauch (Twins)

Rauch went a perfect 3-for-3, but it was still an ugly week for the closer. He gave up seven hits, a home run, and managed to strike out just one. However, he only allowed two earned runs and did make good on each of his chances.

Francisco Rodriguez (Mets)

As previously stated, K-Rod is back to his old ways. He struck five out in just three IP and saved both of his chances. Rodriguez is 10-of-12 on the year in SVO and has struck out 30 with a 2.08 ERA.

Mariano Rivera (Yankees)

After having such a strong season last year, Mo has gone under the radar a bit it seems. He has been bit by the injury bug this year but still has 11 saves (in 12 chances) and just a 1.56 ERA. Last week the “King of Closers” recorded two saves and struck out two.

Grade C

Kerry Wood (Indians)

Last week I said we could stick a fork in him, and apparently I was a bit premature…maybe. While Wood did go a perfect 2-for-2 in save chances, he finished the week with a 4.50 ERA with giving up two runs (one earned). This will be a wait-and-see kind of thing with Wood, but I would rather be doing that with Wood on another owner’s team.

Heath Bell (Padres)

This was a tough call on where to put Bell this week. He blew one save while recording another and struck five out. In the blown save Bell gave up a couple hits and a run, so it wasn’t a horrifying outing, which is why I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Rafael Soriano (Rays)

If Soriano could pick his strikeout total (17 in 21.1 IP) up a bit, he could have a stranglehold on the No. 1 closer’s rank. He has yet to blow a save STILL (15-of-15) and is first in the AL. Last week he did his thing again and added two saves, but just one K.

Grade D

Matt Capps (Nationals)

Capps still leads the Majors with 17 saves, but he hit a rough patch last week. The Nats closer blew a save (received the loss), gave up three runs (one earned), and eight baserunners reached base while he was on the mound. Still, he has just a 2.88 ERA, and Washington has to be thrilled to be getting this kind of production from Capps.

Grade F

David Aardsma (Mariners)

Well, early this season I warned that although Aardsma should be considered elite, he had yet to get shelled in an important situation. That was before he allowed a run, and since then he has given up eight while raising his ERA to 4.41. Last week he gave up three runs in just 1.2 IP. It should be noted, however, that those three runs came on one walk-off home run by Howie Kendrick.

Matt Lindstrom (Astros)

Lindstrom had his worst week of the season by far; he blew two saves and received one loss. Of course, this can be expected if you walk five and give up eight hits. He finished the week with a 12.00 ERA.

Kevin Gregg (Blue Jays)

Gregg really only sits here because of his Tuesday night meltdown against the Rays—that should give you a hint as to how bad it was. Gregg walked SIX last week in just 3.2 IP and gave up four earned. Somehow he managed to still pick up two saves in three chances.

Chad Qualls (Diamondbacks)

There aren’t many things going right these days for the D-Backs, as they have lost nine straight and already sit 11.5 games back of the division lead. Qualls added to the frustration by giving up a home run and four earned last week in just two IP.

Originally published at www.FantasyBaseballSportal.com

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Last week we had some new “young guns” showing their stuff, with the veterans showing the chinks in their armor. This week we may have the newest member of the “unhittable” club steal the show, while one former phenom sits in the basement with a rough week. Where does your guy rank?

Grade A

Carlos Marmol (Cubs): The Cubs closer went a perfect 4-for-4 during the week in SVO, and recorded eight strikeouts in just four innings pitched. He has a ridiculous 46 K’s in just 23.2 IP on the season, and that’s still not as impressive as his 1.52 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. STUD!

Jonathan Broxton (Dodgers): Jonathan Broxton has been heating up as of late, which is partly due to his team giving him the opportunities to close games now. He went 3-for-3 in SVO and struck out six during the week. After his slow start he now has 10 saves and a 1.45 ERA.

Chad Qualls (Diamondbacks): Qualls gave up just two hits and didn’t allow a run while closing the door on all three chances. Unfortunately, his great week only lowered his season ERA to 6.32.

Rafael Soriano (Rays): Soriano is one of just two closers with at least 10 SVO to have not blown a save this season. He is a perfect 13-for-13, and added three saves last week. He is doing it quietly, but he has a 1.40 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP—not so quiet numbers for us stat geeks.

Grade B

Andrew Bailey (Athletics): Bailey only received two chances last week, but saved both games while striking out two in two IP. Most weeks he would have received an A, but the top was just too full this week. Bailey has just a 1.02 ERA this season, and in my eyes, is again the A’s best pitcher.

Neftali Feliz (Rangers): Feliz, like Bailey, would likely have received an A most other weeks, but he recorded just two saves although he didn’t allow a run. Feliz is tied with Rafael Soriano for the American League lead in saves with 13.

Octavio Dotel (Pirates): With his 5.59 ERA on the season Dotel will not be receiving much love this year in closer reports everywhere, but last week he didn’t allow a run and only four people reached base in his three IP. Still, I wouldn’t use him unless he was playing the Astros all week.

Manny Corpas (Rockies): Like Dotel, Corpas will not get many chances to be on the positive side of this list so I gave him his due this week. He allowed just four runners to touch first in four IP. He was 2-for-2 in SVO while striking out three.

Grade C

Felix Rodriguez (Mets): K-Rod did go 2-for-2 in SVO, but allowed five hits and an earned run in just 3.1 IP. Still, the Mets closer looks like he did his last year with the Angels, it is time to put him back with the elite closers. K-Rod has a 1.96 ERA and 25 K’s in just over 23 IP on the year.

Brian Fuentes (Angels): Is there a more frustrating closer to watch than Brian Fuentes? Yes, Bobby Jenks, but Fuentes is a very close second. He pitched two innings while allowing a homerun and striking out just one. Fernando Rodney better be on your team if you rely on Fuentes for saves.

David Aardsma (Mariners): Aardsma had just one SVO last week, and did make good on it, but he punched out three in just two IP. It is going to be tough with the way the Mariners are playing for Aardsma to make it back up this list.

Grade D

Jon Rauch (Twins): Rauch gave up two earned and three hits in just two IP. This is uncharted waters for the Twins closer this year, but I would expect this to be much closer to where he truly belongs than where he started the year.

Mariano Rivera (Yankees): Mo, Mo, Mo, two weeks in a row now he has been in the bottom two groups. Since I am not a Yankee’s fan I would like to see him here every week, but being a baseball fan I realize he will not have a 9.00 ERA, and will probably do better than striking out ZERO.

Grade F

Kevin Gregg (Blue Jays): I did not get the opportunity to see Gregg blow a save, walk five batters, or give up four earned last week, but I would imagine for Blue Jays fans everywhere (are there any outside of Toronto?) it was a difficult week. Gregg finished the week with a 15.43 ERA raising his season ERA to 3.54.

Kerry Wood (Indians): Stick a fork in him, Kerry Wood is done. Six earned, seven hits, and two walks during the week, and the former sensation Wood has a 11.37 ERA on the year. For his sake I hope this had more to do with getting back into things rather than the fact he has nothing left in the tank.

Article originally published at www.FantasyBaseballSportal.com

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1.(↑1) Tampa Bay Rays (32-12)

The Rays are an impressive 19-5 on the road, and have won 8 of their last 10. The most impressive thing about the Rays this year however, is their pitching.

This week they scored a ridiculous 140 points while only falling out of the top four in strikeouts. They have a 2.87 team ERA and a 1.17 team WHIP—mix that with the fact that they lead the league in stolen bases (51) and they have to be the favorites to win it all right now.

2.(↓1) New York Yankees (26-18)

The Yankees fell just one spot this week but they have some concerns that Yankee fans shouldn’t be thrilled about.

With all the money spent in their pitching over the last few years their bullpen is a disaster and pretty much responsible for a majority of their losses over the last ten games (4-6).

With that said they are still the Yankees and will make a move (I am sure) to fix these issues. They put up 240 total points this week.

3. (↑1) Texas Rangers (25-20)

The Rangers are one of the surprise teams this season and Vladimir Guerrero has to be one of the pleasant surprises this year for fantasy players. Vlad has a stat-line of .339/10/37 and he has also contributed four steals thus far.

The Rangers are only 7-11 on the road so this leads me to believe they will have some issues going forward and will bounce up and down this list.

4.(↓1) Toronto Blue Jays (26-20)

I asked if the Blue Jays are really this good, they responded with a resounding YES! The Blue Jays point total keeps growing just as their winning percentage does the same.

The Jays lead the league in homeruns (76) and RBIs (236) and are second in saves and strikeouts. This team is for real and now that Edwin Encarnacion has come back hot (five homeruns in his last three games) they have another threat in the lineup.

5.(↑2) Cincinnati Reds  (25-19)

The Reds have broken the 200 point total for the first time this year (206) and in turn crack the top five.

They don’t lead the league in any one category but scored in the bottom 10 in just one (ERA). Cincinnati is tied for first in the NL Central with St. Louis and have a pretty easy schedule this week with Pittsburgh and Houston on-deck.

6.(↔) Philadelphia Phillies (26-17)

The Phillies scored over 100 in both batting (101) and pitching (102). They don’t lead the league in any categories, and Roy Halladay got shilacked by Boston yesterday for seven runs.

I wouldn’t panic yet for Philly fans but they need to work some kinks out if they want to win the NL again.

7.(↓2) Minnesota Twins (26-18)

Minnesota is just 4-6 over their last 10 and now has Detroit trailing just one game behind them for the division lead.

The Twins are slowly dropping down this list and if I were to guess they probably belong towards the lower half of the top 10. They have Morneau and Mauer to bolster the middle of the lineup but they need some more support.

8.(↑5) St. Louis Cardinals (26-19)

The Cardinals pitching is carrying the lineup right now by scoring the fourth most pitching points this week (120). As I said with Cincinnati, St. Louis is tied for first place and as you can see with the rankings, they have some serious competition.

9.(↑2) San Diego Padres (26-18)

The Padres are second in steals, ERA, and WHIP and still they couldn’t crack 200 points (187).

I for one, truly believe this pitching staff is over achieving—although I do like some of their young talent. Their offense scored in the bottom 10 in all categories except steals for just 59 points.

Their .591 winning percentage will be dropping quick.

10.(↓1) Los Angeles Dodgers (25-19)

L.A. is 8-2 over their last 10 and now just sit one game back of the Padres. The NL West is one of the more competitive divisions in the MLB, but I think the Dodgers will take it over sooner rather than later.

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1. (↔) New York Yankees (24-13)

The Yankees showed their offensive prowess again by scoring in the top six in each batting category this week on their way to 140 points. New York currently leads the AL Wild Card but needs to improve on its road record (12-10). Their top four starters (Phil Hughes, CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, A.J. Burnett) are a combined 18-4 on the year.

2. (↔) Tampa Bay Rays (26-11)

The Rays have four pitchers with ERAs 3.00 or below (Matt Garza, James Shields, David Price, Jeff Niemann) and are second in the league this week in pitching points (130). Their offensive power numbers seem to be slipping a bit (101 of 150 batting points), but they are still producing plenty of runs to win. They are an impressive 15-4 on the road this year.

3. (↔) Toronto Blue Jays (23-16)

The Blue Jays will probably be staying in the Wild Card mix most of the year, as they are currently just two games back. They finished the week with a sweep of the Rangers, and if you look below, they are no slouch either. The Jays have a lot of good young players, so let’s see how management keeps them composed.

4. (↑6) Texas Rangers (20-18)

As I mentioned, the Rangers were swept to finish the week but still move up six spots to make it into the top five for the first time this year. The Rangers seem to be more of a speed team (third in stolen bases, 37) this year as they try to manufacture runs to support their pitching. Overall, a well-balanced team with 96 offensive and 106 pitching points.

5. (↓1) Minnesota Twins (23-14)

The Twins just reached over 200 total points this week as they scored in the top 10 in six of the 10 categories. Again, the theme here is balance: 97 offensive and 107 pitching points. This will get you into the top five in most weeks.

6. (↑2) Philadelphia Phillies (23-13)

The Phillies swept the Brewers to finish the week and are now four games up on the rest of their division. They have won eight of their last 10 and just reached the 200-point mark this week. They lead the league in average to date while hitting at a .279 clip.

7. (↑8) Cincinnati Reds (21-16)

I don’t know if I would ever have predicted the Reds making the top 10, let alone the top seven this year. Cincinnati has won eight of its last 10 on the way to a half-game division lead over the Cards. They don’t lead the league in any single category but are another well-balanced team with 95 offensive and 102 pitching points.

8. (↑11) Florida Marlins (20-18)

Florida has the sixth most pitching points this week with 110. They scored in the top 11 in every pitching category while scoring in the top half of the league in four of five offensive categories. They are another solid team, with Josh Johnson leading the way with his 3.06 ERA.

9. (↑9) Los Angeles Dodgers (20-17)

The Dodgers have a ton of fantasy studs, but the issue is that isn’t translating to a ton of wins. They sit third in the division behind the Padres and Giants while 1.5 games back in the Wild Card. I just heard today that Andre Ethier may have to go on the DL, so it will be tough for L.A. to duplicate their 9-1 record over their last 10.

10. (↓3) San Francisco Giants (21-15)

The second of the three teams in a row out of the NL West, the Giants finish the week again with the best pitching. They have three pitchers (Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Jonathan Sanchez) with a 2.66 ERA or lower, and Matt Cain isn’t one of them. They finished the week with a sweep of the Astros.

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After looking at this past week’s success and failures, I think you will find that using an early pick on a “stud” closer could have been a waste. The “other” closers seem to be the ones picking up the slack this year. It is still early in the season, but if you look at the top saves guys I think you would be surprised.

Leo Nunez (Marlins): With another below-average week from closers, Nunez was hands down the best. He went a perfect 3-for-3 in SVO (save opportunities) and struck out five. Nunez only let one batter on base in three innings pitched. He has a 0.63 WHIP this year.

Octavio Dotel (Pirates): The Pirates closer struck out four while recording two saves and blowing none. He allowed just two people on base with one walk and one HBP. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh fans (if there are any), he is not one of the aforementioned late-round picks who are performing at a high level this year. He has a 7.43 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP.

Jose Valverde (Tigers): Valverde struck out four in the two innings of work in which he made good on both SVO last week. The Tigers closer is making Detroit management and fantasy owners look brilliant with his 0.57 ERA in just over 15 innings.

Grade B

Brian Wilson (Giants): Wilson gave up one ER (earned run) last week or he would have certainly received an A. Wilson is entering elite closer territory, mostly because his team plays in close games and because he can strike out the side any time he enters the game. He had eight K’s last week in just three IP (innings pitched).

Jonathon Papelbon (Red Sox): Papelbon may be the only early-pick closer that is showing his value. He is perfect in SVO this year with nine and was 2-for-2 last week. The Sox closer had just one strikeout last week but didn’t allow anyone to reach base safely.

Matt Capps (Nationals): Capps gave up one ER and two hits last week but was still perfect in SVO. Capps, who was certainly one of the last closers taken, leads the league with 14 saves and has yet to blow one. Throw that little tidbit in with the fact he has an ERA below one and a 1.03 WHIP. Wish you waited for him? Me too!

Billy Wagner (Braves): Wagner had a modest week with a bunch of deuces. 2-for-2 in SVO, two strikeouts and two IP. He did, however, allow just one hit. The Braves closer has blown just one save and has given up just two ER. Not a bad late-round addition.

Grade C

Francisco Cordero (Reds): Cordero blew a save, walked two, gave up one ER and two hits. Still he is a C because he was able to close the door on two saves. He has a 2.95 ERA in 19 games while blowing just two saves in 13 SVO. Again, you could do much worse.

Neftali Feliz (Rangers): Feliz, one of just three closers with more than two saves last week, is receiving a C this week because he gave up four hits and blew a save with striking out just two last week. Oh yeah, he gave up another run too. Still, he has the fourth most SVO and his 4.15 should begin to fall as he continues to learn his role. If you have read this article before, you know I like Feliz a lot and consider him a sleeper from the draft.

Andrew Bailey (Athletics): Sure enough, after I had mentioned in last week’s article that Bailey was one of just three closers to not allow a run, he gave up a run! Just one though, and he did record two of his three SVO, although he didn’t K one batter.

Grade D

Jonathan Broxton (Dodgers): Forget that Broxton, one of the first three closers chosen in most leagues, has two blown saves already this year and finished last week with a 6.00 ERA, but consider the fact that he has had just FIVE SVO this year. The same as Tyler Clippard of the Nationals, who, in case you haven’t read, is the setup-man for Matt Capps.

Chris Perez (Indians): Perez is going to be decent closer this year as he has just a 2.61 ERA and five saves to date. Unfortunately, he plays for the Indians who will not get too many wins, and last week he allowed three runs. Although not earned, he still allowed the runners to cross the plate and blew the save.

Francisco Rodriguez (Mets): The Queens closer has a 2.05 ERA in 17.2 IP this year. With all of those innings he has had just seven SVO and blew two of them. He isn’t producing like a top-end closer but I think he will still have a solid year. Rodriguez was 1-for-2 in SVO last week while giving up three hits.

Grade F

Bobby Jenks (White Sox): As a White Sox fan, it pains me to have to put Jenks here almost every week. But I have to. He has a 6.23 ERA, and even worse, a 2.08 WHIP. It is astonishing he has blown just one save with basically making every single opportunity a fiasco. Last week was his worst while allowing nine hits, five runs, and striking out just one in three IP.

Brian Fuentes (Angels): Fuentes is in the same boat as Jenks; his ERA is awful (7.04) and he has another reputable reliever in the pen right behind him (Fernando Rodney). In four IP, Fuentes was able to give up four hits and four runs. He recorded one save while blowing another while finishing with a 12.00 ERA.

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1.(↑1) New York Yankees (21-8): The “Bronx Bombers” edge out the Rays this week by just three points (249 to 246) for the first place spot. Yankees fans have a lot to cheer about as their team is in the top 10 in every category, with the exception of strikeouts. They’re doing this without Curtis Granderson in the lineup and with Javier Vazquez doing everything he can to ruin their ERA. Scary!

2.(↓1) Tampa Bay Rays (22-9): The Rays took a beating on offense today as Dallas Braden threw a perfect game against them. It was their second consecutive loss to the A’s, but they have won six of their last 10 overall. They lead the MLB in RBI (172), wins (22), and WHIP (1.15).

3. (↑4) Toronto Blue Jays (19-14): So much for the Blue Jays falling back with the Orioles in the AL East. The Jays have some serious talent. They came back from a two-run deficit today to beat the White Sox in the ninth inning, and they lead the league with 50 home runs—seven more than the White Sox. Ricky Romero gave up some runs today, but he is a legitimate No. 1 for the Jays.

4.(↔) Minnesota Twins (21-11): The Twins have a 3.5 game lead over the Tigers in the AL Central and have won seven of their last 10. The Twins scored a respectable 219 points in this week’s FPR while not leading in any category but have scored over 100 in both hitting (108) and pitching (111).

5.(↑1) St. Louis Cardinals (20-12): The Cardinals didn’t score in the bottom 10 of any category while putting up 122 pitching points. They have the league’s best ERA but can they produce enough runs? St. Louis isn’t exactly a fast team and with only a .259 team batting average, they need to improve upon their middle-of-the-pack .409 slugging percentage.

6.(↓3) San Diego Padres (19-12): The Padres look pretty good with guys like Chase Headley (.325, 20 runs, and 9 steals) helping Adrian Gonzalez. Their young pitching is looking sharp with a 2.73 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.

7.(↑2) San Francisco Giants (18-12): As we expected, the Giants have the best pitching in the league. One hundred thirty six pitching points and scoring in the top eight in every category keep them in the top 10. I see the Giants as real contenders this year, regardless of what their offense looks like.

8.(↑11) Philadelphia Phillies (19-12): The Phillies, as I predicted, move back into the top 10 this week while being the week’s biggest movers. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins continues his rehab assignment and should be back fairly soon, while Jayson Werth is putting up career numbers (.349/7/26).

9.(↑6) Milwaukee Brewers (15-16): The Brewers are the only team below .500 in the top 10 and it’s not because of their pitching (63 points). Milwaukee ranks in the top four in average, RBI, and runs for a total of 127 batting points. If they can find a closer and another decent starter they could be contenders. But, they probably won’t!

10.(↑3) Texas Rangers (18-14): Elvis Andrus is a stolen base machine (13), which is why the Rangers scored the third-most points in that category; however, they scored the most points with saves this week. Good thing Ron Washington isn’t doing drugs this year and has Feliz as the closer, or they may not have gotten 29 points with their 12 saves in 17 chances. Frank Francisco has three of those blown saves.

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Grade: A

Andrew Bailey (Athletics)

Bailey is one of only three closers (Broxton and Rivera) who have not given up a run yet.

He has just four saves on the year however, two of which came last week. Oakland’s closer gave up just one hit in 3.2 IP last week.

Heath Bell (Padres)

Bell has enjoyed the Padres success this year just as much as anyone else on the team.

To date the closer has a 1.64 ERA and is seven-for-eight in SVO (save opportunities). Last week he recorded two saves while striking out six in just three IP.

Joba Chamberlain (Yankees)

Whether it is due to a slow week for closers, or just giving one of my pre-season sleepers some love, Joba gets an A for his work last week (two-for-two in SVO, three K’s.) Mariano Rivera should be back soon so don’t expect Chamberlain to make it on this list again unless Mo goes down for a lengthy period of time.

Kevin Gregg (Blue Jays)

Gregg had a beautiful week with five K’s and two saves.

The Jays closer allowed just one hit in three IP, he has a 0.69 ERA on the year.

Grade: B

Neftali Feliz (Rangers)

Feliz had his best week this year recording a save in all four chances while striking out four.

No doubt this young-gun still gets a bit rattled (gave up two-earned during the week) but he should continue to gain knowledge and confidence as the Rangers closer.

Joakim Soria (Royals)

Joakim fanned five in 2.2 IP while making good on both SVO.

Soria added another run to his season total (three ER) and raised his ERA to 2.31. The Royals closer is on pace for 52 saves this year.

Rafael Soriano (Rays)

The Rays have the best record in baseball and today have one of the best closers in the game it seems.

Soriano looks like he will probably have his best season as professional this year. With help from one of the best lineups in baseball Soriano has been perfect in SVO (seven-for-seven) this year and has a very good 2.25 ERA.

Grade: C

Carlos Marmol (Cubs)

Marmol didn’t allow a run and struck out six but just didn’t have the chances.

He closed the door on his only SVO but walked three during the week. With that said, the Cubs should have no questions about their closer who has 25 K’s in just 12.2 IP.

What’s more, he has an ERA below one (0.71) after 12 appearances.

Grade: D

Trevor Hoffman (Brewers)

As I have mentioned before, this is the not the guy you want on your fantasy team . The same could be said for the Brewers bullpen. Last week Hoffman blew another save and currently has an ERA of 11.70 on the year.

He will not last much longer as the closer in Milwaukee!

Bobby Jenks (White Sox)

It seems to me Jenks tries to make every save chance an interesting one.

If he comes in with no one on-base, rest assured there will be one soon. Jenks recorded one save in his only chance but gave up two-earned and four hits in just two IP. Still, he is five-for-five on the year in SVO.

Grade: F

Brian Wilson (Giants)

The normally reliable Wilson had a down week giving up two-earned and walking two in just two IP. He blew his only save chance and struck out just one. I DO NOT see this as being a norm, he should revert back to his normal-self and continue working on his 1.93 ERA.

Frank Francisco (Rangers)

I know there are two Rangers closers on this list and it doesn’t make much sense, but neither does the Rangers having two closers!

Francisco gave up four hits, four walks, and two earned runs on his path to a 7.71 ERA. I would keep Francisco as far away as possible from a save chance and even further from my fantasy team.

Originally posted on www.FantasyBaseballSportal .com

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These rankings are based on a 300-point system, 150 for offensive production and 150 for pitching production. 30 points (1 point for each team) is the most points any team can get in a given category. For instance, if the Rays lead the league in HR’s they will get 30 points for that category. The 5 offensive categories used: HR’s, RBI’s, Runs, Average, and SB’s. The 5 pitching categories used: Wins, Saves, WHIP, ERA, and K’s.

1.(↔) Tampa Bay Rays (18-7): The Rays are a potent bunch, looking at their roster it is tough to find a player who is not fantasy relevant. Tampa Bay is 7-3 in its last 10 and they look like the best team in baseball. This could be their year as they have the least amount of weaknesses of any team.

2.(↔) New York Yankees (16-8): The Yankees led the league in FPR offensive points and are in the top 5 in each category used for hitting. However, there are some concerns here. Curtis Granderson was put on the DL and could be out a month, while the other big offseason acquisition, Javier Vazquez looks nothing like he did last year with the Braves.

3. (↑1) San Diego Padres (16-9): San Diego holds the top spot as the best pitching team in the FPR (131). The Padres are by far the biggest surprise this year and those teams who were looking at obtaining the services of Adrian Gonzalez may want to come up with a new gameplan. The Padres are a good, young team and will surely go through a rough-steak but for now they lead the NL West by 1.5 games over the Giants.

4.(↓1) Minnesota Twins (16-9): The AL Central leading Twins avoided a scare with Justin Morneau’s back but now must deal with Joe Mauer’s heal. The Twins call the injury a “week-to-week” issue that will certainly make Twins fans nervous. The Twins have been good this year, but how long can they deal with their stars being injured?

5.(↔) Chicago Cubs (13-13): The Cubs finished last week with a three-game win streak and begin the week with a series against the porous Pirates team. Alfonso Soriano went deep twice yesterday and seems to be settling in this year. Chicago is in the top 5 in four of the five offensive categories (Avg., R, RBI, HR).

6. (↔) St. Louis Cardinals (17-8): St. Louis is being carried by its pitching staff (125 of 150) right now, while the Cards have won 7 of their last 10. The Cardinals, while not in the bottom 10 of any offensive category, need to figure out a way to get more runners on base and drive them in.

7. (↑5) Toronto Blue Jays (13-13): After writing off the Blue Jays last week, the Blue Jays surprised me by moving back up 5 spots this week. I still don’t believe this team can maintain a .500 record this year. Too many young pitchers lead me to believe the Jays won’t remain in the top 10 in four of the five pitching categories (W, S, WHIP, K) for much longer.

8. (↑13) Detroit Tigers (16-10): The Tigers capitalized on playing a slumping Angels team by picking up a sweep and moving their winning streak to five games. The Tigers are the biggest movers of the week, and I believe the recent success to be linked to the play of Austin Jackson (.455/11/1/3/2 in his last 10).

9. (↑1) San Francisco Giants (14-10): The Giants stand second in pitching production (127 of 150) at week’s end to only the Padres. San Francisco’s offense is starting to go backwards, but I look for the pitching staff to carry them in their hopes of making a playoff run and in staying in the top 10 of the FPR.

10. (↑3) Florida Marlins (13-12): Florida rounds off the top 10 this week while sitting just 1.5 games back of the Phillies in the NL East. As I mentioned last week, the Marlins are a balanced team and should remain around the top 10 all year. They have enough fantasy studs to be relevant but not enough to be great.

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