My rankings are based upon my actual honest opinions from what I know and have seen about the teams, with all of my bianess towards the Cardinals set aside. With myself getting involved with baseball since the minute I arrived at the old Busch Stadium as a toddler for the very last opening-day game ever as a player for Ozzie Smith, besides the fact that the St. Louis Cardinals came apart of me -- so did the entire sport that we call America's Pasttime -- baseball.
1. St Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have been on fire, and their best-in-the-MLB record of 41-22 proves it. Numerous Cardinals have been successful in their lineup, including Molina with a .354 batting average, Holliday with 45 runs, ten homeruns, and 37 RBIs, and Carpenter with a .332 average, five homeruns, and 50 runs. But offense is not everything, pitching has also been strong. Wainwright has nine wins on the season, 91 strike outs, and an impressive 2.34 ERA.
2. Boston Red Sox
The AL East race gives me a headache. Currently, it is the Red Sox with the lead, thanks to their 40-25 record on the season. Pitcher Buchholz has been nothing but dominant, he has nine wins, 81 strikeouts, and a 1.71 ERA. He has also given up two homeruns on the season.
3. Atlanta Braves
The Braves have been leading the NL East since the very beginning. At 39-25, they are currently ahead of the Nationals by seven games. Of the two Upton brothers, it is Justin who has been the more contributing factor. Justin has 43 runs to BJ’s 14, 56 hits to BJ’s 31, 14 homers to BJ’s 6, and 29 RBIs to BJ’s 12. Justin also is currently hitting a .250 batting average, while BJ is struggling at .165. While BJ’s struggling hasn’t necessarily been hurting the Braves, it would definitely be a successful factor come the postseason.
4. Texas Rangers
It seems two people are to thank for the Rangers’ success: Beltre and Darvish. Beltre has been an offensive leader in the lineup. He has a .304 average, 38 runs, fourteen homeruns, and 38 RBIs. Yu Darvish has been the most dominant in the Texas starting rotation. He has seven wins, 118 strikeouts, and a 2.75 ERA, all team-leading stats. They are only half a game ahead of the Athletics, but these two will help bring them to success.
5. Cincinnati Reds
The Reds have one of the best records in the league, but they are currently second in the NL Central four games behind the Cardinals. Their pitching is solid; Latos has an ERA of 2.87, Leake with 2.93 and Arroyo with 3.35. And hitting has been strong thanks to Joey Votto, hitting .325 with 50 runs, 78 hits and ten homeruns.
6. Oakland Athletics
The Oakland-Texas AL West race will be a fight to the finish. It is the only real AL West competition; seeing as the third place Mariners are ten games back. The Athletics have seen an increase in improvement from someone not Crisp. It actually comes in the form of 3B Josh Donaldson, with his .324 average, 33 runs, nine homers, and 42 RBIs.
7. New York Yankees
While there is not a set superstar on the Yankees, they have managed to stay in the hunt despite numerous injuries. They are currently one and a half games behind the Red Sox. Gardner leads the lineup in batting average at .284, which isn’t great but makes up for it with his 34 runs. Cano is also staying consistent with his fifteen homers and .272 average.
8. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are definitely proving themselves as the Cinderella team of this season. Which is surprising, seeing their 37-26 record puts them at third in the NL Central. They owe a portion of their success to Andrew McCutchen, who is hitting .290, with 40 runs, seven homeruns, 30 RBIs, and fifteen stolen bases.
9. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are still holding on to their lead of the NL West. Their pitching can be summed up in one word: Patrick Corbin. Corbin has an 1.98 ERA, 65 strike outs, and is 9-0. Hitting is also lead by one bat: that of Paul Goldschmidt. He leads his team with his .318 average, 43 runs, fifteen homeruns, and 59 RBIs.
10. Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles bats have come alive this season. Chris Davis has been on fire since the start of the season and has shown no signs of slowing down. Davis (.335 average, 45 runs, 20 homers, and 52 RBIs), Machado (.315, 41 runs, 27 doubles), and Jones(.301, 45 runs, 13 homers, and 43 RBIs) ) have been the teams leading contributors. Bats like these will help them potentially push past the Yankees and Red Sox for the AL East crown.
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