RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Sports and Wrestling DUCKS ON THE POND 5-17-05: MLB Power Rankings

Thought I'd post some thoughts on all the teams and how I think they're doing. So I ranked them from best to worst. Feel free to add your own comments. So, starting with the top team:

1) White Sox - Best performance by a Garland since Wizard Of Oz.
2) St. Louis - New stadium to be named “The house that Mac declined to comment on.”
3) Baltimore - Ever wonder where all the new bats came from? Did Sammy bring them in from Chicago?
4) Minnesota - looking at Lake Woebegone at site for new stadium.
5) Atlanta - Runaway Georgia bride couldn’t take Mondesi anymore.
6) Boston - Hasn’t anyone written a book about the 2004 season yet?
7) Florida - Pefection is a synonym for Dontrelle. (you guys know what a synonym is, right?)
8) Dodgers - A better city than Anaheim!
9) Angels - If only they had one more big bat. Like Eckstein.
10) Arizona - See what happens when you get a veteran manager?
11) Milwaukee - Finally a team Robin Yount can be proud of.
12) San Diego - Finally a team Dave Winfield can be proud of.
13) Washington - Future site of the World’s Fair!
14) Toronto - To attract younger audience, will change to Hot Pink Jays.
15) Mets - Piazza caught playing domino’s in locker room.
16) San Francisco - ailing offense needs some flaxseed oil.
17) Texas - Hey! Buck Showalter DID invent baseball!
18) Oakland - Haren just doesn’t get the “D” that Harden does.
19) Cubs - Ernie Banks’ new motto: Let’s Blow Two Saves.
20) Detroit - Cancelled promotion of Maglio Ordonez autographed Truss day.
21) Yankees - Steinbrenner stable: 1 thoroughbred, 25 broken down nags.
22) Cleveland - Best pro sport franchise in Ohio.
23) Pittsburgh - now stocking up on futility infielders.
24) Philadelphia - Made a mistake. Thought they were hiring JERRY Manuel.
25) Seattle - Puts the “rot” in “rotation.”
26) Tampa Bay - Sanchez bobblehead comes with Whizzinator.
27) Cincinatti - Dunn: MVP. Griffey: Done
28) Houston - This never would have happened if Bagwell was still alive.
29) Colorado - Has rebuilt so often will now be called Team Spackle.
30) Kansas City - Magic number is now “when Hell freezes over.”

Now, I'm modifying my "player to watch" as "fantasy pick-up of the week." Or it could still be called "player to watch." But I'm picking Daniel Cabrera of Baltimore. On May 3, Cabrera went eight innings against the Blue Jays, allowing one earned run and striking out eight in a tough loss to the red-hot Josh Towers. Six days later Cabrera put together what he described afterward as the best game he'd ever pitched.

Cabrera mowed down the Twins, who had been hitting the ball well, with a three-hit shutout, striking out 11 and walking two. Pitching coach Ray Miller told ESPN: "You look all over the world trying to find people who throw like that. Finding someone who throws 92 is hard enough."

Yeah, but try 100 mph.

The big kid was known to have mid-90s heat, but he reared back and routinely hit the high 90s and even triple digits on the radar gun against the Twins, who had no chance. And as the Post points out, with a release point that comes 50 feet from the plate, that kind of heat is un-hittable.

Better yet, Cabrera is developing better control of his breaking pitch. "I looked at some of those curveballs, and I know things look different on TV, but it looked like they were dropping a foot and a half," Mazzilli noted.

Ok, so two great outings does not an All-Star make. He could easily let his great game go to his head, let his delivery fall out of whack again, and be back in Miller's classroom.

Then again, you have to admit that a young guy with this kind of size and fastball, not to mention bullpen and run support (the Os rank second in the big leagues in runs per game) all add up to make Cabrera a guy you should fish out of the free agency pool whether you are actively seeking pitching help or not.

Oddly enough, I actually like Detroit more than Chicago. I don't know if the White Sox can maintain it all season. I think Detroit can.

I'm surprised Jim Jackson hasn't said anything about my Cleveland comment.

Well I pretty much agree with it.

Who wouldn't? Looks to me like the Ohio State Buckeyes are the best pro team in Ohio right now...

Ohio State is overrated.

-The Florida Gators