What a first week around the majors! A lot of surprises as well as many teams playing just as everyone expected. Apologies for posting this on Monday. I’ll be aiming to post on Sundays but this past weekend we were all celebrating Matty D’s birthday so that along with the Masters delayed the rankings.

All records are through Sunday, April 12th, 2015.

#30 Minnesota Twins (1-5, 26th last week): The Twins were thumped by the Tigers in their opening series getting outscored 22-1 in the sweep. While they picked up a win over the weekend, they open this week against the red-hot Royals so Minnesota could easily be 1-8 entering next weekend.

#29 Philadelphia Phillies (3-3, 30th last week): Horray not last! The Phis may be .500 right now including taking two of three from a banged up Nationals team over the weekend but it’s hard to believe the team can keep this going all season. Mainly, the quality starts from Aaron Harang, Jerome Williams, and Sean O’Sullivan. I will say though, I was there for the Harangatang and O’Sullivan’s starts and they were looking SHARP. Ken Giles needs to get his fireballs over the plate, though.

#28 Texas Rangers (3-4, 29th last week): Alternating wins and losses this week, the Rangers are still looking incomplete. Schalackings from the A’s in two of that four-game set last week certainly shows that.

#27 Miliwaukee Brewers (1-5, 23rd last week): Man, they looked weak against the Rockies last week. The Rockies! They can barley play on the road!

#26 Arizona Diamondbacks (3-3, 27th last week): The D-Backs are showing some positive signs having taken two-of-three from the Dodgers over the week. The youth on this squad just needs a little time to devlop.

#25 Tampa Bay Rays (3-3, 24th last week): The Rays are playing even through a week of baseball. Taking two this weekend from the ice-cold Marlins was key.

#24 Colorado Rockies (4-2, 28th last week): The Rockies came out hot! The bats exploded during the first week of play but like the Phillies, I’m having a hard time thinking they’ll be a factor throughout the season.

#23 Houston Astros (3-3, 22nd last week): The ‘Stros still have that solid lineup that we’ve seen since last season. Give them time.

#22 Miami Marlins (1-5, 18th last week): The Marlins are ICE cold. Getting swept by the Braves and dropping two to the Rays was definitely not the start they would’ve hoped for. Blowing that 7-run lead Friday night epiomizes that slow start.

#21 New York Yankees (2-4, 19th last week): The Yankees could easily be 3-3 right now, the Friday night marathon against the Red Sox certainly took the wind out of their sails Saturday. Tanaka’s slow start is definitley a concern for their season’s direction.

#20 San Francisco Giants (3-4, 15th last week): Dropping three of four to the Padres is a sign of what’s to come. Madison Bumgarner’s performance in the 10-2 loss Saturday is not a sign however, just a hiccup.

#19 Chicago White Sox (2-4, 11th last week): Chicago could have dropped further if not for a strong showing from Chris Sale yesterday. They should be able to right the ship as the season goes along but they can’t afford to fall too far in this division.

#18 Oakland Athletics (3-4, 21st last week): The A’s are moving up a little but not as much as they could have. Spliting a four-game series with the Rangers certainly doesn’t help. Sonny Grey’s almost-Opening Day no-no should make any Oakland fan excited.

#17 Cinncianatti Reds (4-2, 20th last week): What did I say about that lineup last week? Joey Votto, Todd Frazier, and Jay Bruce combined for 8 homers and 18 RBI last week.

#16 Cleveland Indians (2-4, 9th last week): The Indians had a good opening series against the Astros but were shelled over the weekeend against the Tigers. Losing catcher Yan Gomes to an MCL injury will be a tough loss for the Tribe as well.

#15 New York Mets (3-3, 16th last week): An up and down week for the Metropolitans. Shocking the Nats by taking two in the opening series IN WASHINGTON but then dropping two in Atlanta. What we learned: Matt Harvey is still an absolute force to be reckonded with in the majors.

#14 Atlanta Braves (5-1, 25th last week): Making the biggest jump on our list, the Braves proved all the doubters WORNG. I even added a note to last week’s rankings saying they’d drop after the Kimbrel trade. Well Julio Teheren isn’t done with 2015 yet (2-0, 12 IP, 9K), he and the Braves’ staff led the majors with a 18.32 ERA.

#13 Baltimore Orioles (4-2, 16th last week): Tied for 1st in the AL East, the O’s lead the majors with 11 home runs. It’s tough to say if they can keep pace with some of the lineups around the majors considering some of their lineups.

#12 Pittsburgh Pirates (2-4, 10th last week): Taking two of three from the Reds was very necessary after getting swept by the Reds. The Buccos will bounce back, but taking on the Tigers this week may delay that bounce.

#11 Chicago Cubs (3-2, 8th last week): The Cubbies split their series with the Cards last week as game two was “delaying to the Kris Bryant Era.” Their upcoming set against the Reds will see the return of Jon Lester, who hasn’t started since Opening Night.

#10 Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem (2-4, 2nd last week): Taking two of three from the Mariners was nice; getting swept by the Royals was not. Mike Trout is batting .400 to start the season, seems low for him.

#9 Washington Nationals (2-4, 1st last week): They lost two of three to the Phillies. They desperately need a cure for the injury bug.

#8 Kansas City Royals (6-0, 13th last week):6-0! Big swept in LA over the weekend for the Royals! I still question the longevity for these guys but that undefeated streak continue further into this week as they head to Target Field to take on the Twins.

#7 San Diego Padres (4-3, 14th last week): Losing two of three against the Dodgers was expected. But taking three of four from the Giants in SanFran and the addition of Criag Kimbrel is HUGE. They may have made a Phillies-empty-the-farm-type trade for him, but it’ll pay off this year for sure.

#6 Boston Red Sox (4-2, 12th last week): Got to see the Sox in person last week. Even though they lost, they were playing some great baseball. That rotation surrounded by that batting order, especially with the DH, should be able to hold up through the year. However, I don’t their rotation as much as the…

#5 Toronto Blue Jays (4-2, 7th last week): Oh Canada indeed! These guys blew up for 38 runs last week while only surrending 27. Their pitching staff is going to do fantastic things this season as shown by Mark Buehrle.

#4 Los Angeles Dodgers (3-3, 3rd last week): Adrian Gonzalez has started the season on fire (14 for 23, 5 HR, 7 RBI). The pitching staff is still (relatively) coming together and Yasiel Puig has started cold going 3 for 22; expect all to change.

#3 Seattle Mariners (3-3, 5th last week): With probably the hardest opening week schedule aginast the Angles and Athletics, the Mariners walk away at .500. King Felix has come out gunning the ball striking out 11 in 12 innings pitched to start 2015.

#2 St. Louis Cardinals (3-2, 4th last week): The Cards have come out with solid pitching but scoring only 18 runs in the opening week. With the lineup they, those numbers should rise and the pitching should remain just as solid, provided they stay healthy.

#1 Detroit Tigers (6-0, 6th last week): Already a favorite coming into the season, Triple Crown winner gets really hot over the weekend, and they’re undefeated? That equates out to a top-ranked team.

Disagree? Let me know in the comments. Go Phils!