My 2016 MLB Power Rankings Week 9

Let's face it: Nobody likes Mondays. Mondays mean the beginning of a new work week. Who should be excited or happy about that? Well, maybe 25 guys in Chicago. Once again the Cubs sit atop my weekly rankings and they don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. As they punch in for another week at the office I sit down at my laptop to bring you another week's worth of rankings. Enjoy.

*Note ~ All stats and records are through Sunday's games.

1. Chicago Cubs (39-16) ~ Jake Arrieta suffered his first loss since July 25th, 2015 which snapped a streak of 20 straight decisions. It was so long ago that Cole Hamels was still pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies. In fact, it was Hamels' last start in a Phillie uniform and all he did was toss a no-hitter. He will look to start another streak in his next outing versus the woeful Atlanta Braves. (Last Week's Ranking 1)

2. Washington Nationals (34-23) ~ Stud prospect Trea Turner made his debut over the weekend going 3-for-3 with a double and a walk. After Ryan Zimmerman was activated from the paternity list Turner was sent back down to AAA. His line in the minors .310/.376/.472 with three homers, 24 RBI, 38 runs and 17 stolen bases suggest he won't be down there for long. (LWR 2)

3. Boston Red Sox (33-24) ~ David Ortiz. Pinata killer. (LWR 3)

4. San Francisco Giants (35-24) ~ Last week I spoke about Hunter Pence's importance to his club. He then went out and tore his right hamstring off the bone. He will be out for at least eight weeks and I can't help but feel partially responsible for the jinx. Sorry Hunter. Get better soon. (LWR 4)

5. Baltimore Orioles (32-23) ~ Hyun Soo Kim, who nearly went back to the KBO prior to the season, is hitting a robust .377/.449/.493 in 23 games and seems to be adjusting to MLB just fine. Looks like the O's have yet another potent bat to add to their lineup. (LWR 8)

6. Texas Rangers (34-22) ~ Since being re-called from AAA Jurickson Profar has hit .390 with 10 runs scored collecting at least one hit in each of his nine games played. Texas is going to have to find a regular spot for him and it could cost struggling veteran Prince Fielder some playing time. (LWR 9)

7. New York Mets (31-24) ~ For the second year in a row the Mets will be without the help of their captain for an extended period of time. David Wright has a herniated disk in his neck which has landed him on the disabled list. He is expected to miss six weeks. (LWR 6)

8. Pittsburgh Pirates (30-26) ~ Is it time to wonder whether Andrew McCutchen is healthy? The perennial MVP candidate has a .250 average and .333 OBP which are worst on the team among their regulars. Something is amiss. (LWR 5)

9. Seattle Mariners (31-25) ~ Robinson Cano has now reached base in 34 straight games which is the longest active streak in the majors. During that stretch the 2nd baseman is hitting .324 with 20 extra-base hits. He is back to being the player he was in New York. (LWR 8)

10. Los Angeles Dodgers (31-27) ~ Carl Crawford has been DFA'd. That's right. The man that is owed $20.75 million this season and another $21 million next year. If a trade doesn't happen in the next week or so (which is doubtful) Crawford would then be able to sign with any team for the league minimum. The Dodgers would be on the hook for the rest. That's a lot of money to pay someone to no longer play for you. (LWR 10)

11. Cleveland Indians (31-24) ~ After a four-game sweep of the defending champion Kansas City Royals the Indians find themselves alone on top of the American League Central. They are 18-7 in games versus their division but just 13-17 against the rest of baseball. (LWR 13)

12. Kansas City Royals (30-26) ~ Eric Hosmer seems to have put it all together at the plate. The first baseman is leading the team in average (.321), home runs (10) and RBI (35). (LWR 12)

13. Toronto Blue Jays (31-27) ~ For the third time in the last year Marco Estrada took a no-hitter past the 7th inning. For the third time in the last year Estrada was unable to finish it off. Toronto has just one no-hitter in franchise history. (LWR 15)

14. St. Louis Cardinals (30-27) ~ Jhonny Peralta is expected back from the disabled list on Tuesday and to make room for him on the roster Kolton Wong was demoted to AAA. Three months ago Wong signed a five year $25.5 million extension. (LWR 14)

15. Chicago White Sox (29-28) ~ The White Sox pulled off the first big trade of the season as they have acquired James Shields from San Diego in an effort to bolster their starting rotation. Aside from Chris Sale and Jose Quintana the Sox rotation has struggled mightily over the past month. Shields is back in the AL Central where he has just a bit of experience. (LWR 11)

16. Miami Marlins (30-27) ~ Somehow, some way, it was the Miami Marlins who broke the news last week of Muhammad Ali's death. They had a tribute to the late boxer on their video board hours before Ali's family confirmed his passing. (LWR 16)

17. Houston Astros (28-30) ~ Houston is now 11-2 since inserting George Springer into the leadoff position. During those 13 games Springer is hitting .390 with 4 home runs and 11 RBI. (LWR 23)

18. Detroit Tigers (28-28) ~ Victor Martinez is back to being Victor Martinez and nobody is talking about it. The veteran is slashing an impressive .352/.394/.553 and is tied for the team lead with 34 RBI. (LWR 20)

19. Tampa Bay Rays (25-30) ~ Evan Longoria has smoked five home runs in his last four games. He had just five in 27 games in May. That was enough to earn him AL Player of the Week honors. (LWR 19)

20. New York Yankees (26-30) ~ Masahiro Tanaka has allowed just two earned runs over his last three starts and is showing no signs of ill effects from a UCL injury. The Yankee ace appears just fine after choosing the rest and rehab route as opposed to Tommy John surgery. (LWR 18)

21. Philadelphia Phillies (28-29) ~ The Phillies are crashing back down to Earth after their hot start to the season. Ryan Howard had a beer bottle thrown at him Saturday night at Citizen's Bank Park. One wonders just how many games Howard has left in a Phillies uniform. (LWR 17)

22. Oakland A's (25-32) ~ Sonny Gray returned from the disabled list and looked more like the Sonny Gray Oakland has grown accustomed to pitching five strong innings. If he can regain his Cy Young form the A's will be that much closer to respectability. (LWR 22)

23. Colorado Rockies (25-31) ~ Tyler Chatwood is currently sporting a 2.99 ERA while pitching half of his games in Colorado. The franchise-long struggle has been to find solid pitching. If he can keep this up the Rockies may have someone to build around. (LWR 21)

24. Los Angeles Angels (26-30) ~ Hector Santiago leads the team in ERA. Hector Santiago is sporting an ERA north of five. If the starting pitching doesn't improve this will be another lost year in Los Angeles. (LWR 25)

25. Arizona Diamondbacks (25-34) ~ Michael Bourn has looked just fine since being called up three weeks ago. The veteran outfielder is hitting a respectable .288/.373/.385 to go along with three stolen bases. (LWR 24)

26. Milwaukee Brewers (26-31) ~ Jimmy Nelson looks to be rounding into the ace that Milwaukee desperately needs. He leads the team in ERA (3.43), wins (5) and strikeouts (60). They can confidently place him atop the rotation for years to come. (LWR 26)

27. San Diego Padres (23-35) ~ I detailed the James Shields trade in the White Sox recap and I have to say from the Padres point of view I just don't get it. On the face it doesn't seem like they got back nearly enough for the veteran. I understand they wanted to move him but the return seems light. (LWR 27)

28. Cincinnati Reds (21-36) ~ They must not have liked their demotion to the cellar. The Reds went 5-2 after I dropped them to the bottom of the list last week. (LWR 30)

29. Minnesota Twins (16-40) ~ The Twins' run differential of -87 is by far the worst in the AL. Oakland's -56 is the next closest. (LWR 28)

30. Atlanta Braves (16-40) ~ Jason Grilli was essentially given away to Toronto. Farewell Grilled Cheese. I hope you have more success north of the border than you did in Atlanta this season. (LWR 29)

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