Leadoff Rankings

Previous Rankings: Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

(Our weekly statistical look at each team's first and second batters)
Week Six
As of 5/9/11

For Week Six's Rankings, click here.

Week Five
As of 5/2/11

30. (LW: 28) Washington Nationals (13-14)
This Week: .179 AVG, .233 OBP, .214 SLG, 1 steal, 3 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (221 ABs): .199 AVG, .263 OBP, .303 SLG, 9 steals, 20 R, 19 RBIs
The top of the Nationals' order has been putrid all season long--and that didn't change at all this week. They batted .179 with only three runs scored and three RBIs in seven games. It's no surprise, then, that they are towards the bottom of the league in almost every offensive category.

29. (LW: 29) Detroit Tigers (12-16)
This Week: .191 AVG, 269 OBP, .234 SLG, 0 steals, 4 runs, 0 RBIs
Season (216 ABs): .199 AVG, .279 OBP, .278 SLG, 3 steals, 22 R, 13 RBIs
The top of the lineup continues to struggle in Detroit. Austin Jackson and his running mate (a rotation of Will Rhymes, Ryan Raburn and Ramon Santiago) couldn't get the bat on the ball in six losses this week. It hurts to see players who are supposed to lead their team in OBP striking out 14 times in 47 cracks at the plate after sitting down 15 times the week before. Something has to change or the Tigers are going nowhere.

28. (LW: 23) Minnesota Twins (9-18)
This Week: .128 AVG, .226 OBP, .149 SLG, 0 steals, 3 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (220 ABs): .227 AVG, .280 OBP, .291 SLG, 3 steals, 20 R, 14 RBIs
Minnesota definitely has to forget about this week. Not only did Denard Span and his partner in crime (against their own team) barely break the Mendoza line in OBP, but they also did it while striking out just five times. While it's nice to see they're getting contact on the ball, hitting the baseball is only effective when it drops in for a hit. Three runs by the top two batters is a really bad sign for a team that went winless this week.

27. (LW: 27) San Diego Padres (11-17)
This Week: .163 AVG, .241 OBP, .163 SLG, 1 steal, 5 runs, 1 RBI
Season (216 ABs): .205 AVG, .288 OBP, .233 SLG, 14 steals, 19 R, 5 RBI
Anybody else seen the movie Invictus? Watched it this weekend--not a bad movie, but I really do not understand the sport of rugby. Oh, the Padres leadoff rankings? Well, it's never a good thing when you have more strikeouts (52) than total bases (50), considering most normal Major League teams have something like a 3-to-1 base-to-strikeout ratio.

26. (LW: 30) Toronto Blue Jays (13-15)
This Week: .283 AVG, .348 OBP, .383 SLG, 5 steals, 14 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (240 ABs): .229 AVG, .275 OBP, .354 SLG, 10 steals, 31 R, 25 RBIs
Yunel Escobar continues to be the mainstay at the top of the lineup, playing six of the Jays' last seven games.  The Blue Jays got good production from their top guys in five of seven games. The two games they didn't play up to par? Only one hit and one run in eight at-bats each game and at least four strikeouts. As long as Escobar and his fellow leadoff guy (lately Rajai Davis) can watch the K's, they are good to go.

25. (LW: 15) Los Angeles Dodgers (14-15)
This Week: .122 AVG, .189 OBP, .143 SLG, 1 steal, 3 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (231 ABs): .229 AVG, .291 OBP, .316 SLG, 7 steals, 35 R, 13 RBI
For those of you wondering, a .122 averages comes out to a 6-for-49 week between Jamey Carroll, Tony Gwynn Jr, Aaron Miles, and Jerry Sands. They're gonna miss Casey Blake while he's on the 15-day DL with an elbow injury. Interesting note: even with the atrocious slugging %, they still have twice as many total bases as strikeouts (see: San Diego).

24. (LW: 24) Baltimore Orioles (13-13)
This Week: .208 AVG, .296 OBP, .250 SLG, 3 steals, 7 runs, 7 RBIs
Season (209 ABs): .234 AVG, .292 OBP, .354 SLG, 4 steals, 25 R, 28 RBIs
Roberts and Markakis continue to lead off despite a lack of production. The two combined for four 2-hit games in six games this week but still barely broke the Mendoza line. The one item good news for the O's is that they continue to avoid the strikeouts, staying in single digits. If only fewer strikeouts led to more production elsewhere...like on-base percentage...or steals.

23. (LW: 26) Chicago White Sox (10-19)
This Week: .232 AVG, .306 OBP, .214 SLG, 0 steals, 3 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (238 ABs): .248 AVG, .295 OBP, .290 SLG, 7 steals, 26 R, 18 RBIs
A .232 average is at least an improvement over last week's .173 catastrophe. Juan Pierre and Alexei Ramirez are going to have to work on getting walks if they aren't going to hit. The six freebies are greatly skewed by the five handed to them on Sunday in a loss to Baltimore. Take those out and the White Sox frontmen have walked just four times in the past two weeks.

22. (LW: 22) Oakland Athletics (14-14)
This Week: .244 AVG, .306 OBP, .333 SLG, 0 steals, 5 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (219 ABs): .233 AVG, .309 OBP, .338 SLG, 8 steals, 28 R, 12 RBIs
It's been a tough all-around season for the Athletics offense, hitting just .237/.305/.350, similar to the averages put up by (mostly) Coco Crisp and Daric Barton. Still, this was the best batting average put up by the pair in any full week this season, and the two strikeouts are a big improvement over the 11 from two weeks ago.

21. (LW: 19) Atlanta Braves (14-15)
This Week: .250 AVG, .263 OBP, .429 SLG, 0 steals, 6 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (239 ABs): .247 AVG, .289 OBP, .381 SLG, 2 steals, 32 R, 24 RBIs
Martin Prado and Jason Heyward started all six games this week at the top of the Braves' order, and the tandem was mediocre at best. A .250 batting average is about the same level of mediocrity that the top of the Atlanta lineup has been serving up all season long, and they only have two steals on the year. That's why they could only score six runs all week despite three team wins.

20. (LW: 25) Kansas City Royals (15-13)
This Week: .286 AVG, .314 OBP, .429 SLG, 3 steals, 7 runs, 9 RBIs
Season (242 ABs): .244 AVG, .293 OBP, .376 SLG, 12 steals, 33 R, 30 RBIs
The Royals mixed up the top of their lineup this week, with Melky Cabrera, Mike Aviles, and Jarrod Dyson getting the majority of the opportunities. Apparently, Kansas City goes where their leadoff guys take them. In a sweep at the hands of Cleveland to start the week, the top two went a combined 5-26 with just two runs and two RBIs. In a sweep over the Twins, however, Royals leadoff men went 9-23 with five runs and seven RBIs. It also helps when you only strike out once in three wins, compared to five times in the losses to Cleveland.

19. (LW: 21) Arizona Diamondbacks (12-15)
This Week: .235 AVG, .350 OBP, .510 SLG, 3 steals, 11 runs, 8 RBIs
Season (224 ABs): .241 AVG, .303 OBP, .446 SLG, 14 steals, 38 R, 29 RBIs
Nine walks this week nearly doubled the season total (they had 11 previously), and they all came in a four-game span against the Cubs to end the week. After a lot of lineup shuffling the last few weeks (4 combinations last week), Chris Young and Kelly Johnson started 6-of-7 for the Diamondbacks this week.

18. (LW: 8) Tampa Bay Rays (15-13)
This Week: .160 AVG, .263 OBP, .240 SLG, 1 steal, 9 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (227 ABs): .256 AVG, .305 OBP, .414 SLG, 13 steals, 33 R, 30 RBIs
The duo of Sam Fuld and Johnny Damon had a bit of a shock to the system this week. After averaging .316 with a .339 OBP last week, the Rays' leadoff men fell to .160 and .263, respectively, this week. The week started off strong with two multi-hit games in a row and multiple runs and RBIs before the wheels fell off. In the last four games the duo combined to go 3-36 with two runs, no RBIs and four strikeouts.

17. (LW: 13) San Francisco Giants (13-14)
This Week: .250 AVG, .265 OBP, .313 SLG, 1 steal, 2 runs, 4 RBIs
Season (220 ABs): .273 AVG, .313 OBP, .382 SLG, 2 steals, 27 R, 17 RBIs
A down week for Aaron Rowand and Freddy Sanchez, as the tandem combined for only two runs scored and a .313 slugging percentage. They're not alone in their struggles, though, as the Giants are 21st in baseball with a .240 batting average.

16. (LW: 18) New York Mets (12-15)
This Week: .255 AVG, .300 OBP, .340 SLG, 2 steals, 4 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (234 ABs): .252 AVG, .306 OBP, .350 SLG, 15 steals, 32 R, 15 RBIs
The Mets managed a 3-3 road trip against division foes Washington and Philadelphia, helped out slightly by the leadoff duo of Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy. It's been a series of mediocre weeks for the Mets leadoff pairings, never batting better than .280 or worse than .233 in any given week, with OBPs between .267 and .313.

15. (LW: 17) Florida Marlins (17-9)
This Week: .250 AVG, .321 OBP, .458 SLG, 1 steal, 8 runs, 8 RBIs
Season (212 ABs): .255 AVG, .319 OBP, .392 SLG, 3 steals, 27 R, 26 RBIs
Good week for the soon-to-be Miami Marlins (my mother, next April: "Who's Miami? Since when is there a team in Miami?"), taking 4 out of 6 from the Dodgers and Reds. Chris Coghlan is in need of offseason shoulder surgery, and that cost him a game this week as he tries to stay healthy--something the Marlins need him to be.

14. (LW: 14) New York Yankees (16-9)
This Week: .245 AVG, .339 OBP, .408 SLG, 1 steal, 7 runs, 11 RBIs
Season (193 ABs): .259 AVG, .329 OBP, .383 SLG, 3 steals, 33 R, 25 RBIs
Derek Jeter and the combination of Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher, couldn't maintain their hot streak from a week ago. Last week, the Pinstripes leadoff men went 13-38 with 10 runs and six RBIs. In this week's go-round, they only managed 12 hits in 49 at-bats. The killer? Over three times as many strikeouts this week, including four multi-strikeout games combined.

13. (LW: 16) Boston Red Sox (12-15)
This Week: .306 AVG, .370 OBP, .388 SLG, 1 steal, 8 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (220 ABs): .255 AVG, .333 OBP, .377 SLG, 8 steals, 33 R, 17 RBIs
The BoSox frontmen bounced back despite only two wins for the week. Ellsbury and Pedroia cut their strikeouts nearly in half and jumped their combined average from .241 last week to a .306 this week. The biggest knock is that their walks dropped from 11 to five, keeping their OBP right around .370. If only their solid production could help Boston in the win column. Oh, and remember Carl Crawford?

12. (LW: 20) Seattle Mariners (13-16):
This Week: .346 AVG, .404 OBP, .423 SLG, 3 steals, 10 runs, 7 RBIs
Season (241 ABs): .266 AVG, .319 OBP, .332 SLG, 15 steals, 31 R, 25 RBIs
Ichiro Suzuki and Chone Figgons continue to provide a solid foundation for the Mariners' offense. Strikeouts remain very low in comparison to the rest of the majors' leadoff men. Seattle has to be happy with the early season offense, at least from these two who have seen marked improvement since the start of the season. The biggest knock? A lack of walks, but Ichiro makes his name by swinging the bat, not working pitch counts.

11. (LW: 11) Milwaukee Brewers (13-14)
This Week: .234 AVG, .280 OBP, .404 SLG, 2 steals, 6 runs, 5 RBIs
Season (223 ABs): .269 AVG, .324 OBP, .430 SLG, 8 steals, 37 R, 21 RBIs
A .280 OBP at the top of the order will not cut it for the Brewers, who are getting great production in the middle of their lineup from Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez went 0-7 yesterday in Houston and 3-23 overall against the Astros.

10. (LW: 4) Pittsburgh Pirates (13-15)
This Week: .192 AVG, .263 OBP, .365 SLG, 3 steals, 6 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (216 ABs): .264 AVG, .351 OBP, .440 SLG, 15 steals, 35 R, 24 RBIs
It's been a steady downward trend for the Pirates lately, who have seen their leadoff pair post the following OBPs over the last four weeks: .387, .370, .302, and now .263. Part of that is because Neil Walker (.287/.353/.426) was dropped down towards the middle of the lineup on April 15th. Andrew McCutchen's OBP of .331 is far too low for someone hitting leadoff every night.

9. (LW: 12) Texas Rangers (16-12)
This Week: .288 AVG, .354 OBP, .373 SLG, 6 steals, 9 runs, 4 RBIs
Season (219 ABs): .260 AVG, .339 OBP, .420 SLG, 13 steals, 39 R, 26 RBIs
The Rangers as a team have certainly slowed down, going 7-13 in their last 20 after starting the season off 9-1. The pairing of Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus have had a pretty solid two weeks, however, hitting .306/.375/.426 with 17 runs and 8 RBIs over the last 13 games, with just 13 strikeouts.

8. (LW: 5) Colorado Rockies (17-9)
This Week: .194 AVG, .310 OBP, .278 SLG, 0 steals, 3 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (207 ABs): .271 AVG, .373 OBP, .386 SLG, 6 steals, 35 R, 19 RBIs
The Rockies only played five games this week, so the poor numbers didn't really drag the overall ones down too much. The Rockies still won three out of the five games despite the poor play by Dexter Fowler and Jeremy Herrera, and haven't gotten a steal out of the leadoff slots since April 13th.

7. (LW: 6) Houston Astros (11-17)
This Week: .260 AVG, .315 OBP, .320 SLG, 5 steals, 6 runs, 4 RBIs
Season (227 ABs): .286 AVG, .341 OBP, .357 SLG, 17 steals, 40 R, 23 RBIs
The Astros have been running wild on the basepaths this year, with five SBs this week and 17 total on the season. That's how Michael Bourn & Co. have been able to score 40 runs with only a .286 batting average.

6. (LW: 9) Los Angeles Angels (16-12)
This Week: .255 AVG, .340 OBP, .340 SLG, 2 steals, 6 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (239 ABs): .293 AVG, .352 OBP, .473 SLG, 8 steals, 26 R, 23 RBIs
Bobby Abreu found a consistent spot in the two-hole this week, which seems to have helped solidify the lead-off positions and improve the output for the Angels. Abreu and the combination of Peter Bourjos, Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis produced five multi-hit games in six contests and brought their batting average up over 50 points. Abreu's presence also seems to have helped the strikeout totals, down from 16 last week.

5. (LW: 10) Cincinnati Reds (14-14)
This Week: .275 AVG, .362 OBP, .510 SLG, 6 steals, 12 runs, 7 RBIs
Season (230 ABs): .278 AVG, .349 OBP, .474 SLG, 15 steals, 47 R, 28 RBIs
Brandon Phillips was having such a good season for the Reds (.351/.407/.546) that he was dropped down in the lineup, leaving Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce batting one-two every game this week. The pair didn't have an awful week, but the 16 strikeouts in one week (in just six games) are a big concern moving forward.

4. (LW: 7) Cleveland Indians (19-8)
This Week: .327 AVG, .375 OBP, .673 SLG, 1 steal, 14 runs, 8 RBIs
Season (227 ABs): .300 AVG, .351 OBP, .515 SLG, 4 steals, 36 R, 33 RBIs
The combination of Grady Sizemore and Asdrubal Cabrera found even more lightning than last week when the two combined to hit .296. The duo had five multi-hit games in six tries this week, including a 5-for-8 day against Kansas City. The big plus this week was a major jump in runs (up from five last week) and RBIs (up from four last week). Getting that kind of production despite striking out 11 times makes winning six-straight that much easier.

3. (LW: 3) St. Louis Cardinals (16-12)
This Week: .245 AVG, .288 OBP, .286 SLG, 1 steal, 6 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (228 ABs): .303 AVG, .367 OBP, .390 SLG, 6 steals, 33 R, 23 RBIs
Manage Tony LaRussa used six different combinations at the top of the order on six games this week. The mixing and matching hasn't worked out for the Cards thus far, as their .245 batting average at the top is their lowest for any week this season.

2. (LW: 2) Philadelphia Phillies (18-9)
This Week: .358 AVG, .382 OBP, .509 SLG, 1 steal, 10 runs, 5 RBIs
Season (224 ABs): .326 AVG, .379 OBP, .482 SLG, 8 steals, 37 R, 31 RBIs
The Phillies are trying to close ground on the Cubs, mostly behind the record-setting April by Placido Polanco (.385/.433/.505), who had the most hits ever for a Phillie in April (31). The rest of the Phillies lineup has been struggling lately, but Polanco and Victorino have managed to keep up good production up top for Philadelphia.

1. (LW: 1) Chicago Cubs (12-15)
This Week: .327 AVG, .352 OBP, .423 SLG, 1 steal, 7 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (231 ABs): .377 AVG, .417 OBP, .485 SLG, 5 steals, 35 R, 28 RBIs
Starlin Castro has been playing so well (.336 avg, 12 RBIs) that he earned himself a demotion into the middle of the lineup. Kosuke Fukudome plugged right in and kept the Cubs up at the top, though the two walks in the week are a low for the season. The only thing to complain about is the lack of steals, but the fantastic OBP makes up for that and then some.


Week Four
As of 4/25/11

30. (LW: 16) Toronto Blue Jays (9-12)
This Week: .127 AVG, .127 OBP, .236 SLG,  0 steals, 2 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (180 ABs): .211 AVG, .249 OBP, .344 SLG, 5 steals, 17 R, 19 RBIs
A tough week overall for the Blue Jays, going 2-4 while mostly using Corey Patterson (two for his last 24) in the second slot. Zero-for-10 and two-for-12 games this week brought that average plummeting, and no walks in 55 ABs for the week is just plain awful.

29. (LW: 28) Detroit Tigers (12-10)
This Week: .220 AVG, .291 OBP, .380 SLG, 0 steals, 8 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (169 ABs): .201 AVG, .282 OBP, .290 SLG, 3 steals, 18 R, 13 RBIs
After six different leadoff combinations last week, at least Austin Jackson started all six games this week atop the lineup, though with only marginally better results than Jim Leyland had been getting. For as poor as the batting average was this week, the OBP and slugging numbers aren't too shabby.

28. (LW: 29) Washington Nationals (10-10)
This Week: .282 AVG, .349 OBP, .333 SLG, 2 steals, 7 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (165 ABs): .206 AVG, .272 OBP, .333 SLG, 8 steals, 17 R, 16 RBIs
Danny Espinosa and Rick Ankiel started all five games this week up top for the Nationals, and it paid off with by far their best leadoff week this young season. The only thing that was lacking was the low slugging percentage (and lack of steals), but seven runs in five games is a pretty good stat.

27. (LW: 30) San Diego Padres (8-14)
This Week: .291 AVG, .350 OBP, .382 SLG, 5 steals, 4 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (166 ABs): .217 AVG, .301 OBP, .253 SLG, 13 steals, 14 R, 4 RBI
After an absolutely abysmal first few weeks, the Friars at least got three 4-hit games out of their leadoff spots, using a combination of Wil Venable, Jason Bartlett, and Cameron Maybin. Considering four of their seven games were against the Phillies' rotation, this was a pretty good week overall--but the slugging percentage really holds them down.

26. (LW: 11) Chicago White Sox (8-14)
This Week: .173 AVG, .218 OBP, .192 SLG, 2 steals, 4 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (182 ABs): .253 AVG, .292 OBP, .313 SLG, 7 steals, 23 R, 16 RBIs
The second-worst week (batting-average-wise) in the Majors leads to a 16-slot drop for the White Sox. While they do have a better batting average than a few of the teams below them, the awful OBP and slugging numbers kept Juan Pierre and company down in the bottom five.

25. (LW: 25) Kansas City Royals (12-10)
This Week: .237 AVG, .308 OBP, .475 SLG, 3 steals, 11 runs, 9 RBIs
Season (193 ABs): .233 AVG, .288 OBP, .363 SLG, 9 steals, 26 R, 21 RBIs
Chris Getz and Melky Cabrera (along with a little help from Mike Aviles) scored 11 runs this week despite only being on base 20 times (14 hits, six walks) in seven games. Cabrera (.283/.301/.424) has been a decent addition to the lineup, though the OBP could certainly be higher.

24. (LW: 18) Baltimore Orioles (8-12)
This Week: .234 AVG, .308 OBP, .277 SLG, 0 steals, 3 runs, 4 RBIs
Season (161 ABs): .242 AVG, .291 OBP, .385 SLG, 1 steal, 18 R, 21 RBIs
It was April 6th the last time the Orioles got a stolen base out of their top two hitters, and it's tough to manufacture runs when you're not stealing any bases while slugging only .277, or anywhere close to there. Either Baltimore needs to get more power out of Brian Roberts (who had 50 steals back in 2007) and Nick Markakis, or start gambling a little on the basepaths.

23. (LW: 19) Minnesota Twins (9-12)
This Week: .239 AVG, .314 OBP, .261 SLG, 1 steal, 8 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (173 ABs): .254 AVG, .295 OBP, .329 SLG, 3 steals, 17 R, 12 RBIs
Joe Mauer has been out since April 12th with a horrible flu, but he seems to be finally close to returning--a much-needed boost for the Twins. Denard Span has had five different players hit behind him since Mauer left the lineup, but nobody's established themselves in his absence.

22. (LW: 22) Oakland Athletics (11-11)
This Week: .240 AVG, .296 OBP, .380 SLG, 2 steals, 8 runs, 5 RBIs
Season (174 ABs): .230 AVG, .309 OBP, .339 SLG, 8 steals, 23 R, 9 RBIs
The on-base-percentage is really good considering how bad the average is for Coco Crisp and Daric Barton--who is only batting .216 but has an OBP of .370 thanks to 17 walks in 22 games. The A's need some offense if they want to support their fantastic rotation (2.07 ERA, 1.12 WHIP).

21. (LW: 17) Arizona Diamondbacks (8-12)
This Week: .234 AVG, .308 OBP, .617 SLG, 1 steal, 9 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (173 ABs): .243 AVG, .288 OBP, .428 SLG, 11 steals, 27 R, 21 RBIs
The Diamondbacks were without Willie Bloomquist (.306/.323/.419) this week, but are hoping to get him back just in time for a three-game series against the Phillies. 13 strikeouts in six games from Ryan Reynolds and Kelly Johnson doesn't bode well when Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels are coming to town.

20. (LW: 27) Seattle Mariners (8-15):
This Week: .327 AVG, .373 OBP, .364 SLG, 6 steals, 9 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (189 ABs): .243 AVG, .296 OBP, .307 SLG, 12 steals, 21 R, 18 RBIs
Finally a sign of life from Ichiro Suzuki, who had four multi-hit games this week, including a 4-for-5 performance in a win against the Tigers on Tuesday. Even Chone Figgins went 3-for-4 in that game...though he's only got one hit in his 15 ABs since.

19. (LW: 21) Atlanta Braves (11-12)
This Week: .268 AVG, .369 OBP, .393 SLG, 0 steals, 9 runs, 9 RBIs
Season (183 ABs): .246 AVG, .296 OBP, .366 SLG, 2 steals, 26 R, 18 RBIs
Jason Heyward might be getting readjusted to batting in the second spot in Atlanta's lineup, going 7-for-12 in a sweep against the Giants. His average had bottomed out at .188, but the Braves need him to be a force in that 2-slot for them to catch the NL East leaders.

18. (LW: 14) New York Mets (9-13)
This Week: .229 AVG, .288 OBP, .229 SLG, 2 steals, 7 runs, 2 RBIs
Season (187 ABs): .251 AVG, .307 OBP, .353 SLG, 13 steals, 28 R, 13 RBIs
The Mets are on a four-game winning streak, but a .288 OBP from Jose Reyes and company (Daniel Murphy, Angel Pagan, and Josh Thole) is far too slow with that much speed on the basepaths. Not getting any extra-base hits this week doesn't help either, and those guys definitely need to take advantage of turning any single into a RISP.

17. (LW: 15) Florida Marlins (13-7)
This Week: .267 AVG, .313 OBP, .378 SLG, 1 steal, 4 runs, 9 RBIs
Season (164 ABs): .256 AVG, .318 OBP, .372 SLG, 2 steals, 19 R, 18 RBIs
Unfortunately for the Marlins, they get stuck in the awkward position of having a better week than their season so far, yet still managing to drop two slots in the rankings due to stellar performances by teams ranked below them. Still, the Fish went 5-1 and kept pace with the hotter teams in baseball.

16. (LW: 20) Boston Red Sox (10-11)
This Week: .241 AVG, .369 OBP, .370 SLG, 4 steals, 8 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (171 ABs): .240 AVG, .323 OBP, .374 SLG, 7 steals, 25 R, 14 RBIs
How did Boston managed to leapfrog Florida, despite a lower batting average and similar slugging percentages? Easy--a .056 difference in on-base-percentage plus four extra steals means 8 more runs created for the Red Sox, who went 6-1 this week.

15. (LW: 26) Los Angeles Dodgers (12-11)
This Week: .321 AVG, .406 OBP, .482 SLG, 1 steal, 15 runs, 5 RBIs
Season (182 ABs): .258 AVG, .318 OBP, .363 SLG, 6 steals, 32 R, 11 RBIs
Los Angeles might see fluctuations in these rankings all season as Don Mattingly uses a constantly rotating cast of characters in the top two spots in the lineup. Only four times all season has he used the same top two in back-to-back games, never in more than two games in a row--and all four of those times were different pairings.

14. (LW: 24) New York Yankees (12-6)
This Week: .342 AVG, .405 OBP, .553 SLG, 0 steals, 10 R, 6 RBIs
Season (144 ABs): .264 AVG, .325 OBP, .375 SLG, 2 steals, 26 R, 14 RBIs
The Yankees played only four games this week due to some rainouts, but Derek Jeter seems to have found a steady backup hitter in Curtis Granderson (.292/.343/.708), who has seven home runs and 12 RBIs already.

13. (LW: 7) San Francisco Giants (10-11)
This Week: .191 AVG, .224 OBP, .319 SLG, 0 steals, 6 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (172 ABs): .279 AVG, .326 OBP, .401 SLG, 1 steal, 25 R, 13 RBIs
Aaron Rowand was hitting .364 as recently as April 17th, but his average has dropped since then down to .283 after going one for his last 16. If you're not hitting at the top of the lineup, then you should be drawing walks and stealing basis--but the Giants top pair only has four walks and no steals since April 8th, a span of 15 games.

12. (LW: 23) Texas Rangers (14-7)
This Week: .327 AVG, .400 OBP, .490 SLG, 1 steal, 8 runs, 4 RBIs
Season (160 ABs): .250 AVG, .333 OBP, .438 SLG, 7 steals, 30 R, 22 RBIs
The Rangers have gone from the top five to the bottom ten and now back up into the upper half of the rankings, but they've stuck with Ian Kinsler (.228/.344/.494) and Elvis Andrus (.225/.293/.338) the entire time. The two have combined for 42 starts out of 46 possible for the purpose of these rankings (23 games, two top spots in the rotation), so it's the four other starts that have helped the overall numbers.

11. (LW: 13) Milwaukee Brewers (11-10)
This Week: .304 AVG, .361 OBP, .411 SLG, 5 steals, 14 runs, 5 RBIs
Season (176 ABs): .278 AVG, .335 OBP, .438 SLG, 6 steals, 31 R, 16 RBIs
A successful week for the Brewers, taking two of three from both the Phillies and the Astros. The Houston series was a big one for Rickie Weeks, Craig Counsell, and Carlos Gomez, as they went 11-for-26 (.423) with nine runs and four RBIs.

10. (LW: 8) Cincinnati Reds (11-11)
This Week: .216 AVG, .322 OBP, .392 SLG, 2 steals, 8 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (179 ABs): .279 AVG, .345 OBP, .464 SLG, 9 steals, 35 R, 21 RBIs
The Reds have lost three straight series, two of which were against divisional opponents in the Pirates and Cardinals. Four games this week had Drew Stubbs and Brandon Phillips getting multiple hits, but the other three had them going 0-for-20.

9. (LW: 3) Los Angeles Angels (12-10)
This Week: .211 AVG, .297 OBP, .368 SLG, 3 steals, 3 runs, 4 RBIs
Season (192 ABs): .302 AVG, .356 OBP, .505 SLG, 6 steals, 20 R, 20 RBIs
The seven walks are good, but the sixteen strikeouts are atrocious--part of the reason that Maicer Izturis and Howie Kendrick haven't started the last three games up top together after being the Angels' main pair for the first 19 games. Losing four at home to Boston was a bit of a letdown, to say the least.

8. (LW: 12) Tampa Bay Rays (11-11)
This Week: .316 AVG, .339 OBP, .491 SLG, 3 steals, 10 runs, 7 RBIs
Season (177 ABs): .282 AVG, .317 OBP, .463 SLG, 12 steals, 24 R, 27 RBIs
The Rays, like their division counterparts in Boston, are finally emerging from their atrocious start, using mostly the combination of Sam Fuld (.346/.388/.513) and Johnny Damon (.260/.280/.452). Fuld is now owned in 100% of ESPN's Fantasy Leagues, a 30% jump after last week, but the nine combined walks in 22 games are a red flag.

7. (LW: 9) Cleveland Indians (13-8)
This Week: .296 AVG, .345 OBP, .426 SLG, 0 steals, 5 runs, 4 RBIs
Season (175 ABs): .291 AVG, .344 OBP, .469 SLG, 3 steals, 22 R, 25 RBIs
The first full week of Grady Sizemore turned out to be a successful one, as the outfielder is off to a .357/.400/.715 start, helped out by two homers and four doubles in his first 28 ABs. The surprising Indians are a game and a half up in the AL Central already, and the play of Sizemore is a huge boost.

6. (LW: 10) Houston Astros (8-14)
This Week: .333 AVG, .385 OBP, .396 SLG, 2 steals, 8 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (177 ABs): .294 AVG, .349 OBP, .367 SLG, 12 steals, 34 R, 19 RBIs
The Astros continually strong presence at the top of the lineup, helped by Michael Bourn (.304/.375/.418) who has become a quintessential leadoff hitter. The 32 runs scored by the top two are the most by any team in MLB, but the batting averge and OBP are still not in the top echelon of the major leagues.

5. (LW: 6) Colorado Rockies (14-7)
This Week: .227 AVG, .346 OBP, .318 SLG, 0 steals, 4 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (171 ABs): .287 AVG, .387 OBP, .409 SLG, 6 steals, 32 R, 17 RBIs
The Rockies unfortunately had to face the San Francisco gauntlet of Lincecum/Sanchez/Cain to start the week, and went four-for-24 (.167) out of the leadoff spots. Dexter Fowler and Jonathan Herrera then went six-for-20 (.300) against the Marlins to somehow move up in the rankings, but these two need to steal more bases.

4. (LW: 4) Pittsburgh Pirates (9-12)
This Week: .229 AVG, .302 OBP, .333 SLG, 3 steals, 7 runs, 3 RBIs
Season (164 ABs): .287 AVG, .378 OBP, .463 SLG, 12 steals, 29 R, 18 RBIs
A two-for-24 performance in a three-game sweep (at home) to the Marlins was the lowlight for Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata, who have taken over the leadoff positions in Pittsburgh. The pair had five walks in six games, but they came in the only wins of the week--a sign, perhaps?

3. (LW: 5) St. Louis Cardinals (12-10)
This Week: .289 AVG, .347 OBP, .378 SLG, 2 steals, 4 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (179 ABs): .318 AVG, .387 OBP, .419 SLG, 5 steals, 27 R, 17 RBIs
After drawing 11 walks in the first full week of the season, Ryan Theriot and Colby Rasmus have gotten only five free passes in the 14 games since. The slugging numbers are just a little too low to move the Cardinals up into the second slot, but this one was a really tough decision.

2. (LW: 2) Philadelphia Phillies (15-6)
This Week: .255 AVG, .359 OBP, .455 SLG, 5 steals, 9 runs, 6 RBIs
Season (171 ABs): .316 AVG, .378 OBP, .474 SLG, 7 steals, 27 R, 26 RBIs
It's been a tough week for the entire Phillies lineup--although they went 5-2, they failed to score more than four runs in any single game. Placido Polanco has started all but one game in the second slot, and is having an All-Star April (.366/.429/.488) with two home runs and 15 RBIs.

1. (LW: 1) Chicago Cubs (10-11)
This Week: .375 AVG, .386 OBP, .429 SLG, 2 steals, 6 runs, 9 RBIs
Season (179 ABs): .391 AVG, .435 OBP, .503 SLG, 4 steals, 28 R, 25 RBIs
Starlin Castro (.393/.419/.528) is off to an unbelievably hot start, and at just 21 years old is on his way to establishing himself as the next great major league shortstop--at least, if he can come anywhere close to keeping this up. Cubs manager Mike Quade has started batting Castro third in the order, so it might be up to Kosuke Fukudome (.415/.529/.439 in 41 ABs) to keep up the hot start.