Rotation Rankings: Week 7

Previous Rankings: Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Week seven of our Rotation Rankings: the statistical ranking of every rotation in Major League Baseball. More a fan of offense? Check out our Leadoff Rankings, based on every teams' first and second batters.This week, we're bringing out something new: a normalized formula. For the last few weeks, we've been basically eyeballing the stats, using our knowledge of the teams as well as the numbers to try and place each time in a slot that made the most sense based on season performance, while keeping in mind how the last week went for each team. Now, however, we have a formula--using WHIP, ERA, and some other statistics, we've compared them all to league averages to come up with normalized scores, which we've then set to a ratio according to importance (WHIP being more important than K/9, for example), which gives us a final, weighted, relative score. The season stats get weighted towards 90% of the total, while the last week's statistics account for the last 10% (allowing some fluctuation based on recent performance, which is really what most Power Rankings do without realizing it). To see how much movement there was when we switched to the formula (as well as how your favorite team stacks up), hit the jump!

Rotation Rankings: Week 6

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

Week six of our Rotation Rankings: the statistical ranking of every rotation in Major League Baseball. More a fan of offense? Check out our Leadoff Rankings, based on every teams' first and second batters.This week, we're bringing out something new: a normalized formula. For the last few weeks, we've been basically eyeballing the stats, using our knowledge of the teams as well as the numbers to try and place each time in a slot that made the most sense based on season performance, while keeping in mind how the last week went for each team. Now, however, we have a formula--using WHIP, ERA, and some other statistics, we've compared them all to league averages to come up with normalized scores, which we've then set to a ratio according to importance (WHIP being more important than K/9, for example), which gives us a final, weighted, relative score. The season stats get weighted towards 90% of the total, while the last week's statistics account for the last 10% (allowing some fluctuation based on recent performance, which is really what most Power Rankings do without realizing it). To see how much movement there was when we switched to the formula (as well as how your favorite team stacks up), hit the jump!

The AL West At a Glance

The entire landscape of the AL West has changed in recent years as the competition seems to be growing with arms. Last season, the Texas Rangers dethroned the Los Angeles Angels' run of three straight division titles and even went on to the World Series. The AL  West might be the most competitive division in baseball at the moment

Dan Haren (L) and Jered Weaver
anchor one of baseball's best rotations

with just four games separating four teams. Thus far, the Angels' rotation, led by Dan Haren and Jered Weaver (left) has them rolling to an early lead at 20-15. The Rangers and Oakland Athletics follow at 18-17 while the Seattle Mariners again sit in last at 16-19. This pitching-heavy division is tight right now and is largely up for grabs. Though often overshadowed by the AL East, the West remains competitive for a four team division and has produced as many World Series appearances than the Central over the past 10 years. For the Angels, they added outfielder Vernon Wells via trade from Toronto this winter, then extended his contract for $126 million over seven years. Wells has yet to prove his worth as he has struggled mightily, sitting at around .179.  If or when Wells and Torii Hunter start hitting, it could be a fun summer in Los Angeles. Here is a far more in-depth look at the AL West and where it is heading.

Rotation Rankings: Week 5

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

Week five of our Rotation Rankings: the statistical ranking of every rotation in Major League Baseball. For a better explanation, check out our debut rankings. More a fan of offense? Check out our Leadoff Rankings, based on every teams' first and second batters. As we get further into the season, these rankings are based mostly on season performance, with a bias towards this week's performance when two teams are comparable. To see which teams were the real movers and shakers this week, hit the jump!

Rotation Rankings: Week 4

Previous Rankings: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3

Week four of our Rotation Rankings: the statistical ranking of every rotation in Major League Baseball. For a better explanation, check out our debut rankings. More a fan of offense? Check out our Leadoff Rankings, based on every teams' first and second batters. As we get further into the season, these rankings are based mostly on season performance, with a small bias towards this week's performance when two teams were very comparable. There were some interesting ranking quirks this week, mostly because of fantastic weeks by some of the teams that had previously been lower in the rankings--something to be expected early in the season. A few teams actually improved on their season performances but managed to fall in the rankings, due solely to the fact that the teams behind them out performed them as well. Eventually these sort of things will even out, but after four weeks it's still easy enough for one great week to pull a team up 15 slots. To see which teams were the real movers and shakers this week, hit the jump!

NFL Draft Preview: AFC West

Welcome to part four of our eight-part NFL Draft preview. In this installment, we will wrap up our AFC previews by taking a look at the AFC West.

The AFC West had a surprise champion last year in the Kansas City Chiefs, who took a huge step forward under young coach Todd Haley. The Chargers, who had been in control of the division for the past five years, were probably the best team in the division, at least statistically, but finished a disappointing 9-7 thanks to atrocious special teams and some untimely mistakes. Oakland was a pleasant surprise, and is looking to build off a strong 8-8 2010 campaign. In the cellar, Denver is in complete rebuilding mode, and faces questions at the quarterback position as well as the adjustments necessary that come along with hiring a new head coach. With this in mind, how will the AFC West approach the draft? Hit the jump to find out.

Rotation Rankings: Week 3

Previous Rankings: Week 1 | Week 2

Week three of our Rotation Rankings: the statistical ranking of every rotation in Major League Baseball. For a better explanation, check out our debut rankings. More a fan of offense? Check out our Leadoff Rankings, based on every teams' first and second batters. As we get further into the season, these rankings are based mostly on season performance, with a small bias towards this week's performance when two teams were very comparable.

G: Games; ERA: Earned Run Average; WHIP: (Walks + Hits)/Innings Pitched; GS: Game Score; K/BB: Strikeout-to-walk ratio; K/9: Strikeouts per nine innings

30. (LW: 26) New York Mets (5-13)
This Week: 1-6, 5.80 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 41.9 GS, 1.32 K/BB, 5.58 K/9
Season Stats: 4-10, 5.68 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 44.3 GS, 1.58 K/BB, 6.96 K/9
R.A. Dickey became the first Mets starter to make it into the eighth inning last night, but he still managed to let up four runs on eight hits to the lowly Astros.

29. (LW: 27) Arizona Diamondbacks (8-8)
This Week: 2-2, 5.22 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 47.8 GS, 2.36 K/BB, 7.98 K/9
Season Stats: 5-7, 5.65 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 45.8 GS, 1.87 K/BB, 6.92 K/9
Not much changed this week for the D-Backs' starting rotation. Though they are striking batters out at a higher rate (almost 8 K/9), the staff ERA is still above 5.50 and their WHIP remains in the bottom half of the league.

28. (LW: 14) Cincinnati Reds (9-9)
This Week: 1-4, 7.92 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 38.7 GS, 2.14 K/BB, 8.80 K/9
Season Stats: 7-5, 5.35 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 48.4 GS, 2.62 K/BB, 8.64 K/9
On four occasions in the last week, a Reds starter allowed five or more runs in a game. That includes a 3.1-inning, six-run outing from from youngster Travis Wood, who has a 5.73 ERA on the season.

(For number 27 all the way to #1, hit the jump!)

Who's got the best pitching in the land?

On April 7th, Trevor Cahill gave up just three hits and one run in 8 victorious innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. Two days later, lefthander Matt Harrison limited the Orioles lineup to just one run and two hits over seven innings. This Tuesday, April 12th former Diamondback Dan Haren threw a complete-game, 1-hit shutout in a win against the Cleveland Indians. All three of these pitchers throw for staffs with ERAs of 2.83 and lower, and all three of these pitchers pitch in the same division--the American League West. Prior to the year, the pitching attention was centered mostly on the East Coast, with incredibly talented arms in cities like Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, and Toronto. It seems, though we're just two weeks into the season, that all the East Coast attention might have gotten in the way of another crop of young talent that's ready to take over Major League Baseball in Oakland, Texas, and Los Angeles. Cahill's Athletics, Harrison's Rangers, and Haren's Angels are all full of dangerous arms, and not older ones either. So just how good are these guys? Let's take a look at the numbers...

Rotation Rankings: Week 2

Week two of our Rotation Rankings: the statistical ranking of every rotation in MLB. For a better explanation, check out last week's rankings (also shown as LW). More a fan of offense? Check out our Leadoff Rankings, based on every teams first and second batters. 

G: Games; ERA: Earned Run Average; WHIP: (Walks + Hits)/Innings Pitched; GS: Game Score; K/BB: Strikeout-to-walk ratio; K/9: Strikeouts per nine innings

30. (LW: 29) Boston Red Sox (2-9, 5th AL East)
This Week: 2-3, 5.51 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 48.0 GS, 2.54 K/BB, 9.09 K/9
Season Stats: 2-7, 6.83 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 42.2 GS, 1.80 K/BB, 6.98 K/9
Well, the Red Sox are in last place in just about everything, aren't they?  I guess last night's rainout was a fortunate for them and they're 6.83 rotation ERA.  Daisuke Matsuzaka is the biggest culprit, giving up seven earned runs in two innings Monday night to the Rays.

29. (LW: 30) Houston Astros (3-9, 6th NL Central)
This Week: 2-2, 3.98 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 50.1 GS, 2.23 K/BB, 6.07 K/9
Season Stats: 2-6, 6.02 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 41.8 GS, 1.88 K/BB, 6.02 K/9 
You know, the Astros lineup really isn't that bad. And Brett Myers is trying, he really really is--he's got a nice 1-0 record with a 1.77 ERA in three starts for Houston, including what should have been an opening day home victory over the Phillies before the bullpen blew it. This week was actually not that bad for Houston, but other than Myers and a fairly promising J.A. Happ, there's not much to look forward to in terms of who shows up on the Astros "probable starter" that day.

28. (LW: 17) Chicago Cubs (6-6, 3rd NL Central)
This Week: 3-2, 7.72 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, 37.8 GS, 2.23 K/BB, 8.61 K/9
Season Stats: 4-4, 5.80 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 44.7 GS, 2.65 K/BB, 8.69 K/9
Matt Garza (0-1, 5.68 ERA) has been underwhelming in his first two starts, and in that sense he's paced the Cubbies rotation perfectly. Carlos Zambrano picked up a win yesterday despite giving up 5 runs in 5.2 innings, not exactly a good recipe for success--the Cubs need someone to start acting like an ace, and it needs to happen quickly.

(For number 27 all the way to #1, hit the jump!)

Rotation Rankings: Week 1

Lincecum got off to a hot start, but how 
about the rest of the Giants rotation?

One full week has come and gone in the 2011 Major League Baseball season, enough time for hopes to be built (see: Baltimore; Pittsburgh) or for fanbases to wonder what has happened to their team (see: Boston, Tampa Bay). Are these evaluations always accurate? Of course not--five or six games is not nearly enough time for a large enough sample size in basically any statistic--but they're something, so we use them with quite a large grain of salt. With that in mind, we present our first Rotation Rankings--similar to our Leadoff Rankings (released every Monday), our Rotation Rankings are purely statistical evaluations of the performance of each starting rotation. We've tracked each start, and looked at a few basic, key statistics: earned run average, game score (explanation: here), strikeout-to-walk ratio, and some others explained below. In the first week, ERA is very volatile--just one extra run over the course of a week can mean a difference in ERA of 0.20-0.30 for an entire rotation, so keep that in mind when comparing differences in ERA. Obviously there is going to be quite a lot of movement between weeks one, two, and the rest of the season, but here's what we have so far:

Leadoff Rankings: Week 1 (Way-Too-Early Edition)

In any baseball lineup, there are two spots in the order that get more attention than any of the others--the number four, or cleanup, hitter, and the number one guy--the leadoff hitter. That leadoff guy is traditionally someone who gets on base rather often, and has the speed on the basepaths to put pressure on the defense as the heart of the order comes to the plate. As baseball players have gotten more athletic and more versatile, it's become common for more than one player to have leadoff-type qualities, and there are plenty of very talented number two hitters who do a great job of getting on base (Placido Polanco, Derek Jeter, Dustin Pedroia, Freddy Sanchez, etc). Every spot further down in the lineup costs a player about 20 at-bats over the course of a season--so, if the number one hitter bats 600 times, it's expected that the number three hitter would have 560 at-bats, the number five hitter would have 520 at-bats, and so forth. Let's assume a player bats .300 for a season--that amounts to a difference of six hits for every spot in the order he's dropped. So, what that all means is that a team with production at the top of the order should have an advantage over teams relying on more production from their fourth and fifth hitter.

With that in mind, we debut our first ever Leadoff Rankings: a statistical look at which teams are getting production from the first two spots in their lineup--regardless of who is playing. That is, we're not going to rank the teams based on talent level in their top two spots, but by their production instead. Obviously, that means these first rankings, after most teams have played just three games, are not exactly going to be representative of how these lineups will turn out, but neither are any Power Rankings at this point in the season. The list is slightly objective--there's no set formula to decide which team gets the highest ranking, but we look at number of factors. On-base-percentage is very important, as are steals and runs scored. RBIs are nice from the top of the lineup, but that can often be misleading, as American League squads are more likely to have production from the bottom of the lineup (leading to more RBIs for the guys batting first and second). However, it still comes down to all-around performance for these rankings. So, who had a great first weekend in terms of top-of-the-lineup production? Hit the jump to see how your team did!