These rankings are based on a 300 point system, 150 for offensive production and 150 for pitching production. 30 points (1 point for each team) is the most points any team can receive in a given category. For instance, if the Rays lead the league in HR’s they will get 30 points for that category.

 

The 5 offensive categories used:

HR’s, RBI, Runs, Average, and SB’s  

The 5 pitching categories used:

Wins, Saves, WHIP, ERA, and K’s

1.(1) Tampa Bay Rays (71-46): The Rays finished with 242 points this week, four points higher than the Texas Rangers. Jeremy Hellickson, the newest member of the Rays rotation and fantasy lineups, sits at 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 0.60 WHIP. Hellickson and the Rays have the second most pitching points with 145.

2.(1) Texas Rangers (67-49): The Rangers scored the second most offensive points this week with 126, just four points behind the next team on this list. Rumor has it the Rangers are interested in Manny Ramirez; understanding an 8.5 game lead in their division certainly isn’t enough to hold off the Angels. Texas is playing for keeps this year and in my opinion is the #1 contender to the Yankees.

3.(─) New York Yankees (72-45): We all know the Yankees are in the postseason and are the favorites to win it all again. However, they rank third on this list yet again, and, as you will read next, they have other competition than just the Rays.

4.(2) Boston Red Sox (67-52): The third team from the AL East, the Boston Red Sox seem to be doing anything they can to keep pace with the Rays and Yankees. They brought up Jarrod Saltalamacchia this past week to add a boost to the Youk-free lineup. Salty could end up being a worthy fantasy player in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

5.(1) Cincinnati Reds (67-51): The Reds scored the third most offensive points this week with 117. If you look down a little you will see the second place St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central. Although just 1.0 game back of the Reds, they are nine spots behind them in production according to this system. This tells me the Reds are beginning to outplay the Cardinals, and this week they outscored them by 34 total points.

6.(1) San Diego Padres (69-47): San Diego leads the league with a 1.21 WHIP and a 3.21 ERA. With that said, let’s be honest they’re not going to win anything with the ninth worst offense. The Padres have just 63 points this week on offense (208 total points).

7.(2) Chicago White Sox (65-53): It looks like the White Sox may have completed a deal that worked against them again. Last year they traded for Jake Peavy and gave up Clayton Richard (amongst others), and this year they get Edwin Jackson for Daniel Hudson. My point is that Hudson is 3-0 with the D-Backs with just four earned allowed in 22.2 IP, while Richard has 10 wins and Peavy sits on IR.

8.() Minnesota Twins (68-50): The Twins currently have a three-game lead in the Central, but sit three points behind Chicago on this list. The Twins and White Sox are very close in talent, but what may give the edge to Minnesota is their pitching. At just 1.26, the Twins have the fourth best WHIP in the league.

9.() San Francisco Giants (67-52): San Francisco has a much better lineup than the Padres and although they lost the series to San Diego, I see the Giants taking over first…real soon. The Giants sit 12 points behind their division foes, but they have just three more offensive points at the current time. I project the Giants offense to get better and the Padres pitching to slowly decline.

10.() Atlanta Braves (68-49): The Fantasy MVP/God who goes by the name “Chipper” is now gone for the year, and possibly for good. This is going to affect the Braves and their league-best 41-16 home record, how much though remains to be seen. The next team is hot on their tail as the top two teams in the NL East are tied at 192 points this week (Braves get the edge because they scored 127 pitching points and this is the highest total in either category for both teams).

11.() Philadelphia Phillies (66-51): See Braves.

12.(1) Colorado Rockies (61-56): It’s almost that time of the season where the Rockies go on a torrid streak.

13.(1) Toronto Blue Jays (62-55): Ricky Romero just signed a new deal with the Jays and should be their ace for at least six more years.

14.() St. Louis Cardinals (65-51): See Cincinnati.

15.(1) Los Angeles Angels (60-59): Not even Mike Scioscia can get the Angels back in the hunt.   

16.(1) Los Angeles Dodgers (60-58): Not even Joe Torre can get the Dodgers back in the hunt.

17.(↑1) Milwaukee Brewers (55-64): Milwaukee has the ninth best fantasy offense in the league.

18.(↓1) Florida Marlins (57-59): After losing three in a row, the Marlins are below .500 at home and on the road.

19.(─) Oakland Athletics (57-59): If you are looking for offense, look away. Just 52 offensive points this week.

20.() New York Mets (58-59): K-Rod beat up his girlfriend’s father this past week. Would Mariano Rivera ever do that in public?

21.(─) Washington Nationals (51-67): The deadline is fast approaching to sign Bryce Harper.

22.(1) Chicago Cubs (50-68): See Houston.

23.(1) Kansas City Royals (49-69): Are the Royals every going to produce a winning team again?

24.(1) Arizona Diamondbacks (47-72): See White Sox.

25.(1) Detroit Tigers (57-60): The Tigers sit between the Royals and Indians in these rankings. Enough said.

26.(─) Houston Astros (51-65): Houston is 16 percentage points better than the Cubs right now.

27.(─) Seattle Mariners (46-72): The Mariners are inching closer to 100 total points in the FPR (91).

28.(─) Cleveland Indians (49-69): If you are looking for a nice addition to your fantasy team check out  Jeanmar Gomez.

29.() Baltimore Orioles (41-77): The Orioles are 30.5 games back in the Wild Card race.

30.() Pittsburgh Pirates (39-78): The Pirates are tied for 2nd to last with a .363 Slugging percentage.

Best Offense: (130) New York Yankees 

Best Pitching: (145) San Diego Padres 

Worst Offense: (27) Pittsburgh Pirates 

Worst Pitching: (12) Baltimore Orioles

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