Nolesmarlins' Power Rankings Week 1

Alright, since most of us Marlin fans feel that ESPN, SI, and Fox Sports tend to be biased against the Marlins because of our perceived lack of fans, I am going to do my own weekly version every Tuesday for Marlinsnation.com. I'm sure you have seen these things before on the big websites, so there is no need for me to explain that the rankings will be entirely subjective.

So lets start the show:

1. NY Mets: Absolutely dominated the Cardinals in the opening series. Jose Reyes could be one of the best leadoff men of all time

2. LA Angels: Good pitching, sick offense, easy AL West. Not saying they are going to win the pennant, but start printing those playoff tickets.

3. Arizona: Proud owners of 2007's first winning streak... will go for 6 games in a row tonight. Decent young team in a very exciting NL West.

4. Atlanta: They're BAAAAAACK!!!! Brad McCann is the best catcher in the NL

5. Minnesota: Decent start, but should move down in the coming weeks due to the ultra-competitive AL Central. They remind me of the Mariners of the late '90s with the best pitcher and two of the best hitters in the AL... and not too much else.

6. Detroit: Defending AL Champs seem to be slightly better on paper by acquiring Gary Sheffield.

7. San Diego: Excellent pitching but they need to score more runs.

8. Toronto: A.J. Burnett needs to find consistency in order for the Blue Jays to compete... if he does, they have a decent shot to win the division.

9. NY Yankees: AROD is on a mission, however their shoddy pitching will be their downfall.

10. Florida: Yeah I said it. Cabrera, HRam, Jacobs, and, well, pretty much the entire team is crushing the ball. De Aza is a surprise frontrunner for NL ROY. Need to figure out the Jorge Julio situation if they want to remain competitve.

11. LA Dodgers: Excellent pitching staff, but could definately use another hitter. Look for them to pursue Ichiro or Andruw Jones once the M's or/if the Braves fall out of contention.

12. Baahston: DiceK (or whatever you want to call him) is the real deal. Need a real closer so they can fully utilize Papelbon's potential.

13. St. Louis: Gotta give the champs some love. Should make the playoffs in the weak NL Central no matter what. However, they are the worst defending champs since the 1999 Padres.

14. Chicago White Sox: 2005 champs are looking ok. Probably won't win the division but should be a thorn in the side of the AL Central all season.

15. Oakland: Excellent young pitching staff should give the AL some headaches.

16. Chicago Cubs: New superstar + same pitchers = same results. And to think they say that they are cursed... I would go with incompetent.

17. Cincinnati: Actually leading the NL Central right now. Probably will rise in the rankings and compete until September...but fall flat on their faces after giving it a good effort. Some things never change.

18. Philly: Talent prevents me from ranking them lower. They seem to start this way every year. Just like in Cincy and the North Side, some things never change... no matter what Jimmy Rollins says.

19. Milwaukee: They have some high hopes for their team in sausage and beer land... I just don't see it. Yeah, Ben Sheets is an excellent starter and Geoff Jenkins has three homers so far, but not much else to report.

20. Pittsburgh: A decent start, but remember these are the Pirates. Should compete one day soon though; just look at what happened in Detroit. These fans deserve a winner for once.

21. Colorado: Yet another decent start by an anonymous team. It will be interesting to see how the removal of the humidor affects mile high baseball.

22. Texas: Good hitting, crappy pitching. They have had the same problem for more than 10 years. Hey guys, I think it's time to sign a pitcher.

23: Seattle: Can't get much of an impression because of all of those missed games but the only legitimate bright spot on this team seems to be 21 year old pitcher Felix Hernandez

24. KC: Roughed up Curt Schilling which is always an accomplishment. Alex Gordon, the future in Kansas City, has had a horrid start to his career (I should know, I have him on my fantasy team). Good young team but unfortunately for them they reside in the toughest division in baseball. If they were in the AL West they might actually have had a shot at the playoffs.

25. Tampa Bay: Wow, that Japanese third baseman plays some sick defense! This team is only a year or two away from becoming a title contender. The AL East better watch out.

26. Baltimore: Well, they're the Orioles... they should occupy this spot for the entire season, just like the past ten years. Peter Angelos makes Jeff Loria look like Arte Moreno.

27. Houston: And to think they are only two years removed from a NL Pennant. At least we know where Roger Clemens WON'T pitch.

28. SF: If not for Barry Bonds and a beautiful ballpark they would draw less than the Marlins. Barry Zito was one of the most pointless free agent signings in recent history.

29. Washington: Well, they suck. Nothing much else to say.

INCOMPLETE: Cleveland: For obvious reasons. They are the class of the AL Central so they should enter next week pretty high up there

Alright everyone, that about wraps it up. Questions? Comments?