MLB Power Rankings: Blue Jays Leap, But Cards Still Lead
By Blake Benard
Aug 8, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Randy Johnson salutes the crowd during his number 51 retirement ceremony prior to the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Let me give you a recipe for how to become one of the hottest teams in baseball: go out and trade for the best shortstop in the game (Troy Tulowitzki). Then find yourself a ace-level pitcher (David Price) and pair it with one of the best hitters in the game (Josh Donaldson). Fill in the remaining pieces to the puzzle and you have the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays.
This second half run could be one for the ages. So far the Blue Jays have won eight-in-a-row and are 15-6 since the All-Star Break. Picking up Price has been huge during that stretch. In his two starts since the trade, Price is lights-out throwing 15 innings and allowing only one run. Combined with this seemingly unstoppable lineup, the Blue Jays are definitely poised to make a serious postseason run.
Other moments of note this past week: the Arizona Diamondbacks finally retired The Big Unit’s number on Saturday night. Johnson leads the team in nearly every single picking category and saw his best years in the desert, winning four straight Cy Young Awards during the steroid era from 1999-2002. He led the Diamondbacks to a World Series victory and is second on the all-time strikeouts list with 4,875, second only to Nolan Ryan. The best part of the whole evening though was the Diamondbacks thank you gift to Johnson: a replica drum set that Rush used on their 30th anniversary tour. There were only 30 in existence. Rush is one of Randy’s all-time favorite bands and he even took photos for the band during their last tour. Regardless it was a memorable night for one of the games greatest and most intimidating.
Well, I’ll quit screwing around the get you those Power Rankings. Here are the teams that moved the most this past week.
Biggest Jump: Blue Jays (5 spots)
Biggest Drop: Reds (4 spots)
Here we go…