These are my first Power Rankings of the season. Matt will follow with his in he coming days. Who's too high? Who's too low? Who do you think is most primed to make a big run in May? Who'll plummet in the coming month(s)?

1. Atlanta Braves - Closer Bob Wickman is down, but bullpen is a strength for this years squad and what a relief for Braves fans to be able to say that for the first time since John Smoltz moved back to the starting rotation.
2. Boston Red Sox - Big lead over the hated New York Yankees and a stellar rotation (4th in the MLB in Team ERA, 5th in Opponents Batting Average) spearheads the Sox. And their offense isn't even clicking on all cylinders yet. Scary.
3. New York Mets - Their starting rotation's dominance has surprised me (4th in MLB in Starter's ERA at 3.47). I don't expect that to hold up over the long haul (Chan Ho Park is going to get another start, need I say more?), but David Wright showing signs the 2006 David Wright is still around is a good sign.
4. Milwaukee Brewers - I continually under estimate Jeff Suppan in the National League Central. I'm not like the analysts that doubt they can do it over the long haul, but once Craig Counsel and Tony Graffinino prove to be sub-par at 3rd base, Ryan Braun (.366/.434/.731 with 8 HR and 17 RBI in 93 AB's in Triple-A Nashville) will re-spark the Brew Crew with his 30 HR potential.
5. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the United States of America - Still befuddling how this organization hasn't won the last 5 World Series with the best combination of stacked farm system and big payroll abilities, but they have the deepest rotation and are getting healthy. Lack of hitters around Vlad Guerrero still a mild concern.
6. Cleveland Indians - Fausto Carmona seemingly put things together (after the Indians completely mishandled him last year and might've stunted his devolpment) his last three starts, but is going to Triple-A Buffalo. Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner continually get overlooked as elite hitters at their respective positions and Cliff Lee is making his return this week.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks - I'll say it right here, right now, in the first Mike and Matt Power Rankings: I think the D-Backs will win the NL West. Pitching's come around and their bats are young but immensely talented all around the diamond. When they get comfortable and start getting consistent, they will be dangerous. Very dangerous.
8. Detroit Tigers - As I write this they've got 3 regulars (Craig Monroe, Sean Casey, Brandon Inge) hitting .210 or worse. Gary Sheffield has put things together (4-hit day today in the sweep of Baltimore) to climb to a .226 BA. That makes his .383 OBP all the more impressive. He's tied for 2nd in the AL in runs scored and his OBP is higher then his Slg %. When that reverses itself by late May and he's slugging closer to .525, lookout. Magglio Ordonez having the best April no one talked about, helped alot, as well.
9. Minnesota Twins - Went to Comerica Park and took 2 of 3 from the Tigers, but they're only 7-7 in the Metrodome and 5-7 against LHP. Couple that with losing 3 of 5 to Kansas City over two seperate series (A 3 gamer in KC and a 2 gamer in Minnesota), as well as, getting swept in a 2 game set in Cleveland and I'll put the Tigers ahead of them for now. I still think they're the 4th best team in the AL Central.
10. San Francisco Giants - I still think they're the worst team in the NL West, but they've been on a tear that included a 3 game sweep at Dodger Stadium. Quite the feat. Matt Cain is still solidifying himself as the best young pitcher on the entire West Coast (I'll take Cain over Felix Hernandez everyday. Go ahead, call me crazy) but an ancient lineup and relying on Armando Benitez will catch up with them. Farm System doesn't offer much help for another 2+ years, either.
11. Los Angeles Dodgers - Just 4-6 in their last 10 games, they should be looking over their shoulder as the Diamondbacks are on their way up. They're probably the more talented team, but injuries could be a concern and they've done what they can to block the young talent that should be up playing. How they continue to justify keeping Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andy LaRoche in Triple-A Las Vegas is something I cannot figure out. Should've steered clear of the veterans they overpaid for (Juan Pierre, Luis Gonzalez, Nomar Garciappara) and let the youth start to take over.
12. Chicago White Sox - Jim Thome is on the DL with a bad Oblique. Those tend to linger. I don't know how he pulled it when he's not being pitched to. Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko have offered very little in the way of protection. John Danks has pitched better then his numbers indicate (and better then I thought he would, to be honest) but the strength of this team is still that lineup from 3-6 and they'll go as far as the bats will carry them. Riding a 4 game losing streak (lost 2 of 3 to LAA and dropped the 2 game set in Seattle) is not offering much to believe in. They're sliding. Fast.
13. Toronto Blue Jays - I wanted to put them at 10, but replacing Josh Towers with Victor Zambrano isn't exactly going to help their cause. Neither are all their injuries. Gustavo Chacin's as mediocre as they come, but he's down (elbow) for the count. That lineup continues to mash (3rd in the AL in runs scored) but their still not getting much out of AJ Burnett. Take Roy Halladay away from this team and you've essentially got the Baltimore Orioles.
14. San Diego Padres - Adrian Gonzalez is just a stud. Plain and simple. He's the best 1st Baseman no one in the world has heard of. He's got 35 HR potential but will max out at around 30 because of the cavernous ballpark he hits in. They've got the best bullpen in the NL (maybe all of baseball) and Jake Peavy Greg Maddux, and Chris Young keep them in games when they start. When you have 3 starters giving you legitimate shots to win every time they toe the rubber, you're in a good position. Rumors are 31-year-old Brian Lawrence may go back to the Padres to pitch for their Triple-A team to showcase that he's still a ML quality pitcher, especially since David Wells has been less then impressive.
15. Oakland Atheltics - I liked the pick up of Ryan Langerhans. Trust me, he can hit a bit, people have seen it. No word on how many months ago someone last saw him make contact with the baseball, but we swear, he's done it before. They're beat up and scuffled to a 13-13 mark but Dan Haren is off to a Cy Young start in Oakland. If Billy Beane can get any sort of good to great value from oft-injured Rich Harden (or keep him and he stays healthy and productive) I like them to challenge for the AL West. If they're out of it by July, expect a massive firesale starting with Rich Harden, and soon to be free agents Mike Piazza, Milton Bradley, Jason Kendall, and Joe Kennedy.
16. Philadelphia Phillies - They're 7-3 in their last 10 and that ball park is too inviting to have Chase Utley and Ryan Howard not join in on the hitting machine that is Jimmy Rollins. I'm not sure I like that bullpen all that much, but many thought they were NL East Champions headed to Spring Training. Good news: they can't be much worse then they were the first half of April, or so. Cole Hamels will be a strikeout machine, if he can stay healthy.
17. Florida Marlins - Would you believe me if I told you that the Marlins are leading the Major Leagues in Runs scored, Slugging percentage, and RBIs,? Yeah, I'd think I was crazy, too, if I weren't looking at the numbers. They've scuffled to a 13-14 mark as they're a bit injured, but when they get healthy, with the way the offense is clicking, they are capable of a run. If not, Aaron Boone and Jorge Julio could be on their way to help out elsewhere.
18. New York Yankees - Could things have been worse? The best pitching prospect in the majors (slightly ahead of future Cincinnati Red stud, Homer Bailey) has a no hitter through 6.1 IP and he hears his hamstring pop and is done 4-6 weeks. The bright spot is that they can only get healthier and, in turn, better. 2 years ago, they were 10 games under .500 in May and battled back. That lineup is good enough to carry a mediocre pitching staff to close to 85 wins, so if they can get anything good out of Carl Pavano, Phil Hughes (later in the year and I'm most certain he's going to back to Triple-A for a while), Andy Pettitte and a healthy Mike Mussina, they should still be in line to win close to 95 games. The baseball season is a "marathon, not a sprint" as Brian Cashman said this morning, and that lineup is too good to not shoulder the team. For now, they're just plain mediocre, but can rocket up the rankings faster then any one.
19. Cincinnati Reds - Josh Hamilton is the best story in baseball in years. Playing less than 20 games above A-ball the last 4 years and he can step onto a major league roster and hit competently and for power. Makes you wonder how good he would've been had he stayed on the straight and narrow. The best news for Reds fans, the NL Central is, well, the worst division in baseball. They've also won 3 in a row but the bad news is the Brewers have 18 wins already and are 4.5 games up. But, the Reds are 10th in the majors in team ERA and they've got a stud waiting in the wings in Homer Bailey, so they may catch lightning in a bottle down the stretch if they can stay close to the Brewers. And in the NL Central, 2nd place could have 80 wins.
20. Seattle Mariners - They'll only go as far as a healthy Felix Hernandez right arm will take them. Getting Jeff Weaver out of the starting rotation is a start, but no need to rush Hernandez back into a Liriano-esque injury for a team that's not going to contend for a playoff spot this year. If the Angels weren't 8-2 in their last 10, the Mariners would've passed them already (7-3 in their last 10) but I wouldn't expect the M's to stay in contention for the long haul.
21. Baltimore Orioles - I picked the Devil Rays to finish ahead of Baltimore and I still think they will. Right now they're about as interchangeable as you want them to be. Good news: They're 3rd in the AL East right now at 12-16. Bad news: They're 1-9 in their last 10 and have dropped 4 in a row. Before that they had dropped 5 in a row with losses to Oakland, Boston, and Cleveland. They'll toil in the 20's most or all of the season.
    
22. Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Their pitching isn't up to their studs they can put in the outfield, but it's coming. Jeff Niemann is looking good in Triple-A and fully recovered from Tommy John Surgery. Rocco Baldelli is the key. If he can remain healthy and productive through the first half of the season, he'll bring in some very good pitching help. Akinori Iwamura was off to a great start despite the fact that I hated that the D-Rays spent $12+ million on a position player they didn't need, their bullpen (where that money should've gone to) is suffering to a Major League worst, 5.74 ERA. But damnit, those youngsters in the field are just fun to watch, especially BJ Upton.
    
23. Pittsburgh Pirates - 10-12 over all and only 5-8 at home, the Pirates are in a long rebuilding process. With some decent young pitching and Jason Bay, there's a little to get excited about. Adam LaRoche has been a horrible disappointment thus far, hitting to the tune of .132/.245/.253. They're 21st in team ERA in the Majors and have pushed across the plate an anemic 91 runs , good for 3rd worst in the big leagues.
24. Houston Astros - Slightly better then the Bucko's in runs (they've scored a slightly-less anemic 101) and are middle of the pack in team ERA at 4.15, good for 15th in the Majors. That doesn't tell the whole story, though. Being 1-9 in their last 10 games, does. 1 win in their last 10 games. Yikes. I'm sure that's not exactly woo'ing Roger Clemens to make his decision anytime soon.
25. St. Louis Cardinals - It's just too tragic and soon to even break it down with any sort of stats. The loss of Josh Hancock is just plain hard to play through. They'll flounder for a while but should snap out of it. They probably aren't making the postseason this year, but it's more about healing at this point, then winning. RIP, Josh.
26. Texas Rangers - On their way to being no-hit for the 2nd time in the first month before Phil Hughes popped a hammy, the Rangers offense is extremely mediocre. They're only managing a .404 team SLG % at home in that ban-box. If you can't hit and you're pitching is as mediocre as, well, it's been for the last decade, you're not going anywhere fast. Except down.
27. Chicago Cubs - Until Alfonso Soriano started to wake up (hit his 2nd HR in as many games, today), the Cubs were lower. That offense, aside from Derek Lee the Double Machine, needs to get clicking. Jason Marquis isn't going to keep up his reincarnation of Cy Young act much longer. This is the same guy who posted an ERA over 6 last year in this same division and now he's pitching in a notoriously hitter-friendly park. They spent a lot of money and will be able to slug their way to a close to .500 record at best. My guess is they still only win in the low 70's as they're better lineups around baseball then the Cubs'.
28. Colorado Rockies - They've got the ship in the right direction with a solid farm system. However, they're still a couple years away from contending. They're terrible on the road (5-9) and it's easy to see why; Their pitching is just terrible. 5.21 ERA at home and a 3.97 ERA on the road. Yet their home road records would reflect otherwise. Ahh, the beauty of baseball.
29. Kansas City Royals - They just called up the best Designated-hitter prospect in baseball history in Billy Butler. He's listed as an Outfielder, but won't play much in the field in his career. He can flat out mash, though. That said, the Royals have a win percentage under .300 and are still 4+ years away from contention. They've got some nice pieces in the field in Alex Gordon, Mark Teahen, David DeJesus, Billy Butler, Ryan Shealy and John Buck, but their pitching hasn't, and won't, catch up for a while. Luke Hochevar, the #1 overall pick in the 2006 draft has showed great promise in his first outings of his minor league career.
30. Washington Nationals - In the time it's taken me to write this Ryan Langerhans was traded away from Oakland to the Nationals. From the Braves to Oakland to Washington, a struggling hitter (.065 .... that's seriously his average) doesn't want to go from big ball park to cavernous ball park. Maybe some hits can drop in for him and get him started. Doesn't matter, though. The Nationals have the worst starting rotation in baseball and absolutely no answers in their farm system. Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearns, my condolences. Hey, at least you're getting paid to play baseball!