The leaves aren’t quite changing colors, there have been no signs of kids dressed up as ghosts and goblins, and the weather isn’t really what you would call comfortably cool just yet. However, there is the excitement in the air that can only be exhibited by the knowledge that playoff baseball is not so far off as it may seem. In fact, the fantasy playoffs have already arrived. With only 32 games until the final game of the regular season is played, time is quickly running out for teams such as the Yankees, Rockies, and Dodgers to make a push to claim a spot for the right to participate in October baseball.

Playoff baseball is so much different from regular season. The entire success or failure of an organization rests on just a few games of all-out play, strategic managing, and on-the-spot decision making. It’s the only time of the year where you will see a player with a bum leg hit a pinch hit home run, players and umpires work in unison to fight off hellacious swarms of bugs and Roger Clemens make a relief appearance. The stadiums are shining to their fullest potential, flashbulbs ever-bursting, and every single pitch counts for something.  

So who has the potential to survive that this year? The American League still has some work to do before they can narrow the field down to 4 teams. Maybe we can get a bit closer to figuring it out in this week’s.

AL POWER ALLEY 

[#]=previous rank

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (80-51, 1^st place, West) [3]: Here is your new leader. Despite the huge names that round out this batting order from top to bottom, there is only one name that leads the team in four (4) major offensive categories – Vlad Guerrero. He sits atop the team statistics in average, home runs, RBIs, and runs; talk about a machine. Considering the company he is with, that’s quite a feat in itself. The pitching is the best in the league. Carried by three pitchers that could be aces on any squad, the combination of Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana, and John Lackey have combined for 38 wins and an average ERA of 3.24. Anybody who doesn’t see this team as a pre-playoffs favorite must be watching baseball in another country.           

Offense: A

Pitching: A+

2. Tampa Bay Rays (79-51, 1^st place, East) [1]: Despite dropping a spot from the last American League Power Alley, the team formerly known as the Devil Rays has not dropped any momentum in their push to the organization’s first post-season appearance. In fact, they have done nothing but get stronger after that midseason slump; if it wasn’t for the dominating performance by the Halos out west, the Rays would still be number one. They have faced injuries by watching Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford hit the DL, but have not allowed it to stop them. Rocco Baldelli returns to an already-potent lineup and sooner rather than later we may be able to get our first glimpses of David Price, the coveted pitcher developing in their farm system. Just think of that rotation once he arrives. Pitching wins championships. The Rays are a prime example of how a team can pull together to find ways to win, even if the individual numbers aren’t anything more than above average. Look for the veteran presence to make itself known over this next month as a very young Tampa Bay team veers into unchartered waters.

Offense: A

Pitching: B+

 3. Chicago White Sox (76-56, 1^st Place, Central) [4]: Being from Annapolis, Maryland, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before the Major Leagues had heard of Gavin Floyd. I still have his lacrosse stick, as strange as that sounds. It seems that he has found his role in Chicago’s starting rotation, and now leads the staff in wins and is proving to be a very intimidating pitcher. While others on the staff, most notably Jose Contreras, went down with injuries, rookies Clayton Richard and Lance Broadway have stepped up and taken the initiative to put forward their best efforts to help the team continue to contend. The same story goes with the offense as well; what was thought to be a lack of production when Paul Konerko and Jim Thome showed signs of aging, Carlos Quentin has been a pleasant surprise by producing 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s through August 27^th. The acquisition of Griffey Jr. does not only makes me happy (I get to see him play more often now), but it also opens up the options for the Sox if they clinch a playoff spot. Now, if only they can hold off those pesky Twinkies.           

Offense: A-

Pitching: B

 4. Boston Red Sox (76-55, 2^nd place, East) [2]: The Red Sox are still hanging in there despite a couple of injuries and losing Manny via trade. They made a great move by bringing in Jason Bay who has been nothing short of spectacular, Dice-K has been dominant (minus his walks but that was expected), and the young guys have stepped up to play like veterans. Tim Wakefield just came off the DL to bolster the rotation as they make a push to catch the Rays and having Papelbon as the closer will keep them from losing any close games down the stretch. Like most years, it’s good to be in a Boston uniform.           

Offense: A-

Pitching: B

5. Minnesota Twins (74-58, 2^nd place, Central) [5]: If it hadn’t been for their recent four game slide, I would have probably put these guys at #4. Their pitching continues to amaze skeptics as their young talent puts away hitters game after game. Glen Parkins and Kevin Slowey (who??) have combined for 21 wins this season, each with an ERA under 4.00. Then there are the names that you will recognize; Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer are again putting together awesome offensive seasons. Delmon Young has also reacquired some power and has been solid for several months now. The Twins are a younger team that will be dangerous to the White Sox and anybody else who decides to contend in the Central division.            

Offense: B+           

Pitching: B+ 

6. Texas Rangers (65-68, 2^nd place, West) [9]: I’m sure there will be many who wonder why the Rangers are so high up on this version of Power Alley but, quite frankly, it wouldn’t make sense to have them any lower. The only reason they are below .500 is because of a bad string of luck with their pitching staff. Already they are showing signs of turning it around; Kevin Millwood has pitched two consecutive complete games. While the pitching has had its struggles other than injuries, such as Vincent Padilla’s inflated yet team-best 4.98 ERA, the offense is waiting in the wings to back up any decent pitching performance. The outfield’s production at the plate has not slacked off since the all-star break, and while it may be too late to make any sort of impact this season, the Rangers are only a piece or two away from being real contenders.           

Offense: B+           

Pitching: C- (but working on it) 

7. New York Yankees (70-61, 3^rd place, East) [6] : With each game they play, the Yankees seem to let their playoff hopes slip a little bit further out of their grasp. They’ve had injury and consistency problems with their starting pitching as well as a lack of offensive production from players like Melky Cabrera (.249) and Robinson Cano (.262). Joba Chamberlain and Chien-Ming Wang have both spent time on the DL. Mike Mussina is looking like he may reach 20 wins for the first time in his career but doing it for a non-playoff bound team can’t sit very well with him. One can only think that old George will be making some changes soon if the team continues to struggle. On a good note, Carl Pavano looked decent in his return to the starting rotation after spending what seemed like years on the DL.            

Offense: C+           

Pitching: C 

8. Toronto Blue Jays (68-63, 4^th place, East) [11]: Toronto has quietly gone under the radar over the past few weeks but have maintained a consistency that has kept them above .500 despite a struggling pitching staff. Roy Halladay has been his usual, or even better, dominant self (16-9, 8 complete games, 204 innings pitched, and a 175/34 K to BB ratio) but there has been a carousel of starters around him, most recently the demotion of Shaun Marcum and the promotion of John Parrish. Parrish has had a history of struggling in the majors so don’t look for anything spectacular to come from him. Scott Rolen’s return to the lineup brings hope that he can find his power stroke again from some changes made to his mechanics. Unfortunately for Jose Bautista owners, Rolen’s return may mean less playing time for Bautista. Although if you’re taking a chance on Bautista, maybe you should consider rolling risking Rolen as well.           

Offense: C+           

Pitching: C 

9. Detroit Tigers (64-68, 4^th place, Central) [8]: The big rumor around Detroit is whether or not Kenny Rogers will be in town much longer. While he isn’t the pitcher he used to be, his numbers haven’t been awful this season which makes him a valuable commodity to any contending team. Justin Verlander had gotten things straight, at least somewhat, after his horrendous start but is slumping again. His fantasy value may have risen a bit and you could still get him for a decent price from anybody that may be skeptical of his performance. Chris Lambert, a former first round pick in 2004 of St. Louis, got his first major league start and struggled through 2.2 innings of work. In the kid’s defense, I can imagine a lot of expectations were on him after the team has watched their starting rotation play so poorly. Offensively, Miguel Cabrera has been outperforming everybody on the team with his 28 home runs and 100 RBI’s. Magglio Ordonez has also played well, posting a .307 batting average through August 27^th. Maybe next year this team will be back in the race.           

Offense: C+           

Pitching: D+ 

10. Oakland Athletics (60-72, 3^rd place, West) [7]: Oakland has always been a team to give up a lot of talent at the trade deadline but still find a way to compete. This year has been a bit different when Billy Beane decided that the Angels were way too strong to try to keep up with; he traded away his two best pitchers and has let the rest of the work fall to the developing players. It was not a bad move considering what he was up against and shows he is planning for the future. Unfortunately, Duchscherer and Sean Gallagher have found themselves on the DL and the offense isn’t there to back up the pitchers making up the rest of the rotation. Look at these numbers: Kurt Suzuki is the only player batting over .250 in the starting lineup. There is only one player, Jack Cust, with more than 12 homeruns. Cust also leads the team in RBIs… with 56. But Oakland fans are not fickle and know that the future is always bright; Dana Eveland was just recalled from Triple-A and continues to look impressive.           

Offense: D           

Pitching: C+ 

11. Baltimore Orioles (62-70, 5^th place, East) [10]: Up until recently, Baltimore had been playing right along with expectations; all their fans want is a .500 season, a goal which is still completely within reach. Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora are having revival seasons and lead an offense that ranks #1 in the American League since the all-star break. Unfortunately, it’s the same old story with the pitching. The Daniel Cabrera experiment continues to drag on and pitchers such as Brian Burres and Chris Waters are just not what the O’s need in their starting rotation. GM Andy McPhail has the right idea and he has Jeremy Guthrie, along with a crop of pitchers currently on the DL (Matt Albers, Troy Patton) to build a solid staff around; it’s just a matter of patience in Baltimore. The bullpen is nothing spectacular either. There is a lot of outfield talent jammed in the minors which may be used for future acquisitions if the front office decides they want to keep Brian Roberts in town (honestly, why wouldn’t they?).            

Offense: B+           

Pitching: D- 

12. Cleveland Indians (64-67, 3^rd place, Central) [12]: The Indians have hit a bad string of luck this season with the injury bug. They currently have four significant players on the 60 day DL (Travis Hafner, Jason Westbrook, Jason Barfield, and Scott Elerton) along with another who is out for 6-8 weeks due to elbow surgery (Victor Martinez). Cliff Lee has been an outstanding surprise and is looking to reach 20 wins this season, but other than him, the Indians have no pitching. C.C. Sabathia is still 3^rd on the team in wins and he was traded to Milwaukee a month and a half ago. On a positive note, however, Jhonny Peralta has turned himself into a solid offensive shortstop again and Grady Sizemore has made himself into one of the most sought after fantasy commodity in the game today.           

Offense: C-           

Pitching: D+ 

13. Kansas City Royals (56-77, 5^th place, Central) [13]: If you want to see a real mess, look no further then the Kansas City Royals. Whether it’s the supposed future of the organization struggling to find his bat all year (Alex Gordon), or the overpaid veteran player on the roster who seems more interested in getting into fights with the fans then elevating his batting average to a respectable number (Jose Guillen, .249), the Royals need to make some big changes. They have potential future stars in Billy Butler and Joey Gathright but it all falls on good decision making. Signing Gil Meche to such a hefty contract a couple years ago was not an example of the good decisions this organization needs to make in order to get back on track. They were not ready as a team to invest in a solid veteran at that price. Their catching duo is a good start; they have arguably the best 1-2 punch behind the plate. Now it’s a matter of figuring it out at all the other positions as well.           

Offense: D           

Pitching: D 

14. Seattle Mariners: (50-82, 4^th place, West) [14]: Three words for the Mariners: Erik Bedard trade. It could go down as the worst move made by this organization’s front office in the history of the team. While Adam Jones, George Sherrill, and future stars Chris Tillman and Kam Mickolio enjoy success in Baltimore and its minor league system, Seattle has inherited a player to fill a DL spot. And to make matters worse, the rest of the team isn’t playing any better either. Carlos Silva has the best ERA of any starter with a 6.36 ERA. Ichiro, Ibanez, and even Beltre are all aging quicker than some might realize and this team gave up a huge portion of their future with the trade to Baltimore. They already have all that rain to make them depressed. You kind of have to feel bad for them.            

Offense: D+           

Pitching: F