According to Internet Media: Regular readers of our weekly MLB Power Rankings have learned over the years that we've stayed with a hard-and-fast opening week rule: The defending World Series champion starts the season at No. 1 until someone else shows they deserve the nod.
The team coming off its October, er, November magic is usually thinking repeat anyway (throwing out the '98 Marlins). The San Francisco Giants certainly feel like they have a good shot to win title No. 2 since they moved West Ñ after it took them 52 years to finally win their first last season.
But the Giants are going to be the exception to our rule and not earn the No. 1 slot in the first rankings of the season. Let's not forget they barely snuck into the postseason last year, getting in just under the wire as the Padres collapsed. And their offense is a question mark.
But the biggest reason: The Phillies and Red Sox made such major moves over the winter that they look to be prohibitive favorites in their leagues.
The Phillies -- and not the Yankees-- lured Cliff Lee from Texas. The Red Sox got instantly better by adding Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, and instantly made the Rays and Padres second-level clubs in the process. So there's our pick for the World Series come October.
Keep in mind the favorites usually don't get there. Eleven different teams have played in the Fall Classic the last six years, compared with nine different teams in the same span in the we-are-parity NFL. In last year's opening rankings, we had the Giants a healthy No. 7 but the eventual Series runner-up Rangers were just No. 18.
So it can be quite a ride from here to there. Our first look at how the teams shape up for 2011:
But the Giants are going to be the exception to our rule and not earn the No. 1 slot in the first rankings of the season. Let's not forget they barely snuck into the postseason last year, getting in just under the wire as the Padres collapsed. And their offense is a question mark.
But the biggest reason: The Phillies and Red Sox made such major moves over the winter that they look to be prohibitive favorites in their leagues.
The Phillies -- and not the Yankees-- lured Cliff Lee from Texas. The Red Sox got instantly better by adding Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, and instantly made the Rays and Padres second-level clubs in the process. So there's our pick for the World Series come October.
Keep in mind the favorites usually don't get there. Eleven different teams have played in the Fall Classic the last six years, compared with nine different teams in the same span in the we-are-parity NFL. In last year's opening rankings, we had the Giants a healthy No. 7 but the eventual Series runner-up Rangers were just No. 18.
So it can be quite a ride from here to there. Our first look at how the teams shape up for 2011:
