Considering how young the season is there is a lot of room for ranking fluctuation. After the first weekend of the season we have a new team atop the rankings in the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays swept the New York Yankees at home coming back against Mariano Rivera in the first game, breaking out the sticks in the second, and clinching the sweep behind a brilliant start from Jeremy Hellickson. A team that dominated competition in their first series was the Detroit Tigers who looked incredibly impressive in sweeping the Boston Red Sox at home. Detroit averaged over 8.5 runs scored per game – over two runs higher than another other team – in the series and had an average margin of victory of +4. Other teams that have started out hot include the St. Louis Cardinals, with a 3-1 record beating the Miami Marlins on Opening Night in Miami and taking two out of three from Milwaukee on the road, along with the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, and Baltimore Orioles, each of which had a home sweep in their first series. Some teams that looked unimpressive include the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies. Continue reading →