The
Opsera is a statistic RealGM Executive Editor Chris Reina created in order to objectively rank teams by how well they hit (OPS) and pitch (ERA).
In order to determine the Opsera rating for each, we take their OPS, multiply that number by 10 to move the decimal point over one place to the right and then subtract their ERA from that number.
Below are the final rankings through the Thursday, August 18th games:
The rankings from last week are in parenthesizes.
1. (1) New York Yankees - 4.40
They have a slim half-game lead over the Red Sox in the American League East and are getting healthy as Boston deals with injuries.
2. (4) Texas Rangers - 4.14
Having taken three out of four against the Angels, the AL West is theirs for the taking. It would take a Mets-like collapse for the Rangers to miss the playoffs at this point.
3. (3) Philadelphia Phillies - 4.13
They are on pace to win 106 games and perhaps their second World Series in four years.
4. (2) Boston Red Sox - 4.12
Boston will be feared in October, but injuries to David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis could slow them down over the next week.
5. (5) St. Louis Cardinals - 3.79
The Cardinals are one spot ahead of the Brewers in our rankings, but they trail Milwaukee by more than six games in the National League Central.
6. (7) Milwaukee Brewers - 3.69
Home is a nice place for the Brewers, who have a .746 winning percentage at Miller Park.
7. (6) Atlanta Braves - 3.66
The Braves have the unfortunate luck of sharing a division with the Phillies. Put them in any division other than the NL or AL East and they are in first place.
8. (10) San Francisco Giants - 3.48
The playoff hopes of the defending champions are dwindling. The Wild Card is nearly out of reach and Arizona has built a 2.5 game lead in the NL West.
9. (9) Tampa Bay Rays - 3.47
Joe Maddon and the Rays are not going to give up even though they will not be invited to the postseason dance.
10. (8) Los Angeles Angels - 3.44
The Angels need to win the AL West in order to qualify for the playoffs. With 37 games left, they are six games behind the rival Rangers. The bright side? They do have six games let against Texas.
T11. (13) Cincinnati Reds - 3.30
-- (15) Chicago White Sox - 3.30
13. (12) Arizona Diamondbacks - 3.28
T14. (16) Detroit Tigers - 3.25
-- (T19) Toronto Blue Jays - 3.25
16. (18) Cleveland Indians - 3.23
17. (11) Oakland Athletics - 3.21
18. (14) New York Mets - 3.19
19. (T19) Washington Nationals - 3.17
T20. (17) San Diego Padres - 3.11
-- (T21) Colorado Rockies - 3.11
22. (24) Los Angeles Dodgers - 3.09
23. (T21) Florida Marlins - 3.01
24. (23) Pittsburgh Pirates - 2.99
25. (25) Kansas City Royals - 2.75
26. (27) Chicago Cubs - 2.66
27. (26) Seattle Mariners - 2.63
28. (28) Baltimore Orioles - 2.35
29. (29) Minnesota Twins - 2.22
30. (30) Houston Astros - 2.21