SI.com Power Rankings (O's #21)

[Matt P]

These came out on Monday but I haven't been on my computer at all since.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/b ... mlb_bf3_a4

All I can say is ... wow. How the Hell do people still buy this magazine? What an embarrassing list.

[A_K]

SI tried something new and imperfect for power rankings this year. They're based entirely on cumulative WAR-- as provided by fangraphs-- and so can't be changed or altered in any way if it produces a result that's this different from the standings. It's not an example of anti-Oriole bias or SI-writer stupidity, it's an example of people at Fangraphs being so eager to promote their understanding of baseball that they pervert the WAR statistic into a use it was never meant to provide.

I'd also feel guilty if I didn't point out that SI is still home to some of the best living sports writers.

[Matt P]

I didn't know that I just saw the list this week when my dad showed it to me. I should have read the italicized writing before the rankings haha. I don't really care about the O's being ranked so low as much as the overall ridiculousness of their rankings. Boston #8, Philadelphia #16, and many others are just silly.

[birdwatcher55]

Use it for motivation