Oakland Athletics Exactly That

More proof that pure win-loss numbers unduly influence power rankings: here are the latest polls from well-known networks.

Oakland A's
Win-loss record: 0.549, #10 in the majors
ESPN: Athletics #14
CBS: Athletics #12
FOX: Athletics #7
AOL: Athletics #10

The average A's ranking is #10.75, just a bit worse than its tenth-place win-loss record, and therefore believable to the casual fan. But Baseball Playoffs Now doesn't think that #10 ranking is reasonable at all. Consider the following:

- The Athletics scored the 6th-most quality wins of any team against a medium-level schedule (17th). Most of the high quality-wins teams are playing easier schedules, so we place the A's at #7 in quality wins against their schedule.
- Over the last 10 games, Oakland is 9th in Major League Baseball: a mediocre 5-5 record is buoyed by a sweep of Boston and squeaker losses against Tampa and Atlanta.
- Over the season so far, observing only the Athletics' wins and losses and the same for all of their opponents (that is, ignoring runs scored and runs allowed), the A's are #5 in baseball.
- On the other hand, observing only the Athletics' runs scored and runs allowed and the same for all of their opponents (ignoring wins and losses), the A's do even better with second place in baseball.
- With a run ratio of 1.263 runs scored for every run allowed, Oakland is projected to win 95 games in 2008, 3rd in Major League baseball and top in the American League.
- Oakland is balanced between winning at home (.593) and away (.500), not depending exclusively on homestands to boost their record. Their road record is the third-best in the AL.

With all of these top-ten stats, it comes as no surprise that the Athletics are ranked #4 overall in Baseball Playoffs Now's power rankings. With home-field advantage in the playoffs as a #1 seed and having held their own against Boston and Tampa Bay so far, Oakland is on pace to become the AL representative in the World Series.