On to week two… The Cubs are still winning, the Marlins are super hot (although they lost in a pretty ugly way to the Pirates) and the Nationals are quite easily the worst team in baseball. Chicago maintains the top spot in this week's rankings because, well, it's a long season, and we seem to remember the Marlins doing really well early last year before precipitously falling off and not making the playoffs. This year, they look much better thanks to a great pitching staff, but the question is of course, how long they can keep it going. The Dodgers have proven that Manny Ramirez is not the only heavy hitter in Tinsel Town and things are looking good for them. As for teams like the Padres–this ain't college football, so you need a little more resume help to make the top 10. It isn't going to last in San Diego. The Yanks and Sox have had up-and-down weeks but look steady around .500. And the teams that have dropped out… Well Philadelphia, you can't expect to win with starting pitching like that. Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez, and Ryan Howard are the only reason this team has 5 wins, and they are going nowhere fast until they fix the entire pitching staff (See: Brad Lidge). And how about Tampa Bay?! They have lost 5 of their last 6. That is a pretty awful way to respond to being Numero Dos in the SportsHuman Power Rankings. And so, without further ado…

1. Cubs: Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukodome, and Ryan Theriot ensure the Cubs a place in the Top 10 for a while. The Cubs have been solid and they have the pieces to go the distance. If Geovany Soto plays like he can, they will be favorites to win the NL pennant. This team is more balanced than they were last year, and only the Cardinals will challenge them in that division. Chicago has proven before that they can maintain a high level of play throughout the season.

2. Marlins: Emilio Bonifacio has cooled off. Hanley Ramirez is playing well but not at an MVP level just yet. But the Marlins have terrific talent on the mound. Any pitcher who can win a duel against Johan Santana should feel good about himself: a tip of the hat to Josh Johnson, who is just unbelievable so far. The Marlins got a few of their wins against the Nationals, but they also showed the Braves and the Mets that they are the real deal.

3. Dodgers: They progress through the rankings because they have proven to be more than Manny Ramirez. Matt Kemp is a great player, and the Dodgers have been strong through the last several games, pitching and hitting like division champs.

4. Blue Jays: Toronto stays strong and Roy Halladay is freakin’ sweet. They are the best team in a tough division (for now at least), and they are due for a showdown with their AL East  rivals soon. Then we can really evaluate their talent, and see if all this early season power is not just a fluke.

5. Yankees: The Yanks pulled back from a rocky start and we will forgive them for that Indians game. Hey, it was fun to watch, but the Yankees are a lot better than that and they will prove it as the season goes by.

6. Cardinals: Albert Pujols makes every pitcher week in the knees. He launched a grand slam a few days ago that reminded everyone watching just how incredible he is. The Cardinals hero plays like a legend when he is under pressure, and it is just fun to watch him toy with All-Stars like Roy Oswalt. Now he has help from Ryan Ludwick, NL MVP candidate, who is in the top 3 in NL home runs, RBI, and batting average. He has been sensational over the last two weeks. The loss of Chris Carpenter will really, really hurt the Cards though, and it will be interesting to see if the offense can continue to compensate.

7. Mariners: They look legit after the first few weeks. Great pitching and a good outfield have Seattle rolling. With Los Angeles fading, the Mariners have a chance to run away with their division. Ken Griffey and the rest of the gang are making this team fun to watch and dangerous to bet against.

8. Tigers: Earlier in the season, we had an inkling that these guys might make a play for their division. With the Twins and Indians playing poorly, Miguel Cabrera might just be able to will this team to the playoffs—he has been phenomenal so far. Pretty funny watching Andrew Miller (Florida pitcher that was part of the Miguel Cabrera trade) falter against the Pirates while Cabrera is playing like an MVP candidate.

9. Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia reminded us last week why he was MVP last year and the Boston All-Star pitching staff is starting to wake up. Kevin Youkilis has been solid in the first several games as well, offering hope to unhappy Bean-townees. We will see what the future holds. Ortiz is looking terrible.

10. Mets: The Ten spot is hotly contested between the Mets and the Phils. New York has a slight edge because Johan Santana looks ready to lead the Metropolitans all the way into October – although the rest of the rotation is suspect – while the Phillies look like a team that has no idea how to pitch. Still, the Mets have been putrid giving Santana support when he has pitched so far—he has a sub-one ERA but already has a loss because New York gets lazy when he pitches. As we said before, they have some scary potential (seriously, you can make Hall-of-Fame or future Hall-of-Fame-discussion cases for batters 1-4 in their lineup… and Reyes and Wright will both be only 26 years old come midsummer), but for whatever reason, they can’t all perform together to win games. Last year, only one player from the Mets current depth chart made the All-Star game. But until NL East rivals the Phils get their pitching act together (Team ERA: 6.87), the Mets hold it down.