MLB Power Rankings
A new week means a new set of power rankings for baseball loves to feast their eyes on. This set of rankings saw some MASSIVE shakeups. The good news is that we don’t have to overreact too much considering we are still playing April baseball, but it’s always fun to see big risers and fallers. In parentheses, you will find the ranking that each team was at the previous week. This gives you an idea of which teams are trending in which direction without having to root through multiple documents and web pages. Without further ado, I’m going to present the week five power rankings…
Biggest Riser: Cincinnati Reds (+10), Biggest Faller: Tampa Bay Rays (-10)
1. Atlanta Braves (5): What do the Braves do wrong? The top team in both AVG and OPS, they hit everything that comes their way. They are top 10 in pitching without arguably the best pitcher in baseball. This team wins and wins a lot. My favorite to represent the National League in the World Series, they are off to a great start.
2. Baltimore Orioles (1): By no means am I out on the O’s. This team boasts a top 5 WHIP, but they give up a huge amount of runs. While they are swinging the bats well at the current moment, you have to wonder if it is sustainable. Jackson Holliday continues to struggle and Heston Kjerstad struck out 3 times in his debut. The rest of the lineup is great, but the players that are supposed to make this team great aren’t all chipping in. They’ll turn it around.
3. Cleveland Guardians (3): I won’t lie, this might be my biggest surprise team of the season so far. If you told me that this Guardians team would lead MLB in wins and sit 2nd in winning percentage, I would have called you crazy. Ranking 8th in AVG and OPS, the bats are HOT. Ranking 5th in ERA and 10th in WHIP, the pitching is HOT. Cleveland is just HOT.
4. Milwaukee Brewers (8): The NL Central leaders and 4th best win percentage in the leagues, the Brewers continue to defy the odds. Freddy Peralta is pitching like an ace and William Contreras is putting up MVP-level numbers. Hopefully, it sticks around, but time will tell. Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff who again?
5. New York Yankees (4): Sure, they dropped one spot, but what do you expect when you lose to the Athletics? This team doesn’t have much to worry about and is in the same boat as the Dodgers. However, they are going to need some major contributions from the likes of Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres. These guys are both at or below the Mendoza line and aren’t getting on base to save their lives.
6. Los Angeles Dodgers (2): Yawn, yawn. I’m sure I’ll get hate for this, but why should the Dodgers be a top 5 team? They sit 9th in the overall standings even with an AVG and OPS that is 2nd across the majors. Their pitching is in the top third, but something just isn’t going their way. Maybe it’s just bad luck. I have no doubt they win the NL West, but boy do they need to find more consistency.
7. Kansas City Royals (7): The Royals will find ways to win, that’s for sure. How do you get out of a slump? You roll the socks up. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and sit just 1.5 games back for the AL Central lead. This team is looking good enough to compete in October so long as they can stay healthy.
8. Cincinnati Reds (18): Our biggest riser! Say what you want, but there is not a more fun team to watch right now than the Cincinnati Reds. My favorite to win the NL Central, this Reds team flat out doesn’t quit. Pitching remains an issue for this squad, but offense, offense, offense galore is what will win them games. Oh, and Elly De La Cruz is superhuman and could very well be talked about as a top 5 pick in fantasy next year.
9. Philadelphia Phillies (12): Winning 8 of your last 10 is incredible. Splitting a series with the Reds is not. Philly is a star-packed team and will push for the NL pennant, but they have to find a way to continue winning the series against teams they should beat. The Reds are good, but not Philly-level good.
10. Chicago Cubs (10): No movement here from the Cubs even though they have won 7 of their last 10. Why wouldn’t they move up? They’re outside the top 10 in all major pitching and hitting categories except for OPS. Sure, they hit the ball hard and create a lot of bases, but they are known to be streaky. Nothing has overly impressed me with this team.
11. Boston Red Sox (13): Consistency. That’s Boston’s way as of now. 1st in ERA and 3rd in WHIP, these pitchers are dominating. It’s crazy that Boston’s ERA is .35 points lower than the 2nd team and they are only .05 points worse in WHIP than the 1st team. You’ll win a lot of games with elite pitching and consistently average hitting.
12. San Diego Padres (9): San Diego going 5-5 in their last 10 to drop to .500 is peculiar. They boast massive names all over their roster yet can’t close out games. They are 3-4 in one-run games. Digging deeper, they are 9-13 against RHP and 5-1 against LHP. Their next 3 games feature a RHP against the Phillies and then they host the Reds who currently boast a rotation featuring 4 LHP. Maybe they right the ship.
13. New York Mets (16): A popular team people were claiming was a bust has turned it around in a big way. 7-3 in your last 10 games is no easy feat. The hitting and pitching has been top 10 in the league over that span which shows that spending the most amount of money can lead to success. Let’s hope they keep it going.
14. Texas Rangers (15): Sitting at .500, this season hasn’t started how the Rangers expected, but there isn’t much to panic about here. They are knocking the cover off the ball and are expected to get Max Scherzer back shortly. Nathan Eovaldi remains solid and the Rangers will benefit from the consistency that their starters bring.
15. Pittsburgh Pirates (6): I said it last week and it didn’t take long for the Pirates to prove me right. We have seen this song and dance numerous times. Pittsburgh starts hot but then falls off dramatically. Their lineup has so much potential to be great, but they just…aren’t. Jared Jones is a stud and will be for a long time. Once Paul Skenes gets the nod, the Pirates will boast one heck of a 1-2 punch. Hopefully, Mitch Keller can recapture his magic from last year and be a solid #3 starter.
16. Detroit Tigers (17): I doubted the Tigers last week and I truthfully still do. This pitching staff is dealing right now, but is it sustainable? They are 2nd in WHIP and 3rd in ERA which is stunning. Tarik Skubal is showing he’s a legit ace, but is it safe to assume that Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize will continue pitching at this high level? If the pitching falls off, this offense does not have enough juice to prop this team up.
17. Toronto Blue Jays (19): Just an utter disappointment to the season. Not only is this team underperforming, but when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. making highlight reels for errors is not a good sign. Is this the beginning of an MLB The Show curse? This team has all of the pieces to push for the AL East title, but it’s going to take a massive change in philosophy and mental fortitude to get there.
18. Seattle Mariners (24): Talk about a team turning things around! Ranked 1st and 6th in WHIP and ERA, respectively, this team is trending upwards after a less-than-average start to the season. Their bats need a bit of work, but if they catch fire, the AL West will have a real issue.
19. Arizona Diamondbacks (14): It’s unfortunate seeing this team so low on this list, especially with the way that some of their players have been playing. They are top-5 in AVG and OPS, but for some reason, their pitching hasn’t been what it was supposed to be. Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Merrill Kelly are some of the best trios of pitchers in baseball, but they can’t find a good rhythm.
20. San Francisco Giants (23): The Giants are sort of an enigma to me at this point. Their roster boasts some significant pop and their pitching isn’t really something to scoff at, but they just can’t seem to put it all together. Granted, they play in a tough NL West which is never easy but the underperformance of this team is a bit intriguing.
21. Tampa Bay Rays (11): Our biggest rankings faller for the week! 10 spots to drop is a lot, but they have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games. Their ERA, WHIP, and OPS are in the bottom third of the league while their AVG is right in the middle at 15th. Are we finally seeing a season where Tampa doesn’t find their usual grit and play above their expectations?
22. Minnesota Twins (27): Minny’s hitting still has a long way to go, but they keep winning games. Boasting a top half of the league pitching staff, they are being kept in games and hitting at the right times to secure close wins. This team isn’t this bad, but this is a similar case to the Astros where they may just continue to underperform.
23. Los Angeles Angels (20): I’ve always felt bad for Mike Trout. He’s struggled with injuries and in his 13-year career, he has made the playoffs one time and they lost 3 straight games. Sure, he is recapturing his younger form leading the league in home runs, but that doesn’t necessarily correlate to success for the entire team.
24. St. Louis Cardinals (21): The Cards are 4-6 in their last 10 games and honestly, even that is a surprise. Once thought to boast one of the most potent lineups in the league, St. Louis is 27th in OPS and 26th in AVG. This is what happens when you go all in on aging stars and hope they don’t fall off too quickly. This team has a legitimate shot at being the worst team in the National League.
25. Washington Nationals (25): When will we see Dylan Crews and James Wood called up? Rumblings are showing that Wood may get the call sooner rather than later, but what’s the rush? Many expected this team to compete for worst in the MLB, but they sit just 4 games under .500. In a crowded NL East, they won’t be pushing for division titles this year or maybe even next year, but they are laying a solid foundation for their future.
26. Houston Astros (22): I gave Houston the benefit of the doubt last week, but lord have mercy I may be wrong about that. Space City is top 10 in hitting metrics, but their pitching is horrendous. For context, Houston is 1 of 3 teams to have an ERA over 5.00 and a WHIP over 1.50. Their saving grace is their offense, but they won’t be going anywhere soon without starting pitching.
27. Oakland Athletics (28): A team that continues to surprise people, Oakland looks much better than many people predicted they would this far into the year. Their offense is abysmal but seems to show up in big places. Would you believe this team is tied for 6th in the league in home runs? More consistency from this lineup will surely cause a shakeup in the AL West.
28. Miami Marlins (29): Bottom 5 in both hitting and pitching metrics lands the Marlins squarely at 28 in these rankings. They are finally starting to get healthier in their rotation, but man oh man is this team looking rough.
29. Colorado Rockies (26): I was a bit higher last week on the Rockies, but that didn’t last long. They get a slight lift in hitting categories with the thin air in Denver but are dead last in pitching. Copy and paste something about it being a long year, but in Denver.
30. Chicago White Sox (30): What can I say about this team? An AVG of .189, OPS of .555, ERA of 5.20, and WHIP of 1.47 is abysmal. It’s going to be a long year on the Southside.
