MLB: Power Rankings Vol. 2
We are now nearly at the midpoint of the MLB season, as it is June 25, and the All-Star Game is quickly approaching, and the separation between the league's best and worst are becoming ever apparent, since the division races are widening, seemingly by the day.
The American League has been hot, taking nine of the top-15 spots, while the National League holds three of the top-5 teams. The main surprises here are the Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, and Milwaukee Brewers. All of them have been poor-to-average the last few seasons, but it is good to see new teams come to the top of the league.
In our Power Rankings Vol. 1, that premiered on April 30, the New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, and Chicago White Sox made out the top-5. About two months later, here is where every team stands.
POWER RANKINGS VOL. 2:
1. Houston Astros (52-25): Houston has experienced a ton of success over the last three seasons because of their young studs, namely Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and George Springer, who have all come together so far this year. After being No. 4 a couple of months ago, the Astros have ascended to the No. 1 ranking, and hold a 13-game lead in the AL West.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (51-26): Los Angeles was a good team prior to April 25, but since then, they've been the best in baseball, and it's no coincidence that is the day Cody Bellinger was called up to the major leagues. He had a streak of 10 home runs in a 10-game span, and because of his hitting prowess, the Dodgers climbed from No. 15 to No. 2 in a few short months.
3. Washington Nationals (45-30): Washington was No. 2 back on April 30, so their slip all the way back to No. 3 is not troublesome. Max Scherzer is looking like the best pitcher in the NL, and is likely to get the All-Star Game starting nod. The Nationals have a 9-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy have been good, as usual, but Ryan Zimmerman's resurgence may be the difference.
4. Minnesota Twins (39-34): Minnesota is the shock of these rankings, so far, because of their reach from No. 14 to No. 4. At 11-11, most people expected the Twins to revert back to their ways of the last three years and slide down the divisional standings. But since then, they've done the opposite, going 28-23, and reaching first place in the AL Central. If all bodes well, the Twins will be returning to the playoffs.
5. Arizona Diamondbacks (48-28): Arizona hasn't been good in a very long time, but it was a matter of time before they took the next step, because there is no shortage of talent in The Desert. Paul Goldschmidt has led the Diamondbacks to an impressive 48-28 record.
6. Boston Red Sox (41-33): Boston started off the season slower than most expected, going 12-11, but they have rebounded nicely behind the arm of Chris Sale. He is in position to win his first AL Cy Young award, meanwhile, his team is actually giving him runs, as they are tied with the New York Yankees in first place.
7. New York Yankees (40-33): New York, speaking of, is having a great year, even if things have been somewhat rocky over the last two weeks. At 15-7, they stood No. 1 in our rankings, in major part because of Aaron Judge's MVP-caliber campaign. Now the Yankees have slipped six spots, but they are still in prime position to reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.
8. Cleveland Indians (39-35): Cleveland, after reaching the World Series in 2016, got off to a bad start in 2017, but Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez have sparked a turnaround, also helped out by Corey Kluber, who may start the All-Star Game for the AL.
9. Colorado Rockies (47-31): Colorado is hitting on all cylinders, literally and figuratively, as Nolan Arenado has become one of the must-watch players in all of the MLB. The Rockies are in third place in the NL West, because it's the best division in baseball, but they're still a top-10 team and should be in the playoffs.
10. Milwaukee Brewers (41-37): Milwaukee has been atop the NL Central for a good portion of the season, but with the Chicago Cubs on their heels, it just seems like a matter of time before the defending champions take the lead in the division. For now, though, the Brewers are churning along.
11. Chicago Cubs (38-37): Chicago, after winning 100+ games in 2016, haven't been able to reach the same level of success, as of now. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo have been good, again, but the pitching staff has underperformed. Jake Arrieta, John Lackey, and Jon Lester have been mediocre, while Kyle Hendricks has spent much of the year on the disabled list.
12. Tampa Bay Rays (40-38): Tampa Bay is just floating in the middle of the AL East, not too good, and not too bad, which is always a tough place to be when the trade deadline is around the corner. The Rays must make a decision on if they are going to go for a playoff spot or officially rebuild (again).
13. Texas Rangers (38-37): Texas has dealt with injuries all season long, to Cole Hamels and Carlos Gomez, amongst others, but there is still hope for the Rangers, because of how well Yu Darvish has been pitching, and how well Adrian Beltre is hitting now that he's healthy. Texas was No. 18 in our April 30 edition.
14. Los Angeles Angels (40-39): Los Angeles, surprisingly, isn't too far behind the Texas Rangers, even though future Hall of Famer, Mike Trout, has been out with an injury for nearly a month now. After starting 13-13, the Angels are still right around .500 at 40-39.
15. Kansas City Royals (37-37): Kansas City has been hot lately, and is back to 37-37, but I'm not sure if a playoff berth is in their future. After reaching the World Series in back-to-back years, in 2014 and 2015, it wouldn't surprise me to see them fail to reach the postseason for the second year in a row.
16. Seattle Mariners (39-39): Seattle is a part of the three team logjam in the middle of the AL West, alongside the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels. Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz are playing at All-Star levels, especially the latter.
17. Atlanta Braves (36-39): Atlanta did a good job of rebuilding about five years ago and now it's starting to materialize. I'm expecting them to struggle a little bit more in the coming months, but still, a 36-39 record is respectable and the Braves are second in the NL East behind the Washington Nationals.
18. Pittsburgh Pirates (35-41): Pittsburgh hasn't been good for two seasons now, and it might be time to trade Andrew McCutchen for young assets. Especially since Sterling Marte has been long for much of the season because of a failed PED test.
19. Baltimore Orioles (36-38): Baltimore was No. 7 in our last rankings, and rightfully so, given their 14-8 record, standing in second place in the AL East. Since then? It's been all downhill for the Orioles. They have gone 22-30 since, have fallen to No. 19, and are fourth in the division. It's not looking good for Baltimore.
20. Miami Marlins (34-40): Miami is average, like they seem to be every season, especially since Giancarlo Stanton's rise to stardom. But it appears that the Marlins will fall short of the postseason again, after nearly ending the drought last season.
21. New York Mets (34-41): New York, like the Miami Marlins, is on the outside, looking in on the playoffs. But for New York, it's a bit more disappointing because they have reached the postseason two years in a row, after failing to for a long time. The Mets' season has been frustrating to watch, especially with all the injuries.
22. Toronto Blue Jays (36-39): Toronto was expected by some to compete for the AL East crown, with the Boston Red Sox, but I did not buy it at the beginning of the season, and I certainly don't now. The Blue Jays are dead last in the division, and All-Star Jose Bautista has been terrible.
23. St. Louis Cardinals (34-40): St. Louis was supposed to be a playoff team, by my expectations, as I had them being one of the two NL Wild Card teams, but they have underwhelmed so far this season. Dexter Fowler hasn't had the impact that I thought he would. The Cardinals have time to turn it around, though, since the NL Central division is still close together.
24. San Diego Padres (31-45): San Diego is in a rebuild and it's going to be at least three more years before they become a quality team, and until then, the Padres are going to continue to be near the basement of the MLB. Right now, they stand at 31-45 and in fourth place in the NL West.
25. Oakland Athletics (34-42): Oakland, hasn't been able to match the excellence of the other Bay Area team, the Golden State Warriors, who won the NBA Finals a couple of weeks ago. It's been a handful of years since the Athletics reached the postseason and I don't see it happening again anytime soon.
26. Chicago White Sox (32-42): Chicago has had the biggest drop off of any major league team since April 30, when our Power Rankings Vol. 1 dropped. The White Sox sat at No. 5, one spot ahead of their crosstown rival, the Chicago Cubs, at 13-9. In the following two months, Chicago went a poor 19-33.
27. Detroit Tigers (33-42): Detroit, is right up there with the Chicago White Sox, with teams who have taken a tumble in our rankings. Even though No. 19 isn't playoff-bound, the Tigers were still in the hunt at 11-12, but now it seems like they should trade Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez, Justin Upton, and Justin Verlander, and then get ready to go into a full rebuild.
28. Cincinnati Reds (31-43): Cincinnati started off the season competitively, but are now one of the worst teams in baseball. Billy Hamilton, as fun to watch as he is, hasn't been able to turn the Reds into a top-15 squad, and they once again will miss the postseason.
29. San Francisco Giants (27-51): San Francisco, is making me want to re-do my entire 2017 Regular Season Projections, since I nabbed them to reach the postseason, like they always seem to do. But since Madison Bumgarner's injury, the team has been atrocious and are nearly out of the playoff mix altogether. It'd take a miracle at this point.
30. Philadelphia Phillies (24-50): Philadelphia is the worst team in the league, and it's after starting 11-11, and reaching as high as No. 11 in our rankings. The Phillies are headed for a tough rest of the year, and offseason, but there are some young players on this team who can help salvage the future. For now, though, it's tough to be a Philadelphia baseball fan.
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:
AL West: Houston Astros (52-25)
AL East: New York Yankees (40-33)
Al Central: Minnesota Twins (39-34)
AL Wild Card: Boston Red Sox (41-34)
AL Wild Card: Cleveland Indians (39-35)
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers (51-26)
NL East: Washington Nationals (45-30)
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers (41-37)
NL Wild Card: Arizona Diamondbacks (48-28)
NL Wild Card: Colorado Rockies (47-31)
Photo Credit: CBS Sports, House of Houston, and The Cheat Sheet.
