MLB Power Rankings

It’s our first rendition of the Major League Baseball power rankings. We’ve had over a month of baseball and we’ve seen hot streaks and cold streaks but for the most part we can see what’s going on around the league. Now we can properly do our rankings, so let’s get down to it.

*All stats valid through the morning of May 7th

 

Rank	Team	Record	Run Diff	Last 10	Streak
1	St. Louis Cardinals	20-11	+42	7-3	Won 6
2	Detroit Tigers	19-11	+52	9-1	Won 4
3	Texas Rangers	20-12	+32	5-5	Lost 1
4	Boston Red Sox	21-11	+38	6-4	Won 1
5	Kansas City Royals	17-11	+17	7-3	Lost 1
6	New York Yankees	18-12	+10	7-3	Lost 1
7	Baltimore Orioles	19-13	+26	6-4	Won 2
8	San Francisco Giants	19-13	+6	6-4	Lost 1
9	Atlanta Braves	19-12	+33	4-6	Won 2
10	Colorado Rockies	18-13	+27	4-6	Lost 1
11	Cincinnati Reds	18-15	+25	5-5	Lost 1
12	Oakland A’s	18-15	+17	5-5	Lost 1
13	Washington Nationals	17-15	-12	6-4	Won 2
14	Cleveland Indians	15-14	+22	7-3	Won 1
15	Pittsburgh Pirates	17-14	-1	5-5	Lost 2
16	Seattle Mariners	15-18	-25	7-3	Lost 1
17	San Diego Padres	14-18	-21	7-3	Won 2
18	Philadelphia Phillies	15-18	-30	6-4	Won 1
19	Arizona Diamondbacks	17-15	+22	4-6	Won 1
20	Minnesota Twins	13-15	-7	4-6	Lost 1
21	Tamp Bay Rays	14-17	0	4-6	Lost 1
22	Chicago White Sox	13-17	-14	5-5	Won 1
23	Milwaukee Brewers	14-16	-13	3-7	Lost 5
24	New York Mets	12-16	-1	3-7	Lost 1
25	Chicago Cubs	12-20	-16	4-6	Won 1
26	Toronto Blue Jays	12-21	-46	3-7	Won 2
27	Miami Marlins	10-23	-44	5-5	Lost 1
28	LA Angels	11-20	-32	3-7	Lost 2
29	LA Dodgers	13-18	-34	3-7	Lost 5
30	Houston Astros	8-24	-75	1-9	Lost 6

 

1. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are on a tear currently winning six games in a row and seven of their last ten. They’ve built an early distance between their competition in the NL Central over the last week and a half, now with a three game lead. What makes this team most intimidating is their entire batting order can be dangerous. They have seven players already with 10+ RBI, and two with 20+. Allen Craig leads with his 25 RBI. Combine that with the best pitching in baseball and this team is set. As a staff the Cardinals are boasting the current MLB best ERA of 3.09. All five of their starting pitchers have multiple wins, with Lance Lynn leading with a 5-0 record. If you have to deal with these guys in the next week I feel sorry for you, as they’re scorching hot.

2. Detroit Tigers

Is anybody surprised at all that the Tigers are doing well out of the gate? You shouldn’t be, this team only improved in the offseason and they’re looking good. They’re on a four game win streak -swept the Astros- and have won nine of the last ten, and really have bounced back from their ugly visit to California where they were swept by the Angels. Offense continues to lead the way in Detroit and it’s coming off that dangerous combination of Miguel Cabrera — 36 RBI 6 HR .385 Avg- and Prince Fielder — 32 RBI 8 HR .304 Avg. Pitching has looked good early again for them with surprise, surprise Justin Verlander taking charge, with a 4-2 record and 1.55 ERA. His only two loses came where he struggled slightly and the Tigers batters were silenced.

3. Texas Rangers

The Rangers should feel good after they swept Boston at home and did so impressively. First a 7-0 win, then a 5-1, and wrapped things up with a walk-off 4-3 win. Sure two of those games came against the questionable bottom part of Boston’s rotation, but don’t let that take away from what they did. Although they must not have been too pumped up about the sweep because they went to Chicago to face the Cubs the next night and got blown out 9-2. Yu Darvish has continued to shine after he started the year off with a near perfect game, he’s 5-1 in seven games pitched and leads the MLB with an impressive 72 strikeouts, 14 of which came against Boston on Sunday, he did not get the decision however.

4. Boston Red Sox

It’s rough having the best record in baseball but being three back in the power rankings, but that’s what you get for getting swept. The Red Sox have really started off hot and look to keep things going. Pitching was outstanding out of the gate but we’ve now seen Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz struggle in their last starts. If those two can’t keep things going than this team all of a sudden becomes a whole lot more shaky. The bats are not quiet for this team though, and they’re 4th overall with 155 RBIs. We’ve seen some good depth from this team as stars are getting nights off and the team isn’t failing as a result. David Ortiz who missed the the opening week of games due to his Achilles injury flaring up, has made a big come back though and has hit in all 14 of the games he’s played in with a .426 average, 4 HR, and 17 RBI. The one concern for this team right now is their closing woes, as it seemed they finally had a solution in Andrew Bailey, but he’s been sent to the DL thanks to a strained bicep muscle, Hanrahan blew another save last night and it could be a big problem for the Sox going forward. They’re sending him back to the DL and Junichi Tazawa is getting the honors for now.

5. Kansas City Royals

The Royals have made huge improvements to their pitching staff, and what do you know they’re winning games as a result. They’ve won seven of the last ten games and trail Detroit by just one game. The Royals have the 4th best ERA in the league with 3.33. Jeremy Guthrie has really been a surprise and is 4-0 in 6 games pitched with an ERA of 2.40 and 27 strikeouts. Guthrie also has a complete game shutout against the White Sox where he allowed just 4 hits and 1 walk. Ervin Santana has also been a quality go to as he’s 3-1 in five starts with a 2.00 ERA and 31 strikeouts. James Shields has had a slow start with his 2-2 record in seven starts. If he can turn things around and the Royals can have three quality starting pitchers to rely on, this team could be dangerous. The batters of Kansas City could also contribute a little more than we’ve seen from them so far, as they’ve added 119 runs to the team’s cause. Which is 18th of 30 so not horrible, but considering you have guys like Alex Gordon and Billy Butler, you could be doing better.

6. New York Yankess

This team should probably be atop this power rankings for the sole fact that the majority of their stars are on the DL and yet they won’t lose. What does that mean for the league post return of guys like Mark Texeria, Curtis Granderson, and possibly A-Rod? Trouble that’s what. The Bronx Bombers are keeping the pressure on their rivals to the north and only trail the AL East lead by two games. They’ve won seven of the last ten games and are looking great especially at home where they’re 12-7. Robinson Cano has really shouldered this team in his comrades absence as he leads the roster with a .325 batting average, 8 HR, and 19 RBI. Guys like Vernon Wells -6 HR 13 RBI- and Travis Hafner -6 HR 18 RBI- who were also “temporary” fixes have also done well in pinstripes. Most people were counting the Yanks out, but they’ve coped with injury well and REALLY should be feared when they have those guys coming back.

7. Baltimore Orioles

The AL East is going to be very interesting this season and it’s not between a lot of the teams people thought it’d be, the Orioles are the only ones most analysts expected to do well that have. They’ve continued their winning ways from a season ago, and as a result are just 2 games back from the AL East lead. They’ve got a lot of power distributed through the entire roster and as a result they’ve been a tough team to close out against. Chris Davis has been a beast with his 9 HR and 30 RBI, he’s also gotten a decent amount of help from fellows like Adam Jones with his 4 HR and 22 RBI, and Manny Machado with his 5 HR and 21 RBI. The one point of concern for this team is pitching, as a staff the Orioles have a 3.88 ERA. Jason Hammel is the only starter with a positive win/lose with his 5-1. If the Orioles are going to contend, they need the pitching to come around.

8. San Francisco Giants

The Giants are fresh off their sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers, and while originally we would’ve thought that to be a big deal, it really isn’t cause the Dodgers stink. Still the Giants are looking good though despite giving up a rough loss to Philly last night. Buster Posey has finally come around and is contributing consistently, now with 4 HR, 19 RBI, and a .283 average. It’s been a huge surprise though at how much ace Matt Cain has struggled at the start of this season, he’s 1-2 in seven games pitched with an ERA of 5.57. The starters for the Giants really haven’t been impressive as a whole and luckily for them their bullpen has cleaned up nice and has a ton of wins. Going forward though this starting staff has to improve and Cain looked good in his last outing, so we’ll see if everybody starts to come around.

9. Atlanta Braves

Seems steep that the Braves are all the way down here at the #9 but they had rough last couple of weeks having faced Detroit and Washington in back to back series. They’re just 4-6 in the last ten games, but are looking to rebound back and are currently on a two game win streak. They’ve got a tough schedule for the next couple series so we’ll see if the Braves can rise against the best. That stacked outfield has looked pretty good at moments, with Justin Upton really shining leading the team with 12 HR and 21 RBI. Overall though it hasn’t lived up to the hype though, BJ is struggling with .148 batting average and 3 HR with 5 RBI. Jason Heyward is on the DL due to an appendectomy, but before that was struggling a .121 average, 2 HR, and 5 RBI. Pitching has been spot on for this team so far though. As a staff they have an ERA of 3.28, 3rd best in the league.

10. Colorado Rockies

Did anybody even think Colorado would have a winning record after their horrible season last year, and doing nothing to improve their roster? Well somehow they’ve come alive this season, and I’m gonna attribute that to the return of Troy Tulowitzki. This season Troy has been swinging a hot bat to say the least, he’s batting .348 with 7 HR, and 28 RBI. This whole offense has come alive though as the Rockies are 3rd in the league in RBI with 159, trailing only Detroit and Oakland. Pitching is still a little iffy, especially in the starters, but things are indeed looking up from a year ago. They’re a lock right now if they can secure enough of a lead that they have Rafael Betancourt come in, he’s been a perfect 8 of 8 in save opportunities with an ERA of 1.46. The Rockies have surprised a lot of people but we’ll see if their bats can keep them ahead of their pitching, got two tough series come up against the Yankees at home and then St. Louis on the road.

11. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds were a fun team to watch last year and they’ve kept it up this season. They’ve dealt with a couple injuries over the last couple weeks though and the extended loss of ace Johnny Cueto is a not a fun one to endure. It’s still looking like he could be at least another two weeks before he’s good to return as he’s had some setbacks while working his way back, he did throw 25 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday though. Brandon Phillips has been everything you could have expected, he’s got the most RBI of qualifying second basemen with 28, and also has 5 HR while batting a healthy .288. Unfortunately it’s been a little bit quiet from firstbasemen Joey Votto who’s getting a hold of balls and batting .320 only behind Shin-Soo Choo, but only has 4 HR and 13 RBI so far. The majority of blame can be attributed to his typical batting position though, and he’s really been a key part in setting up Phillips for his success, so it’s benefiting the team so no complaining.

12. Oakland Athletics

Pitchers beware! This team has been dangerous in how hot they’ve swung the bat so far. Leading the big league with 163 RBI this team really knows how to capitalize hitting the ball. They’re batting .251 which is dead middle of the league, but lead it all again with 76 doubles. With just 33 home runs this team is really exploiting pitchers and not with just the deep ball. They’re getting good output from a wide range of player, but Josh Donaldson has really been the most impressive with his 23 RBI while batting .303. The A’s had a tough last couple weeks of April and they’re schedule remains fairly rough until the May 20th where the A’s can finally breath when they take on the Houston Astros.

13. Washington Nationals

After a hot start the Nationals finally awoke from their slumber and started performing like normal humans. It also doesn’t help that they’re dealing with a handful of injuries but avoided losing Bryce Harper for a short while after a scare. He’s been the tip of the spear on a rather dull offense with 9 HR and 18 RBI. Currently they’re still dealing with injured Jayson Werth and Denard Span who are both listed as day to day, but no ground breaking positives have been said about either party. They also had a short absence from Stephen Strasburg who’s 5-1 with an ERA of 3.45, and leads the team with 44 strikeouts. He returned on Saturday where he pitched 7 innings giving up 4 runs, but the Nationals battled back to win 5-4 and Strasburg got the no decision.

14. Cleveland Indians

It seems Francona is working his magic on this team already and their offense is looking good. They are 6th in the league for RBI with 144, and they lead the majors with 44 home runs. Mark Reynolds has really been hot batting .300 with 10 HR and 27 RBI. Carlos Santana should also be noted too though as he’s contributed 6 HR and 14 RBI thus far. If there is one fault to this team’s shot this year it’s their pitching which has been once again sub par. It looked as though Justin Masterson might have a killer year, but in his last two outing he’s given up 12 runs and registered one loss, and a no decision. Outside of Masterson there really isn’t a high point in the rotation and it’s just expected that the starters will pitch good enough for a win every so often. They’ve won seven of the last ten games though and are plus +24 in run differential. Sometimes heart and batting can overcome mediocre pitching.

15. Pittsburgh Pirates

If the Pirates could muster a quality pitching rotation there is no doubt they could really compete for the NL Central, but it seems yet again that pitching is what will hold this team back from truly breaking through. It’s looking to be a battle to make .500 yet again and if pitching can’t step up, it won’t happen. AJ Burnett is the best representation to the Pirates pitching as a whole, he’s awesome with 57 strikeouts, but outside of striking batters out can really struggle. He’s 3-2 in his seven outings, and that’s the high point of the rotation. At least they don’t have Joel Hanrahan to worry about with how bad he’s pitched this year, Jason Grill has been spot on with 12 saves in 12 chances with an ERA of just .069. They’re hanging around for the time being though and it’s be interesting to see if they continue to do so.

16. Seattle Mariners

Things are finally looking up for the Mariners, and despite being 15-18 overall, the Mariners are hot right now having won seven of the last 10 games. Granted they’ve had one tasking series since April 20th, you still can’t deny when a team is winning, and a result they’re awarded a surge in power rankings. They’re on the road in Pittsburgh for two games before heading home to play the A’s and then heading back East for a long road trip that starts in New York, works through Cleveland, and ends in Anaheim. In their last stretch of ten games the Mariners have outscored foes 44 to 32, which is an improvement on what they’ve done all season. The bats and pitching are coming together just enough to scrap wins, and while it’s not the most outstanding thing ever, if they keep it up, they can keep winning.

17. San Diego Padres

Yes I know another big boost from a team with a losing record over teams with winning records, but it’s the power rankings, and not the standings. The Padres are playing very well in the last stretch of a two weeks. They’ve won seven of the last 10 games and now two straight. The pitching is rough but improving, however the bats are really what’s keeping this team’s fighting chances alive. The Padres have crossed the plate 125 times, and while there is still a deficit, they’re working in the right direction. They swept the Giants just before the end of April outscoring them 16 to 12. We’ll see if the Padres stay upward bound or if they fade away again.

18. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies and mostly their fan base were well aware that this year wouldn’t be too pretty, but they’re hanging as best they can. It’s been really hard to watch Roy Halladay pitch so far this year, he’s 3-2 in seven outing, but has given up 33 earned runs, and has an ERA of 8.65. They finally pulled him aside to the DL citing shoulder inflammation, but we’ll see if it turns out to be much more than that and if we’ll see the Doc we know and love at all this year. If you’ve spent any time watching the Phillies this season it’s been odd not seeing the bats do the damage they usually do. The Phillies have brought home just 119 runs, and that’s got them in the bottom 10 teams. As a team they’re struggling to get on base as a whole with a .298 on base percentage and a .239 batting average.

19. Arizona Diamondbacks

It’s probably a little bit harsh keeping the D-Backs down this low, but it’s not undeserving, they’ve won just two of the last seven games played, and four of the last 10. They were swept at home by San Francisco and lost two of three to San Diego in their two most recent series. They’re catching a break right now by a series against the hurting Dodgers. For a team that most thought got completely raped by the Atlanta trade, the Diamondbacks are hanging tough. Paul Goldschmidt has been swinging the bat well batting .316 with 24 RBI and 6 HR. Starting pitching has really been good for this team though especially Patrick Corbin who’s 4-0 in six goes, with a 1.80 ERA and 32 strikeouts.

20. Minnesota Twins

Things aren’t necessarily up in Minnesota for the Twins, but they’re looking better than I certainly expected them to. Based off the numbers you’d think this team is getting whooped on with a 4.03 ERA and bringing home just 116 runs. Joe Mauer has been swinging the bat well but hasn’t had much to show for it, he’s got 2 HR and just 9 RBI. It’s a rough path ahead for this team as they’ve got three more games with Boston, a series against Baltimore, White Sox, Red Sox, Braves, and then Detroit and Milwaukee to finish the month. We’ll see if things don’t completely blow up for these guys through the month.

21. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays are in a bit of a predicament, they’re pitching has been extremely hot and cold and their bats good, but not good enough to make up for it. David Price is the capitalization of the pitching problems out of the starting rotation as he’s really struggled to start. He’s pitched in seven games and is 1-3 with an ERA of 6.25. The bullpen has also been horrible and it’s really been a shame to see the hard work the starters put in go to shame. It’s only May and there is a ton of baseball left, but the Rays better start figuring their problems out sooner than later.

22. Chicago White Sox

Well to nobodies surprise it’s a rough start to the baseball season for Chicago, luckily the Bulls and Blackhawks are keeping folks entertained for the time being, but that will only last so long before it’s just baseball. Pitching has been quality for the Sox, but they’re rarely getting the run support needed to win games. The Sox are 8th in the league in ERA with a 3.60. If they expect to compete this season though the bats need to wake up and bring in some runs. The potential is there for this squad, and all it takes a more baserunners and Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, and Alex Rios can bring them home.

23. Milwaukee Brewers

In all fairness nobody was really chalked the Brewers up to accomplishing much this season, but it’s still been pretty bad thus far. Currently riding a five game losing streak they probably deserve to be further down than this, but I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt having just played a red hot St. Louis team for four games, although it was a home series. We’ll see if they bounce back, although they have Texas, Cincinnati, then the Pirates to look forward to.

24. New York Mets

The Mets are in the top half of teams in runs scored with 137, but 24th with a 4.32 ERA. There are specks of hope on this team though in guys like John Buck -.255 10 HR 29 RBI- David Wright -.313 5 HR 23 RBI- and Daniel Murphy -.283 2 HR 14 RBI. Outside of them there really isn’t much to love about the Mets you see on the field. Matt Harvey is the ONLY quality pitcher in their starting rotation, and the only pitcher with a winning record on this team with a 4-0 record and a 1.56 ERA. Johan’s absence is really hurting here as they could really use a second guy to pitch a good game. As Mets fans are always used to saying though, there is always next year, and at least we didn’t blow it down the stretch. Still months of baseball, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for a Mets turn around.

25. Chicago Cubs

I don’t know what people are more focused on right now, the actual team and the fact that they’re playing baseball, or fighting over the potential Wrigley renovations. It’s probably more entertaining to watch the renovations fight though, just kidding, but the Cubs are bad again to nobody’s surprise. Doesn’t mean there aren’t good players on this team though. Anthony Rizzo -.262 9 HR 25 RBI-, and Starlin Castro -.277 3 HR 15 RBI- are two guys that you can really get excited about. At least you’re getting to watch this team play, and there is a long ways to go.

26. Toronto Blue Jays

Surprise, surprise, when you take a pack of losers who have never won anything in their professional careers and mush them all onto a team together their still a pack of losers. I was a firm believer in that the Blue Jays would be that once in a blue moon anomaly to that standard, but so far it has not been. Surely there is time to get hot and completely change the AL East standings, but right now there is a lot to worry about for this team. They’re struggling everywhere, especially in places we though they wouldn’t like run support. This team is great at taking the ball deep with 41 home runs, but outside of that they cannot get a hit to save their lives. They’re batting an embarrassing .235 and have brought home only 125 runs. Pitching doesn’t look much better either, and the biggest fear that RA Dickey’s transfer from the NL to the AL has become a reality. Dickey is 2-5 with a 5.36 ERA just a year after winning the NL Cy Young honors. They have the pieces and if they start clicking could do work, but for now they’re just looking like a pack of fools.

27. Miami Marlins

The team who the majority of the current Blue Jays derived from aren’t faring much better. In fact they’re doing worse. Combine 98 total runs with a team with a 4.06 ERA and you’ve got the perfect combination for failure. There really isn’t much going on here and the one good piece they do have is likely to be traded away and knowing this organization they won’t be able to pass it up. It’s reported that the Phillies have made inquiries about Giancarlo Stanton’s availability for some months now, and they could use him and he’d be better off than he is in South Beach, it’d be a matter of who they can intrigue Miami with. He’s on the 15 day DL right now though so he isn’t doing much of anything.

28. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

That ridiculous name makes me laugh every time I type it out, almost as much as I laugh watching this team right now. Have you ever seen a pack of more overpayed people fail more so than the Angels are this year? Blame pitching all you want, but it’s not like they’re batting like they should be. Batting an average of .258 with 129 runs, it’s not bad, but it should be better. Nobody has been more lackluster than Josh Hamilton who’s batting .208 with 1 HR and 9 RBI. Texas might have booed him in his homecoming, but at this rate they should be happy they aren’t paying his atrocious $17,400,000 contract this season.

29. Los Angeles Dodgers

I can’t say that I’m bothered by the trend of Los Angeles sports teams failing in 2013, but I try to remain as neutral as possible and avoid letting my excitement slip.The Dodgers were one of the most hyped teams headed into the season, and with Magic Johnson and other owners working their “magic” and fixing this team it looked good. They looked good at first but as the month carried on they slowly got worse. Adrian Gonzalez has been their one savoir batting .343 with 3 HR and 22 RBI. Carl Crawford is surprisingly leadling the Dodgers with 5 home runs. Not even Clayton Kershaw has been able to get it done as of late due to the Dodgers struggles batting. He’s 1-3 in his last five starts.

30. Houston Astros

Do we need to say much here? Astros are still making asses of themselves even in the American League. Nothing has changed and despite they’re surprising win on opening day, haven’t done much since. There is literally only a mere two players even worth watching on the entire roster and it’s sad how little this organization has done anything to improve this team. They’ve been outscored by 75 so far if that explains just how bad it is already.

 

 

 

 

*Stats by Spotract.com, Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com & ESPN.com

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