Power Rankings

Power Rankings. Lots of changes, but teams are relatively in their same place.

1.      Braves: 76-48

Last Week: 1

ESPN Rank: 2

It’s got to feel pretty nice when it’s the middle of August and you’re almost guaranteed a playoff spot already. Taking two out of three from the second place Nationals made me believe that they clinched then. Plus, they have been hot. Jason Heyward not only is gold-glove capable, but since the all-star break, he’s batting .337/.417/.589. Also, Brandon Beachy is back, and they look strong to fight in October.

2.      Dodgers: 72-52

Last Week: 7

ESPN Rank: 1

Do I even have to say it? They have had a 42-9 stretch, have won some absurd amount since the all-star break, and just recently won 11 in a row. The bullpen has held opponents with a 1.49 ERA in 84.1 innings. Clayton Kershaw might just be the MVP, and Hyun-Jin Ryu and Puig are Rookie of the Year Candidates. Will they keep it up? I hope not, they’d sweep everyone.

3.      Tigers: 73-51

Last Week: 4

ESPN Rank: 4

I thought this was funny so I had to share it. From Ryan Callery’s “Walkoff Woodward”: “Max Scherzer is the first MLB pitcher to 18 wins this year, Detroit has the best winning percentage in the AL and scouts for the Skynet Cyborgs were spotted scanning Miguel Cabrera's swing this weekend. We attempted to reach Cabrera for comment but he just kept leaving the park.”

4.      Red Sox: 74-53

Last Week: 2

ESPN Rank: 5

Ryan Dempster’s plunking of A-Rod was something, that’s for sure. It didn’t help whatsoever, as Rodriguez got his revenge hitting a home run later, and the Yankees would go on to win 9-6. The Red Sox are only a game ahead of the Rays; now is not the time to screw around. 

5.      Rangers: 72-53

Last Week: 6

ESPN Rank: 3

The Rangers have been hot, winning seven of their last ten, but unfortunately for them, the A’s are still only a half game back from them. Yu Darvish and Derek Holland have been possibly the best 1-2 punch in the AL. Darvish is 12-5 with a 2.68 ERA and 214 K’s, while Holland is 9-6 with a 2.95 ERA and 157 K’s. Top Prospect Jurickson Profar is batting .243/.313/ .336 in 62 games. Not bad, and it will improve over time.

6.      Pirates: 73-51

Last Week: 3

ESPN Rank: 6

First Francisco Liriano got rocked, now it’s Jeff Locke. Locke has struggled since the all-star break, having a WHIP over 2, and got rocked his last outing. Last night, Liriano went seven innings, giving up only four hits and no runs while striking out 13, so hopefully if Liriano can come back, Locke can too. 

7.      Cardinals: 71-54

Last Week: 5

ESPN Rank: 7

Why do I think the Cardinals can still win the pennant? First off, they rock in October. Secondly, when guys return from injury (like Yadier Molina), and they call up some big prospects (like Kolten Wong), they can win big series (like they did against the Pirates and Cubs). What they also can do is hit with RISP. They have a team .333 batting average with RISP, the best by far in the MLB, and the best since 1974. Nobody comes close to a .333 batting average with RISP. So clutch!

8.      Athletics: 71-53

Last Week: 8

ESPN Rank: 10

The A’s put Bartolo Colon on the DL this week, which is good news and bad news. The good news is that it explains why he was struggling so much lately, but the bad news is that they lose a guy with a 2.97 ERA. It’s almost the worst time to go on the DL though; they are only a half game out from the Rangers, and are playing the Orioles, Tigers, and Rays in the next two weeks. 

9.      Reds: 71-54

Last Week: 10

ESPN Rank: 8

The Reds have moved from six games out of Pittsburgh to just two and a half games out, have won seven of their last ten, and have a home stance where they are 38-20 at home already.

10.  Rays: 71-52

Last Week: 9

ESPN Rank: 9

A couple of walk offs by Jason Bourgeois and Jose Lobaton keep the Rays only a game out of the Red Sox, but they are plagued by injuries right now, and Evan Longoria tries to work out of a slump. Watch this one game back start to move to about three or four games back. 

11.  Indians: 67-58

Last Week: 12

ESPN Rank: 13

Although the Indians are nine games above .500 and are 38-25 at home, they are still six and a half back from the Tigers and four and a half back from a wild card spot. Things aren’t going to get better either. Next week, they go on the road against the Braves and the Tigers. Ouch.

12.  Orioles: 67-57

Last Week: 11

ESPN Rank: 11

Three names: Chris Davis, Adam Jones, and Manny Machado. Davis still leads the home run category in the MLB with 45, but Miggy is slowly creeping up in the ranks. Adam Jones is hitting .375 this month, including three games with three hits or more, and Manny Machado has an absurd 43 doubles, but has seen his double production slow down while his average has moved up to .298. 

13.  Royals: 64-59

Last Week: 13

ESPN Rank: 12

The Royals only have an 11% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN.com. However, they still have to play seven games against the White Sox and Mariners, and six games against the Indians and Tigers. They play sub-.500 teams as well as their division leaders. Time for a surge!

14.  Yankees: 64-59

Last Week: 14

ESPN Rank: 15

I don’t like Alex Rodriguez, and you probably know exactly why. But I’ll admit, when he hit a homer off Ryan Dempster, a former cub, after getting hit on purpose was just fun to watch. Good for him, but I still hope he gets suspended. 

15.  D-Backs: 64-59

Last Week: 15

ESPN Rank: 14

To be honest, they have two series against the Dodgers and a series against the Reds, but besides that, they play sub-.500 teams for the rest of the season. If they can get wins against the Dodgers, maybe they can come back and actually make the postseason.

16.  Nationals: 60-64

Last Week: 16

ESPN Rank: 16

I dunno if it’s an accomplishment to be the “best team under .500,” but they win the title. Jordan Zimmermann saw his ERA go from 3.03 to 3.37 when he gave up eight runs in five innings. It’ll most likely be the last year for manager Davey Johnson, who won Manager of the Year last year. Who will replace him?

17.  Blue Jays: 57-67

Last Week: 18

ESPN Rank: 17

The Jays are 10 games out of .500, and 15.5 out of Boston. This might be the best they get this season. Plagued by injuries on hitting and pitching, it looks like they are limping to the finish line, and can’t wait for October.

18.  Mariners: 57-67

Last Week: 17

ESPN Rank: 20

The Mariners somehow have a 4.33 team ERA, even with King Felix and Hisashi Iwakuma. They need just one more pitcher that can do the job to make their staff top ten. Taijuan Walker might just be their answer. The number four overall prospect and number one pitching prospect, Walker is 4-7 with a 2.46 ERA and a .195 BAA in 84 IP in AAA Tacoma. There’s their answer.

19.  Rockies: 58-68

Last Week: 19

ESPN Rank: 22

I didn’t realize until now that the Rockies have a 22-41 record on the road. That gives me shivers. Only the Marlins have a worse road record at 20-41, but Colorado might just take the top spot by the end of the season.

20.  Mets: 57-66

Last Week: 20

ESPN Rank: 18

David Wright is 30 years old. The team is in a rebuilding program backed by top prospects like Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard. Do they trade David Wright? They screwed up and can’t. I don’t care if Wright is one of the best players in Mets history, signing him to a contract until 2025 is ABSURD. 

21.  Angels: 55-69

Last Week: 21

ESPN Rank: 21

Albert Pujols is officially done for the season. Also, this: 

 

22.  Padres: 56-69

Last Week: 22

ESPN Rank: 26

San Diego can still pull out third place this year, their best since 2010. However, it’s not really because they have gotten better, it’s more of because the rest of the NL West isn’t that good either.

23.  Twins: 54-69

Last Week: 23

ESPN Rank: 19

Two years ago, the top three prospects were Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, and Matt Moore. I don’t think I have to express how good all three have been. Minnesota owns the 1 and 3 slots this year in Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. Another top prospect, pitcher Andrew Albers, has already gotten his part in the big leagues, going 2-1 with a 1.85 ERA in three starts. This team will be good in a few years.

24.  Cubs: 54-70

Last Week: 24

ESPN Rank: 24

Starlin Castro’s bad play at shortstop made the first sacrifice fly to a shortstop that I’ve ever seen. It also showed that Castro might not be a part of this future to the Cubs. Who is a part of the Cubs future is OF Junior Lake, who is batting .315/.351/.476 in 30 games this year. Another bright spot: Lake is only the Cubs 9^th best prospect. Like the Twins, things will get good for the Cubs in a few years. Another bright spot: After some terrible starts, Jeff Samardzija went the distance last night, giving up only one run and lowered his ERA to 4.12.

25.  Brewers: 54-71

Last Week: 27

ESPN Rank: 23

Don’t forget about Jean Segura! The all-star still bats .309/.343/.456 with a 4.2 WAR and a league leading 150 hits. Signs of young talent are still there.

26.  Giants: 55-69

Last Week: 26

ESPN Rank: 25

The last time a defending champ finished last place the next season was the 1998 Marlins. I got a feeling that they will be the next to do it.

27.  Phillies: 55-69

Last Week: 25

ESPN Rank: 28

It is now the Ryne Sandberg era, and it looks bleak so far this season, but frankly this season is done for the Phillies anyways. They fired long time coach Charlie Manuel, who won 780 games as a Philly, the most in team history, led them to two World Series, including winning one in 2008. Let’s see if the Hall of Famer can lead this team into the same direction from before.

28.  White Sox: 49-74

Last Week: 29

ESPN Rank: 29

The White Sox have been playing pretty well lately, winning five of their last seven and hitting .307 as a team. I don’t think it’ll be enough to get them back in the race. Bold prediction, I know.

29.  Marlins: 48-75

Last Week: 28

ESPN Rank: 27

The Marlins plan on shutting down Jose Fernandez before the end of the season, but even if they do, he still should win NL Rookie of the Year. He’s 9-5 with a 2.41 ERA and 157 K’s this year. Their pitching is pretty darn good, by my god they won’t go anywhere with their hitting.

30.  Astros: 41-83

Last Week: 30

ESPN Rank: 30

The Astros are now 19-43 at home. Jeez.

Miguel Cabrera and Nate Schierholtz are my Beat the Streak picks today. Stupid David Ortiz brought me back down to zero. Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd