All Shook Up: Lots of Changes After Wild Week
Well that was a weird week of baseball. And after looking back at the first week of these power rankings there are a few things that I wish I would have changed. The Dodgers shouldn’t have been at the top. They have been absolutely awful for a few weeks. I also didn’t give Cleveland enough credit and was all sorts of confused about the NL East (although I still don’t know how to view that division). It was a pretty odd week with some teams losing series that they had no business losing. So there are a lot of changes in this week’s rankings. Let’s dig in.
- Boston Red Sox (22-13) +2
The Red Sox won 24 games in last year’s short season. Just over a month into this season they have almost matched that win total. This team has been far and away the most consistent team and have the best record in the league to show for it. This was an easy call.
- San Francisco Giants (20-14) +2
I don’t know what Buster Posey did when he opted out of playing last season but it worked. He is currently hitting .400 with 8 home runs. The team has a 3.48 team ERA and Kevin Gausman. Sometimes you just can’t argue with the numbers.
- Oakland A’s (21-15) +2
I have never been able to wrap my head around how Oakland is always in the mix in the American League. Matt Chapman is heating up at the plate to go with his incredible defense which we all knew was coming. A big series with Boston this week could give this team the top spot.
- Chicago White Sox (19-13) +5
I thought without Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez, this team was in trouble. The pitching has really stepped up though. Tony La Russa is the wrong guy for this job though. Only time will tell if they can keep fighting through the adversity.
- St. Louis Cardinals (21-14) +6
The Cardinals just played 17 games in 17 days. They went 13-4 in that span. The lineup still hasn’t even reached its full potential and the pitching staff has found their grove. Nobody should want to play the red birds right now.
- San Diego Padres (19-16) —
The Padres are in a good spot. They’re above .500 and haven’t really got going yet. They are a good team. As soon as they become the great team that we all know they will become, it could be game over for the rest of the National League.
- New York Mets (16-13) +9
As soon as the Mets seem to be headed in the right direction, they hit a speed bump. Jacob deGrom is about to hit the IL. Luckily Francisco Lindor has started pushing his batting average up north. If deGrom has a longer stint than they are anticipating, this will be a short stay in the top 10.
- Buffalo Blue Jays (17-16) +4
There is a lot to like about the Buffalo Blue Jays and yes I will be calling them that until they get back to Toronto. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looks like the superstar we were all promised. Also, Marcus Semien is having one of the best seasons of his career. However, George Springer has spent more time on the IL than on the field. Also, a 3.91 team ERA is a little worrying. They have all the pieces though to be a contender.
- Milwaukee Brewers (19-16) -7
The Brewers had a tough week. They went 2-5 including being swept in a 4 game set with Philadelphia. On top of that, they had to put former MVP Christian Yelich back on the IL. One good thing is that they still have solid pitching. And good luck hitting Josh Hader if you’re down late.
- New York Yankees (18-16) +5
Let’s be honest, the Yankees and their fans won the week as soon as they took the series with the Houston Astros. Add in another series win over the Nationals and Giancarlo Stanton is scorching hot to the mix and everything is looking up for the Bronx Bombers. Now can they finally take care of the Rays?
- Houston Astros (18-16) -3
The Astros are going to hit. That isn’t the question. The question is can the pitching be good enough? So far it has been mixed results. This team has been very streaky. They play the Angels and Rangers this week which should help them have some momentum going into a big series in Oakland next week.
- Tampa Bay Rays (19-17) +6
The Rays took care of the Angels before dropping a series in Oakland. With the Yankees and Mets coming to town this week, this team has their hands full. If they can go .500 this week, they are sitting good.
- Cleveland Indians (18-14) +9
Talk about a red hot team! Cleveland went 5-1 this week and are 10-3 in their last 13. The rotation is getting the job done and keeping them in the race for the Central. A couple of tough games with the Cubs and then a west coast trip to struggling teams bode well for the Tribe.
- Atlanta Braves (17-17) +7
Here they come. The Braves we were all looking for are coming around. A sweep of the Nationals and taking 2 out of 3 with the Phillies got Atlanta to .500 and that’s just the start. The bats are waking up and the staff is getting healthy. Plus they just signed Tanner Roark and Shane Greene to bolster the rotation and bullpen. Expect Atlanta to be on top of the division before long.
- Philadelphia Phillies (18-17) +2
I still don’t know what to think of Philadelphia. But sweeping four games over the Brewers still makes it a successful week. They are in a wide open division which bodes well to their up and down start. Also Jean Jean the Hit Machine has returned which is fun for everybody.
- Chicago Cubs (17-17) +8
So I might have jumped the gun on the Cubs. They swept the Dodgers and took the series over the Pirates. But they have some guys they need to produce that so far haven’t. Heyward and Joc Pederson need to pick it up because the Cardinals and Brewers aren’t going to slow down.
- Los Angeles Dodgers (18-17) -16
So here is where Dodger fans come at me for having this stacked team way too far down. But over the past three weeks, they have been abysmal. And this list isn’t about what I think teams will do. It is all about what they have been doing. And the Dodgers have been losing. Do I think they are the #17 team in baseball? Not even close. Have they played better than any of the teams above them over that time period? Absolutely not. They gave me no choice.
- Cincinnati Reds (15-16) +1
Wade Miley was the highlight of the week for Cincy. The 4th no-hitter of the season and we’re only in May. Reds fans should thank Miley’s son because if he didn’t give Wade that tattoo, it would have been just another average week of Reds baseball.
- Kansas City Royals (16-17) -12
The Royals have come crashing right back down to Earth. Eight straight losses and now they sit below the .500 mark. They have a nice break in the schedule with three against Detroit before a tough four game set in the Southside of Chicago this weekend.
- Seattle Mariners (18-17) -10
The M’s currently have six pitchers on the IL. Pitching is what had this team off to their great start. With the offense tied for a league worst .210 batting average, they need their pitching to be strong. Good news though, Jarred Kelenic is raking in Triple A. Call him up ASAP.
- Los Angeles Angels (15-18) -7
No matter how the Angels are playing, people are going to want to watch them. A series win over the crosstown rival Dodgers finished a tough week on a positive note. Seeing the way Albert Pujols left town though is going to leave a bitter taste in baseball fans’ mouths.
- Texas Rangers (18-18) +3
Adolis Garcia has been a great story in the first month plus. The Rangers are sitting at a solid .500 which is great for where many thought this team would be this year. Joey Gallo hit an opposite field home run this weekend also which is a pretty rare sight.
- Washington Nationals (13-17) -10
We have all learned to not write off the Nationals. But things aren’t going well so far. They are atop the NL in batting average but 29th in all of baseball in runs scored. They need some guys to start driving in runs or Mad Max will be hitting the road.
- Baltimore Orioles (15-19) +2
John Means is flat out nasty. A dropped third strike away from a perfect game put Means front and center in the AL Cy Young conversation. It was the most dominant no-hitter I have ever seen. A tip of the cap.
- Miami Marlins (15-18) +1
The Marlins have one clear problem and that is their bats. They are the only team with a positive run differential and a record below .500. That is because they are 2-8 in one run games. The pitching is giving them the opportunity to win. The offense just needs to start capitalizing.
- Arizona Diamondbacks (15-19) -5
A winless week for Arizona halted any momentum they had. They also don’t have another scheduled off day until the 24th. It could be a long stretch for the D-Backs. In a division as good as the NL West, you can’t have winless weeks.
- Minnesota Twins (12-20) -4
Just when you think things can’t get worse for the Twins, MVP candidate Byron Buxton hits the IL. Plus in the next two weeks they have six games against the White Sox, three with Oakland, two with the Angels and three in Cleveland. It is still way too early to hit the panic button but, they need to turn things around fast.
- Pittsburgh Pirates (14-19) —
The most interesting thing about the Pirates this season was Ke’Bryan Hayes. They just moved him to the 60 day IL. I haven’t watched a single inning of a Pirate game since. Colin Moran is having a decent year though.
- Colorado Rockies (12-22) —
Colorado got front row seats to watch their ex and his new team sweep them pretty easily. I don’t know what happened to Charlie Blackmon but he is a shell of himself right now. Any guesses where Trevor Story is playing in August? I don’t know but I am pretty sure it is not going to be Colorado.
- Detroit Tigers (10-24) —
Miguel Cabrera passed Babe Ruth on the all-time hits list. I feel pretty confident in saying the Tigers won’t be passing anybody on these rankings in the foreseeable future.
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Matthew graduated in 2019 from Washington State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication with a specialization in Media and Journalism Production. He currently is a broadcaster and writer at Eli Sports Network. Baseball and football are his specialties but Matt covers anything he can. Follow him on Twitter @matt_king19
