One Quarter Down and Nothing Makes Sense
So this is my third week doing these rankings and we have now had three different teams at the top. Now it’s the White Sox turn. So many teams are being ravaged by the injury bug that these rankings are becoming so hard to figure out. But I am a man of the people so I will fight through the headaches to try to sort out this puzzle that is the 2021 season. Here is where we stand at the quarter mark.
- Chicago White Sox (24-15) +3
Chicago has been hanging around the top of these rankings this whole season. The biggest reason I never had them at the top was injuries. Now, almost every team has an injury problem. The White Sox have been the most consistent team in the first quarter of the season. There is no team in the Central that should scare them. I expect the American League to run through the Windy City.
- Oakland Athletics (25-17) +1
Oakland dropped a pretty big series to the surging Astros to start the week. They bounced back though taking two of three from the struggling Twins. They get another shot at the Astros this week to start a stretch of division games that includes three with Houston, seven with the Angels, and six with the Mariners. Important games in May for Oakland.
- Houston Astros (24-17) +8
There isn’t a hotter team in baseball right now than the Houston Astros. They now sit just half a game behind Oakland in the AL West. Jose Altuve is torching opposing pitchers and Yordan Alvarez is an absolute monster. The only thing that is worrisome is the pitching. I’ll be shocked if they don’t address it at the deadline.
- San Diego Padres (24-17) +2
The Padres have so many key pieces on the Covid list and still went out and swept St. Louis over the weekend. They are good and they are pretty deep. There is no question in my mind right now this is the team to beat in the National League.
- Boston Red Sox (25-17) -4
Boston almost bounced back big after a series loss to Oakland. They were one out away from sweeping the Angels before Ohtani happened. Still, this offense is a juggernaut but their pitching leaves a lot to be desired.
- San Francisco Giants (24-16) -4
The Fountain of Youth is clearly located in San Francisco. The rotation is absolutely lights out and the veterans in their order are doing more than enough offensively. They also take on the Dodgers this weekend which gives them a chance to really prove that they are for real.
- New York Yankees (22-18) +3
There hasn’t been a team that has been hit with injuries as hard as the Yankees in recent years. Just when it looked like Stanton and Judge were going to be hot at the same time, Stanton hits the IL. They finally took a series from Tampa Bay, but someone has to step up in Stanton’s absence.
- Buffalo Blue Jays (22-17) —
Talk about a team just taking care of business. The Blue Jays just swept Atlanta and then took 2 of 3 from the Phillies. However, they end this month on a tough run with series’ against Boston, Tampa Bay, the Yankees, and Cleveland. If they can end the month with 30 wins then the rest of the East better watch out.
- Tampa Bay Rays (23-19) +3
Do you ever get bored in the kitchen and just throw some random things together and it actually tastes good? That is what the Rays remind me of. Once again it doesn’t make any sense but this is a winning team once again. They might need another bat to really solidify themselves, but they have the top prospect in baseball in Wander Franco that could help them solve that without making any trades.
- Los Angeles Dodgers (22-18) +7
Even good weeks are bad for the Dodgers in 2021. A quick two game sweep of the Mariners and taking two out of three with Miami was good. Losing Corey Seager to a right hand fracture is very bad. The pitching is more than capable of keeping their heads above water for the time being. And hey, nothing that 41-year-old Albert Pujols can’t fix.
- St. Louis Cardinals (23-18) -6
I am not just on the Cardinals hype train. I am the conductor. That being said, the weekend series with San Diego in which the Padres easily earned the sweep was not fun to watch. They do have a quick bounce back series with the Pirates before taking on their rival Chicago Cubs. Miles Mikolas making his return this week should help get this squad right back on track.
- Cleveland Indians (21-17) +1
Everything was going great for Cleveland. They had a four game win streak after sweeping a two game set with the Cubs and then took the opener of a four game set in Seattle. Then the pitching struggled and the offense couldn’t keep up as they dropped the final three games to the Mariners. They will only go as far as the pitching staff can carry them.
- New York Mets (18-16) -6
The Mets just took a beating in Tampa Bay over the weekend. They were outscored 22-8 in the three game series. Plus, injuries to Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil puts more pressure on a struggling Francisco Lindor and a pitching staff that’s already without Jacob deGrom for just a little longer. Two big division series with Atlanta and Miami are on the slate for this week too. Things are getting interesting in Queens.
- Milwaukee Brewers (21-20) -5
What exactly are the Brewers? They went from looking like a World Series contender in April to maybe a Wild Card team in May. Yelich is close to returning, but what version of him will they get? There are just so many questions surrounding this team right now. If you haven’t seen the Jackie Bradley Jr. catches from last week, hit up YouTube and thank me later.
- Seattle Mariners (21-20) +5
Well the wave of prospects in the Pacific Northwest has hit Seattle. Both Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert made their big league debuts Thursday. The M’s lost but bounced back with three straight wins over Cleveland. Still thin on pitching, the Mariners need to find a spark on offense. I was there for Kelenic’s first home run on Friday and it feels like he could be just that for this struggling offense.
- Philadelphia Phillies (21-20) -1
The Phillies are the epitome of middle of the pack. They aren’t great but they aren’t bad. They aren’t exceptional at anything but they aren’t bad at anything. In the NL East that might be enough. They are a little banged up so we will see if they can hang around for a tough home stand against Miami and Boston this week.
- Cincinnati Reds (19-19) +1
There are some fun players to watch in Cincinnati. Nick Castellanos is having a career year as is Jesse Winker. But their “ace” has an ERA of 7.71. If they want to compete in the division with Milwaukee and St. Louis, they need pitching help ASAP.
- Atlanta Braves (19-21) -4
My current pick for NL MVP is playing in Atlanta in Ronald Acuna Jr. However, there haven’t been many other positives for this squad. It still feels like this team will turn it around any day now. But they haven’t had a winning record at any point this season so they will be in the back half of these rankings for now.
- Chicago Cubs (19-20) -3
Kris Bryant is having a great year in the Windy City. That is going to help the Cubs get a bigger return when they become sellers at the deadline. They are still hovering around .500 and I don’t think they have much higher ceiling. This team has been energetic and fun but it still feels like everything is coming to an end.
- Washington Nationals (16-20) +3
The Nats finally got out of the May funk that they were in. Taking two out of three with Arizona isn’t big but it could be a turning point. They still lack someone to drive in runs. Washington is 4th in team batting average but 27th in runs scored. That’s a problem.
- Los Angeles Angels (17-22) —
I am starting to think the best player of this generation might never see the playoffs again. Shohei Ohtani’s big home run in the 9th helped them avoid the sweep in Boston but that isn’t good enough. They also play 8 games in 7 days this week. They still have time to turn things around.
- Miami Marlins (18-22) +3
I don’t think they have the best rotation in baseball, but it is in the top 5. I feel like a broken record, but that might be enough to keep them in the race for the NL East. Their next 10 games are against teams in the division, 7 with Philadelphia and 3 with New York. This stretch could firmly place Miami in the discussion for the best team in the division.
- Arizona Diamondbacks (18-23) +3
Madison Bumgarner has been dominant since a few rocky outings to start the season. Injuries though have put this offense on ice. They looked at one point like a surprise team in the NL. Now they look like sellers come July.
- Kansas City Royals (18-22)
The Royals were once 16-9. They have gone 2-13 since then with both wins coming over the weekend. Before that, they hadn’t won since May 1st. The clock struck midnight. This team will be a punching bag for the top tier teams in the American League.
- Baltimore Orioles (17-23) -1
Since John Means no-hitter, things have crumbled for Baltimore. They are 2-7 since then. Their next day off is June 3rd and they only play six home games in that span. Things are not getting easier for the Orioles. John Means though is a legit Cy Young candidate.
- Texas Rangers (18-24) -4
Just when it looks like they are starting to figure things out, they go 0-6 through a week. They have still had nice surprises with guys like Adolis Garcia and Nate Lowe. But they are clearly the bottom dweller in the AL West. I like what I see though for the future. This team is on the right track.
- Pittsburgh Pirates (17-23) +1
Splitting a four game set with the Giants is good enough to bump them up a spot. Adam Frazier is playing well enough to be a trade piece when the deadline rolls around. This season was always supposed to be rough for Pittsburgh. But if they can have guys play well enough to draw trade interest then it could turn into a decent year.
- Colorado Rockies (15-26) +1
Colorado won three straight games this week, a season high. Bad news is they lost the other four games. They haven’t really committed to a rebuild yet. However, the writing is on the wall. Blow it all up and hit the reset button.
- Minnesota Twins (13-25) -2
I thought before the season started, Minnesota could win the American League pennant. Boy does that seem silly now. If they don’t start winning series starting this week, it will be time to start figuring out who they could trade in July.
- Detroit Tigers (14-26) —
Could the Tigers get out of the bottom spot?! They went 4-2 this week and are 6-7 in May. Not exactly exciting news. But for how the season has gone for Detroit so far, this might be as good as it gets in 2021.
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
