MLB Power Rankings: Pick Your Dumpster Fire Edition
Well, the first five weeks of the MLB season have been interesting to say the least. What does that mean in this week’s installment of the MLB Power Rankings?
One of the fun parts of the MLB Power Rankings is to look back at the start of the season and to see how different the results are at the end of the year. The same could be said at this point in the season, as teams that were expected to be contenders have proven otherwise, and those teams that were expected to be rebuilding have had surprising success.
And then, there are those teams that have just been complete disasters. For a variety of reasons, there have been a few teams this season that have been complete disappointments, be it injuries, ineffectiveness, or just a lack of cohesion in the clubhouse. And then, there are the New York Mets, whose situation with Matt Harvey is a dumpster fire of its own.
Likewise, there have been plenty of impressive displays on the field. Aaron Judge and Eric Thames do not appear to be slowing down any time soon. The Red Sox and Orioles have seen their rivalry explode. And Bartolo Colon continues to do Bartolo Colon things, albeit in a new city.
All in all, it has been an interesting first five weeks to the season. After a week hiatus, let us see where your favorite team ranks in this week’s edition of the MLB Power Rankings.
7. Of all the possible trade chips for the Kansas City Royals, Jason Vargas may bring back the biggest return. While he will not continue to produce a 1.19 ERA and a 0.928 WHiP over the course of the season, he looks like a completely different pitcher this year.. . Previous: 30th. Kansas City Royals. 30. team
Remember when the Giants seemed to be a contender? Was it really just a couple of weeks ago? With an 11-21 record and a -69 run differential, the worst in baseball, it is difficult to imagine that things will change soon.. . Previous: 28th. San Francisco Giants. 29. team. 40
127. After playing relatively well at the start of the year, one has to wonder if the Padres are coming back down to Earth. They have lost their last four games in a row, and have the second worst run differential in the game. At least San Diego fans knew this would be a rebuilding year.. . Previous: 27th. San Diego Padres. 28. team
team. 39. The best story for the Blue Jays may have been Joe Biagini’s start on Sunday. Pressed into service due to injuries, he allowed just an unearned run in four innings. He’ll get another turn in the rotation, and if he pitches well, could be an answer as the fifth starter.. . Previous: 29th. Toronto Blue Jays. 27
17. So much for the Braves dreams of contending. After having hopes of being decent this year, the Braves have the look of sellers once again. Given the Mets pitching situation, maybe they can send Bartolo Colon back to New York, where he’ll be given a hero’s welcome.. . Previous: 23rd. Atlanta Braves. 26. team
25. team. 96. Heading into this season, Yonder Alonso’s career high for homers was nine. He has already tied that mark in 2017. At 30 years old, it is highly unlikely that he has suddenly become a power hitter, but the A’s will certainly take that production.. . Previous: 24th. Oakland Athletics
. Previous: 22nd. Pittsburgh Pirates. 24. team. 4. Remember how the Pirates were desperate to get rid of Josh Harrison? Right now, he leads the team with five homers and a .305 batting average, while ranking second with a 1.1 WAR. If they had traded him as they hoped, just imagine how much worse Pittsburgh would be.
102. The Angels are hovering around .500 without most of their starting rotation, so there should be reason for optimism. However, Mike Trout has missed the last two games, and three of the past four, with hamstring issues. If he is out for any length of time, put a fork in the season.. . Previous: 20th. Los Angeles Angels. 23. team
3. Well, this season is turning into a dumpster fire for the Mets. Noah Syndergaard is on the 60 day DL because of a lat injury. Matt Harvey went AWOL, and has been suspended without pay. Harvey, meanwhile, has filed a grievance against being docked his paycheck. This will not end well.. . Previous: 19th. New York Mets. 22. team
As the Rangers continue to struggle, one of the more interesting rental players that could come available is Yu Darvish. He is starting to look like an ace once again, and should Texas find themselves out of contention, he could kickstart a rebuild in a hurry.. . Previous: 21st. Texas Rangers. 21. team. 126
62. The Mariners pitching staff has been decimated by injuries in the starting rotation, but they are starting to right the ship. Winners of two in a row, and six of their past ten, they may be able to work their way back into contention if they can hang on until the cavalry arrives.. . Previous: 25th. Seattle Mariners. 20. team
team. 82. Marcell Ozuna and his family are certainly sad to see the Rays leave. Not only does Ozuna have a hit in every game he has played against Tampa Bay in his career, but he belted ahome run that hit the Rays 2011 Wild Card banner. His wife hit a homer in the wives and girlfriends softball game against the Rays this past week as well.. . Previous: 12th. Miami Marlins. 19
team. 21. Right before our eyes, Jake Odorizzi is starting to become that top of the rotation arm he was projected to be. This year, he has a 2.88 ERA and a 0.760 WHiP, having struck out 20 batters in 25 innings, carrying on his strong showing in his last 13 starts in 2016. The break out is finally happening.. . Previous: 26th. Tampa Bay Rays. 18
team. 6. The Phillies may have lost eight of their past ten games, but they just played the Dodgers, Cubs, and Nationals, a daunting slate if there ever was one. While they may not be ready to contend this season, Philadelphia looks like it is going to surprise in 2017.. . Previous: 14th. Philadelphia Phillies. 17
So, who are the Twins? Are they the team from 2015 that contended for a postseason berth? Or are they the team from 2016 that struggled through the season. Five weeks into the year, we still do not know which team they will resemble.. . Previous: 13th. Minnesota Twins. 16. team. 2
Previous: 17th. St. Louis Cardinals. 15. team. 33. Don’t look now, but the Cardinals are back over .500. With their starting rotation helping to lead the way, St. Louis is starting to become a contender once more. The emerence of Kolten Wong as a viable option offensively certainly helps as well, as his defense can be a difference maker..
Previous: 16th. Milwaukee Brewers. 14. team. 76. It was the end of the world, as Eric Thames was in a slump. The opposition had finally figured him out, and he was going to return to pre-Korea levels. Well, he blasted his way out of that slump yesterday. Looks like he is making the adjustments he needed to..
Chicago White Sox. 13. team. 128. Avisail Garcia just keeps hitting. At this point, it may be more than a hot start, and the actual beginning of his becoming the player it was hoped he would be. The White Sox Triple Crown leader, the 26 year old may have finally figured everything out.. . Previous: 15th
Is it time to worry about Francisco Rodriguez? He has blown two saves in less than 24 hours, and served up a walkoff bomb to Ryon Healy. Rodriguez seemed to be walking a tightrope this year, and has fallen off.. . Previous: 11th. Detroit Tigers. 12. team. 63
team. 108. Want a sign of how this is a completely different Colorado Rockies team than what we’re used to? In their three games against the Diamondbacks at Coors Field, the Rockies allowed six runs. Even in their heyday, six runs was a decent game from the pitching staff. Ah, memories.. . Previous: 8th. Colorado Rockies. 10
61. Here me out – the Reds have a better record than the Cubs, the fifth best run differential in baseball, and Billy Hamilton looks like he figured out how to play baseball. If the pitching staff can continue to be solid, why can’t the Reds timetable to compete be moved up?. . Previous: 18th. Cincinnati Reds. 9. team
Previous: 9th. Boston Red Sox. 8. team. 14. Chris Sale struck out ten or more batters for the sixth game in a row yesterday. The only other pitchers to do that more than once? Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martinez. Talk about impressive company..
team. 8. Patrick Corbin had a solid start to the season. Then he went to Colorado, where he allowed eight runs on nine hits in four innings. Is that a sign of regression, or just a bad start in Colorado? His next outing is going to be interesting to watch.. . Previous: 5th. Arizona Diamondbacks. 7
. Previous: 7th. Los Angeles Dodgers. 6. team. 71. Cody Bellinger has played in 11 games, and he is already tied for the team lead with five home runs. Say what you will about Adrian Gonzalez, but unless Bellinger cools off, that elbow may be giving him some trouble.
11. Zach Britton was back from the disabled list, and then he went right back on the DL with the same ailment. At least he admitted that he rushed back and tried to force his way through the injury. however, the fact that he is going to see Dr. Neal ElAttrache is an ominous sign.. . Previous: 6th. Baltimore Orioles. 5. team
Chicago Cubs. 4. team. 9. Are the Cubs still dealing with a post World Series hangover? Maybe. Are their pitchers being squeezed with tight strike zones? Yes, according to Joe Maddon. Maybe, just maybe, he should worry less about robotic umpires and more about getting the Cubs back on track.. . Previous: 4th
135. Perhaps this is the year that Jose Altuve wins the MVP award. The Astros are running away with the AL West, and their sparkplug at second leads the league in steals and has hit five homers. If Houston continues to dominate, it will be hard to vote against Altuve.. . Previous: 3rd. Houston Astros. 3. team
Previous: 2nd. New York Yankees. 2. team. 43. The rebuild should not have happened this quickly. It was going to take some time for the Yankees young players to acclimate themselves to the Majors, and for the Evil Empire to return. Instead, that rebuild occurred in record time, with the Yankees looking like a machine once again..
Next: Stanton wants focus on Marlins
team. 90. Ryan Zimmerman is just not slowing down. He already has 13 homers, after hitting just 15 all of last year. Zimmerman is also only six doubles away from his total from 2016 as well. This has been quite the incredible comeback.. . Previous: 1st. Washington Nationals. 1