MLB Power Rankings: Kansas City Royals Making Their Move
Every so often, there is a team that can shake off a slow start and make an unexpected push for the playoffs in the middle of the season. The Kansas City Royals are doing just that as they move up the MLB power rankings this week.
Almost every year, there is a team that starts off slowly, seemingly playing their way out of a spot in the postseason within the first month. Then, slowly but surely, they right the ship, edging their way into contention. Suddenly, there they are, sitting within a few games of the division or a Wild Card spot, poised to go on another run through the postseason.
That is where the Kansas City Royals find themselves heading into Week 12 of the season. Buried in the bottom third of our MLB power rankings for much of the year, the Royals have gone on quite the run, winning seven of their last eight games. Sitting just two games under .500, they now find themselves within four games of the AL Central lead, and just two games out of a Wild Card spot.
On the other side of the coin, we have the Royals division foes, the Minnesota Twins. Despite a negative run differential, they had led the Central for much of the year. However, they have lost their last four games in a row, and were swept by the Indians this past weekend to drop out of first. Could it be that the other shoe has finally fallen, and the Twins will fade back into the pack? Or do they have one more run left in them?
Let us take a look over the past week, as we update our MLB power rankings heading into Week 12.
30. team. 6. It was a tough week for the Phillies, as three of their losses came in extra innings. The future in Philadelphia appears to be bright, but they just are not ready right now. The trade deadline should be interesting, as they do have a few pieces that could help a contending ballclub.. . Previous: 30th. Philadelphia Phillies
127. You have to hand it to the Padres. Even though they are not going anywhere this year, they are playing hard, and gave the Brewers a tough series. Once they get the pitching they need, the Padres could be a fun team to watch for years to come.. . Previous: 29th. San Diego Padres. 29. team
Previous: 28th. San Francisco Giants. 28. team. 40. This season has been a complete disaster for the Giants. Mark Melancon has not been the closer they hoped for, and the pitching staff as a whole has struggled. Eduardo Nunez has been the Giants second best hitter, which illustrates the lack of offensive punch the lineup has..
On the list of things that no one could have foreseen coming, the Oakland Athletics swept the Yankees in a four game series. Aside from whatever prospects they receive at the trade deadline, that could be the highlight of their season.. . Previous: 27th. Oakland Athletics. 27. team. 96
4. How much longer can the Pirates keep sending Chad Kuhl out to the mound every fifth day? He has a 1-6 record with a 5.61 ERA and has not lasted longer than five innings in any of his starts. Given the Pirates pitching prospects, it’s time for someone else to get a look.. . Previous: 23rd. Pittsburgh Pirates. 26. team
It was not that long ago that the Reds were the surprise of baseball. Over the past month, they have regressed back to being the team we expected at the start of the year. At least Joey Votto is continuing to do Joey Votto things.. . Previous: 18th. Cincinnati Reds. 25. team. 61
. Previous: 26th. Atlanta Braves. 24. team. 17. Seemingly every time the Braves start to drift to the basement, they go on a bit of a run and get close to .500. This past week has featured one of those small runs, as they won their series against the Nationals and Marlins.
23. team. 3. Another week, another injury to a key part of the Mets roster. At this point in time, manager Terry Collins should just cover his team in bubble wrap and hope for the best. Of course, someone would injure themselves pulling the bubble wrap out of the box with the way the season has gone.. . Previous: 21st. New York Mets
Miami Marlins. 22. team. 82. At this point in time, the Marlins off-field saga may be more interesting than the product on the field. It seemed to be a lock that Derek Jeter would be the eventual new owner, but ownership continues to waver. Given the concerns as to how profitable baseball in Miami can be, the quest for solid ownership could last for some time.. . Previous: 24th
11. What has gone wrong with Kevin Gausman? He appeared to be on the cusp of being a top of the rotation starter for the Orioles last year, before imploding to a 6.60 ERA and a 1.97 WHiP. His command has virtually disappeared, as he has walked 37 batters in just 75 innings. If the Orioles have a chance this season, he needs to get right in a hurry.. . Previous: 19th. Baltimore Orioles. 21. team
Just when it looked like the Cardinals were going to get back to .500, they once again began to struggle. Sitting 11.5 games out of the Wild Card, and six games under .500, it may be time for St. Louis to consider selling at the trade deadline.. . Previous: 17th. St. Louis Cardinals. 20. team. 33
7. Just two weeks ago, the Royals looked like their window of opportunity had closed for the foreseeable future. However, they have gone on a run, finding that magic that was so prevalent in 2014 and 2015. Does this team have one last hurrah left in them before free agency tears the roster apart?. . Previous: 25th. Kansas City Royals. 19. team
2. One has to wonder if this weekend was a sign of things to come with the Twins. Swept by the Indians, they have fallen to to two games out of first. Their -44 run differential is 25th in the game. Minnesota defied the odds for two months, but regression could be catching up to them.. . Previous: 16th. Minnesota Twins. 18. team
39. The Blue Jays are another team that looked as though they were about to vault back into contention. Instead, they have yet to reach the .500 mark all year, despite being one game under four different times in June. The pieces are there, but something is missing.. . Previous: 15th. Toronto Blue Jays. 17. team
16. team. 63. The third AL Central team in this section, the Detroit Tigers had quite a scare when Victor Martinez was hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat. Although he was released from the hospital on Sunday, chances are he will not be in the lineup for some time while he looks to get healthy once again.. . Previous: 20th. Detroit Tigers
Of all the teams in this edition of the MLB power rankings, the White Sox may be the most confusing. They still have a positive run differential, but sit six games under .500. If Jose Quintana was performing like the pitcher he has been, the White Sox could surprise.. . Previous: 22nd. Chicago White Sox. 15. team. 128
14. team. 62. The Seattle Mariners makeover looked like a disaster at the start of the year. Now, they have pulled their way back into the playoff hunt, and could go on a run. Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma will be back this week, giving the Mariners those needed reinforcements for the rotation.. . Previous: 14th. Seattle Mariners
. Previous: 11th. Chicago Cubs. 13. team. 9. Joe Maddon is blaming the Cubs struggles this season on their youth. Perhaps he should take a closer look at the pitching staff, where the entire rotation has regressed mightily this season. The young players may be struggling, but those pitching woes are of greater concern.
102. Who knew that Eric Young Jr. was another Mike Trout? In his 20 games, Young has a .323/.417/.516 batting line, hitting three homers and stealing six bases. Maybe it’s just something about playing in center for the Angels.. . Previous: 13th. Los Angeles Angels. 12. team
. Previous: 12th. Texas Rangers. 11. team. 126. Tyson Ross had not pitched in a major league game in over 14 months. One could barely tell, as he allowed just two runs on two hits and three walks in 5.2 innings, striking out five. If he can return to the form that made him an All Star, the Rangers could climb into the postseason picture.
Tampa Bay Rays. 10. team. 21. Jacob Faria has been a revelation since being promoted from Durham. In his three outings this season, he has allowed just three runs in 19.2 innings, while striking out 22 batters. He had dominated the International League, and has not missed a step thus far in the majors.. . Previous: 10th
. Previous: 9th. Milwaukee Brewers. 9. team. 76. The Brewers reached the 100 homer mark in 70 games, the fastest in franchise history, surpassing even the Harvey’s Wallbangers squads. Of course, since Eric Thames hit a homer, the Brewers have also gotten to 20 drug tests for one player faster than at any other time in team history as well.
7. team. 14. The Red Sox may have a nice record, but they have problems. At this point, Chris Sale is the only starter who has provided consistent innings. David Price has been hit or miss since returning from the DL, and last year’s Cy Young winner, Rick Porcello, has been a disaster. The Red Sox look as though they are primed for a fall.. . Previous: 7th. Boston Red Sox
Washington Nationals. 6. team. 90. It hasn’t made a difference so far because of how weak the NL East is, but the Nationals need to do something about their bullpen. For a team with World Series aspirations, that weakness could prove to be their Achilles’ Hell come the playoffs.. . Previous: 6th
8. Since being sent to the bullpen, Archie Bradley has dominated, posting a 1.13 ERA and a 0.84 WHiP. As teams continue to try to find their version of Andrew Miller, the Diamondbacks may have done just that with Bradley.. . Previous: 5th. Arizona Diamondbacks. 5. team
. Previous: 2nd. New York Yankees. 4. team. 43. The Yankees were flying high, and with series against the Angels and A’s, appeared to be in great shape to extend their lead in the AL East. Instead, the Red Sox and the Rays are closing in. The return of Aroldis Chapman helps, but how much of a difference will he make?
. Previous: 3rd. Colorado Rockies. 3. team. 108. The Colorado Rockies keep right on trucking along, as their young pitching has made a dramatic difference. Relying on three rookies in the rotation, the Rockies will only get better as Jon Gray nears his return. The question of who gets sent down will be a hard one.
Previous: 4th. Los Angeles Dodgers. 2. team. 71. We have not had a team stay in second for two consecutive weeks since Week 6. It’s the Dodgers turn this time, as they are hoping their six man rotation can perform well enough to disguise the shortfalls of every pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw..
Next: Tanaka may be staying in the Bronx
1. team. 135. At this point, the Astros may be the most complete team in baseball. They have certainly proven to be the top team in the game over the past few weeks, running away with the AL West and dominating the AL as a whole. In fact, it is hard to see a weakness on the Astros right now.. . Previous: 1st. Houston Astros