MLB Power Rankings: A Tale of Missed Opportunities
Over the past week, several teams had a chance to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division. Those failures had an impact upon this week’s edition of the MLB power rankings.
Heading into this week, there was an opportunity for several teams to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division. The Cleveland Indians were set to face the reeling Minnesota Twins, who they annihilated the previous weekend. This time, the Twins got their revenge, sweeping the three game set and retaking the division. In doing so, the streaking Kansas City Royals also pulled ever closer in the Central, as they finally got to the .500 mark.
Staying with the Central, over in the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers had a chance to put some distance between themselves and the Chicago Cubs. As the Brew Crew were set to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves, it was a great chance to gain some momentum and increase their lead. Instead, they struggled, going 3-4 in the week to fall back to the pack.
The Tampa Bay Rays were another team to miss their chance this week. Facing a Baltimore Orioles team that was unable to get anyone out, they lost two of three in the series. However, as the Red Sox and Yankees both lost two in a row to end the week, the Rays did not lose any ground.
How much did these missed opportunities impact this week’s MLB power rankings? Let us find out.
Previous: 30th. Philadelphia Philllies. 30. team. 6. It is not a surprise that the Phillies would be looking for opportunities for the younger players, making their decision to move on from <strong><a rel=.
San Francisco Giants. 29. team. 40. The Giants find themselves in an unfamiliar spot as sellers, but it remains to be seen how much they can get for their players. <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 28th
127. It won’t always be pretty, but the Padres continue to play hard. Perhaps the perfect illustration to this season was <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 29th. San Diego Padres. 28. team
The hope was that <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 25th. Cincinnati Reds. 27. team. 61
Well, we won’t be Vogting for Stephen any longer in Oakland. The Athletics have fully embraced the youth movement, scuttling the fan favorite catcher as they look to give younger players a chance. It may work for the long term, but it was certainly a sad moment for the fanbase.. . Previous: 27th. Oakland Athletics. 26. team. 96
3. Two weeks into the MLB power rankings this year, the Mets were ranked fourth. Since then, injuries and miserable play have led to their free fall down the standings. This week, the oft injured <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 23rd. New York Mets. 25. team
When looking at the most disappointing teams of the season, the Detroit Tigers have to be near the top of the list. They have officially opened the doors for business, and are looking to move some of their veteran players. The biggest question: will General Manager Al Avila trade his son Alex?. . Previous: 16th. Detroit Tigers. 24. team. 63
The Orioles made history this week, as they allowed five or more runs in 20 consecutive games. This tied the 1924 Phillies for the longest streak in baseball’s modern era. At least they snapped the streak on Saturday, and are on a two game winning streak.. . Previous: 21st. Baltimore Orioles. 23. team. 11
The White Sox record is atrocious, but their run differential is a mere -4. Based on their Pythagorean record, they should be hovering right around .500. As they learn how to win in the next few years, the White Sox could be a dangerous team in the Central.. . Previous: 15th. Chicago White Sox. 22. team. 128
Previous: 26th. Pittsburgh Pirates. 21. team. 4. Even in the midst of a disappointing season, the Pirates are hanging around the Central, just 4.5 games out of first. <strong><a rel=.
team. 17. Last year, the Braves began to play well in the second half of the season, helping <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 24th. Atlanta Braves. 20
19. team. 33. Is it time for the Cardinals to do the unthinkable in St. Louis and sell? Although no one has taken command of the NL Central, it is difficult to envision that the Cardinals will be able to go on a run and challenge for the postseason. The ‘For Sale’ sign may need to come out of mothballs.. . Previous: 20th. St. Louis Cardinals
team. 7. Don’t look now, but here come the Royals. They have not lost a single series in the month of June, and have gotten back to the .500 mark. Sitting just 2.5 games out of first, the Royals may well look to add to the core for one last hurrah before free agency decimates the team.. . Previous: 19th. Kansas City Royals. 18
39. Nine times, the Blue Jays have had a chance to get to .500. They have lost all nine of those games. However, those issues on the field are nothing compared to what closer <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 17th. Toronto Blue Jays. 17. team
team. 82. Facing the Nationals and the Cubs, one would have expected that it would be a difficult week for the Marlins. Instead, they held their own, producing a winning week. If the Marlins keep their core together, and can add a starter this offseason, they could be a surprise team in 2018.. . Previous: 22nd. Miami Marlins. 16
team. 62. In his first start back from the disabled list, King Felix made history. With the 13-3 victory, he became the all time wins leader in MLB history for any pitcher from Venezuela. Another team that has climbed to .500 for the first time, the Mariners could be poised for a postseason run if they can get healthy.. . Previous: 14th. Seattle Mariners. 15
14. team. 2. A week after being left for dead, look at who is back in the lead in the AL Central. A sweep over the Cleveland Indians has put the Twins back on the map as a possible playoff team, despite a run differential that indicates they are playing far beyond their ability. If this keeps up, the Twins could be one of the more pleasant surprises of the season.. . Previous: 18th. Minnesota Twins
102. Seriously, what the hell has gotten into <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 12th. Los Angeles Angels. 13. team
9. It may have been a surprise that <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 13th. Chicago Cubs. 12. team
. Previous: 10th. Tampa Bay Rays. 11. team. 21. It turns out that <strong><a rel=
Milwaukee Brewers. 10. team. 76. For as well as Eric Thames has played this year, he certainly misses <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 9th
Texas Rangers. 9. team. 126. The Rangers may be facing another closer conundrum. Although he closed out Sunday’s game without issue, <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 11th
7. team. 14. As much as we want to focus on the Red Sox issues at third base, the bigger question may involve <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 7th. Boston Red Sox
Previous: 4th. New York Yankees. 6. team. 43. The Yankees finally snapped their seven game losing streak, but continued to struggle. They also finally got rid of <strong><a rel=.
Previous: 3rd. Colorado Rockies. 5. team. 108. The Rockies had a chance to establish themselves as the dominant team in the NL West. Instead, they lost two of three to the Diamondbacks and were swept by the Dodgers. In such a tight division, with almost no margin for error, this week could be the difference later in the season..
Washington Nationals. 4. team. 90. It may be time for the Nationals to send <strong><a rel=. . Previous: 6th
. Previous: 5th. Arizona Diamondbacks. 3. team. 8. No <strong><a rel=
. Previous: 1st. Houston Astros. 2. team. 135. After spending five consecutive weeks atop the MLB power rankings, the Astros have fallen from the top spot. Nonetheless, they are easily the class of the American League, holding a ten game lead for the top seed. The road to the World Series, at least on the AL side, runs through Houston.
Previous: 2nd. Los Angeles Dodgers. 1. team. 71. Despite holding the top spot, the Dodgers have issues. They were already looking for starting pitching, and that was before the news that Julio Urias tore his anterior capsule in his pitching shoulder. He will miss the rest of this year, and likely most of next year as well. Given the checkered past of the pitchers that suffered the same injury, it may be fair to wonder if he will ever come back to form..