MLB Power Rankings: The Elite Further Distance Themselves

On Sunday, Jerad Eickhoff finally looked like the pitcher the Phillies hoped he would be this season. If the youth movement is going to succeed, Eickhoff will need to develop into a top of the rotation starter. Otherwise, the Phillies may take even longer to contend than they expect.. . Previous: 30th. Philadelphia Phillies. 30. team. 6

team. 127. Maybe the Padres are not the most talented team out there, but they are going to battle until the final out. Taking two of three from Cleveland may not matter this season, but it can give the young Padres a dose of confidence as they continue the rebuild.. . Previous: 29th. San Diego Padres. 29

San Francisco Giants. 28. team. 40. In some ways, the Giants may be in the worst spot of any of the teams in the basement. Not only did they expect to contend, but their trade chips are not considered all that valuable around the league. San Francisco may need to pin their hopes on improved health and Madison Bumgarner for 2018.. . Previous: 28th

Previous: 27th. Oakland Athletics. 27. team. 96. If the Oakland Athletics make the right moves, their rebuild could get a huge boost this month. Players like Sonny Gray, Jed Lowrie, Sean Doolittle, and Yonder Alonso could bring significant returns in the trade market, helping to spur Oakland forward..

Toronto Blue Jays. 26. team. 39. Speaking of disappointment, we have the Blue Jays. At this point, it is time to dismantle the roster, sending pitchers Marco Estrada and Francisco Liriano elsewhere. And if they can find someone to take the animated remains of Troy Tulowitzki off their hands, so much the better.. . Previous: 25th

New York Mets. 25. team. 3. Maybe someday, the Mets roster will be healthy. Of course, that seems unlikely to happen before 2018. Until then, continue to invest heavily in bubble wrap manufacturers in the New York area, as the Mets injury woes have gone beyond a curse.. . Previous: 19th

Detroit Tigers. 24. team. 63. While the Tigers have struggled this season, they have to be surprised by the turnaround Anibal Sanchez has displayed since his return to the majors. In his four outings, he has a 3.09 ERA and a 0.857 WHiP, striking out 22 batters against four walks in 23.1 innings, Suddenly, he may be a useful trade piece.. . Previous: 23rd

As the White Sox continue to plummet down the standings, the Jose Quintana trade rumors are set to begin once again. Five teams were in Colorado to watch his most recent outing, and offers could be coming soon. But will Quintana be traded at the deadline?. . Previous: 21st. Chicago White Sox. 23. team. 128

team. 11. Another international signing period, another flurry of trades for minor prospects as the Orioles unload signing slots. For a team without a true impact prospect, the refusal to dip into that pool is starting to become akin to the definition of insanity,. . Previous: 22nd. Baltimore Orioles. 22

. Previous: 26th. Cincinnati Reds. 21. team. 61. After two horrendous outings when he came off the disabled list, Homer Bailey had two excellent outings last week, in Colorado and Arizona of all places. He allowed just two runs in his 12.2 innings, getting ground ball after ground ball. He is still allowing too many hits, but it is great to see some positive signs.

20. team. 17. The Braves were deader than Mili Vanilli’s music career, but all of a sudden, they came back from the depths of the National League. Now, they are hovering around the .500 mark, and are starting to become interesting. Maybe they are not a playoff team, but they are no longer pushovers.. . Previous: 18th. Atlanta Braves

team. 4. Speaking of comebacks, how about Andrew McCutchen? He appeared to be a shadow of his former self for almost a full calendar year, but is now back to his former MVP status. If he is indeed on the trade block, the Pirates could get quite the return for his services.. . Previous: 24th. Pittsburgh Pirates. 19

. Previous: 20th. Miami Marlins. 18. team. 82. The Marlins may not be going anywhere this season, but they are still a fun group to watch. Ichiro, despite not being the player he had been, continues to make history, as he became the all time leader for major league hits by a foreign born player.

2. Somehow, despite a -60 run differential, the Twins continue to hang around the postseason picture. However, if a team is pinning their hopes on a 44 year old Bartolo Colon to help the rotation, there are a lot of problems. When does the other shoe drop in Minnesota?. . Previous: 17th. Minnesota Twins. 17. team

Previous: 13th. Seattle Mariners. 16. team. 62. Of all the teams on this list, the Seattle Mariners may face the hardest decision as to whether or not to rebuild. With an aging roster and a rotation that has not been able to stay healthy, Jerry DiPoto may need to rethink his “all-in” plans for this season,.

It was a tale of two series. The Royals swept the Mariners, and were swept by the Dodgers. Given that the Dodgers are the best team in the game right now, the Royals have the moral victory of playing them tough. But that loss on Saturday, where the bullpen imploded, could come back to haunt them.. . Previous: 15th. Kansas City Royals. 15. team. 7

Previous: 14th. Los Angeles Angels. 14. team. 102. At some point, the Angels injuries will have to catch up to them, right? But with Mike Trout set to return after the All Star break, finding an upgrade to their pitching staff could give Los Angeles the push they need to sneak into the postseason..

9. Jon Lester had a game score of -3 on Sunday. Since 1913, only Kevin Tapani and Joe Coleman had a performance that bad. And yet, the outing could have been much worse, as six of the ten runs Lester allowed were unearned due to an error. Either way, it was a disaster.. . Previous: 11th. Chicago Cubs. 13. team

team. 33. Don’t look now, but here come the Cardinals. Seven games under .500 three weeks ago, they are two under now, and are making a push for the Central. If the Cardinals get hot and put some pressure on Milwaukee, it would not be a surprise. It is the Cardinals Way after all.. . Previous: 16th. St. Louis Cardinals. 12

126. The Rangers are another team that is hanging around the playoffs despite their best efforts otherwise. If their seemingly cursed bullpen can get healthy, and the Rangers can find a closer, there is still plenty of time to make a push for a Wild Card berth.. . Previous: 12th. Texas Rangers. 11. team

Tampa Bay Rays. 10. team. 21. Jacob Faria may well be the unsung hero of the Rays season. Tampa Bay has gone 5-1 in his six starts, and the 23 year old rookie has helped stabilize the rotation. Taking three of four from the Red Sox just proved that the Rays are for real this season.. . Previous: 9th

. Previous: 10th. Milwaukee Brewers. 9. team. 76. The Brewers have come to terms with the fact that this season may not be a mirage. In the hunt for help in their rotation, one has to wonder if Josh Hader will get a chance to start this season. If he can harness his command, Hader could be that ace the Brewers need.

team. 108. How strange has this season been? Kyle Freeland came two outs away from throwing a no hitter in Coors Field, an impressive accomplishment for anyone, let alone a rookie. While the Rockies are showing signs of fading, they are still very much in the hunt.. . Previous: 8th. Colorado Rockies. 8

. Previous: 6th. New York Yankees. 6. team. 43. In just over half a season, Aaron Judge has set a Yankees record for home runs by a rookie. At this point, one has to wonder if he is going to surpass Mark McGwire’s rookie record set back in 1987, when McGwire hit 49 homers for the A’s.