MLB Power Rankings: Astros or Red Sox? Red Sox or Astros?

With two weeks left in the season, are the Astros or Red Sox #1 in the MLB Power Rankings?

With just two weeks left in the regular season, there isn’t much mystery as far as the American League playoffs are concerned. As expected, the Red Sox, Astros, Indians and Yankees are near locks for the playoffs. This is what astute fans and prognosticators expected since the first day of spring training.

The surprise team in the AL this year has been the Oakland A’s. According to Spotrac, the A’s have the third-lowest payroll in baseball, at $80 million. This includes money spent on the 25-man roster, disabled list, etc. At the very top are the Red Sox, at $228 million. It’s hard not to root for this A’s team that will make the playoffs despite that monetary disadvantage.

Another great story in the AL is the Tampa Bay Rays, with a record of 82-66 despite the lowest payroll in baseball. The Rays and A’s have done the most with the least of any teams in baseball. The Rays, in particular, have done it by bucking conventional standards with their use of the “opener,” but have also used the tried and true method of developing good young talent.

With the A’s and Rays being such great stories, it’s easy to overlook just how good the Red Sox have been. Only six teams in the history of baseball have won 110 games in a season. The Red Sox need to go 7-5 over the last two weeks to become the seventh team to reach that mark.

While the AL has gone mostly as expected, there are surprises in the NL. The three division winners were expected to be the Nationals, Cubs and Dodgers. Of the three, only the Cubs are currently sitting atop their division. The Dodgers could still win the West, but the Nationals are very unlikely to win the East.

In the preseason, the NL wild card race was expected to be contested by a mix of teams that included the Cardinals, Brewers, Diamondbacks and Rockies. The Cardinals, Brewers and Rockies are still in the hunt, while the Diamondbacks have slipped back a bit because of big time bullpen problems.

The Atlanta Braves are the NL counterpart to the A’s in the AL. Expected to win roughly 75 games, the Braves are on pace to win 90. They have the great Ronald Acuńa, Jr. having a historic season for a 20-year-old, along with another great year from Freddie Freeman. The Braves arrived a year early and it’s been a fun ride so far.

Let’s get to the rankings. These rankings are based on a special formula that includes each team’s actual record, run-differential, expected record and how they’ve played since the All-Star break. I’ve included that information with each team in the list below.