MLB power rankings: The early powerhouses, surprises, and duds
By Kevin Henry
12. Tampa Bay Rays (last ranking: 6)
The Rays dominated as they should in the season-opening series at home against the Baltimore Orioles, but have struggled once the Orioles left town. Corey Kluber has looked solid in his two starts and Brett Phillips continues to show people that you can actually have fun and make a difference while playing baseball.
11. New York Yankees (last ranking: 8)
Long live the legend who is Nestor Cortes, who continues to impress in the back end of the New York rotation. However, how is it that the Yankees continuously have problems with the Baltimore Orioles? Dropping two of three games in Baltimore, including the offense being blanked in a 5-0 loss on Sunday, before an off day and three-game series in Detroit isn’t the way to gain early-season momentum.
10. Seattle Mariners (last ranking: 15)
Logan Gilbert has a 0.90 ERA in two starts, striking out 11 over 10 innings. Matt Brash isn’t far behind with a 2.16 ERA and eight strikeouts in 8.1 innings. Seattle’s pitching potential gives this team plenty of hope that the postseason drought could actually come to an end.
9. Houston Astros (last ranking: 10)
Of course, one of the teams keeping that Seattle dream from potentially becoming a reality is Houston, who opened the season by taking three of four on the road against the Angels. Considering Houston started the season with 10 games on the road, and seven of those were against AL West competition, it’s a strong start to the season.