MLB Power Rankings: Week 5
12. Boston Red Sox (13-11)
The Red Sox came into the season with low expectations but after a sweep of the Pirates this weekend, Boston has a winning record. They have been hit by the injury bug with the latest hit being their young slugger, Tristan Casas, landing on the IL with a rib fracture. However, would you believe me if I told you the team leading the majors in ERA is the Red Sox? Led by Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford, Boston is 1st in the league with a 2.60 team ERA.
11. Cincinnati Reds (13-10)
The Reds are as inconsistent as they come. In their last three series they swept, got swept, then swept again. There’s a ton of young talent on this team, including the eclectic Elly De La Cruz, who has been playing highlight level baseball lately. Reds are just 1.5 games back of 1st in the NL Central.
10. Detroit Tigers (14-10)
The Tigers are keeping pace with the Royals for the second place position in the AL Central. Detroit continues to pitch the ball very well. Tarik Skubal though 5 starts is 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA. The offense needs to be better - their starting centerfielder, Parker Meadows, is hitting .086 (yikes).
9. Chicago Cubs (14-9)
The Cubs played the Marlins like 30 times last week…but they continue to win series and keep pace for the NL Central lead. Shota Imanaga has looked great to start his MLB career, starting 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA.
8. Milwaukee Brewers (14-8)
The Brewers continue to hold onto the top spot in the NL Central after a sweep of the Cardinals last weekend. William Conteras leads the team in batting average, RBI’s and hits and Brew Crew’s bats keep winning them games.
7. Philadelphia Phillies (15-9)
The Phillies had an easy time sweeping both the Rockies and White Sox last week. It’s a good sign they can take care of teams they should be beating and it has certainly helped them get back into the divisional race with the Braves. As expected, Trea Turner is off to a much better start this season, hitting .327.
6. Kansas City Royals (14-10)
The Royals dropped a series to the Orioles this weekend, perhaps showing they are not quite ready to be considered a top AL contender. I still like this team a lot however. They have a great pitching staff and a good mix of young and veratan talent. The Royals are going to be sticking around all season, I’ll bank on that.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (14-11)
The Dodgers have dropped three straight series to the Padres, Nationals, and Mets. I mentioned last week that even a small, bad stretch of games seems like a much bigger deal than it really is. LA typically gets off to slow starts but they still have their stars performing well and hopefully the pitching will continue to get healthier.
4. Cleveland Guardians (17-6)
It’s time to take the Guardians seriously. Winners of 8 of their last 9 games, Cleveland owns the best record and best run differential in baseball. Josh Naylor is putting himself on the map as one of the league’s best hitters starting the season hitting .321 with 6 HR and 20 RBI. This team is in the top 5 in most stats in both hitting and pitching - that’s gonna win you a lot of games.
3. Baltimore Orioles (15-8)
Another team on a hot streak is the Orioles, winning 7 of their last 8 games. Gunnar Henderson is following up his ROY season with 7 home runs already to start the year. Jordan Westburg is emerging as another star for Baltimore, hitting .316 with 5 HR and 17 RBI. This team can hit!
2. New York Yankees (16-8)
I know this has nothing to do with power rankings, but the Aaron Boone ejection was one of the funniest things I’ve seen during a baseball game. Anyway, the Yankees continue to play well, thanks in large part to the pitching staff holding down the fort while Garrit Cole continues to rehab an elbow injury. Carlos Rodon has turned things around after a rough year 1 in pinstripes.
1. Atlanta Braves (16-6)
The Braves took 5 of 6 games from the Astros and Rangers last week and have won 9 of their last 11 games overall. There’s really no surprise here from the Braves as they came into the season as a top World Series contender. Perhaps the only surprise is the reigning NL MVP, Ronald Acuna Jr, having hit only 1 home run so far.