MLB Power Rankings: Week 8
12. Boston Red Sox (22-20)
The Red Sox are hanging around. They’re nothing loud but they’ve been lurking quietly all season long as a team that many, myself included, predicted them to finish last in the AL East. Here they are in third place, with a winning record, and the best team ERA in baseball. Might be time to get to know this new look Boston team.
11. Seattle Mariners (23-20)
The Mariners remain in first place in the AL West after a 3-4 week against the Twins and Athletics. The division is looking to be weaker than we expected but Seattle still looks to be the best of the bunch so far thanks to one of the best pitching staffs in the league.
10. Chicago Cubs (24-19)
After tying the Brewers for the division lead, a 3-3 week has dropped them back down to second place. This team just can’t seem to catch a hot streak that they seem to be capable of. Shota Imanaga is running away with NL Rookie of the Year so far with a MLB leading 0.96 ERA.
9. Milwaukee Brewers (25-17)
I keep thinking the Brewers are gonna fall out of first place and yet, here they are still leading the way in the NL Central. Their offense has produced all season long led by their star catcher, William Contreras, who is hitting .352 with 5 home runs and 30 RBIs.
8. Minnesota Twins (24-17)
The Twins kick off a run of AL Central teams in the power rankings. They got two series wins against the Mariners and Blue Jays last week to keep pace in the tight division race. They currently sit just 2 games back of Cleveland with a big 3-game series with them this weekend.
7. Kansas City Royals (26-18)
The Royals went 5-2 against the Brewers and Angels last week and are 1.5 games behind the Guardians for first place. Seth Lugo is making his case for AL Cy Young who has a 1.66 ERA through 9 starts and leads the pitching staff in innings pitched and WAR.
6. Cleveland Guardians (27-16)
After a nice series win against the Tigers, Cleveland lost 3 of 4 games to the White Sox, the worst team in the league. That is not what you want to see from a first place team many consider to be overachieving. They have a huge weekend series against the Twins to battle for division supremacy.
5. Baltimore Orioles (26-14)
It felt weird to rank the Orioles this low but to be honest, these next 5 teams are the elite and will fluctuate weekly. The differences between them are a win or loss and a few runs better in differential. Baltimore is off to one of their best starts in franchise history and has everything going right.
4. New York Yankees (28-15)
The Yankees are letting everyone know the Orioles aren’t the only team to fear in the AL East. They have won 8 of their last 10 games and currently hold a 0.5 game lead in the division. On top of that, two of their biggest stars, Gerrit Cole and DJ LeMahieu are close to returning from their injuries.
3. Atlanta Braves (26-13)
After a tough 1-5 road trip, the Braves have won 6 of their last 7 games. Chris Sale (6-1, 2.54 ERA) and Reynaldo Lopez (2-1, 1.34 ERA) have stepped up big for an injury riddled pitching staff.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (30-13)
The Phillies have the most wins in baseball. They rank 2nd in runs scored, 3rd in batting average, 4th in slugging percentage, and 4th in ERA. They are in first place in the NL East. They have arguably the best 1-2-3 pitching rotation in the league and are led by Trea Turner (.343 batting average) and Bryce Harper (9 home runs) on offense. So why the hell aren’t they first in the rankings? Because….
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (29-15)
…The Dodgers have won 17 of their last 21 games. They have the largest division lead in baseball and best run differential. They rank 1st in MLB in runs scored, batting average, slugging percentage, and on base percentage. They have the 3rd best team ERA in the league and rank 2nd in batting average against. Tyler Glasnow is a leading Cy Young candidate and LA has the top 2 leading MVP candidates in Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani. So yeah, that’s why the Dodgers are still #1.