MLB Power Rankings: Week 17
10 - New York Yankees (57-49)
The Yankees are finally starting to play like a postseason contender. The pitching, overall, has actually been very good. They added depth to the offense with two big left handed bats in Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo. I don’t think it’s enough to overtake the Red Sox and Rays for the division but they have a real shot at a Wild Card spot.
9 - Oakland Athletics (60-48)
I really want this team to be better but I don’t believe they have what it takes to compete with the Astros for the AL West division. With the AL Wild Card race wide open, I am worried they might even make the postseason. They are very top heavy and that depth could be a problem with 2 months left in the season.
8 - San Diego Padres (62-47)
The Padres are in a strange spot as we head down the stretch. The pitching has not been great as of late and they lost out on getting Max Scherzer at the trade deadline. They did add hits leader Adam Frazier but Fernando Tatis continues to have problems with his shoulder injury. They will still be a postseason team but it looks like a wild card spot is the best they’ll get with the NL West looking out of reach.
7 - Boston Red Sox (63-45)
Boston dropped a huge series against the Rays last weekend and find themselves in second place in the AL East. They also didn’t do enough to address their pitching issues at the trade deadline. Yes, they will be getting Chris Sale back, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be the same. It will be interesting to see how this team holds up down the stretch.
6 - Milwaukee Brewers (64-44)
The Brewers have been quietly playing some of the best baseball in the league over the last couple months. I considered ranking them higher on this list but the offense is a question mark for me. They rank bottom third in the league in hitting but they did add Eduardo Escobar at the trade deadline but it may not be enough. The pitching, however, is elite and is a scary matchup for any team who faces them in the postseason.
5 - Chicago White Sox (63-44)
The White Sox do everything well, they rank top 10 in the league in almost every category in both team pitching and team hitting. Tony La Russa still sucks but he’s doing something right in Chicago. They added Craig Kimbrel to the back end of the bullpen at the trade deadline to pair with closer Liam Hendriks, which is a deadly combo.
4 - Tampa Bay Rays (64-44)
The Rays were able to pull off a huge sweep of the Red Sox to take over first place in the AL East. It really is incredible that Tampa Bay continues to play winning baseball despite ranking 23rd in the league in team batting average. The pitching has been so well rounded and they probably play the best team game in baseball.
3 - Houston Astros (65-42)
You can make all the jokes you want about how the Astros offense is the best in baseball to this point but the fact is this team is legit and they are ready to make yet another World Series run. They have a big test this week as they head to Dodger Stadium for the first time with fans since the sign stealing scandal.
2 - Los Angeles Dodgers (64-44)
The time is now for the Dodgers to make a run. They are the healthiest they have been all season and they just added Max Scherzer and Trea Turner at the trade deadline. A lot of people have the Dodgers number 1 in their rankings because of the recent additions to the roster. However, they aren’t playing like the best team in baseball right now. They have to prove more if they wanna take over the top spot.
1 - San Francisco Giants (67-40)
The Giants have been top dogs in baseball for most of the season and they continue to win huge games, taking 5 of 7 games from the Dodgers over the last two weeks. On paper, they shouldn’t be here but they have definitely earned my respect as a major threat to take the NL West crown. They traded for former MVP Kris Bryant to add to an already lethal offense.