MLB Power Rankings: Week 5
Pandamonium! No team has established themselves as better than the rest. This 2021 MLB season is wide open. Forget all the notions you had about what these teams were gonna be, it’s about to get real.
10 - Los Angeles Dodgers (18-17)
Wow, okay. Like Trevor Bauer, I’m pissed. They have dropped 5 series in a row and just flat out are not playing good baseball. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the problem is, they continue to be in the top 10 in most important stats and own a very good run differential. You could blame it on the infamous World Series hangover. I almost didn’t put them in my top 10 out of spite but I feel a drop from #1 to #10 is a fair assessment. BRUTAL!
9 - New York Yankees (18-16)
The Yankees are heating up after a slow start to the season. Giancarlo Stanton is absolutely obliterating baseballs right now, leading the team in batting average, home runs and RBIs. They are starting to get better quality pitching from guys not named Gerrit Cole.
8 - Houston Astros (18-16)
They felt the sting from New York fans the start the week but finished up with a series win against Toronto. They’re good, not great. And that’s all I have to say about that.
7 - Cleveland Indians (18-14)
The Indians have won 10 of their last 13 games and have surged into the top 10 this week. This despite being no-hit not once, but twice this season already! The offense, when they're not being no-hit, is well balanced and the pitching is dominating like expected. They own the best bullpen ERA in the league and are only a game back of the White Sox for the division lead.
6 - San Diego Padres (19-16)
This team is very boom or bust offensively but they continue to own the best team ERA in baseball. A series loss to the division leading Giants hurt but a weekend showdown against St. Louis this weekend will be another chance for them to prove themselves.
5 - Oakland Athletics (21-15)
This team continues to confuse me, as they have some of the worst team stats in the league and own a -10 run differential. Yet, they find ways to win games and have a 2-game lead in the AL West. They were tied with the Red Sox with the first team to reach 20 games. As the cliche goes, wins are wins, doesn’t matter how you get them.
4 - Chicago White Sox (19-13)
Another good week for the south siders, going 4-1 and taking over the top spot in the AL Central. They now own the league’s best run differential at +53. They are one of the few teams that are performing up to expectations right now.
3 - San Francisco Giants (20-14)
It’s not the Dodgers or Padres ruling the west, it’s the Giants. Buster Posey can still rake, leading the team with 8 home runs and 30 hits. Kevin Gausman is looking like a true ace, boasting a 3-0 record and 1.97 ERA while leading the team in strikeouts. The surprise from the west continues to excel with the other contenders failing to catch wind.
2 - St. Louis Cardinals (21-14)
The red birds are red hot, winning 9 of their last 11 games. We all know about how good Nolan Arenado is but they are getting contributions from all around the lineup - Dylan Carlson leads the team with a .303 batting average, Paul De Young leads the team with 7 home runs, and Tommy Edman leads the team with 41 hits. A well rounded offense is what it takes to win ball games in this era of baseball.
1 - Boston Red Sox (22-13)
This Red Sox team continues to play excellent baseball and honestly are the only team truly deserving of the #1 spot. The best offense in baseball is rolling led by the bats of JD Martinez, Rafael Devers, Alex Verdugo, and Xander Bogaerts. And the pitching, not too shabby either. Nathan Eovaldi has found his stuff again, E-Rod is doing his thing, and this kid Nick Pivetta, ever heard of him? You have now, how about a 5-0 record and a 3.19 ERA to start the season. Boston is back.