MLB Power Rankings: A Giant leap, a Brave tumble, and how bout them Mets? – The Athletic

Every week, we ask all of our baseball writers both the local scribes and thenational team to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results, the TA30.

In the past week, if you didnt lose a key player to injury, unleash a rookie pitcher with absurd fastball velocity, or for no apparent reason intentionally walk Corey Seager with the bases loaded were you even trying to get our attention?

This weeks Power Rankings are brought to you by the color (Hunter) Greene, the No. 4 (as in four fingers and a walk to first base), and the letters I and L (cant we have Byron Buxton for just one full season, please?).

Anyway, 10 games are obviously enough to pass final judgment on these teams, so spoiler alert! dont read ahead if you dont want to know exactly what the standings are going to look like in six months. You can yell at Chad Jennings in the comments about the American League teams, and at Zach Buchanan for the National League clubs.

Record as of 4/18: 7-2Last Power Ranking:1

Our guys, the baseball-ops guys, do a great job of identifying guys with low-hanging fruit, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday after reclamation project Andrew Heaney struck out 11 batters and allowed only one hit over six scoreless innings against the Reds. The comment raises a question: Why are the other 29 teams letting the Dodgers go after the low-hanging fruit? Have you seen their payroll? Surely they can afford a ladder. Make those rich boys work a little harder, right?

That partly explains why the Dodgers top our rankings again this week. Until another team proves it, theyre the team to beat. They have the resources, the players and the brain trust. They use their financial might to land stars (Freddie Freeman) and their analytical acumen to turn one-year deals like Heaneys into star turns. They have Clayton Kershaw a man singlehandedly keeping The Athletics Andy McCulloughs closet full of flannel shirts and skinny jeans tossing seven perfect innings in his 15th major-league season.

Maybe theres a fatal flaw somewhere, but until many Bothans die to bring us that information, we have to assume they are the best team in baseball.

Record as of 4/18: 6-4Last Power Ranking: 2

The Rangers went out and signed Marcus Semien. So, the Blue Jays beat them two out of three to open the season. The Yankees went and traded for Josh Donaldson a mainstay of great Toronto teams of the recent past and so the Blue Jays went into Yankee Stadium and let Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just go nuts. For a nice, relaxing weekend, the Jays took two out of three from the poor, depleted As.

So, yeah, the Blue Jays look good. They havent been unstoppable we left out the part where they were shut out twice, and their early run differential isnt blowing anyone away but theyve more or less shown why we have them this high on the list.

An interesting test comes in the next two weeks. First, the Blue Jays will go on the road to play the Red Sox and Astros. Then theyll come home to play you guessed it the Red Sox and Astros. After that, theyll host the Yankees, go on the road to play the Guardians, then go back to Yankee Stadium, and stay on the road to play the Rays. Obviously, we here at The Athletic think the Blue Jays are going to be pretty good. Well know pretty soon whether were giving them too much credit or if theyre really a World Series favorite.

And, of course, weare thinking of Buck Martinezand wishing him the best.

Record as of 4/18:7-3Last Power Ranking:7

Call us Steve Cohen, because were apparently buying the Mets.

New York has claimed a series victory against each of its first three opponents, and the Mets have recorded the second-best run differential in baseball while doing it. Francisco Lindor is the king of Queens. The rotation has allowed just six runs in 10 games, and thats withoutJacob deGrom. As they say, you never overlook an orchid while searching for a rose. No, thats not one of those $10 literary quotes Tim Britton puts at the top of his Monday columns. That came from the mouth of manager Buck Showalter. Apparently, its about the bullpen.

Now, two of those three series wins were against the lowly Nationals and Diamondbacks, so moderate your expectations accordingly. Also, note that these are the New York Mets. That limb may look sturdy, but Im not sure Id hang a hammock from it.

Record as of 4/18:7-2Last Power Ranking:9

I havent read the comments sections from our previous rankings this year, but Giants fans are OK with this placement, yeah? San Francisco jumped five spots, so Im sure a lot of thumbs-ups are coming my way in the comments. Maybe even a few nice handwritten notes. Our commenters will delight in all the wonderful things going on in the Bay Area, like the Giants terrific pitching staff and Alyssa Nakken making coaching history. I cant imagine the discourse would devolve into an argument over two things that dont actually mean anything these rankings and the so-called unwritten rules.

Anyway, while San Francisco generated headlines for trying to win games while those games were still in progress, they still somehow more quietly, you know, won games. They have claimed five consecutive victories. Logan Webb and Carlos Rodn are looking like aces. The bats are doing enough and will eventually carry more of the load.

Nothing to get upset about! No notes!

Record as of 4/18: 6-3Last Power Ranking: 6

My math is fuzzy, but the White Sox have something like 80 percent of their roster on the injured list. Or maybe it just feels like that after what they went through last year with Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert. Losing A.J. Pollock, Yon Moncada and a whole bunch of pitchers just feels like a lot right out of the gate.

But the White Sox still have managed to win every series so far. Theyve beaten Robbie Ray and gotten a lift from Dylan Cease. And when one of the teams problems is finding enough at-bats for a guy as talented as Andrew Vaughn, it perhaps doesnt need too much of our sympathy.

Also, Robert is healthy from Day 1 this year. Hes off to a slow start, but its just a matter of time before he lifts this lineup to another level.

Record as of 4/18: 5-4Last Power Ranking: 5

How do the Astros remain among the favorites despite losing George Springer and Carlos Correa in consecutive offseasons? Well, it helps to pull a useful arm out of a car wash, and to have a shortstop of the future make an immediate impact in the present, and to have 39-year-old Justin Verlander return from Tommy John surgery still looking like Justin Verlander.

And when a lineup that still has Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Yordan lvarez (before he got hurt) doesnt come out of the gate blistering hot, it helps to have the pitching staff pick up enough slack to stay competitive in the early going. The Astros are only a game over .500, but their roster still looks plenty good enough, especially in the AL West. Are we really supposed to have more faith in the Angels or Mariners? Clearly, were not there yet.

Record as of 4/18: 5-5Last Power Ranking: 8

The last time Luis Severino was eligible for Baseball America prospect lists, the outlet wrote this about his demeanor:

Severino presents an air of confidence in both himself and his repertoire at all times, and his demeanor helps keep him from getting flustered when breaks dont go his way behind him.

I was covering the Yankees when Severino flew through the upper levels of the minor-league system to debut in 2015. He was an All-Star two years later, and an All-Star again the year after that. But he came into this season having thrown just 18 big-league innings since 2018. Hes still just 28 years old, and a little too easy to overlook. His first two starts have been encouraging, especially his most recent five scoreless innings against the Blue Jays. The highest ERA in the Yankees rotation right now belongs to Gerrit Cole. (Though, thats mostly Vlads fault.)

And I wrote this about Severino, because Im not sure what to say about Nestor Cortes except for his numbers: 9 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 walk, 17 strikeouts.

Record as of 4/18: 5-6Last Power Ranking:3

Uh oh, Atlanta has taken a bit of a tumble.

The returns out of the gate havent been great. The reigning champs split with the Reds and Padres, two teams who choked their way out of playoff spots last year. They lost a series to the rebuilding Nationals. They have a losing record and a negative run differential, and if last year taught us anything about baseball, its that you have to be immediately awesome in April to have a chance at a title. Oh well, time to look forward to the draft.

Of course, Atlanta will be fine. New addition Matt Olson is raking thanks to a $150 little red pitching machine that the cheapskate As are pretty upset he took with him. Theres a reliever named Spencer Strider who throws 100 mph, and if youve read ahead, you know he winds up the king of Gondor. Ronald Acua Jr. is on the comeback trail from last years knee surgery and could be walloping homers atop the lineup within a matter of weeks. Too bad hell miss this weeks reunion with best friend Freddie Freeman in Los Angeles.

Record as of 4/18: 5-3Last Power Ranking:11

Lets play a game. Its called Guess What Miles Mikolas Is Talking About Here: I could put some music on, burn some sage and just let it rip for an hour and a half, two hours, and not really be interrupted.

Working out in his garage, exactly. Its so blindingly obvious. What isnt so obvious is whos going to win the NL Central. Right now, our writers are calling the Cardinals the favorite, despite the fact that theyve won only one division title in the last six years. The Brewers just won 95 games a year ago and its not like they got worse. Yet here St. Louis is, and here Milwaukee isnt. Maybe our writers prefer Budweiser.

Its not like the Cardinals are pretenders, of course. The offense is powerful (even if many of its components havent been yet) and the rotation might be underrated. Id still pick the Brewers to surpass them at some point, but maybe it is 2011 again. Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina arent here for an 11th-anniversary reunion of the last St. Louis team to win a title.

Record as of 4/18: 5-5Last Power Ranking: 4

In their first five games, the Rays didnt have a single pitcher accumulate five innings. No starter went that deep out of the rotation, and no reliever pitched that much through multiple appearances out of the bullpen. In true Rays fashion, they spread the workload from 36-year-old Corey Kluber to 22-year-old Luis Patino and made it work, yet again taking an early lead in the AL East by winning four of their first five.

Of course, then they lost four of their next five to now sit at an even .500 for the season.

Most of their losses were close, but most of their wins were against the Orioles and As. So, what should we make of them? Do we ever know what to make of them? The Rays seem to always find a way, but their first 10 games have been uneven enough to see a meaningful drop in our rankings.

Record as of 4/18: 5-4Last Power Ranking: 14

Heres the thing: I cover the Red Sox for a living, and even Im not sure whether this ranking is too high or too low. Its not hard to imagine a scenario in which the Red Sox are a top-10 team again, and its not hard to come up with reasons to pick them closer to the bottom. Theyve been alright so far. Not always great, but not always bad. A good start by Tanner Houck gave the Red Sox back-to-back wins and kept them above .500.

And, truth be told, a lot of the focus around the Red Sox these days is on the future: whether theyre going to lose Xander Bogaerts, whether they can possibly extend Rafael Devers, and whether Triston Casas can be hitting cleanup by the start of summer. Whether this teams actually any good, well probably have to wait a while to find out. For now, weve ranked them somewhere in the middle.

Record as of 4/18:6-5Last Power Ranking:15

For a guy batting .219, Wil Myers sure likes to tell young players how and when they should try to get on base. I guess Myers has a .524 OPS because he doesnt want to hurt anyones feelings.

The Padres are holding on until Let The Kids Play poster boy Fernando Tats Jr. is back from injury, although its hardly as if the roster is barren without him. Theyve got Manny Machado, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. MacKenzie Gore is here, as is C.J. Abrams. Eric Hosmer is off to a hot start, meaning every GM in the game has received a text from A.J. Preller that says, What about now?

The Padres may be sensitive, but theyre probably good.

Record as of 4/18: 5-5Last Power Ranking:10

It was a week of milestones for the Brewers. Josh Hader picked up his 100th save. Hoby Milner got his first win after a record-long streak of no-decisions to start his career, which judging by his name began in 1902. The Brewers also welcomed a new celebratory gesture borne of a clubhouse prank that involved waking Aaron Ashby up with smelling salts.

Did they save any for the offense? The Brewers, a self-styled contender, have scored the second-fewest runs in the NL to start the year. Theyll probably be fine, but its worth keeping an eye on. Milwaukee wasnt known for its bats last year either, and the Brewers lack of firepower cost them in the playoffs against Atlanta. Theres a lot hanging on Christian Yelich being amazing again.

Still, this ranking feels a bit light. Ill be sure to have a stern talking-to with my coworkers, which is why Im so popular.

Record as of 4/18: 6-4Last Power Ranking: 16

Say this much for manager Joe Maddon: He made sure baseball took notice of the Angels for something other than Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani.

No matter what the final score suggests (the Angels won), Fridays decision to intentionally walk Corey Seager with the bases loaded in the fourth inning of a one-run game did not work. It avoided a grand slam, sure, but every runner ahead of Seager came around to score anyway. The Angels were able to win, but only because Trout reached base three times, Ohtani homered twice, both Jared Walsh and Jo Adell also went deep, and three relatively new relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

Maybe the old narrative of the Angels was right all along. Even when Maddon does something weird even by Maddon standards.

And, for Petes sake, can someone please claim Kyle Tyler and keep him.

Record as of 4/18: 5-5Last Power Ranking: 12

Ill be honest, until it came time to submit my vote for these Power Rankings and to write these capsules for the Power Rankings I had no idea what was happening with the Mariners. I started clicking around expecting to find nothing but stories about Julio Rodriguez and Robbie Ray, and instead discovered this headline: PTBNL to future ace? How the Mariners acquired Matt Brash for next to nothing.

Id never heard of that guy, and in the excitement about Rodriguez making the Opening Day roster, Id kind of forgotten about the pre-lockout deal for Adam Frazier and the post-lockout trade for Jesse Winker.

Point is, the Mariners lineup might be stronger than Id remembered, and their rotation looks deeper than I realized. Theyve come out of the gate a bit uneven, but I dont know, Im willing to start paying a little more attention.

Record as of 4/18:4-6Last Power Ranking: 16

Someone needs to tell Alec Bohm theres a reason players cover their mouths with their mitts, although I suppose its not breaking news that his glovework could use some improvement. But seriously, has anyone gone from goat to hero, from boos to cheers, so quickly in Philadelphia? All because he expressed himself honestly, both in his frustration and in his contrition. If more players did the same, itd be a more entertaining game.

It would be similarly more entertaining if the Phillies would figure out how to play like the potential juggernaut they are, a task to which Dave Dombrowski has set himself. Look at that roster. Lots of good players. Great ones, even. Theyve got good pitchers! Theyve got good hitters! Theyve got good fiel theyve got good hitters!

Anyway, read this Matt Gelb piece about James Norwood coping with the recent loss of his father. Its a great example of the value of clubhouse access.

Record as of 4/18: 4-5Last Power Ranking: 22

We know, we know. Your favorite team is in the wrong spot on this list. Were either not giving your team enough credit, or youre the glass-half-empty type and think your starting nine should be even lower. Like Kenny Lofton as a Hall of Fame candidate, ranch dressing as a dipping sauce, or that weird dress that was different colors on Twitter, well just have to agree to disagree.

But arent we all on board with Steven Kwan? Cant we all find common ground on this dude who doesnt swing and miss, and has a backstory that somehow includes playing pinball as a preschooler? If youre not on board yet, read Zack Meisels story about Kwan. Im not sure its possible to dislike this guy.

And if we cant agree on Kwan, theres always Jos Ramirez.

Record as of 4/18:5-4Last Power Ranking: 20

These Cubs might be all right. Not great, but not lovable losers. More like lovable mediocrities.

If youre a Cubs fan, the key this year is the lovable part. And whats not to love about Seiya Suzuki, who enters Monday with a .400 average and a 321 OPS+? Time will tell if the Cubs can successfully rebuild the plane in the air to see how that can go wrong, look at the Diamondbacks but there are intriguing pieces here. Nick Madrigal and Nico Hoerner could man the middle of the Wrigley infield for years. There are prospects on the rise, and the Cubs may have figured out how to develop pitchers.

Things on the North Side could be worse.

Record as of 4/18: 3-6Last Power Ranking: 18

The Twins won on Friday, a good win against a good-enough Red Sox team. Miguel San went deep. Gary Sanchez drove in a couple of runs. Joe Ryan looked good. It should have been a good day.

But, Byron Buxton.

He got hurt again in that win against the Red Sox. His latest knee injury doesnt seem to be a worst-case scenario he could miss as little as a week or so but still, its another injury to an outrageously talented (he was slugging .750) but devastatingly fragile (only one season of more than 300 at-bats) should-be megastar. Oh, and the Buxton injury came two days after Alex Kirilloffs wrist landed him on the injured list as well. Its just not fair.

Cant the Baseball Gods reward the Twins for bringing in Carlos Correa, and not curse them with another visit from the injury bug?

Record as of 4/18:6-3Last Power Ranking:24

So, Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland is headed to an arbitration hearing next month, and the salary difference in dispute isnt small: nearly $1.4 million. Hearings arent fun to begin with, but imagine how weird it is to have one in the middle of the season. Freelands 2022 numbers arent admissible, for lack of a better term good news for him, considering his current ERA is 10.00 but do we really think the arbitrator will have no idea how hes pitching at the time? And do we really think that awareness wont affect the arbitrator in any way?

But thats more than a month away. Right now, the Rockies are winning. They havent lost a series. Marquee addition Kris Bryant talked about his decision to come to Colorado, noting that hed like to help the Rockies win the way he did with the Cubs.

Its already working!

Record as of 4/18: 4-5Last Power Ranking: 17

After spending a few days in Detroit and coming away thinking the Tigers could be pretty decent this season, I checked in with Cody Stavenhagens Twitter feed expecting to see breathless musings of Spencer Torkelsons feats of strength. Instead, I got this:

And those were all within 21 minutes of one another (and said nothing of the wait to get Riley Greenes broken foot healed, and it was before Matt Manning got hurt). The Tigers still have the makings of an interesting team. Middle-of-the-pack maybe theyre ranked here for a reason but at the very least, they could be a factor if a few things break in their favor (like Torkelson living up to the hype, and Austin Meadows returning to form). Gotta get and stay, healthy, though. Thats been a challenge.

Record as of 4/18: 4-5Last Power Ranking: 19

Fittingly for a team with three players named Jesus, Miami won on Easter Sunday. If not for two walk-off losses in their first nine games, the Marlins would have a winning record. Is this the year they make a noticeable jump?

Eh, probably not. But it probably will be another year that Jazz Chisholm Jr. is incredibly fun to watch, and a year that the Marlins again have one of the best pitching staffs in the game. Jess Luzardo has made one start, but he averaged 97 mph with his fastball. He threw 38 curveballs and got a whiff on 92.3 percent of them.To that I can only say:

Record as of 4/18: 5-5Last Power Ranking: 27

When we did these rankings a week ago, it was almost comical that the As had won a game. Their roster had been picked apart, someone not named Matt Chapman (or Carney Lansford) was playing third base, and the 2022 version of Elvis Andrus was hitting as high as second in the order. Wins were almost certainly going to be few and far between.

But you know what happened immediately after that lone win of the opening weekend? Those plucky As went and won three of four against the Rays. The Rays! The best team in the AL last season.

Theres something about the As, man. Theres no reason to think theyre about to win the World Series or anything, but might they win at least a little bit more than anyones expecting at the moment? Sure. It wouldnt be the first time that organization proved a little better than expected.

Record as of 4/18: 3-5Last Power Ranking: 21

The Royals put Bobby Witt Jr. on the Opening Day roster. They brought back Zack Greinke. They re-worked Whit Merrifields contract to keep him around. They have Salvador Perez, for crying out loud. Who doesnt want this team to be one of those out-of-nowhere feel-good stories? Not necessarily a World Series contender, but at least a team that remains interesting late into the season, giving the really good teams all they can handle, while Adalberto Mondes or Hunter Dozier or Brad Keller has some kind of sneaky good season (while Witt lives up to the hype and Merrifield has 200 hits again).

But, alas, the games themselves

Its just not going well. So, here they are.

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MLB Power Rankings: A Giant leap, a Brave tumble, and how bout them Mets? - The Athletic