Yankees Remains No. 1, Mariners Getting Attention, and A's Dropping
Now that the trade deadline is only a few weeks away in the third month of the 2022 MLB season, it's make-or-break time for teams toeing the line between contender and pretender.
The top 12 clubs in this week's MLB power rankings can all be considered buyers at the deadline, but the following 10 or so teams will benefit greatly from the current run of games leading up to the All-Star break.
A team will continue to move up in the rankings if it keeps winning, as usual. A team will inevitably slip if they are losing. This activity is fluid, so things will continue to change, which is one of its beauties.
Note: Data and analysis are based on games played until Sunday. The outcomes from Monday have been added to team records.
Nos. 30-26
The Athletics had a minus-70 run differential with a 5-21 record in June, which left them 28.5 games out of first place in the AL West. Will Frankie Montas remain with the team long enough to represent them at the All-Star game, or will he be traded soon?
29. Detroit Tigers (32-47)
Previous Rank: 28
The Tigers finished the month of June with a record of 5-5, but any potential momentum was swiftly destroyed by a weekend series loss to the Kansas City Royals to start the month of July. Riley Greene, a rookie, hit his first home run of his career on Saturday. In his first 58 plate appearances, he has a batting average of.292, a.414 on-base percentage, and a 143 OPS+.
28. Kansas City Royals (29-49)
Previous Rank: 30
A series win over the Detroit Tigers was enough to pull the Royals out of the No. 30 spot, but it's still shaping up to be a long season for a young team trying to transition from rebuilding to contending. The decision to trade veteran Carlos Santana to Seattle has opened the door for Vinnie Pasquantino, and he hit his first career home run on Friday in a 3-1 victory.
27. Cincinnati Reds (27-52)
Previous Rank: 27
With a walk-off victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, Albert Almora Jr. delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning against lefty A.J. Minter. They are still in the bottom group of teams, meanwhile, after suffering two additional series losses last week.
26. Washington Nationals (29-53)
Previous Rank: 26
First baseman Josh Bell's trade value has been slowly increasing over the previous several weeks. He hit.358/.447/.695 with 16 extra-base hits in 114 plate appearances last month. He's shaping up to be one of the most valuable rental bats available this summer, and the Nationals are clearly selling.
Nos. 25-21
25. Pittsburgh Pirates (32-47)
Previous Rank: 24
The Atlanta Braves made MLB history in 2020 when a player hit three home runs in back-to-back contests. After catcher Michael Perez hit three home runs on Thursday, one day after Bryan Reynolds hit three, the Pirates are the second team to join that list. This is the most entertaining Pirates team in years, even though they may not be ready to compete.
24. Arizona Diamondbacks (36-44)
Previous Rank: 19
The D-backs have lost three series and split a two-game series with the San Diego Padres over the past two weeks, going 3-8. In the upcoming years, they will be able to develop their team around some great assets, including ace Zac Gallen, who on Sunday made his eighth solid start of the year.
23. Chicago Cubs (32-48)
Previous Rank: 25
The Cubs have won three straight series, including two against contending teams in the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. They now go on a challenging road trip that includes four games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and three against the Milwaukee Brewers.
22. Colorado Rockies (35-45)
Previous Rank: 23
After winning two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks last week, the Colorado Rockies increased their Coors Field record to 23-21. Brendan Rodgers, a second baseman, has a.378/.442/.730 line and eight extra-base hits in his previous 10 games, making him the hottest hitter in baseball right now.
21. Chicago White Sox (38-40)
Previous Rank: 21
After defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks in two of three last week, the Colorado Rockies improved to 23-21 at Coors Field. With a.378/.442/.730 line and eight extra-base hits in his last 10 games, second baseman Brendan Rodgers is now swinging the bat as hot as any player in baseball.
Nos. 20-16
20. Los Angeles Angels (37-44)
Previous Rank: 22
The weekend series loss dropped the Angels' record against the Houston Astros to 3-7 as they were swept and outscored 21-4. After being dismissed by the Chicago Cubs, veteran third baseman Jonathan Villar was rescued from the trash heap and could play on a regular basis.
19. Texas Rangers (37-41)
Previous Rank: 20
It will be interesting to see how the Rangers approach the trade deadline after their aggressive summer as buyers. The Rangers are still hovering around the.500 level. Adolis Garcia, a slugger, has a strong case to be selected as an All-Star for the second consecutive year after hitting.314/.348/.581 with seven home runs in June.
18. Baltimore Orioles (37-44)
Previous Rank: 17
The Orioles avoided a sweep on Sunday thanks to a strong outing from Tyler Wells after ace closer Jorge Lopez failed to make saves against the Minnesota Twins on Friday and Saturday. In his debut season in the rotation, the 27-year-old is currently 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 75.2 innings.
17. Miami Marlins (38-40)
Previous Rank: 18
With a victory over the Washington Nationals in the 10th inning on Sunday, the Marlins extended their winning run to four games and are once more edging closer to a winning record. Sandy Alcantara, the top candidate to start for the NL in the All-Star Game, tossed his second complete game of the season on Wednesday.
16. Cleveland Guardians (40-38)
Previous Rank: 14
Last week, the Guardians defeated the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins three out of five times, including two walk-off victories on Wednesday and Thursday. With a 2-0 shutout on Sunday, they also avoided being swept by the New York Yankees thanks to Triston McKenzie's seven excellent innings.
Nos. 15-11
15. Philadelphia Phillies (42-38)
Previous Rank: 15
The Phillies started the month of June with a 15-2 record, but since then, they have only gone 6-7, and they are still in third place in the NL East rankings. Darick Hall made his MLB debut on June 29 and has hit three home runs in his first 18 plate appearances after recording an.894 OPS with 20 home runs in 72 games at Triple-A.
14. San Francisco Giants (40-38)
Previous Rank: 12
The Giants have lost three of their previous four series and split their two home games against the Detroit Tigers. The offense, which finished June 26th in average (.233) and 20th in OPS (.702), was outscored 19-7 in a three-game sweep by the Chicago White Sox.
13. Seattle Mariners (40-42)
Previous Rank: 16
With a series victory against the Oakland Athletics over the weekend, the Mariners improved to 10-3 in their previous 13 games. With their victory on Sunday, they regained second place in the AL West standings for the first time since early May. In his previous five starts, left-hander Robbie Ray has a 0.80 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
12. Minnesota Twins (46-37)
Previous Rank: 11
Last week, the Twins made American League history by becoming the first team to go from consecutive walk-off defeats to consecutive walk-off victories. After losing three of five games to the Cleveland Guardians, their advantage in the AL Central race was reduced to just one game. However, they bounced back with a series victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
11. Tampa Bay Rays (43-37)
Previous Rank: 13
The Rays, the best team currently in fourth place in baseball, have reduced the gap on the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East standings by winning three of their last five games at Rogers Centre. Harold Ramirez, an outfielder, has been a fantastic surprise addition, hitting.323/.372/.444 for a 142 OPS+ in 218 plate appearances.
Nos. 10-6
10. St. Louis Cardinals (44-38)
Previous Rank: 10
Since June 14, the Cardinals have neither won or lost more than two straight games, and as a result, the Milwaukee Brewers have moved ahead of them in the division standings. On the 26-man active roster when play began on Monday, there were 10 rookies.
9. Boston Red Sox (45-35)
Previous Rank: 4
The Red Sox entered June four games below.500 and finished the month 10 games above.500. They dropped a few spots after series losses to the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays last week on the road, but they have fought their way back to relevancy in a pretty short amount of time.
8. Toronto Blue Jays (44-37)
Previous Rank: 9
Following Phase 1 of the voting, the Blue Jays had six players in the running to start the All-Star Game, including Alejandro Kirk, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and George Springer, all of whom were expected to do so. The moment is here for Toronto to make a move, as they have a favorable run of games to finish the first half, featuring series against the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals.
7. San Diego Padres (47-35)
Previous Rank: 7
The Padres lost three of four to the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, blowing a huge opportunity to climb these rankings and the standings, but they are still safely inside the top 10. When Fernando Tatis Jr. returns to action later this summer, there's a chance he'll play center field instead of shortstop.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (47-35)
Previous Rank: 8
The Brewers appear ready to contend after a 4-2 performance last week and a team that is steadily but surely getting back to full strength. Right-hander Brandon Woodruff made a good comeback on Tuesday (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 10 K) after missing nearly a month due to Raynaud's syndrome, and then he backed that up with an even better start on Sunday (6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 8 K).
Nos. 5-1
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (50-29)
Previous Rank: 5
The Dodgers had a patchy June, going 14-12, and finished the month with a series loss to the Colorado Rockies. Things are improving though, as they took three of four games from the San Diego Padres over the weekend and welcomed Mookie Betts back on Sunday after he missed 15 games due to a cracked rib.
4. Atlanta Braves (47-34)
Previous Rank: 6
The Braves improved from a record below.500 and a 10.5-game deficit in the NL East standings to more than 10 games above.500 and within striking distance of the New York Mets after going 21-6 in June. On Monday, the defending champions kicked off a 10-game homestand that will end with a crucial three-game series against the Mets the following week.
3. New York Mets (50-30)
Previous Rank: 3
The Mets are still the top-ranked NL team, but the distance between them and the competition has significantly shrunk since they finished 13-12 with a run differential of minus-15 in June. The good news is that they are succeeding despite the absence of Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, whose eventual returns will be as significant as any outside additions other contenders may make.
2. Houston Astros (52-27)
Previous Rank: 2
The Astros are playing as good as any club in baseball going into the summer with a 6-0 performance last week, improving to 14-3 in their past 17 games. Perhaps the strongest pitching duo in baseball at the moment is Justin Verlander (10-3, 2.03 ERA, 90 K, 97.1 IP) and Framber Valdez (8-3, 2.67 ERA, 93 K, 101.0 IP).
1. New York Yankees (58-22)
Previous Rank: 1
The Yankees are still the team to beat after cruising to a 22-6 record and plus-71 run differential in June. They lead MLB in runs scored (403, No. 1), home runs (133, No. 1), ERA (2.90, No. 2), and WHIP (1.07, No. 1), and have outscored their opponents by 162 runs so far this season.
Complete Rankings
Complete Rankings
1. New York Yankees
2. Houston Astros
3. New York Mets
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
6. Milwaukee Brewers
7. San Diego Padres
8. Toronto Blue Jays
9. Boston Red Sox
10. St. Louis Cardinals
11. Tampa Bay Rays
12. Minnesota Twins
13. Seattle Mariners
14. San Francisco Giants
15. Philadelphia Phillies
16. Cleveland Guardians
17. Miami Marlins
18. Baltimore Orioles
19. Texas Rangers
20. Los Angeles Angels
21. Chicago White Sox
22. Colorado Rockies
23. Chicago Cubs
24. Arizona Diamondbacks
25. Pittsburgh Pirates
26. Washington Nationals
27. Cincinnati Reds
28. Kansas City Royals
29. Detroit Tigers
30. Oakland Athletics
Read Article:
Comments
Post a Comment