MLB Power Rankings: A New # 1

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SteemSports Presenter:@thesportsguy

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SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets

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Another busy week of baseball is in the books, and with it, comes some significant movement in this week's edition of the MLB Power Rankings. There are several very competitive, muddled, bunched-up divisions out there, and then there is the AL Central, where the Indians find there .500 record good enough for first place. About the only thing that became clearer this past week was that the AL East is already a two-horse race between traditional powers the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Meanwhile, the NL East and NL Central basically have everyone right in the thick of their division races, with the exceptions of the Marlins and Reds. Before we get to the latest rankings, same disclaimer as always, these are the top 20 teams overall, regardless of League and Division standings, the top 10 teams are not necessarily the picks to make the postseason, and the rankings fluctuate based on how teams are trending as of late with their play. So without further ado, let's get to it, this week's MLB Power Rankings:

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TOP 15

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1 NEW YORK YANKEES (24-10) ↑

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The Yankees find themselves the new team atop the Power Rankings after another outstanding week of baseball. They started the week by traveling to the defending Champs and taking 3 of 4 from the Astros in Houston, and then came home to sweep the Indians. No matter how you cut-it the Yanks have been playing the best baseball hands-down in the majors over the past 2 weeks +, as they've managed to go a scorching 15-1 in their last 16 games, and have won 6 straight. They have closed to within 1 game of the Red Sox, and lead the AL in runs scored, are tied for 2nd in home runs, and tied for 2nd in doubles. They are also up to 2nd in the league in team-ERA, as the pitching and hitting have come together nicely for the Bronx Bombers.

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2 BOSTON RED SOX (25-9) -

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The Boston Red Sox continue to play stellar baseball, and still have the league's best record with 25 victories. The aforementioned Yankees are clipping at their heels, but it's not because of anything Boston has done. They currently have the third-best team-ERA in the AL (3.45), a fraction behind the Yankees (3.43), and sit at # 2 in runs scored, lead the league in batting average, and are fifth in home runs. Mookie Betts leads the AL in hitting (.355) and home runs (13), and teammate J.D. Martinez is also fourth in the league with a .349 average.

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3 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (23-11) -

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The Diamondbacks remain entrenched in the # 3 spot in the power rankings after a 4-3 week saw them split 4 games with the Dodgers, and then take 2 of 3 from the Astros. Arizona owns the top record in the National League, and should the Red Sox or Yankees stumble, are right there to pounce into the top 2 in the rankings. Pitching continues to lead the way for the D-Backs, as they have the top team-ERA in the NL at just 3.05, are second in saves with 13, and are third in strikeouts. They are just second from last in league in hitting, but they've been able to rely on stellar pitching from top-to-bottom to make up for some of the early season struggles at the plate.

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4 HOUSTON ASTROS (21-15) ↓

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The defending Champions flipped positions with the red-hot Yankees this week, after losing 3 of 4 at home to New York, and then dropped 2 of 3 at the Diamondbacks. It was a tough schedule for the Astros, as they had 7 games against two of the best teams in baseball. Houston is fifth in runs scored and seventh in batting average in the AL, as they continue to rely on magnificent pitching to propel them to another solid start. The Astros continue to lead the league in ERA with a sparkling 2.68 team-ERA, and have recorded the most strikeouts of any pitching staff, 25 more than the Yankees at 380. The Astros drop back a bit for now, but make no mistake, this club has the pitching to win another Championship.

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5 LOS ANGELES ANGELS (21-13) ↑

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The Angels move back into the top 5 after a big week in which they went 5-1 and took advantage of the lowly Orioles in a 3-game sweep and then took 2 of 3 from the solid Mariners. The Angels have made up for a slow start at home this season (just 8-10), by posting the best record in the bigs on the road (13-3). They are using a combination of stellar pitching (fourth in the AL in ERA), and solid hitting, (fourth in runs scored, third in batting average, tied for second in home runs) to get back atop the AL West standings, and for now, find themselves a game better than the Astros.

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6 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (20-12) ↑

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The Cardinals took advantage of a very rare two off-days in one week, and went a perfect 5-0, taking both games of a 2-game inter-league set against the last-place White Sox, before sweeping division rival the Chicago Cubs over the weekend. The solid week means it's now the Cardinals' turn atop the NL Central standings, as they've propelled themselves out to a season-best 8 games above .500. They are tied for fifth in the league in runs scored, and are once-again relying on their pitching, as they have the second-best ERA in the NL, behind the D-Backs at just 3.26. It doesn't appear that the Cardinals are going anywhere in a very difficult NL Central.

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7 ATLANTA BRAVES (19-14) ↑

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The Braves find themselves as one of the big movers along with the Yankees and Cardinals this week. Atlanta moves up from # 10 to # 7 after they swept the Mets in Queens to start the week, before stumbling a bit over the weekend, getting swept at-home by the Giants. Despite the 3-3 week, the Braves moved into first-place and are a game clear of the Phillies in the very competitive NL East, that now appears to be wide-open. Atlanta gets the nod, as they continue to lead the NL in every major offensive category - first in runs scored (by 13), first in team-batting average (20 points better than second place Pittsburgh), and first in on-base %. If the pitching catches up, to the hot-hitting, this could be a team that challenges for the NL East and possibly more. <hr? 8 MILWAUKEE BREWERS (20-15) ↑

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The Brew Crew slides back into the top 10 after a 4-2 week that saw them sweep the last-place Reds in Cincinnati, before coming home and dropping 2 of 3 to the Pirates over the weekend. Milwaukee is mediocre in most offensive categories thus far (t-7th in NL in runs scored, 6th in home runs, 8th in batting average), but are getting very solid pitching (third in the NL in ERA and saves). If they can get the power surge going again, this team will be difficult to deal with. Right now, they find themselves 1.5 back of the Cardinals in the difficult Central.

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9 SEATTLE MARINERS (19-14) ↑

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Congratulations to the Mariners who crack the top 10 for the first time this season. Seattle continues to keep up with both the Astros and Angels in the super-competitive AL West. They managed to go 3-3 this past week against division rivals the Athletics and Angels. The Mariners are fifth the AL in batting average, and are first in saves with 13. The starting pitching has been up-and-down, but the bullpen has been stellar, and the offense has managed a tie for 8th in runs scored and 8th in home runs. They don't do anything flashy, but this has been a solid-team that continues to grind every series. They are just 1.0 game back of the Angels, tied with the Astros for second in the AL West.

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10 COLORADO ROCKIES (20-15) ↑

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It's a 5-game winning streak for the Rockies, as they took 2 of 3 in Chicago agains the Cubs, and then swept the Mets in New York. The winning streak propels Colorado into the top 10, as they sit alone in second in the NL West behind the Diamondbacks. The Rockies are using power and pitching to propel them to 20 victories. They lead the NL in home runs with 46, and lead the NL in saves with 14. The difference for the Rockies is they are getting it done in close games this season, as they are an impressive 12-4 in games decided by 2 runs or less. If that success continues, look for the Rockies to continue to push for a post-season spot just like a season-ago.

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11 CHICAGO CUBS (16-15) ↓

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The Cubbies had the momentum going heading into this past week, following a resounding 4-game sweep of division rivals the Brewers, but saw that momentum evaporate after they dropped the second 2 of a 3-game series to the Rockies, and then were swept in St. Louis over the weekend. The five-game skid has all-of-a-sudden dropped the Cubs back to fourth in the division. Chicago is still fourth in the NL in ERA, are tied for fifth in runs scored, and tied for fourth in batting average. The Cubbies can pitch and hit, now they just have to take care of their inconsistent play. They remain in the thick of things in the jumbled Central.

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12 SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (19-15) ↑

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The Giants have slid up into the top 15 after another great week of baseball. San Fran swept the Braves in Atlanta over the weekend and took 2 of 3 from the Padres to start the week. They are 12-4 in their last 16 games overall and are coming on strong in the once-again tough NL West. The 7-11 start to the season seems to be well in the rearview at this point, as the Giants have moved up to a tie for 2nd in the NL in batting average. The improved hitting, and better pitching has gelled with stellar defense to send the Giants on their recent upswing. They head to Philadelphia, where they will see if they can continue to feast on the NL East (5-1 vs that division to start the year).

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13 PITTSBURGH PIRATES (19-16) -

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The Pirates drop a couple of spots from last week, but remain right in the thick of things in the bunched NL Central. The 9-0 route of the Brewers yesterday in Milwaukee helped them take 2 of 3 from their division rivals, and they end the week 2.5 games behind the Cardinals in the standings. The bats are getting it done for the Bucs, as they are second in the league in runs scored, and tied for second in batting average with the Giants. They continue to surprise with their power as well, as they sit currently tied for fourth in the league in home runs as well. If they Pirates are to stay in the race, it will be because their bats continue to over-produce.

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14 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (18-15) ↓

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The Phillies continue to surprise on the young season, but they are the big tumbler for the week, as they dropped out of the top 10. They dropped 2 of 3 to the last-place Marlins and 2 of 3 to the surging Nationals last week. The 2-4 stretch wasn't an ideal way to finish up the week, but none-the-less, the Phils find themselves just 1.0 game back of the Braves in the NL East. The early-season pitching has cooled just a bit, but they still find themselves fifth in the NL in team-ERA at 3.67. They are also tied for fifth in the NL in runs scored, but have dropped back to a tie for ninth in batting average. They are just 3-7 in their last 10 games overall, and will look to get back on-track with a big 4-games series at home agains the Giants on top this week.

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15 OAKLAND ATHLETICS (18-16) ↑

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The young Athletics squad manages to crack the top 15 this week, as they continue their surprising play to start the season. It was a solid week for the A's as they dropped 2 of 3 to the Mariners, before taking advantage of the Orioles, with a 3-game sweep over the weekend. The 4-2 run puts them a season-best 2 games over .500 and his this club right in the thick of things in the very difficult AL West. Sean Manaea and Trevor Cahill have provided stellar starting pitching to propel the A's out to their start. Manaea is 4-3 with just a 1.63 ERA, and Cahill 1-1 with just a 2.25 ERA. The A's continue to trend in the right direction.

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NEXT 5

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16 TORONTO BLUE JAYS (19-16) ↓

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17 WASHINGTON NATIONALS (18-17) ↑

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18 CLEVELAND INDIANS (17-17) ↓

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19 NEW YORK METS (17-15) ↓

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20 TAMPA BAY RAYS (15-17) -

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The Blue Jays slide back one spot out of the top 15, as they find it increasingly difficult to keep pace with the red-hot Yankees and once again potent Red Sox. The Indians can't pull away in a very poor AL Central, as they dropped all the way back to .500, but continue to lead the division by just 2.0 games. The Nationals are back in the top 20 after righting the ship from a poor 12-16 start. The Nats are now 6-1 in their last 7 games and trail the Braves by just 2.0 games in the NL East. The Mets continue to slide back, losing six straight games will tend to do that, as they were by far the biggest tumbler in the power rankings, but they have the Reds up next, so they have a great chance to end the woes and get back on track.

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