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Is the dust finally settling after two months of baseball is finally in the books? A few teams continue to move up or down the rankings, but most teams have settled into more predictable patterns of winning...or losing.
Remember, I will be factoring in past performance, the current level of performance, overall talent, and preseason expectations into the rankings -- though it's time to start letting go of expectations and focusing on what each team is doing on the field so far.
Keep reading to find out where your favorite team ranks and which teams moved up and down the rankings the most this week. Without further ado, here are your Week 9 MLB Power Rankings!
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The Bottom Dwellers
30. Chicago White Sox (15-36)
Last Week's Ranking (29)
It was another bad week for the ChiSox as they are starting to stack bad weeks on top of each other lately. They're back down to the last spot and there's really no argument against it as they have the worst (by a large margin) run differential in the league at -109 - OOF!
29. Miami Marlins (17-34)
Last Week's Ranking (30)
I could have gone with Miami or Colorado here at 29 and they'll likely waffle back and forth this season depending on the week. Miami has one more win than Colorado, while the Rockies have one fewer loss than the Marlins. They are both terrible.
28. Colorado Rockies (16-33)
Last Week's Ranking (28)
There's a chance Kris Bryant will return to the team soon, but Nolan Jones suffered a setback in his rehab. I'm trying to find something for Colorado fans to get excited about, there just isn't too much as even their young hitting prospects like Jordan Beck are struggling at the plate.
27. Oakland Athletics (21-31)
Last Week's Ranking (25)
And the As are back down with the rest of the bottom-feeders this week after losing a series to Colorado and going 2-8 over their last ten games. They fooled everyone for a few weeks there, but make no mistake about it - the A's are a very bad baseball team.
At Least We're Not Those Guys
26. Los Angeles Angels (20-30)
Last Week's Ranking (27)
I will say this about the Angels - they have been fun to watch lately and their offense has come alive lately which has kept their games competitive, win or lose.
Kevin Pillar for the lead in Houston! pic.twitter.com/3xV1wCxgJq
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 22, 2024
Fantasy managers have taken note as guys like Kevin Pillar, Zach Neto, Jo Adell, and Logan O'Hoppe have been popular pick-ups in fantasy baseball leagues.
25. St. Louis Cardinals (23-26)
Last Week's Ranking (26)
No one loves dumping on the Cardinals more than I do, but they get bumped up a spot this week and are officially trending up after going 8-2 over their last ten games.
PIRATES IN THE PROS: @ECUBaseball Alum Alec Burleson is leading charge during Cardinals' recent hot streak
"Over his last 15 games, the left-handed slugger is slashing .377/.389/.623 with three home runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases."https://t.co/D1LLZ48clU pic.twitter.com/FkMCobJI7A— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) May 24, 2024
The offense has come to life behind some unlikely heroes (Burleson, Masyn Winn) and perhaps this team can make a run at .500 this week, convincing the ownership not to sell their veteran assets this summer (though I still think that would be the right move).
24. Toronto Blue Jays (23-26)
Last Week's Ranking (21)
The Jays won again yesterday behind a strong pitching performance from Kevin Gausman, who after a very slow start has started to show signs of getting back into good form. Toronto's pitching staff (including Alex Manoah) has been quite strong this season, they just continue to wait for their offense to heat up. I dropped them down in the rankings this week, but this team is a bit of a sleeping giant if they can ever get the bats going consistently.
23. Washington Nationals (21-27)
Last Week's Ranking (18)
A big drop in the rankings for the Nats this week as they have lost eight of their last ten games and yet still refuse to do the one thing that would make them instantly more competitive and interesting to baseball fans - bring James Wood up from Triple-A! What are they waiting for?
22. New York Mets (21-28)
Last Week's Ranking (20)
The Mets have slowly sunk from "perfectly mediocre" to "just kinda bad" over the last few weeks as they're 2-8 over their last ten games. You have to wonder what Pete Alonso will look like in a different jersey at this point, right?
21. San Francisco Giants (25-26)
Last Week's Ranking (23)
The Giants get a slight bump up in the rankings this week as they have infused their team with some much-needed energy by bringing up some of their better young hitters (Matos, Ramos, Luciano) in the organization. They also got Blake Snell back in the rotation, though his return was a bit bumpy. This team is scrappy, if nothing else, and should battle for the rest of the season with a .500 record looking like a win for the organization based on the incredibly difficult division they are in.
20. Cincinnati Reds (20-30)
Last Week's Ranking (19)
There's really no way to say it more nicely than this. The Reds are a major disappointment so far this season. Their fans and management expected more than a team that is now ten games under .500. I know there have been injuries and suspensions, but the amount of talent on this team, especially on offense, is significant. Elly De La Cruz's video game stats would be a lot more fun to talk about if the Reds were winning games.
Elliot has seen enough. He declares the Cincinnati Reds season is over after just 49 games in 2024. pic.twitter.com/6k7XFqJ1Pb
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) May 23, 2024
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (23-28)
Last Week's Ranking (24)
This isn't breaking news or anything, but being a Pirates fan is incredibly frustrating. Paul Skenes has been incredible to watch and the trio of Skenes-Jones-Keller has been stellar (rhyme intended) for the last few weeks. And the offense has even picked up a bit lately, but now the bullpen is blowing games left and right as the Pirates just keep finding ways to lose. My expectations were a bit higher for this Pirates team than in prior seasons so being five games under .500 feels like underachieving - even for a rebuilding team.
18. Houston Astros (22-28)
Last Week's Ranking (22)
With a -8 run differential, Houston is easily the best "bad team" in baseball right now. They're slowly climbing out of the hole that they dug for themselves in March and April and they continue to trend up as their offense has been firing on all cylinders. Kyle Tucker is probably the NL MVP right now with how well he's playing, but he'll never win that award unless Houston turns it around entirely by the end of the season.
Kyle Tucker was on 🔥 this homestand#Relentless x @ImpactMyBiz pic.twitter.com/Rbo8B8ubGx
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 23, 2024
So...Are They Good?
17. Tampa Bay Rays (25-26)
Last Week's Ranking (17)
I realize that Tampa has the second-most wins in this tier, but at the same time, I simply can't get past the fact that they still have a -40 run differential this season. There was some optimism around this team lately as Josh and Brandon Lowe came back from injuries, but Josh Lowe might be hurt again already and the pitching staff is starting to wear thin. They need reinforcements badly but I don't think we see Drew Rasmussen or Jeffrey Springs until the Summer.
16. Arizona Diamondbacks (24-26)
Last Week's Ranking (16)
Arizona has one fewer win than Tampa, but a much healthier +7 run differential. They didn't do much overly good or bad this week to merit moving in either direction, but they continue to be a pretty good team that is underachieving on the season. We will just have to keep waiting to see when they flip the switch and start making a run.
15. Detroit Tigers (23-27)
Last Week's Ranking (14)
There might not be a better 1-2 combo in the American League than Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty. But that's about all I have to say good about the Tigers. It feels like they are starting to slide and are heading towards the next tier down if they can't stop this five-game losing streak.
14. San Diego Padres (27-26)
Last Week's Ranking (15)
I never know what to say about the Padres. They just got done beating up on the Reds, but those wins are less impressive with how poorly Cincy is playing. The Padres seem to feast on bad teams and get eaten up by the good teams, which makes their ranking right in the middle of the pack make some sense.
13. Texas Rangers (24-27)
Last Week's Ranking (12)
The newcomers to this tier this week are the Rangers, who I no longer consider a contender - at least not this version of their team. They've dropped eight of their last ten games and simply can't stop teams from putting up big run totals. They have to address their starting pitching at some point or they may not even make the playoffs and get a chance to defend their title. Mad Max Scherzer is not walking through that door anytime soon or solving their pitching crisis.
Contenders, Maybe?
12. Boston Red Sox (26-24)
Last Week's Ranking (13)
Every time people want to bury the Red Sox, they start to heat up and win games. They've won four in a row to get back on the right side of .500 and their young pitching staff is finally intact once again. If they can keep those five starting pitchers healthy, they should continue to be contenders for the rest of the season - they are that good.
11. Minnesota Twins (26-23)
Last Week's Ranking (7)
The Twins dropped down the rankings a bit here this week. They have been so streaky this season on offense that it has negated how good their starting pitching has often been. After going on a huge winning streak in late April and early May, their offense has started to slump again and they've dropped down close to .500 again.
10. Seattle Mariners (27-24)
Last Week's Ranking (11)
The Mariners are treading water lately. They were overmatched by the Yankees this week, despite having the advantage in starting pitching. Their offense has shown some signs of life with guys like Dylan Moore and Luke Raley getting hot, but they'll need to score more consistently going forward to make that jump into the next tier of really good teams.
Luke Raley cannot be stopped 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/3cXs32ORVE
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 22, 2024
9. Chicago Cubs (27-24)
Last Week's Ranking (9)
The Cubs have dropped seven of their last ten games. While Shota Imanaga has been fantastic as the anchor of their rotation, the rest of their pitching staff is starting to regress. Like Seattle, they are one of only a few teams with winning records that still have negative run differentials (-1).
8. Milwaukee Brewers (28-21)
Last Week's Ranking (10)
The Brewers jumped over the Cubs this week even while losing more games than they won. That might have more to do with Chicago and their issues, but whatever. Milwaukee is a great story this season and at seven games over .500, it feels like they are playing with house money. They could contend for the NL Central title this season if everything keeps breaking just right, but I still have them outside the top tier of World Series contenders.
Contenders, For Sure
7. Kansas City Royals (32-19)
Last Week's Ranking (8)
We have some new contenders! After going 6-0 last week and pushing their run differential up to a whopping +72, we simply have to give the Royals their flowers.
A career-high 12 strikeouts for Cole! pic.twitter.com/u7koOKNDao
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 22, 2024
My guy Cole Ragans outdueled Tarik Skubal and the rest of the Royals pitching staff is firing on all cylinders. This team is legit and probably the best story in baseball right now.
6. Atlanta Braves (29-18)
Last Week's Ranking (5)
The Braves have slipped to their lowest ranking of the season. They have some pitching concerns as Charlie Morton and Max Fried have been shakier than usual and Bryce Elder got demoted to Triple-A. AJ Smith-Shawver wasn't bad in his debut yesterday, but it feels like Atlanta is going to need more help than they get from their farm system if they want to contend with the pitching that the Dodgers and Phillies already have.
5. Baltimore Orioles (30-18)
Last Week's Ranking (3)
I still believe in the Orioles over the Guardians in the long game, but for now, I have to say that Cleveland is playing better baseball and therefore is more deserving of a higher ranking.
4. Cleveland Guardians (33-17)
Last Week's Ranking (6)
The Guardians have won six straight and refuse to go away. They're 9-1 over their last ten games and are getting contributions from just about everyone on their roster, including their bullpen which has been lights out.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (33-19)
Last Week's Ranking (4)
The Dodgers dropped two in a row, but continue to look like one of the best teams in baseball. Glasnow and Yamamoto are one heck of a 1-2 punch while Betts-Ohtani might be one of the best pairings of hitters that we've seen in a long, long time.
2. New York Yankees (35-17)
Last Week's Ranking (2)
The Yankees are amazing. I will say it again - I did not think we would see this from New York this season, especially after Gerrit Cole went down in the preseason. Now that Giancarlo Stanton's bat has awoken, the Yanks have an elite trio of power hitters all hitting at the same time.
Sluggin’ Soto 👊 pic.twitter.com/gadugxAqJs
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 23, 2024
And the best surprise has been the emergence of Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt in the rotation. They have both been really darn good, while Stroman and Cortes have been reliable as well. This team is absolutely rolling right now and it's scary to think how good they could be with a healthy Cole this summer and maybe one more bat acquired through a trade.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (37-14)
Last Week's Ranking (1)
The Phillies have won six straight since moving into the top spot last week, so they're back on top again this week and looking every bit like the team to beat in the NL right now. No team has a better balance of good hitting and pitching than Philadelphia does at the moment, that's for sure.
I'll see you next week for my newest batch of rankings -- feel free to let me know what I got right and wrong!
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