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Week 6 of the season is about to wrap up as teams get ready to kick off their weekend series. True contenders are emerging, while other "pretenders" are slowly slipping down the rankings. And then we still have a whole bunch of teams mired in the middle who we are still unsure of how good they are or could be!
It's time to refresh our weekly power rankings. 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.
We have quite a bit of movement this week, mainly among teams in the middle of the pack. Here are your Week 6 MLB Power Rankings!
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The Bottom Dwellers
30. Chicago White Sox (6-25)
Last Week's Ranking (30)
Despite going on a brief hot streak, the White Sox still find themselves with the worst record in baseball and an unsightly -85 run differential. They have been historically bad to start the season, but the signing of Tommy Pham has injected a little life into the offense and Erick Fedde continues to pitch well. If we were taking bets on who finishes with the least wins this year (and Vegas is) then my money would be on Chicago.
29. Colorado Rockies (7-24)
Last Week's Ranking (28)
The Rockies flipped in the rankings with the Marlins this week as Miami has actually won three in a row and Colorado has dropped their last five. The Rockies lost Nolan Jones to an injury and brought up their best outfield prospect, Jordan Beck, but still can't seem to score much and continue to strike out nearly 30% of the time. We love targeting this team with good pitchers for strikeouts and Jared Jones might feast on them this weekend (I'll be at the game!)
28. Miami Marlins (9-24)
Last Week's Ranking (29)
Miami is slowly looking more competitive, but with only 9 wins and a -59 run differential, I have to keep them in this bottom tier for now. There is still a fairly large gap from the Marlins to the next tier of bad teams. The good news is that they get Oakland for three games this weekend. The bad news is they have to face the Phillies and Dodgers next week!
At Least We're Not "That Bad"
27. Oakland Athletics (15-17)
Last Week's Ranking (27)
They are officially out of the basement! The As are streaking, winning seven of their last ten games, and are now only two games away from .500. They could get there this weekend with a sweep of the Marlins, too! You have to tip your cap to the players and coaches here who are not letting any of the relocation and team owner drama affect their play on the field. The reality is that Oakland has some decent young hitters and Zach Gelof is still on the IL.
Joe Boyle, Elevated 97mph Fastball...and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/DIlJ69BmA3
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 30, 2024
The pitching has been better than expected, too, with Paul Blackburn, J.P. Sears, and Joe Boyle providing some quality starts.
26. Los Angeles Angels (11-20)
Last Week's Ranking (23)
The Halos are just 2-8 over their last ten games and are settling in near the bottom of the league as we were expecting them to. The big news this week is that Mike Trout is hurt (again) and needs surgery, but they won't rule out his return this season. Trout is such a beast, I have to wonder if he will ever overcome his injuries to play long enough to be considered one of the best ever. The Angels, meanwhile, now have a huge hole in their lineup and a very mediocre rotation other than Reid Detmers.
25. Houston Astros (11-20)
Last Week's Ranking (20)
The once mighty 'Stros continue to fall down the rankings. Their 11 wins are the fourth-least in the league and they can't seem to string together more than one winning series. They beat up on Colorado this week but were promptly humbled by Cleveland. Ronel Blanco has emerged as a quality starter so far, but Hunter Brown has been a huge disappointment.
There's enough offense here to keep this team in games, and all eyes on rookie Joey Loperfido after the Astros sent veteran Jose Abreu (who was struggling mightily) to the minors.
24. St. Louis Cardinals (14-17)
Last Week's Ranking (26)
Sonny Gray pitches today and has looked phenomenal to start the season, but the Cardinals are still struggling to score and have a -30 run differential. Gray could be a trade deadline target for a lot of teams as well as Lance Lynn and some of the other vets on this team if the Cards continue to to struggle into the summer.
23. Tampa Bay Rays (14-18)
Last Week's Ranking (20)
The Rays are falling in the rankings like a stone, as just a few weeks ago they were in the top 12. Their lack of offense continues to hamstring them and has led to a terrible -43 run differential. No amount of good pitching can save this team right now as Tampa ranks 24th in the majors over the last two weeks with a 84 wRC+.
22. Washington Nationals (15-16)
Last Week's Ranking (26)
Just like that the Nats are flirting with .500. They have had a much-needed boost in offense from guys like Nick Senzel and Jacob Young, while MacKenzie Gore has looked like an ace on the hill.
21. Pittsburgh Pirates (14-18)
Last Week's Ranking (18)
And finally, the Pirates come crashing back to reality. The offense is mired in a multi-week slump and has been disappointing so far after many (including me) felt like this was one of the best lineups they've had in Pittsburgh for several seasons. Perhaps they'll figure it out over the course of a long season, but for now all we can do is marvel at Jared Jones and get excited for the Paul Skenes debut (likely NEXT week vs. the Cubs).
20. San Francisco Giants (15-17)
Last Week's Ranking (25)
The Giants are treading water, going 5-5 in their last ten games and despite being only a few games under .500 this team still has a -23 run differential. They have some pitching, we know that, but they are very inconsistent on offense. It's going to be tough for them to keep up with the rest of their division (other than Colorado) with the potent offenses of San Diego, Arizona, and L.A.
So...Are They Good?
19. Toronto Blue Jays (15-17)
Last Week's Ranking (17)
Toronto is trending in the wrong direction, dropping seven of their last ten and sporting a -31 run differential. They're dangerously close to dropping into the "bad team" category. They desperately need a big series win against Washington this weekend.
18. New York Mets (16-15)
Last Week's Ranking (24)
The Mets are the definition of mediocrity. They're perfectly average at about everything so far this season and their record reflects that. Luis Severino is one bright spot in the rotation as he's looked good in his last few starts, but this offense continues to be underwhelming on a daily basis.
17. San Diego Padres (16-18)
Last Week's Ranking (15)
The Padres have a +0 run differential, which would suggest they should have won at least one more game this season. The good news is that they've scored the third-most runs in the league with 163, but the bad news is that they've given up 163 runs, too, which is the fourth-most in baseball. Yu Darvish is back and Joe Musgrove looked better in his last start, but Michael King has been pretty inconsistent this season and Dylan Cease feels like regression could hit at any minute.
16. Seattle Mariners (17-14)
Last Week's Ranking (19)
Seattle is on the rise and slowly catching up to preseason expectations. They took two of three from Arizona and Atlanta last week behind the strength of their starting pitching.
Bryce Miller blowing three straight fastballs by Ronald Acuña Jr. for his sixth strikeout of the night and second against the reigning NL MVP. pic.twitter.com/S2lAIlYF3Q
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 30, 2024
Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller have been phenomenal. George Kirby is really good. Luis Castillo is still very good. And they should be getting Bryan Woo back from injury soon to replace the one weak starter in their rotation (Emerson Hancock). This team is loaded with pitching, but they will still need to get the offense going.
15. Minnesota Twins (17-13)
Last Week's Ranking (22)
The Twins are big gainers this week, too. After a terrible start, they have reeled off ten straight wins and are closing in on the Royals and Guardians in the AL Central.
Putting the "win" in @Twins. 10 straight for Minnesota! pic.twitter.com/SkEp6ulc1G
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2024
The offense has woken up, which is what they really needed as their pitching was always their strength to begin with. This team is dangerous right now and might be ready to regain contender status soon.
14. Cincinnati Reds (16-15)
Last Week's Ranking (10)
The Reds are stuck in the middle of the pack right now. On the one hand, their offense is warming up and they could be getting T.J. Friedl back soon. On the other hand, the pitching hasn't been all that good other than Nick Lodolo as Hunter Greene still hasn't made the leap that many of us expected him to by now.
13. Boston Red Sox (18-14)
Last Week's Ranking (10)
Boston has managed to hang around with a winning record despite some injuries to key players. This offense is pretty darn good and could be downright dangerous once they get Triston Casas back in the lineup. The same can be said for this rotation once Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, and Garrett Whitlock return. Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford have held down the fort quite admirably.
12. Detroit Tigers (18-13)
Last Week's Ranking (14)
If you had told Tigers fans that they'd be five games above .500 going into May before the season started, I am not sure how many would have believed you. But here we are! The starting pitching continues to carry this squad with Jack Flaherty looking reborn and Kenta Maeda turning it on lately. They're still going to need to hit more, but this team is scrappy, and fun, and it looks like they're going to hang around in contention for a while.
11. Arizona Diamondbacks (14-18)
Last Week's Ranking (9)
Arizona continues to drop down the rankings and they should probably be lower than this but I still can't wrap my head around how they are four games under .500 with a +18 run differential. Corbin Carroll is showing up on the back of milk containers - has anyone seen him? One positive development this week was an outstanding outing from rookie Slade Cecconi against Seattle. He goes tonight against the Padres so let's see if he can do it again.
Contenders, Maybe?
10. Texas Rangers (17-15)
Last Week's Ranking (9)
Texas was as high as 4th in the rankings at one point, but they're just two games over .500 and struggling to get consistent pitching from their rotation. Nathan Eovaldi was shutting out the Nats yesterday before leaving early with an injury and Texas has to hope that he's okay as their rotation gets pretty thin after Nasty Nate. They can't bludgeon teams to death with their offense every night, they're going to have to address the pitching situation eventually.
9. Kansas City Royals (19-13)
Last Week's Ranking (12)
The Royals have moved up into the contender tier! This team keeps finding ways to win and it all starts with quality starting pitching as KC has allowed the fewest runs in baseball (98). We know Ragans is solid, but Brady Singer's improvement looks sustainable, Seth Lugo is an underrated veteran who's slinging it well, and Michael Wacha continues to give them quality innings.
Gotta love the way Seth Lugo and Brady Singer have pitched this season. 👏 #Royals pic.twitter.com/J7nmCu6uMY
— Bally Sports Kansas City (@BallySportsKC) May 2, 2024
The Royals are a league-best +50 in run differential and look like a good baseball team this season.
8. Chicago Cubs (19-13)
Last Week's Ranking (8)
The Cubs are closing in on the Brewers - both in my rankings and the NL Central standings. Chicago continues to find ways to win games even with their best hitter (Bellinger) and pitcher (Steele) on the shelf. The Cubs are legit and continue to make a push.
7. Milwaukee Brewers (19-11)
Last Week's Ranking (8)
The Brew Crew remains the leader in the NL Central behind some timely hitting and just enough pitching. I keep waiting for the regression to set in, but it hasn't yet. They're playing over their heads, but don't tell them that!
Contenders, For Sure
6. New York Yankees (20-13)
Last Week's Ranking (5)
All our contenders are 20-game winners going into the weekend, but the Yankees are the one team that surprised me the most. The Orioles have finally passed them up in the standings, but the Yanks have enough firepower to battle Baltimore all season, especially with the development of their young flamethrower Luis Gil.
5. Philadelphia Phillies (21-11)
Last Week's Ranking (9)
The Phillies are big risers this week. They now have the most wins in baseball with 21 and are 7-3 over their last ten games. The rotation has been rock solid with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola doing their usual thing, but Ranger Suarez has been arguably their best pitcher as he's just on another level right now. Spencer Turnbull has been so good they can't demote him to the bullpen.
Alec Bohm IS CURRENTLY HOTTER THAN THE SURFACE OF THE SUN OH MY GOD HE CANNOT BE STOPPED pic.twitter.com/ez1TJcxEuy
— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) April 30, 2024
The offense is alive and well with Alec Bohm leading the way. The Phillies are rocking and rolling and ready to give Atlanta everything they've got this year.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (20-13)
Last Week's Ranking (4)
Nothing new to report here, the Dodgers are still really good. After a little blip there two weeks ago, they've rattled off eight wins over their last ten. This team has possibly the most talent on one roster that we've ever seen before in baseball.
3. Baltimore Orioles (20-11)
Last Week's Ranking (3)
Baltimore continues to get it done on offense, especially with the long ball. Their 18 home runs this season is the fifth most in the league and they play in a pitcher's park at home (Camden since the renovations is playing more pitcher-friendly). Kyle Bradish returned this week and looked good and John Means could be next. Get your Orioles to win the pennant futures now while the odds are still decent!
2. Cleveland Guardians (20-11)
Last Week's Ranking (2)
Cleveland hangs around for another week in the top-5. I think it's only a matter of time until Baltimore passes them up in the American League, but this Cleveland team continues to overachieve for now. If they get Gavin Williams back in the rotation soon, they'll have one of the better rotations in baseball that will keep them in just about every game.
1. Atlanta Braves (20-9)
Last Week's Ranking (1)
Sure the Phillies are nipping at their heels, but Atlanta's +48 run differential is 20 more than Philly's and until we see the Phillies beat the Braves head-to-head in a few series, Atlanta remains on top of my rankings.
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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