We’re at the point in the season where baseball has taken center stage in the sports world. With the exception of the Women’s World Cup, which is currently winding down with only four games remaining, Major League Baseball is one of the few major sporting leagues currently in season.
The midpoint of the season is rapidly approaching (only one pre-All Star Game Power Rankings left to go), which means that we’ll likely begin to see less movement in these rankings. Teams with staying power will begin to emerge near the top of the pack.
Let’s take a look at a fresh MLB Power Rankings. The number in parenthesis next to the team name is where that club was ranked in the previous edition.
1. St. Louis Cardinals (1)
2. Kansas City Royals (5) – The fun brand of baseball being played in Kansas City should allow the club to continue to build on the current 5.5 game cushion in the AL Central heading into the All Star break.
3. Washington Nationals (14) – The only reason it is worth continuing to mention the Jekyll and Hyde-ness of Washington’s season is because the Nationals are finding a way to stay atop the NL East despite multiple stretches of bad baseball.
4. Houston Astros (6)
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (2)
6. Tampa Bay Rays (7) – The shift happy Rays are using good defense (second in MLB in Defensive Efficiency Ratio) to set the pace in the most competitive division in baseball at this point.
7. San Francisco Giants (11)
8. Pittsburgh Pirates (8)
9. Baltimore Orioles (17)
10. Minnesota Twins (12) – The Twins aren’t playing bad baseball, but it was only a matter of time before someone in the AL Central passed them. Pundits everywhere are still wondering how Kansas City and Minnesota are leading that division, however.
11. Los Angeles Angels (16)
12. New York Yankees (3) – Perhaps more important than New York’s age issue is whether or not the Yankees have a true No. 1 pitcher.
13. Chicago Cubs (10)
14. New York Mets (4)
15. Detroit Tigers (15) – The Tigers either need someone to step up in the absence of Justin Verlander or some more run support on the offensive side. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult keeping up with Kansas City as we approach the dog days of summer.
16. Toronto Blue Jays (9) – The Blue Jays have cooled off significantly since their club record tying winning streak, but it was good enough to place them squarely in position to be a buyer at the trade deadline.
17. Texas Rangers (13)
18. Arizona Diamondbacks (22)
19. Atlanta Braves (19)
20. Boston Red Sox (28) – The Red Sox didn’t necessarily play good enough baseball to jump eight positions; they simply didn’t play badly enough to stay at No. 28. This happens often when you’re near the bottom of the list.
21. San Diego Padres (18)
22. Seattle Mariners (25)
23. Cincinnati Reds (21)
24. Cleveland Indians (20)
25. Colorado Rockies (26) – The league’s worst in terms of ERA also have the third best batting average. This is to say, the Rockies may be in last place in the NL West, but at nine games out they aren’t done.
26. Chicago White Sox (23)
27. Oakland Athletics (27)
28. Miami Marlins (24)
29. Milwaukee Brewers (29)
30. Philadelphia Phillies (30) – Philadelphia has yet to win 10 games on the road. Unlike in Denver, fans in Philly should shift their attention to the upcoming NFL season already.
– K. Becks
