Heading into the All-Star break, this week’s Power Rankings present an interesting truth,
That truth is that while the teams at the top of this list are in prime position to make a serious run at a World Series berth, we still have an entire half of the season left to play. Nothing has been written in stone and no team is technically “out of it” yet.
Let’s take a look at the final Power Rankings for the first half of the 2015 MLB campaign.
1. St. Louis Cardinals (1) – If you’re not a fan of St. Louis, it’s probably not a good idea to turn on ESPN after 7 p.m. these days. The Cardinals have played on the World Wide Leader three times in the past seven nights.
2. Kansas City Royals (2)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (5)
4. Los Angeles Angels (11) – The Angels haven’t played quite well enough to overtake their LA brethren, but that means far less than the AL West lead which they now possess.
5. New York Yankees (12)
6. Pittsburgh Pirates (8) – All eyes are on St. Louis currently, but the Pirates are quietly keeping pace and have put more distance between themselves and Chicago (5.5 games) than there is between Pittsburgh and the Cardinals (3.5 games).
7. Washington Nationals (3) – A four place drop between successive Power Rankings is as consistent as we’ve seen Washington this season since mid-May.
8. Minnesota Twins (10)
9. Chicago Cubs (13)
10. New York Mets (14)
11. Houston Astros (4)
12. Tampa Bay Rays (6) – A step back the past two weeks for Tampa Bay is in turn two steps forward for current division leader New York, which has been playing well during Tampa Bay’s slump.
13. San Francisco Giants (7)
14. Detroit Tigers (15) – The Tigers risk falling into the category of “also-ran” if they continue to play .500 ball. Who would have guessed?
15. Arizona Diamondbacks (18)
16. Baltimore Orioles (9)
17. Atlanta Braves (19) – Getting swept by Colorado heading into the All-Star break was the worst possible outcome for a team that is still in contention despite being 5 games under .500.
18. Toronto Blue Jays (16)
19. Cleveland Indians (24) – The Battle of Ohio, a series the Indians currently lead 3-0 this season, will kick off an important stretch of games for the Tribe following the All-Star break.
20. Texas Rangers (17)
21. Chicago White Sox (26)
22. Boston Red Sox (20) – The inconsistency at the top of the division has allowed the Red Sox to remain relevant while the team continues to figure out its identity and recover from injuries. Fans in Boston should play the lottery, now.
23. Seattle Mariners (22)
24. San Diego Padres (21)
25. Oakland Athletics (27)
26. Cincinnati Reds (23) – Fans will support the All-Star game and its festivities in droves, but there isn’t much else to write home about in the Queen City as far as baseball is concerned.
27. Colorado Rockies (25)
28. Miami Marlins (28)
29. Milwaukee Brewers (29)
30. Philadelphia Phillies (30)
