MLB Power Rankings heading into the final 7 weeks of the season
Division races are heating up and it is going to be a fun last 7 weeks of the season
Many teams have cemented themselves as baseball’s elite, whether it’s the Dodgers, Giants, Brewers, Astros, or White Sox. These 5 teams will almost certainly make the playoffs and are poised to make big-time runs when they get into October. Some division races, such as the NL West, NL East, AL East, and even AL West will likely not be decided until the final week of the season. The Giants and Dodgers are going toe to toe for the NL West crown, but the Padres (only 8 games back) from the Giants, have time to make a run as well.
The NL East has the Phillies all of a sudden leading by 1 game entering August 12th, but both the Mets and Braves are c ould creep up on them at any time. This race is likely to change its division leader on occasion all the way up until October. The AL East has 4 legitimate playoff contenders with the Tampa Bay Rays leading the division, the Red Sox only being 3 games back, and both the Yankees and Blue Jays fighting for playoff position as well (more likely the American League Wild Card).
The AL West is likely between the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics, but the Mariners (9 games back) don’t seem to wanna budge and are continuing to push for playoff position as well. Furthermore, here’s how teams are stacking up against each other heading into the final 7 weeks of the season.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks traded almost everyone with value at the deadline and Zac Gallen has been dealing with injuries all year. Their pitching staff has been abysmal and their best hitter right now is Kole Calhoun, who is batting 3rd and 4th in the lineup as of late. This is not the same Calhoun who flourished as a 5 or 6 hitter for the Angels, but instead, an older, less talented, struggling Calhoun who is expected to at least provide some pop in the lineup alongside Ketel Marte.
And why did they not trade Ketel Marte for prospects? No one really knows, but they need to go all-in on a rebuild because they are not competing with the Padres, Dodgers, or Giants anytime soon until they bolster their farm system tremendously. The D-Backs will be good eventually. Give them time, especially until Corbin Caroll and Kristian Robinson are leading the outfield and the lineup.
Baltimore Orioles
Cedric Mullins is really having a year to remember. He is hitting .320 with 20 home runs and 21 stolen bases. Trey Mancini has also been really good as he has 19 home runs and 60 RBI’s so far this season. What an amazing story as Mancini is coming off of his battle with cancer and should win comeback player of the year this season with his performance. The pitching hasn’t been any good as even their best pitcher, John Means, has struggled in recent starts. He is the lone bright spot in the Orioles rotation, and even he is struggling to get through 6+ innings in each start.
However, even though this team hasn’t had much success this year, they don’t care since they are in a full-blown rebuild. The Orioles have to be happy with what they have seen this year from Mullins and Mancini. These are two outfielders who could be very good in Baltimore for years to come and have forced themselves into the long-term plans of this organization.
Adley Rutschman was just promoted to Triple-A and will almost surely be called up to the big leagues in September. Both Grayson Rodriguez and D.L. Hall are making good progress in the minors as well, while Heston Kjerstad has turned himself into a very valuable prospect as well. The future is somewhat bright in Baltimore, and even though they will finish as one of the 3 worst teams in the MLB this year, their farm system continues to get better and help will be on the way soon.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers gave up a very valuable piece of their organization in Joey Gallo at the deadline. They did not receive a whole lot for a guy who leads the league in walks, is in his prime, and hits 40+ homers a year when healthy. The Rangers did, however, trade Kyle Gibson for former top Phillies pitching prospect Spencer Howard. Although Howard has struggled in his early big-league career, he has elite stuff and velocity and should be good eventually.
Regardless, the Rangers know they do not have the roster to compete against any of the AL West teams anytime soon. Houston has one of the best lineups in the American League and even if Correa leaves in the offseason, it will still be elite. Oakland will always be a 90+ win team even if they were to field a Triple-A roster out on the field.
I do not know how they do it, but they will always be good as well. Seattle is only going to get better and is ahead of schedule on the rebuilding process. The Angels have a core of Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon, Jared Walsh, David Fletcher, and Jo Adell in their lineup as it will be one of the scariest in the league next season when everyone is healthy.
So, the Rangers knew they needed to sell. Jack Leiter was a fantastic selection with the 2nd overall pick and has the ability to become one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Josh Jung, Cole Winn, and Maximo Acosta are a great trio of top prospects to have in your organization as well. The Rangers will be good eventually, but as of right now this team is hoping to continue to lose as much as possible to secure a high selection in next year’s MLB draft.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Another team that is not looking to compete anytime soon is the Pirates. They traded Adam Fraizer for almost nothing in return even though Fraizer had a couple more years of control on his contract and was hitting .330. Regardless, the Pirates have been so bad for so long now that their farm system is really good. Ke’Bryan Hayes will be really good but is already at the MLB level. It will be interesting to see how he progresses next season with his first full year of MLB service.
Hayes was injured for a long time this year and is still getting back into the rhythm he had early on in the season. Sported by top prospects Quinn Priester, Nick Gonzales, and Oneil Cruz, the Pirates farm system has a lot of talent that will help the Pirates compete eventually. Priester has front of the rotation potential, Gonzales has batting title potential, and Cruz may be the tallest shortstop of all-time standing at 6-7.
They do need to do a better job of drafting though as they drafted Henry Davis with the 1st overall pick to save a couple of million dollars instead of taking Jack Leiter or Marcelo Meyer. If their scouting department can step up to the plate then this organization will be fine. Until then they will be one of the worst teams in baseball for at least the next 3 years.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals have not had the season they had hoped for after trading for Andrew Benintendi and coming off of two + power seasons of Jorge Soler. The pitching has been the biggest problem though with a team ERA of 4.91 which is the 5th worst in the MLB. Daniel Lynch, one of the Royals’ top pitching prospects, is finally in the MLB, and Asa Lacy isn’t that far away from being called up to the big leagues either, which is promising.
Salvador Perez has been the positive of this team leading the lineup in home runs and RBI’s. This team will be better next season when MLB’s top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. gets called up. Until then, the Royals will not win a lot of games, unless their pitching makes a complete turnaround.
Minnesota Twins
As Byron Buxton’s return looms, the Twins have had the most disappointing year of any projected playoff team, considering they are already basically eliminated from playoff contention already and are sitting in last place in the AL Central. Buxton was the only one hitting on the whole team at the beginning of the year, and after he got hurt, only Nelson Cruz picked up the slack in the lineup. Now Cruz is on the Rays and Buxton has not returned yet, but when he does, he should finally provide some stability in the lineup.
However, this organization took a turn in the right direction at the trade deadline flipping front of the rotation starter Jose Berrios for top SS prospect Austin Martin and other prospects. The Twins are not competing this year and it remains to be seen if they can stack up against Cleveland and Chicago next year so flipping Berrios for more top prospects that can produce a core in the future to compete for division titles was quite the deal. Next year should be fun if Buxton is healthy as he should continue his path to superstardom.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins aren’t competing in the National League East this year, but that won’t be the case soon as the Marlins have the best farm system and player development staff in the whole division. The pitching staff is elite and should only get better next year when Sixto Sanchez returns and Max Meyer is called up. J.J. Bleday, Jesus Sanchez, and Edward Cabrera round out the top prospects the Marlins have to go along with Max Meyer and Sixto Sanchez.
The only way is up and Derek Jeter and Kim Ng’s rebuild is almost complete. The Marlins are run by geniuses and it shows. Every dynasty starts with the farm system and player development department. Other organizations in the division like the Phillies and Mets should take notes on what the Marlins are doing and start catching up as soon as possible otherwise the Marlins will be the perennial division winners soon enough.
Washington Nationals
They kept Juan Soto. That is most important as Soto is arguably the most talented young player in the MLB. Other than that, Washington made the right decision parting ways with Scherzer and Turner as the Dodgers gave up a haul of prospects to the Nationals including Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz, who will both undoubtedly help the Nationals sooner rather than later. Josiah Gray is already making quality starts in Scherzer’s place in the rotation and Ruiz should be in the big leagues soon enough as well.
Strasburg is still hurt and can’t seem to ever stay healthy. That contract they gave him is starting to become one of the worst contracts in the history of the MLB since Strasburg never stays healthy. Patrick Corbin realistically hasn’t been really good since the World Series team in 2019, and the bullpen is one of the worst bullpens in the league. However, they still have Juan Soto, Kyle Schwarber, Victor Robles, and Josh Bell in their lineup so that is something to build off on.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies made one of the biggest mistakes of all time by not trading Trevor Story at the trade deadline. Maybe they think they can sign him long-term but still, it makes no sense for a team not competing anytime soon to not try and get prospects for a coveted player. The Rockies should have a much better farm system than they do and trading Story might have bolstered it at least a tiny bit, even for a rental like Story.
Either way, the Rockies have been one of the most polarized teams in the MLB this year dominating at home with a 38-21 record and playing atrociously on the road with a 13-40 record. The pitching has been surprisingly good led by German Marquez and Jon Gray, but the lineup has been very bad on the road especially.
Trevor Story is only hitting about .260 with 15 home runs, and Charlie Blackmon is only hitting .271 this year. Former top Rockies prospect Brendan Rodgers has not lived up to the hype and has continued to struggle at the MLB level. Current top prospect Zac Veen is only 19 and is at least 3 years away from being MLB ready, while Michael Toglia and Ryan Rolison are going to be called up as early as next season.
Either way, the Rockies only have Veen and Rolison as top 100 MLB prospects and when Rolison comes up this or next season, they will only have one. Something needs to be done to bolster their farm system as soon as possible otherwise this organization could be heading toward a long and dreadful purgatory of not competing for titles and not having good prospects.
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are going to have one of the best rotations in the American League sooner rather than later due to Casey Mize’s rise, Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal pitching in the big leagues this year, and Joey Wentz set to come up soon as well. Mize has shown front of the rotation stuff and both Manning and Skubal have had flashes of top-tier pitching as well. What has been interesting about the Tigers is their lineup, not their pitching, which has been key to the team’s success as of late.
Jonathan Schoop is hitting .291 with a .800 OPS and 18 home runs, Akil Baddoo has 10 home runs and 14 stolen bases, Eric Haase and Robbie Grossman both have 17+ home runs, and Daz Cameron just got up to the big leagues which is also very promising.
The Tigers should actually be okay next year considering arguably the best hitting prospect in baseball, Spencer Torkelson, is set to be called up. The Tigers will also call up Riley Greene and Alex Faedo next season to help bolster the team’s mix of young talent and depth. Either way, the Tigers are definitely heading in the right direction and they won’t be consistently bad for long.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs sold just about everybody from their 2016 World Series Championship team at the deadline. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javy Baez were traded and so was elite closer Craig Kimbrel as well. The Cubs traded Darvish over the offseason to the Padres as well and this big sell at the deadline reminded fans to be patient and that the team was entering a rebuild. The Cubs still have Wilson Contreras, Kyle Hendricks, and Nico Hoerner, who are all valuable pieces for the future. However, the household names that were originally the faces of the franchise, including Bryant, Baez, and Rizzo, are now all gone and the team really lacks identity now.
For too long they held onto Bryant, Baez, and Rizzo, pretending that they had a shot to compete for another title the last couple of years. Now the Cubs are stuck with a lackluster farm system and virtually no superstars at the MLB level to get into the playoffs. Sure, trading Bryant, Rizzo, and Baez helped get them a couple of high-end prospects, most notably 19-year-old Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, but they still need more to accelerate a rebuild. If they don’t find a way to accelerate this rebuild, they will be entering the same purgatory the Rockies are entering.
Cleveland Indians
The Indians haven’t had Shane Bieber pitch in a very long time and don’t have much of a lineup besides Jose Ramirez and sometimes Franmil Reyes. However, they have one of the best farm systems in the league and have an accelerated rebuild in place while also keeping superstars Shane Bieber and Jose Ramirez at the MLB level leading the way.
Triston McKenzie has struggled this year very much so, but still has the talent and stuff that he showed toward the end of the 2020 season. He is very young and should still develop into a front-of-rotation starter once he makes a few tweaks in his pitching strategy because the elite stuff is there with him.
The farm system is led by Bo Naylor, Nolan Jones, Daniel Espino, Tyler Freeman, and George Valera, which is a fantastic core of prospects. The Indians have still been able to stay around the .500 mark even with one of the worst lineups in the league and an injury-prone pitching staff. On the bright side James Karinchak is an elite closer and should be the guy in the 9th inning for the Indians or shall we say Guardians for a long time.
St Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have been a complete disappointment this year, but it is not entirely their fault. If Jack Flaherty had stayed healthy with the dominant season he was having, they probably are only 4 games back of the division lead instead of roughly `11 games back. Flaherty is really the heart and soul of this team and would have continued to dominate had he stayed healthy. However, Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt have not lived up to the superstar duo hype. Both are hitting under .270 and both have less than 25 home runs and 70 RBI’s at this point in the season.
Arenado’s OPS is around .820 and Goldhscmidt’s OPS is around .780, both statistics not being indicative of superstars. The point being, both of these players have had good seasons but not the seasons either had hoped for and Arenado and Goldschmidt’s inconsistencies are losing them games. Other than Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’neil, this lineup isn’t great, and it really needs to be better to compete against the star-studded rotation of the division-leading Brewers.
The pitching staff has also been inconsistent as Adam Wainwright has a 3.48 ERA and sometimes looks like one of the best pitchers in baseball, and other times looks washed and old. Carlos Martinez has been terrible this year as he owns a 6.23 ERA through 16 starts. Although John Gant and Kwang Hyun-Kim have both had great seasons in the rotation, the bullpen has struggled besides closer Alex Reyes and setup man Genesis Cabrera. The Cardinals really need Flaherty to come back as soon as possible to compete against the Reds and Brewers. It would also help for Arenado and Goldschmidt to have amazing second halves of the season, and for the bullpen and rotation to show more consistency.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels should have one of the best teams in the MLB next year, but unfortunately for them, that isn’t this year. Mike Trout has been hurt all year, Jared Walsh and Anthony Rendon have been injured for a while as well. Rendon isn’t coming back this season and Trout’s status on returning is up in the air as well. The year for the Angels started off with a fantastic lineup and one of the worst pitching staff’s in all of baseball, but as of late, this has reversed due to Shohei Ohtani and David Fletcher being the only true cornerstones in the lineup right now.
Patrick Sandoval has turned into a really good MLB starter, Jaime Barria has been really good as well, and Alex Cobb has even pitched consistently well all year long. Shohei Ohtani has been the obvious ace of the staff dominating almost every start, but he is in a big-time slump at the plate right now, which is why the Angels cannot stay above .500 even with quality starts from their starters.
Ohtani’s slump is probably due to no feared hitter following him in the lineup so they don’t give him anything to hit. Before Walsh got hurt, he was an All-Star and was definitely a feared hitter behind Ohtani, so they had to pitch to Ohtani! Now they don’t have to and until Walsh comes back, Ohtani’s slump should continue at the plate. In conclusion, the lineup runs on Ohtani and if he isn’t hitting, the Angels have no shot at winning games, even with an improved second half of the year for their pitching staff.
New York Mets
The Mets just keep losing as of late. After Jacob Degrom went down with an an injury, the pitching rotation hasn’t been able to pick up the slack with their lackluster lineup. They traded for Javy Baez at the trade deadline, but he hasn’t performed well and has one of the highest strikeout rates in the league. Pete Alonso, one of the only positives of the Mets lineup this year, has hit a serious slump as well and needs to get back on track to help produce some run support for the rotation.
Tajuan Walker pitched well in his last start, but was giving up close to 5 runs a game in his previous three starts before then. Marcus Stroman and the bullpen have been consistent and Taylor Megill is pitching okay as well. The issue with the Mets is their offense. They gave Francisco Lindor 350+ million dollars to be a below average player for them this year at least. I know he is hurt right now, but the Mets really need Lindor, Alonso, Baez, and Dominic Smith to start getting hot otherwise their division hopes will be gone in a heartbeat.
Atlanta Braves
Many though the Braves season was toast when Superstar Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. went down with a season ending torn ACL injury. However, with the Mets continuing to lose and the Braves only being 1 game back of the Phillies, the Braves’ playoff hopes that many thought had diminished are finally there again. Freddie Freeman continues to rake after his slow start to the season with 24 home runs and pushing .300 with his batting average.
The reigning MVP has gotten hot and shows no sign of slowing down. Austin Riley has been great with 23 home runs and an .883 OPS so far this year, while former #1 overall pick Dansby Swanson is finally having an amazing year with 20 home runs and 60 RBI’s so far this season. Ozzie Albies looks like the usual ultra productive Ozzie Albies with 19 home runs and 75 RBI’s this year as well.
The pitching staff has been really consistent even with Mike Soroka and Max Fried’s injuries that have made them miss some time. Charlie Morton, Ian Anderson, Max Fried, and Kyle Mueller have been fantastic, and the bullpen, even with is inconsistencies in performing, hasn’t been as bad as many people though. Luke Jackson, Will Smith, and Jesse Chavez have been great out of the pen. Even with Acuña’s injury, Braves fans should have hope as this three team division race will likely not be decided until the final week of the season.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners are supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league, but for whatever reason continue to win a ton of games, keeping them over .500 for most of the year. Mitch Haniger has been the star of this lineup with 26 home runs and almost 70 RBI’s, while Ty France has also provided some stability by hitting .280 on the year. Kyle Lewis has been hurt most of the year so that obviously hurts this lineup, but Jarred Kelenic is finally starting to find his groove after struggling to adapt to big league pitching.
Kyle Seager also has 25 home runs and 72 RBI’s and even with his .221 average, is on pace for statically his best season power wise of his career. The pitching staff has been the heart and soul of this team. Yusei Kikuchi and Chris Flexen have been the most consistent each with ERA’s under 3.75. Kikcuhi also has 135 K’s in 125 innings and is on pace for a truly special season and by far his best season.
Logan Gilbert has shown that he will be at the front of the rotation come next year with a 4.05 ERA with 84 K’s just over 73 innings pitched so far. Marco Gonzales and Justin Dunn have also been fantastic in the rotation, and the bullpen was elite until the Mariners traded Kendall Graveman, who was by far the teams best pitcher this season. The Mariners have struggled in close games because they don’t have an elite arm like Gravmen out of the pen anymore.
Regardless, I get why the Mariners traded Graveman since they are well ahead of their rebuild and aren’t supposed to be this good just yet. The Angels and Mariners will be battling for finishing third in this division, but with Jarred Kelenic already up and Julio Rodriguez making significant progress in the minors, the Mariners could become good for a very long time within a couple years.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds have a fantastic lineup that is for sure. Nicolas Castellanos is hitting .319 with a .940 OPS this season, Jesse Winker is hitting .304 with 23 home runs and an .947 OPS, Jonathan India has a .400 OBP, Eugino Suarez has 22 home runs, and Joey Votto is having a year that reminds people of the old MVP Joey Votto with a .958 OPS and 25 home runs so far this season. The Reds pitching has been very inconsistent though, and that is why they have trouble beating the division leading Brewers.
Luis Castillo is supposed to be the ace of this staff, but has a 4.53 ERA in over 131 innings pitched. Sonny Gray and Vladamir Gutierrez have ERA’s in the 4’s and Wade Miley is the only starting pitcher with an ERA of 3 or under. Miley has definitely been the most consistent starter on this staff, but the Reds need more consistency from Castillo and Gray to continue pushing for a playoff spot.
Other than TeeJay Antone who has a 1.87 ERA in just over 33 innings pitched, the Reds bullpen is arguably the worst in all of the MLB. It is so bad that they have trouble winning close games unless they can outhit the other team. The bullpen doesn’t look like it can be fixed and it could cost them a playoff spot.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto has a very good lineup and traded for a star pitcher in Jose Berrios, which has been the missing piece to this teams success it seems. They had to give up top SS prospect Austin Martin and another prospect for Berriors, but it may have been worth it since it could get this team into the playoffs.
The Yankees had made a ton of moves right before the deadline as well to compete for a playoff spot, so the Blue Jays knew that they had to make moves as well to stay in the Wild-Card race. George Springer is back and killing it at the plate, Vladmir Guerrero is an MVP candidate and would probably win in any other year with 35 home runs, a .311 batting average, and a 1.027 OPS. Marcus Semien has 26 home runs and both Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio have been great as well.
The pitching staff has now three elite starters, Berrios, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Robbie Ray who all have ERA’s less than 3.65. The Blue Jays have won a ton of games recently, but the only problem is that the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox are continuing to win as well. Toronto does have the best lineup in the MLB and now an elite pitching staff, which should get them into the postseason if they can win the head to head matchups with the Yankees.
New York Yankees
The Yankees were having their way at the trade deadline acquiring both Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo to bolster a surprisingly struggling lineup to start the year. Since the acquisitions of Gallo and Rizzo the Yankees have gone 10-3 and show no signs of slowing down. Aaron Judge, D.J. LeMahieu, and Giancarlo Stanton desperately need to hit better and make a better impact if the Yankees want to continue their hot streak.
It remains to be seen how Luis Severino will comeback and do and whether they can get more quality starts out of Jameson Tailon and Jordan Montgomery, but the Yankees definitely have the lineup and the bullpen to compete every single game. They will only be able to win October playoff series’ if their pitching can get hot at the right time.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies were on an 8 game win streak until they lost two straight to the Dodgers to start this week. Still, they are tied for the division lead and definitely have played better as of late than the Braves, which is why they are ranked higher than them. The Phillies have played the Dodgers very tough even though they lost both games so far in this series.
Either way, the Phillies have a really good lineup this year with Byrce Harper gaining traction for NL MVP with 20 home runs, an average just under .300 and an OPS of .976. He is the heart and soul of this Phillies team and without him, this team would be close to last place in this division. Jean Segura is having a fantastic year hitting .314 and Andrew McCutchen is finally back from his injury ready to shine again as he had hit 20 home runs before he went down with an injury a week and a half ago.
J.T. Realmuto has been okay this season at the plate but really needs to get going to bolster this strong lineup even more. The Phillies traded for Kyle Gibson at the deadline and now have a 1-4 rotation of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Zach Elfin, and Kyle Gibson. Now they have good enough starting pitching for a playoff series if they get there, but their bullpen is still possibly the worst in the MLB. This means the Phillies will have to rely on their lineup in the later innings to outslug the other teams, even in the playoffs if they can win the division. The Phillies have the team to stay right in the mix for the division title, but they have serious competition.
Oakland Athletics
Matt Olson has had a heck of a year with 28 home runs and an OPS close to .960. Olson has been the heart and would of this Oakland lineup and needs to continue to hit really well for the A’s to catch the Astros in the AL West. Trading for Starling Marte seems to be helping as Marte is helping pick up the slack of the offense that was very reliant on Matt Olson. Matt Chapman and Ramon Laureano have struggled all year too. Oakland, per usual, is using its dominant pitching staff to win ballgames.
Cole Irvin was awful when he played for the Phillies in 2019 and 2020, but there is something about the Athletics pitching staff as Irvin now owns a 3.45 ERA in over 130 innings this season. Sean Manea has been fantastic with a 3.43 ERA with 143 K’s in just over 128 innings pitched. Frankie Montas, James Kaprielian, and Chris Bassitt have been fantastic as well sporting ERA’s in the 3’s.
The bullpen was supposed to take a hit with Liam Hendriks signing with the White Sox, but Lou Trivino has picked up the slack as the closer with a 1.82 ERA and 18 saves so far this season. Yusmeiro Petit and Jake Diekman have also been great out of the bullpen. The Athletics always find a way to be playing in October and this year will be the toughest yet since the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Yankees will all be gunning for one of the Wild Card spots as well.
San Diego Padres
Losing Fernando Tatis Jr. to injuries really hurt this team as they simply haven’t been as good. Even with Tatis, the team was struggling against in division matchups with the Dodgers and Giants, but even more so now that he is out and their offense just does not have their sparkplug.
The pitching for San Diego has been sloppy compared to what it was supposed to be like this year and nothing seems to be changing with that. Thankfully, the Padres are just so talented that they should be able to secure the second Wild Card behind the Dodgers or Giants regardless of their rotation consistency and health of Tatis and the rest of the lineup.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox won 20-8 last night against the Rays, but unfortunately they didn’t save that run support for today and tomorrow because that only counted for one win and they are still 4 games back of Tampa Bay! The Red Sox sure can hit, and with Chris Sale coming back this weekend, the Sox may get the spark they need to leapfrog the Rays in the division.
Rafael Devers, Xander Bogartes, and J.D. Martinez have been the leaders in the lineup and the rotation will be led by Chris Sale when he returns. This team is managed very well by Alex Cora, has a great lineup, timely pitching and really that is all you need for an October run. The Red Sox aren’t going to falter. They are only going up in the division.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers pitching is insane. Three of the best pitchers in the MLB lead the rotation 1-3 with Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes (who tied the record for consecutive K’s yesterday), and Freddy Peralta. Josh Hader is still the best reliever in baseball and Devin Williams continues to impress as well out of the pen.
The Brewers easily have the best pitching in baseball right now (sorry Dodger fans), but their lineup continues to be the weak spot of the team. Chrsitian Yelich does not know how to get going, but there is still time for him to hit his stride. Keston Hiura isn’t the consistent guy he has been in the lineup the last two years, and the rest of the lineup isn’t good at all. Pitching wins them games and it will have to for the rest of the year unless Yelich and Hiuar can find a way to get going.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays lost 20-8 last night to their division rivals, but they are still leading the division by 4 games. The Rays always find a way to bounce back after a big loss and should be able to do exactly that today. Tyler Glasnow getting hurt has messed with the stability of this pitching staff, but it has found a way to squeak by and the team has been able to use timely hitting from Brandon Lowe, Austin Meadows, Randy Arozarena, and Mike Zunino to win ball games.
If the pitching can stay consistent and the lineup can hit timely home runs like it has been doing, this Rays team will get into the playoffs. If something goes wrong, the Yankees or Blue Jays will catch them off guard and leapfrog them if the Red Sox can do that before them.
Houston Astros
The Stros are the new evil empire of the MLB, not the Dodgers. Everyone knows about the sign stealing cheating scandal and the Astros have been competing for World Series’ every year since then. I am by no means a fan of the Astros or what they did, but it is great for baseball that they are hated by everyone and continue to dominate the American League.
There is no denying that. Their lineup is led by Michael Brantley (.332 batting average), Carlos Correra (18 home runs), Yordan Alvarez (74 RBI’s), and Jose Altuve (25 home runs), and the rest of the lineup has been solid as well.
The difference for this team this year has been the pitching staff which has been way better than anyone expected. This is due to Framber Valdez (3.09 ERA) and Lance McCullers (3.22 ERA) pitching at an All-Star level to go along with the always consistent Zack Greinke as well. This team will easily make the ALCS as long as they don’t play the White Sox in the ALDS, which no one believes will be happening. That is how sure I am of Houston continuing to dominate.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox may not have the best record in the American League, but they are the best team in the American League by far. Stacked top to bottom with Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez back in a star-studded lineup that also includes reigning AL MVP Jose Abreu, the White Sox also have the best pitching in the American League.
Their starters include Ace Lance Lynn (2.04 ERA) who may win the Cy Young this year, Lucas Giolito (153 K’s), Carlos Rodon (2.38 ERA), and Dylan Cease (3.99 ERA). Beleive it or not, their bullpen is even better as the opposing team has already lost if they are losing entering the 6th inning basically having to face either Michael Kopech/Garrett Crochet, Liam Hendriks, and Craig Kimbrel. I have never felt more confident in my preseason prediction for the White Sox to make the World Series until now. It could actually happen and in fact I am confident it will happen as they are easily the most balanced and best team in the American League.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are second in the division but traded for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner at the deadline after they were already, even before the trade, the most talented team in the big leagues. Easily the best team roster wise in the MLB, both Turner and Scherzer are off to great starts for the Dodgers, while Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, and Cody Bellinger are starting to heat up and dominate other teams.
The consistency from Max Muncy and Justin Turner is still there and the pitching staff even without Trevor Bauer and Dustin May looks as good as ever. Walker Buehler is a candidate for the Cy Young with his 2.13 ERA and 152 K’s, and so is Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw…That really shows how good this team is. The bullpen is great too led by Blake Treinen (2.02 ERA), Phil Bickford (2.74 ERA), and Kenley Jansen (23 saves). I would be surprised if this team isn’t in the World Series.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants are as hot as a team can be. They traded for All-Star 3rd Baseman and former NL MVP Kris Bryant and he has been the perfect addition to a lineup that needed another difference maker. Buster Posey is still hitting about .340 and playing fantastic, while the rest of the lineup provides timely hitting and gets on base a ton.
In fact, the Giants rank 3rd in the league in team OPS just behind the Astros and Blue Jays and just ahead of the Reds and the Dodgers. That seems crazy because on paper the Giants don’t have nearly as good of a lineup as any of those teams, but Farhan Zaidi is a genius and has found hitters that work together and get on base.
The teams strongsuit though still is their pitching staff led by Kevin Gausman (2.31 ERA, 157 K’s), who could end up winning the NL Cy Young considering Jacob Degrom has been out for a while and is not coming back particularly soon. Johnny Cueto, Anthony DeScalafani, Alex Wood, and Logan Webb have all pitched fantastic, and the bullpen led by Tyler Rogers (1.83 ERA), Jake McGee (2.44 ERA), and Jose Alvarez (2.51 ERA) has been tremendous as well. At first I kept wondering when the Dodgers would catch the Giants, and I still am, but they seriously are holding a tight grip on the division lead and are showing no signs of slowing down. Right now, they are the best team in baseball.