MLB Power Rankings: Week 9
Analyzing who belongs where in the MLB power rankings has become an easier task. With six weeks to go before the All-Star break, the hierarchy of teams is becoming more crystallized. Mirages only last so long in baseball. Teams cannot hide behind an easy early-season schedule over the course of a 162-game season. Runs scored and runs against have also become more indicative of true team strengths and weaknesses. There look to be some teams on the verge of a breakout, and yet there seem to be others in line for an extended slump. Nothing much has changed at the top, but the wild-card races have welcomed some new contenders.
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| Team | Previous | Record | Last 10 | Notes |
| 1. New York Yankees | 1 | 34-18 | 8-2 | The Yankees continue to impress. They are missing their top three players but remain the top team in baseball. In fact, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Luis Severino have only played a grand total of 23 out of 154 possible combined games. |
| 2. Los Angeles Dodgers | 2 | 35-18 | 8-2 | The Dodgers still hold a significant edge against the rest of the NL competition. |
| 3. Houston Astros | 3 | 35-19 | 6-4 | The Astros held off the Red Sox with four wins in six games in their home-and-home series. They remain an offensive powerhouse with one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. |
| 4. Boston Red Sox | 4 | 28-25 | 5-5 | The Red Sox have won nine of their last 11 games against teams other than the Astros. Unfortunately for them, they have faced Houston six times in the last two weeks. |
| 5. Philadelphia Phillies | 5 | 31-22 | 7-3 | The Phillies remain the top team in what was supposed to be a tough NL East. They have been consistent on both sides of the ball and hold one of the best records in baseball. |
| 6. Tampa Bay Rays | 6 | 31-19 | 6-4 | The Rays have continued to impress. They remain in second place in the AL East and lead the league in team ERA. The Rays have struggled against the league’s best but hold their position after a marquee 8-1 win against the Dodgers. |
| 7. Minnesota Twins | 9 | 36-16 | 9-1 | The Twins have been on a roll. They have powered their way to the best record in baseball thanks to some excellent pitching. They buoy their top-10 pitching staff with the most run support in baseball. |
| 8. Chicago Cubs | 7 | 30-21 | 5-5 | The Cubs are one of few teams to already cross the 30-win barrier. They are also one of only eight MLB teams limiting opponents to under four runs per game. |
| 9. Milwaukee Brewers | 10 | 30-24 | 5-5 | The Brewers continue to give up too many runs. They have, however, scored enough to maintain a positive run differential. The Brewers figure to battle the Cubs for first place in the NL Central all season long. |
| 10. Atlanta Braves | 14 | 30-24 | 7-3 | The Braves have been a pleasant surprise this season. They have fought their way to second in the NL East and have earned this place in the power rankings by virtue of being one of few 30-win teams in baseball. The Braves should remain in the wild-card mix all season long. |
| 11. San Diego Padres | 16 | 28-25 | 6-4 | The Padres have jumped up the rankings. Their distinct lack of run support was a reoccurring theme in the season’s first quarter, but they have turned it on as of late. They now sit over four runs scored per game and are one of only nine teams in baseball allowing fewer than four runs per game. |
| 12. St. Louis Cardinals | 8 | 26-26 | 3-7 | The Cardinals are on a bit of a slide, losing 16 of their last 22 games. They remain top ten in runs scored and have a tough stretch of games over the next two weeks which may shape the direction of their season. |
| 13. Arizona Diamondbacks | 19 | 28-25 | 5-5 | Top five in runs scored, the Diamondbacks have powered their way into the wild-card mix. They seem to be in line for some positive regression. They are one of only four teams (and the only NL squad) with 17 or more road wins. Despite their stellar work on the road, they have somehow managed to accrue a 11-13 record at home and could take a major leap when they address whatever ails them at Chase Field. |
| 14. Cleveland Indians | 11 | 26-26 | 3-7 | Cleveland has a great pitching staff, but no run support. Faltering as of late, Cleveland has managed to lose seven of its last eight games that Shane Bieber did not start. The club is too talented to continue to have an offensive power outage. |
| 15. New York Mets | 13 | 26-26 | 6-4 | The Mets’ pitching staff continues to disappoint, but there is still a lot of season left. They should find a way to develop some consistency and take advantage of the solid run support they have been generating. |
| 16. Washington Nationals | 12 | 22-31 | 4-6 | The most disappointing team in baseball is the Washington Nationals. Some had them pegged to win the NL East, and now only the fortune of being in the same division as the Miami Marlins keeps them out of last place. The pitching has been atrocious and not befitting a team with so many good starters. They should find a way to turn it around, but the sample size is large enough to suggest that it is far from a safe bet. |
| 17. Cincinnati Reds | 20 | 24-28 | 6-4 | Despite a losing record, the Reds continue to impress. They have a top-five pitching staff in terms of team ERA. Their run support is not great, but at over four runs per game, they should find a way to win more games. They fared well in an extremely tough portion of their schedule and may be in store for a good stretch of games. |
| 18. Colorado Rockies | 21 | 24-27 | 4-6 | Colorado is one of only five teams giving up more than five runs per game. Luckily for the Rockies, they are one of only 12 teams scoring more than five runs per game. They will have some interesting tests over the next two weeks. |
| 19. Texas Rangers | 24 | 25-25 | 7-3 | The Rangers are giving up entirely too many runs to have any sort of sustained success. They are second in runs scored but sit at .500. If they can find a way to shave their runs allowed by even half of a run, they could go on a serious roll over the next two weeks. |
| 20. Oakland Athletics | 17 | 28-25 | 9-1 | Despite an average 28-25 record, the A’s sit sixth in the AL. They have limited runs against and scored enough to win most games. Despite winning nine straight, Oakland will likely teeter around .500 for most of the season. |
| 21. Los Angeles Angels | 15 | 24-28 | 4-6 | The Angels have shown some consistency against bad teams while struggling against the good ones. They have dropped 19 of 31 games against teams over .500. The Angels will likely remain a middle-of-the-pack team all season. |
| 22. Pittsburgh Pirates | 22 | 25-25 | 4-6 | Rough waters are on the horizon for the Pirates. They have lost five of their last six games and have a tough stretch of their schedule coming up. Pittsburgh could be well below .500 by the All-Star break. |
| 23. Seattle Mariners | 20 | 23-32 | 1-9 | The Mariners have completely fallen apart after a hot start to the season, losing 24 of their last 31 games. Their schedule does not get any easier, leaving the Mariners mired among the worst teams in baseball. |
| 24. Toronto Blue Jays | 23 | 21-32 | 4-6 | The Blue Jays have become a more exciting team with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Cavan Biggio both in the majors. They rebuilding club is now sitting comfortably with AL’s fourth-worst record. |
| 25. Detroit Tigers | 25 | 19-31 | 1-9 | The Tigers are one of only five teams with fewer than 20 wins. Five of those wins have come in starts made by Matt Boyd. Run support remains an issue whether at home or on the road, and there seems to be no end in sight. The Tigers appear to be stuck in the mud. |
| 26. Chicago White Sox | 27 | 23-29 | 3-7 | The White Sox are at least a season away from making any serious noise. They have some interesting young pieces but need to get healthy and find some consistency. Getting Michael Kopech back in 2020 should go a long way towards lowering their horrendous team ERA. |
| 27. San Francisco Giants | 26 | 21-31 | 3-7 | Despite losing five of their last six, the Giants could be looking at a mini run. They have the Marlins and the Orioles this week. If the Giants want to begin the process of turning their season around, now is the time. |
| 28. Kansas City Royals | 28 | 18-34 | 3-7 | In a bubble, the Royals are scoring enough runs to remain competitive. However, they have allowed the second-most runs per game, hence their .346 winning percentage. They are likely to remain one of the league’s worst for the remainder of the 2019 season. |
| 29. Baltimore Orioles | 29 | 16-37 | 2-8 | The Orioles are making a serious push to take over the cellar of these power rankings. Their pitching staff is the worst in baseball, but they still score over four runs per game. |
| 30. Miami Marlins | 30 | 16-34 | 6-4 | The Marlins remain the worst team in baseball. Their only bright spot is pitcher Caleb Smith, who was in the midst of a breakout season before Sunday’s rough start against the Nats. |
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive, and follow him @FantasyContext.