MLB Power Rankings: Week Ten Update

Week ten had some tough calls to make for the top-10.

The Twins, Astros, and Mariners all were in consideration, but fell short. Nothing against Minnesota, who is in second in the American League Central, but a team that’s recently been on fire just deserved a spot over them.

As for the Astros and Mariners, those teams are hard to rank in the top-10. Both teams have gone through swings where they’re ready to explode and take the division, then falter off. The Mariners are currently on that back end of that narrative, and are 3-7 in their last 10 games.

Outside those three, another fun story has been the Orioles of late. They dropped Friday’s affair with the lowly Athletics, but had won their last six beforehand. And as us Mets fans know, June is never too late to make a run at the playoffs. Especially in a weak AL.

1. Tigers

Detroit continues to be one of the best stories in baseball. They made the playoffs last year as a sneak-in Wild Card team, then took a series against the Astros in Houston. Now, they’re by far the best team in baseball.

They have the lowest team ERA (3.15) in the AL coming into Saturday, and showed out Friday by stifling the Cubs’ relentless offense to one run. As of now, Tarik Skubal leads the best staff in baseball and is the likely AL Cy Young favorite. The offense isn’t too shabby either, as they’re fourth overall in the majors in runs (320), eighth-overall in team OPS (.728), and hold the third-best run differential in baseball (+93).

2. Mets

Like our first overall team this week, the Mets have also dominated the league via their pitching. Their team 2.84 ERA is by far the best in baseball, and the only staff to hold an ERA below three in the majors.

Kodai Senga has led the charge, and turned in a dominant performance in Colorado Friday. He leads the majors with a 1.59 ERA and has only allowed 12 earned runs in 12 starts. (That’s really good by the way.)

They enter Saturday with a National League best 40-24 record, while also being the first NL team to reach the 40-win plateau. The club also dominated last week, splitting a series that could have easily been a four-game sweep of the Dodgers, along with four wins against the Rockies sprinkled in. Plus, Juan Soto is starting to heat up at the right time with Francisco Lindor‘s injury to his pinky toe.

3. Cubs

The Cubbies have found their way back toward the top of this list. And again, it’s primarily the offense that talks.

They’ve scored a major league-leading 360 runs, plus got some dominant pitching performances last week. Ben Brown went six scoreless with nine punchouts against the Reds last Saturday. Colin Rea and the bullpen held the recently hot Nationals’ lineup to just one run Thursday.

The biggest question as the season unfolds will be the pitching. We all know about the injuries. But the team only allowed 12 runs in the last six games. Their pitching also enters Saturday 11th in team ERA (3.68). That’ll play.

4. Yankees

The Yanks at four seem really low. But that’s how the dice rolled for them last week.

They got absolutely whalloped by the Dodgers last week, salvaging the series with a win Sunday, then took care of business against the overperforming Guardians at home.

Yet, the team still shows signs of complete domination. They’ve scored the most runs (335) in the AL, are tied for the major league lead in homers (101), and hold the league’s best team OPS (.810).

The club is also only getting better. Jazz Chisholm Jr. returned June 3 and has promptly gone 8-for-16 with two homers. He might be the answer for third base, where the Yankees have immensely struggled.

5. Dodgers

Dodgers at five? Everyone outside Orange County rejoice.

Seriously, though. The team stats don’t scream fifth overall. They’ve clubbed a major league-leading 101 homers. Freddie Freeman is somehow the best hitter at age 35 in a lineup that features Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. Plus, Andy Pages has been one of the most underrated hitters in the league with his .293/.337/.498 slashline and 12 homers.

So what’s the deal? Well, it’s the pitching. The staff has allowed 34 runs in their last seven games, good for a team 4.71 ERA. And yes, I know, I know, they’re pitching Landon Knack and Tony Gonsolin (who also just hit the IL), but this is what they signed up for. Pay for Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and Roki Sasaki and hope they’re all good to go in October. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, that’s four months from now. And with the Giants and Padres playing great baseball, that kind of arrogance can lose you a division.

6. Phillies

One to six is a steep drop for one week. But it’s truly been that bad for the Phils.

They’re 3-7 in their last 10 games, featuring blowouts like Saturday’s 17-7 loss, and also heart-wrenching ones like Friday’s 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh. Seriously, go watch that ninth inning from last night.

To make matters worse, Bryce Harper just hit the 10-day IL, leaving the first base duties to Otto Kemp. Needless to say, it’s been a rough go-around for the Phillies after they retook possession of first in the NL East. And it’s only going to get rougher at the end of the month when they have to face the Mets, Astros, Braves, and Padres starting June 20.

7. Cardinals

Week by week, the Cardinals just look like a Wild Card team.

Last week wasn’t particularly special, as they lost two series to the Rangers and Royals, but they started Friday strong with a 5-0 win over the Dodgers. The club enters Saturday 35-28 with a +31 run differential and a 0.5 game deficit for the third NL Wild Card.

The pitching staff has three guys in Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, and Matthew Liberatore with ERAs under four, and the bullpen continues to hold leads late. Plus, Willson Contreras is starting to heat up. The first baseman has a .320/.370/.600 slashline with a homer in his last seven games, and has the potential to carry an offense through the summer.

8. Giants

San Francisco truly won on the margins last week.

They took a series against the Marlins last week where every game was decided by at least two runs. Then they split a series at home against the Padres where every game was won by only a run. Even their game Friday versus Atlanta was decided by one run!

Overall, they went 5-3 in those games. Not too bad. Plus, they continue to tread water in the NL West, carrying the second NL Wild Card into June and a two-game gap between them and first place.

Robbie Ray and Logan Webb continue to lead the squad toward victories, and if the season ended today, both would probably finish top five in the Cy Young race. The front office also just brought in Dominic Smith to replace LaMonte Wade Jr. at first, and the native Californian has driven in four runs in nine at-bats.

9. Padres

This club feels too good to be at nine. But for some reason, they can’t score runs.

They entered Saturday 20th in runs scored in the majors. 20th! This from a club that is getting elite production from Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Manny Machado.

Yet, even with the struggling offense, the club still has a 36-26 record, is +18 in the run differential, and only a game back from the Dodgers. This team fits the bill to add a bat at the deadline. But that’s in the distant future.

10. Rays

Tampa? Yep, Tampa.

The Rays have been hot. Really hot. They’re on a four-game win streak, 9-3 in their last twelve, and haven’t lost a series since May 16. They’ve catapulted toward the top of the AL East and are only 5.5 games back from the Yankees.

Junior Caminero has been the budding star this franchise needed. He’s slashing .356/.387/.864 with seven homers in his last 15 games, and looks like he could be a top player in a league full of stars. Jonathan Aranda has also played like an All-Star, and looks like a lefty version of Yandy Díaz. The first baseman is slashing .324/.413/.500 with seven homers in 188 at-bats.

Rest of the Field

11. Twins
12. Astros
13. Mariners
14. Royals
15. Guardians
16. Diamondbacks
17. Blue Jays
18. Brewers
19. Nationals
20. Braves
21. Rangers
22. Red Sox
23. Reds
24. Orioles
25. Angels
26. Pirates
27. Athletics
28. Marlins
29. White Sox
30. Rockies

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