This is the second version of our Power Rankings. Once again, Dalton Allison and Gus Livaditis join me in this exercise. The three of us produce individual rankings, with our top team getting 30 points and our bottom team getting 1. Then all three are added together to arrive at the rankings below. The number in parentheses is the team’s ranking in our last segment.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (1) – Without Bryce Harper, they’ve gone 3-2 at Atlanta and versus the Dodgers. And they were missing Kyle Schwarber for the Braves series, too.
2. Baltimore Orioles (5) – The Orioles are the only MLB division leader with an above .500 record in their last 10 games. A series victory over the Mariners in Seattle has been an early highlight in their July. (Dalton)
T3. Cleveland Guardians (4) – Second-best record and third-best run differential in A.L. deserves the respect. (Gus)
T3. Los Angeles Dodgers (2) – This is a funky team. After dropping two of three to the San Francisco Giants and then the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers snagged a series from the Milwaukee Brewers. (Dalton)
5. New York Yankees (3) – Jim Rice had a career .981 OPS and 33 home runs against the Yankees. Ben Rice made his claim to fame in the storied series by mashing 3 home runs against the Red Sox. (Dalton)
6. Milwaukee Brewers (6) – Third-best run differential in N.L., so why are they below .500 against winning teams? (Gus)
7. Atlanta Braves (7) – What year is this, 2017? Chris Sale has been having a renaissance year, and his .913 WHIP would be the lowest of his impressive career. (Dalton)
8. Minnesota Twins (9) – Can this year be the second time Byron Buxton plays 100 games in a season? He has been an important factor for the Twins this season as they hold strong in the Wild Card race. (Dalton)
9. Seattle Mariners (8) – Season to date capsule from this past Sunday: Bases loaded in the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings, and don’t score in any of them, losing the series to the Blue Jays. (Gus)
10. Houston Astros (12) – Just 3 ½ games out of the Wild Card and three months to go. (Gus)
11.San Diego (13) – Fernando Tatis Jr. seems to be working his way back to 2021 form. He is one of five Padres who were selected to the All-Star game. (Dalton)
12. Kansas City Royals (T10) – Talented team, and third-best run differential in A.L. (Gus)
13. Boston Red Sox (T10) – Third Wild Card team, but 16-26 against winning teams and below .500 at home. (Gus)
14. St. Louis Cardinals (15) – Third-worst run differential in N.L., but second Wild Card. Huh? (Gus)
15. New York Mets (14) – They’re 6-4 here in July in the weak part of their schedule. They have eight more games upcoming against sub-.500 teams and it would be nice if they won at least five of those.
16. Arizona Diamondbacks (17) – One of the numerous teams in the National League to be hovering around .500, the D’Backs have gone 7-4 in their last 11 games to move with one of .500 at 46-47.
17. Cincinnati Reds (21) – Five wins worse than their Pythagorean record suggests. (Gus)
18. Pittsburgh Pirates (19) – Consistent offense is a problem, especially against LHP. But the pitching should keep them competitive.
19. Texas Rangers (18) – When it comes to the Rangers, Texas Gus is the most-bullish one on their play. Dalton and I are more pessimistic. They’re middle of the pack in both runs and ERA. Might deserve to be a few spots higher on this list.
20. Detroit Tigers (24) – Tarik Skubal has finally lived up to his potential as a front of the line starter. He’s led an impactful trio of Reese Olson and Jack Flaherty, but the offense has not played up to the same level. (Dalton)
21. Tampa Bay Rays (16) – Shane Baz has returned to the rotation after missing all of 2023 due to TJ surgery. Too bad he’s not a hitter – the Rays could use one or two of those.
22. San Francisco Giants (20) – It seems like there’s some good hitters and good pitchers here. But it’s just not really working. Maybe Blake Snell can find himself in the second half of the season and lead a charge up the standings.
23. Washington Nationals (22) – CJ Abrams has finally broke through this season, and has earned his first All Star selection. He is unquestionably the most dangerous batter in the Nationals lineup. (Dalton)
24. Chicago Cubs (23) – With back-to-back wins against the Orioles, the Cubs are now 14-8 in Interleague Play so far this season. Against the NL, they’re 30 -41.
25. Toronto Blue Jays (26) – At one point, Toronto was 13-10. And they proceeded to go 26-39 in their next 65 games. It just seems like they should be better.
26. Los Angeles Angels (25) – Mike Trout is coming back; what would an offensively starved team offer for this player? (Gus)
27. Oakland A’s (27) – Say what you will about this A’s Team, they like to take their hacks. They’re sixth in home runs, but second in strikeouts. (Dalton)
28. Miami Marlins (29) – This is a team that could use some power. They’re 28th in the majors in doubles and 30th in home runs. It’s a tough way to make a living.
29. Colorado Rockies (28) – The 1993 Expansion Teams are battling it out for the worst team in the NL. Who’s the Rockies best player? It’s probably Brenton Doyle, who won a Gold Glove as a rookie last year and currently leads the team with an .812 OPS. The Blake Street Bombers are a distant memory.
30. Chicago White Sox (30) – At 27-68, the White Sox have a .284 winning percentage. If they play that way over 162 games, they’ll finish 46-116. That’s just one more win than the Mets currently have.
Very entertaining!