MLB Weekly Power Rankings

Also available in Spanish Portuguese (Brazil) French

We’re a month into the 2017 Major League Baseball Season. What it means is that it’s time for me to go to my Weekly MLB Power Rankings format. I break up my power rankings between teams in the different leagues.

Sure, there’s interleague play all season long. But, the World Series still comes down to pennant winners. Check out my first MLB Power Rankings for 2017!

Weekly 2017 MLB Power Rankings

American League
** All records as of April 30

1. Baltimore Orioles 15-8

I’ll be the first to admit that I have no clue how Baltimore is maintaining its lead in the American League East. Strike that. I do have a clue. Orioles manager Buck Showalter is one of the best with smoke and mirrors. It must be smoke and mirrors because the O’s team ERA is 4.19. Baltimore has a team WHIP of 1.45.

2. New York Yankees 15-8

The Yankees are for real. Last week they beat the Red Sox 3 to 0 and 3 to 1. Then, they beat the Orioles 14 to 11, and 12 to 4 before losing 4 to 7. I think NYY is a contender all season long. Their ERA is ranked second in MLB at 3.35.

3. Cleveland Indians 14-10

It didn’t take long for Cleveland to establish itself as the top team in the AL Central Division. The Tribe hung 2 losses onto the Astros, 7-6 and 4-3, before beating the Mariners in 2 out of 3. Francisco Lindor already has 7 home runs and 17 RBI’s. He’s also batting .309

4. Houston Astros 16-9

Houston is easily the class of the AL West at this point of the season. Forget about hitting. Although the Stros can hit with any team, pitcher Dallas Kuechel is undefeated at 5-0 with a 1.21 ERA and a .81 WHIP.

5. Boston Red Sox 13-11

One of the pre-season favorites to win the American League Pennant and the World Series, Boston hasn’t gelled yet. Will they? They should. Based on stats, the Red Sox should have the best overall record in the American League. Boston is ranked in the Top 5 in pitching, hitting, and bullpen ERA. The record must catch up with the Red Sox stats at some point.

6. Chicago White Sox 13-10

The White Sox lead MLB in team ERA at 3.11. They also lead MLB in bullpen ERA at 1.94. They’re ranked 22nd in hitting. No worries. For baseball handicappers, the Chicago White Sox have been one of the best teams to ensure profit. The White Sox are an incredible 14 and 9 on the run line for +371 units.

7. Minnesota Twins 12-11

The Twins have won 4 out of their last 5. They’re within shouting distance of the Indians in the AL Central. We’ll get a better idea of how good they are in a couple of weeks when they battle Cleveland and the White Sox.

8. Los Angeles Angels 14-13

The Angels’ team ERA is slightly better this season than last season. It’s under 4.00 this season at 3.96. That’s a good sign. Another good sign is that they’re 6 and 1 straight up in their last 7. Mike Trout is killing it again with a .364 batting average and 7 home runs as of April 30.

9. Tampa Bay Rays 12-14

Trending downward with a 2 and 5 record from their last 7, the Rays may not have enough to contend with Baltimore, the Yankees, and, eventually, the Boston Red Sox. Their 4-game series versus NL Miami starting on May 1 is meaningless. This weekend, though, they must beat AL East cellar-dweller Toronto to keep pace.

10. Detroit Tigers 12-12

The Tigers broke a 3-game losing streak on April 30 with a 7 to 3 win over the rival White Sox. Detroit has been streaky this season. Two weeks ago, they lost 4 in a row before winning 3 in a row. They’ll need to win consistently to challenge Cleveland.

11. Texas Rangers 11-14

The Rangers followed up a 4-game sweep over the Royals with a 2 and 4 straight up record last week. The Angels beat them 2 to 1 in the 3-game weekend series while the Twins beat them 2 to 1 in their 3-games series during the week. Not great.

12. Oakland Athletics 11-14

The team pitching isn’t terrible. This is especially true about the WHIP which is at 1.23. The key for the Athletics is the return of Sonny Gray, who is scheduled to start two games this week. If Gray comes back at the top of his game, Oakland might be able to make some inroads on division leading Houston.

13. Seattle Mariners 11-15

Seattle’s team earned run average is 4.71. That ranks 29th in MLB. After beating Cleveland 3 to 1 this past Friday, the Tribe closed out the 3-game series with a 4-3 win and a 12-4 win. Seattle takes on the Angels and Rangers in two 3-game series this week. They must step it up or they’re going to fall further behind.

14. Toronto Blue Jays 8-17

The Blue Jays haven’t looked like contenders after the first month. It’s hard to see Toronto getting on a hot streak because they’re having trouble with their rotation, Aaron Sanchez just got added to the DL again, and their bats. When Kevin Pillar leads your team in home runs, there’s an issue.

15. Kansas City Royals 7-16

No longer do the Kansas City Royals have a vaunted bullpen. The Royals’ bullpen is ranked 27th in MLB with a 5.67 ERA. Manager Ned Yost hasn’t yet changed his style to account for the lack of any great bullpen pitchers. That’s why the Royals are just bad so far this season.

National League
** All records as of April 30

1. Washington Nationals 17-8

On Sunday April 30, Washington beat the New York Mets 23 to 5. The Nationals are easily the best team in MLB at this point in the season because they rank first in batting average per game and sport 3 ace pitchers.

3. Colorado Rockies 16-10

The Rockies have been a baseball handicappers dream this season. Colorado has made more profit than any other team in MLB when it comes to the moneyline. This is because in many games, the Rockies have been dogs. Dogs winning on the moneyline adds profit quickly in MLB betting.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks 16-10

Arizona did lose 1 to 2 in a 3-game series versus the Colorado Rockies this past weekend. The D’Backs battle Washington and Colorado this week. The 3-game series versus the Rockies this weekend is more important to them than the series versus Washington.

4. Chicago Cubs 13-11

To start the week, Chicago is 1 and 3 straight up. The Cubs haven’t hit their stride just yet. Is it only a matter of time? The Cubbies take on the Phillies in a 4-game set before battling the Yankees in an interleague match up over the weekend.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers 14-12

The Dodgers could be hitting their stride right now. L.A. swept the Phillies in 4 games last week. But, they only beat the rival San Francisco Giants in 1 out of 3 games before sweeping the Phillies. Still, it’s hard to look past how well the Dodgers played against Philadelphia, a team that is much improved in 2017 from 2016.

6. St. Louis Cardinals 12-12

Oh, the Cardinals! Just when you think they’re toast, they start winning games like it’s nothing. St. Louis is 9 and 3 straight up in their last 12. They could put more daylight between themselves and the Milwaukee Brewers this week since they battle the Brew Crew in a 4-game series.

7. Milwaukee Brewers 13-13

As in all sports, sometimes you just don’t match up well with your opponent. Milwaukee might not match up well with St. Louis. The Brew Crew lost 3 out of 4 games in the first series between these 2.

8. Miami Marlins 11-12

The Marlins had lost 4 in a row before beating Pittsburgh 10 to 3 on April 30. Miami is second in the NL East. It doesn’t mean that Miami makes it to the post-season this year. What it means is that Washington runs away with the National League East Division.

9. Philadelphia Phillies 11-12

Philly is tied with Miami in second place in the NL East. So far, Philadelphia is playing much better this season than they did last season. Because the National League is the weaker league in 2017, the Phillies could finish second in the NL East.

10. Cincinnati Reds 11-13

After starting the season 7 and 2, the Reds have completely imploded. Cincinnati is a bad 3 and 7 straight up in their last 10. It’s hard to see the Reds bouncing back with a winning streak. In fact, I expect the Big Red Machine to turn into the Big Red Cupcake as the season wears on.

11. Pittsburgh Pirates 11-13

Pitt finished off the week at 3 and 1. This, after starting out the week going 0 and 2 versus the Cubs. The Pirates face the Reds and the Brewers this week. Pittsburgh could sweep both of those squads, which would put them right back into the thick of it in the NL Central.

12. Atlanta Braves 10-13

After 6 straight losses, the Braves bounced back with 4 straight wins, 2 versus the Mets and 2 versus the Brewers, before losing 3 to 4 to the Brewers to end the week. Atlanta isn’t the worst team in the National League. That means something to the Braves who should take any positive comments they can get.

13. New York Mets 10-14

Thor, Noah Syndergaard, the Mets’ ace, is out for the foreseeable future. The Mets are 3 and 11 straight up in their last 14. Without Thor, it’s hard to see NYM climbing out of the NL East cellar.

14. San Diego Padres 11-16

The Padres aren’t very good. But, here’s the good news, they beat San Francisco 12 to 4 and 5 to 2 in their last 2 games. That means the Padres aren’t the worst team in the National League as of April 30.

15. San Francisco Giants 9-17

The San Francisco Giants are a horrendous baseball team. It pains me to say that. The Giants can’t score runs. What’s worse is that the bullpen is ranked 24th in MLB. It allows 5.04 runs per game.

Also available in Spanish Portuguese (Brazil) French

What do you think?

Written by D.S. Williamson