MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers spring to top, A's making moves
theScore Staff
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This is the 12th edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2019 season. Rankings will continue being published every second Monday throughout the regular season, with the next instalment coming Sept. 2.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Previous rank (change)
82-44 6-4 +210 2 (+1)
The Dodgers continue to crush the ball - they hit an MLB-record 22 homers over a recent five-game stretch - and the starting rotation, featuring a resurgent Clayton Kershaw, is arguably the best in baseball. It's smooth sailing until October.
New York split its weekend series with the Cleveland Indians and allowed 34 runs in the process, but the Yankees are still sitting pretty atop the American League East standings with a 9 1/2-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. Since returning from a core injury on Aug. 11, Gleyber Torres has hit six home runs and driven in 11 to go along with a ridiculous 1.204 OPS.
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79-46 4-6 +178 1 (-2)
A recent five-game losing streak made the division race a bit closer, but the Astros still own the second-best record in the AL. It helps that rookie Yordan Alvarez refuses to slow down. In 16 August games, he's hitting .355 with seven home runs and four doubles.
4. Oakland Athletics
71-53 7-3 +94 7 (+3)
Speaking of that race in the West, the Athletics are making their customary late-summer surge. Oakland is 25-14 since the end of June to tighten the gap between it and Houston. Could Matt Harvey be the club's latest reclamation project? The former All-Star tossed four scoreless innings with five strikeouts in his Triple-A debut with Las Vegas.
5. Atlanta Braves
74-52 6-4 +62 4 (-1)
Despite some surging division rivals, the Braves still have a decent cushion atop the National League East. Ronald Acuna Jr. continues his ascent to bonafide superstar status, as he has 10 home runs in 17 August games and is one stolen base shy of joining the 30-30 club. Fellow youngsters Mike Soroka and Max Fried remain effective for what has otherwise been a relatively underwhelming pitching staff.
6. Minnesota Twins
76-48 6-4 +144 6 (-)
With the surging Indians hot on their trail, the Twins have responded by winning four straight - a streak that's come without Nelson Cruz, who is expected to return Monday. Minnesota has plenty of opportunities to distance itself from Cleveland down the stretch, as the Twins have 26 games remaining against the three bottom-feeders of the AL Central.
Rays pitchers set a team record by recording 24 strikeouts without surrendering a walk during a 13-inning win on Saturday. Conversely, their 1-0 victory snapped a 29-inning scoreless streak for the offense. We know they can pitch, but that streaky hitting is going to make a lot of people sweat in a one-game playoff ... if Tampa Bay gets there.
8. Cleveland Indians
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Cleveland has made the AL Central race a legitimate one. The combination of Jose Ramirez's rediscovered hitting prowess - the two-time MVP finalist owns a 1.130 OPS with six homers in August - and Yasiel Puig's welcomed addition to the outfield should make the rest of the AL very nervous. Carlos Carrasco's potential return to the bullpen should also provide the club with a big boost.
9. Washington Nationals
67-56 7-3 +68 9 (-)
Despite a disappointing extra-innings loss Saturday, the Nationals had a good week by winning six of seven. Unfortunately, closer Sean Doolittle hit the injured list on Sunday, dealing a blow to an already shaky bullpen that's posted a combined 6.10 ERA since the All-Star break.
10. St. Louis Cardinals
65-57 7-3 +28 10 (-)
The Cardinals are riding a wave of strong pitching, particularly from right-hander Jack Flaherty, who rode a 23-inning scoreless streak into Sunday's start against the Reds. Since the beginning of July, the sophomore hurler has a 1.47 ERA with 68 strikeouts across 55 innings.
11. Philadelphia Phillies
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64-60 5-5 -18 14 (+3)
Bryce Harper has had a somewhat tumultuous first season with the Phillies. However, his most recent heroics - including an exhilarating walk-off grand slam - have made those late-April boos from his home fans seem like a distant memory. Harper leads the team with an .866 OPS and 26 homers, and while he may not earn much MVP praise, he ranks fourth in baseball in win probability added.
12. Chicago Cubs
66-58 4-6 +70 11 (-1)
Trips away from Wrigley have been a nightmare for the Cubs this season. Their 24-39 road record is the NL's second-worst mark - only the Miami Marlins have been worse - and that trend continued this past week when Chicago blew ninth-inning leads on consecutive days in two different cities. And if the season ended today, the Cubs would be the road team in the NL wild-card game.
13. Milwaukee Brewers
64-60 6-4 -29 13 (-)
Saturday's win over the Nationals could be the jolt the Brewers need in their quest for a postseason berth. They hit a whopping seven homers in the game and overcame a three-run deficit in the ninth before eventually winning in the 14th.
14. New York Mets
64-60 6-4 +16 15 (+1)
Pete Alonso's historic rookie campaign continued Sunday when he set the NL rookie record for homers in a single season. The Polar Bear has been a big part of a Mets turnaround that has shot them to within 1 1/2 games of a playoff spot. Amed Rosario has also joined the hit parade, as the shortstop has 14 base knocks in his last six games and owns a .368 average since the All-Star break.
15. Boston Red Sox
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The Red Sox - winners of five straight - were dealt a major blow Saturday just as they were heating up. Chris Sale landed on the IL with elbow inflammation and will visit with Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion, which is not a good sign for the 30-year-old who signed a lucrative extension in March. Fortunately, Rafael Devers is emerging as a legitimate star. He's hitting .563/.600/1.094 in his last seven games, during which he became the first player to reach the 100-RBI plateau this season.
16. San Francisco Giants
The Giants won't go away and will be getting reinforcements in September if Johnny Cueto's timeline holds firm. Veteran hurler Jeff Samardzija has been especially productive of late, authoring a 2.09 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .182 batting average since the beginning of July.
17. Arizona Diamondbacks
It hasn't been a totally disappointing season for the D-Backs - Ketel Marte's MVP-caliber campaign and a positive run differential offer some hope - but they've certainly slumped since trading Zack Greinke. Though still on the periphery of the wild-card hunt, Arizona is below .500 and behind the surprising Giants, so it will be an uphill battle from here.
18. Cincinnati Reds
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A disappointing campaign has only gotten worse now that Joey Votto is on the IL with a back injury. The 35-year-old is in the midst of his worst season as a pro, with a career-low .352 OBP and .762 OPS. On the (extremely) bright side, rookie Aristides Aquino has eaten pitchers for lunch since getting the call to the show. He's hit a record 11 home runs in 17 games while slashing .333/.397/.930. Unbelievable.
19. Los Angeles Angels
62-64 6-4 -29 18 (-1)
What more can we say about Mike Trout? The best player on the planet not only tied his career high in homers this past week, but he also matched his idol Derek Jeter on the all-time WAR list, according to both Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs. The Angels received some good news about Shohei Ohtani, who felt comfortable throwing curveballs during a recent bullpen session. The two-way star, who underwent Tommy John surgery, expects to pitch in 2020.
20. Texas Rangers
Willie Calhoun has made it clear that he's unhappy about being demoted on several occasions this season, and he's proven lately that he belongs with the Rangers. The 24-year-old owns an .880 OPS, and his emergence in the second half is a big reason why Texas will likely view this season as a surprising success.
21. San Diego Padres
The exciting debut campaign of electric rookie shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. is most likely over after the 20-year-old suffered a stress reaction in his lower back, according to manager Andy Green. It's a disappointing turn of events for the Padres, who lost one of their most productive players and also a chance at possibly employing their first Rookie of the Year since Benito Santiago won the award in 1987.
22. Colorado Rockies
57-67 5-5 -61 (-)
Though the Rockies tumbled out of contention early on, there have been two major causes for optimism. Right-hander Jon Gray has rebounded from a frustrating 2018 and, most impressively, owns a 3.46 ERA at home. Then there's Ryan McMahon, who has emerged as a legitimate stick in the lineup by batting .293 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs in 34 second-half games.
23. Toronto Blue Jays
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The youngsters are bringing some light to a lost season in Toronto. Bo Bichette has reached safely in all but two of his 20 big-league games during a record-setting start to his career. Bichette's brilliance has overshadowed fellow phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who finally found his groove this month by posting a 1.026 OPS before suffering a knee injury Saturday.
24. Chicago White Sox
55-68 4-6 -118 24 (-)
Lucas Giolito fanned 11 Angels during a bittersweet and emotional homecoming. The White Sox ace, who was born in Santa Monica, Calif., delivered a strong start while donning the jersey number of close friend Tyler Skaggs on his cap, who died earlier this year. It was one of the many fine moments of Giolito's stellar campaign for a White Sox team that entered the All-Star break hovering at .500 but has scuffled to a 13-24 record since.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates
It's been a rough week for the Pirates outside of that one walk-off victory against the Cubs. On Friday, with their season already circling the drain, a report aired some of the clubhouse's dirty laundry, including the reasons behind the team suspending Keone Kela, which stemmed from the reliever berating longtime manager Clint Hurdle.
26. Seattle Mariners
52-73 5-5 -104 25 (-1)
Welcome back, Kyle Seager. The veteran third baseman has looked like a shadow of his former self for a couple of seasons, but he's slowly started to turn things around. His second-inning homer on Sunday was his 10th in the second half, and it helped lift his OPS to a more respectable .793.
27. Miami Marlins
This might be it for Don Mattingly in Miami. With the manager's contract set to expire in a matter of months, Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said there hasn't been a decision yet about the manager's future with the organization. The 58-year-old was hired in 2015 under the former ownership and has led the team to a lower win total in each season since his hire. With Miami's rebuild continuing, a new manager might be the next step in Jeter's organizational reconstruction.
28. Kansas City Royals
Jorge Soler is reminding everyone of why he was so highly touted when rising through the ranks of the Cubs' minor-league system. With 35 home runs - including seven so far in August - the Cuban slugger has done plenty to revive his hype. And he's done it by playing in every single game the Royals have played.
29. Baltimore Orioles
It was a heartwarming scene on Saturday when Chris Davis met up with a Red Sox fan who wrote him an encouraging letter during the hitter's record slump in April. This is another long and lost season for both Davis and the Orioles, but Saturday helped remind us of the joy baseball can bring, even when your team is 43 games behind.
30. Detroit Tigers
The Tigers played well against the Rays over the weekend, limiting the playoff contenders to six runs during a three-game set. Unfortunately, Detroit left the Trop with just one win after getting walked off in consecutive games. The Tigers have gone 9-27 during the second half and own the lowest winning percentage in the majors.
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