MLB Power Rankings: The Astros Come Alive, but the Dodgers, Phillies, and Yankees Rule Supreme
The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies are starting to stand out as baseball’s elite clubs more than 25% of the way into the 2024 MLB season.
However, the list of possible opponents is still lengthy, with even the Houston Astros exhibiting life following their appalling start. The Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles are still a hot stretch away from joining that club.
Our MLB power rankings are subject to weekly rotation, with 23 clubs starting play on Monday no worse than five games behind a.500 record.
Here is how all 30 baseball clubs compare as of right now.
30. White Sox of Chicago (14–33)
Prior Position: 28
Last Week: 0-3 at NYY, 2-1 @ WAS
With the Yankees sweeping them over the weekend and outscoring them 17-5, the White Sox are back at the bottom of the standings with an MLB-worst minus-99 run differential this season. Positively, during his previous four starts, left-hander Garrett Crochet has a 1.23 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched.
Colorado Rockies (ranked 15–31)
Prior Position: 29
Last Week: SF 0-3; SD 3-0
After sweeping the Padres, the Rockies extended their winning streak to seven games. However, their pitching staff let up 28 runs in three games against the Giants, putting a stop to their winning streak. With a.873 OPS, third baseman Ryan McMahon is eighth among eligible NL hitters with a line of.306/.387/.486, which is.306 OPS.
28. Marlins of Miami (15-33)
Prior Position: 30
Last Week: 2-1 vs NYM and 2-1 at DET
Josh Bell, a first baseman in the second season of a two-year, $33 million contract, went 10-for-26 with three doubles, one home run, and six RBI in six games last week. If he can continue to hit well, Bell might establish himself as a valuable trade piece for the Marlins. Despite winning both of its series last week, this team still seems to be headed for a fire sale.
27. Athletics of Oakland (19-30)
Prior Position: 21
Last Week: KC 0-3, HOU 0-4
The A’s started the season with a 17-17 record, but after a 20-4 thumping of the Marlins on May 4, they are 2-13 with a minus-46 run differential in their past 15 games. closer with a flame-throwing The upcoming months will see a lot of talk about Mason Miller as a trade prospect; it will be fascinating to see whether anybody is prepared to pay what is sure to be an extremely high asking price.
26. Reds of Cincinnati (19-28)
Prior Position: 22
Last Week: 1-3 at LAD, 1-2 at ARI
With a meager 2.8 runs per game on average in May, the Reds are hitting.212 with a.606 OPS, enough for 29th place in the majors. And the losses will keep coming in until the offense finds its footing. Great American Ball Park will host their next nine games, which should provide the offense with a decent chance to get back on track.
25. Angels of Los Angeles (18–29)
Prior Position: 26
Last Week: 2-1 at TEX, 1-2 against STL
Tyler Anderson (7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER), Patrick Sandoval (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER), and José Soriano (7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER) all had excellent starts over the weekend, which was a plus for the Angels. In 2024, the offense will be the deciding factor for Los Angeles, as it has been the pitching staff in prior years.
New York Mets (21-25) on 24
Prior Position: 20
Last week: 1-2 at MIA, 0-2 at PHI, and 1-1 at PHI
The main news coming out of the Mets camp the previous week was the rumor that slugger Pete Alonso rejected a seven-year, $158 million contract last summer. Considering that Matt Olson inked an eight-year, $168 million deal with the Atlanta Braves in March, it looked like a more than reasonable offer. Alonso may emerge as one of the top targets at the trade deadline if the Mets continue to lose games.
23. Nationals of Washington (20–25)
Prior Position: 18
Last Week: 0–3 at PHI, 1-2 at CWS
Though they are off to a better-than-expected start this season, the Nationals still seem to be a few years away from making a real push up the standings. Despite this, they have a bright future. This might indicate that Trevor Williams is among the best pitchers accessible at the trade deadline this year. The 32-year-old, who is in the last year of his deal, is making a team-friendly $7 million this season despite having a 2.35 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 46 innings through his first nine starts.
22. Blue Jays of Toronto (20–25)
Prior Position: 24
Last Week: 1-2 against TB, 1-1 at BAL
Where is the offensive on the Blue Jays these days? With a minus-20 run differential in May and a.229/.293/.348 batting line, they have faltered to a 5-9 record. The only player on the squad with at least 100 plate appearances and an OPS above.800 is shortstop Davis Schneider. Now is their chance to turn things around as they play the White Sox in six of their next nine games.
REAB MORE
“Shocking Twist in MLB: Mets and Pirates Stunned by Umpire’s Controversial Strike Zone Calls!…..
Mets and Pirates broadcasters couldn’t believe the umpire’s questionable strike zone.
Saturday’s game between the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates included a series of missed calls by home plate umpire John Tumpane, which left both the Mets and Pirates broadcast teams as stunned and furious.
Tumpane had a poor striking zone throughout the game. But it became more clear in the bottom of the seventh inning, possibly the most important moment of the game for both teams.
The Pirates were able to load the bases while losing 5-2, with outfielder Jack Suwinski leading the way at the plate. His at-bat included some questionable strike calls, to say the least. The second pitch of the at-bat and the fifth pitch, which would have been ball four, were both firmly below the strike zone.
The Pirates broadcast team on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, comprising of Greg Brown and Kevin Young, were immediately furious by the missed call, which would have made it 5-3 if Suwinski had drawn a walk.
Strike called, my goodness,” Brown exclaimed. “It should be 5-3! “Oh, Brother!”
“It’s unbelievable,” stated Young. “Unbelievable. That pitch was not just low, but it was also comfortably off the plate.
Meanwhile, the Mets broadcast team on SNY, comprised of Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez, had to confess that the Mets got away with some extremely fortunate strike calls on these pitches.
“Wow,” commented Hernandez. Oh my goodness… That is, umm… “That was ball four.”
Understandably, the Pirates’ dugout was furious about these missed calls. Derek Shelton, the Pirates manager, began shouting at Tumpane. Tumpane quickly ejected him from the game.
Suwinski struck out swinging on the next ball, ruining the Pirates’ best chance of the game to mount a comeback. The Mets would go on to win 5-2, maintaining their lead throughout.
To be honest, no one knows what would have happened if Suwinski had drawn a walk, as he certainly should have in this at-bat. However, the Pirates were certainly robbed of at least one chance to score a big inning due to John Tumpane’s missed calls.
Derek Shelton was asked in his postgame news conference about his ejection and what led up to it, and he wisely declined to further embarrass himself while confirming that he believed it was the incorrect call.
“From my perspective point? I believe you understood what I said, and I should probably refrain from making any further comments,” Shelton added. “So, you saw that, and you saw how I responded. Jack (Suwinski) doesn’t react… Probably one of the coolest men. So he reacts like that, and the (pitch) clock starts so quickly. As you can tell by the raspiness in my voice right now, I wasn’t particularly pleased with it. As I previously stated, you are welcome to review them and let me know what you think.”
Leave a Reply