30. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are the only team in baseball still in single digits with wins - and they only have 7! The Pirates just got no-hit yesterday by Lucas Giolito, who did pitch amazing, but the Pirates haven’t hit all season – Josh Bell, Adam Frazier and Jarod Dyson are all hitting under the Mendoza Line and one of their normally better hitters Bryan Reynolds is just over it at .212. Their pitching hasn’t been a ton better although Trevor Williams has impressed and could be dangled at the trade deadline. All in all, the Pirates have a lot of work to do and come in at #30.
29. Texas Rangers
I hate to put them this low and didn’t expect to, but they have found themselves in a major tailspin losing 9 of their last 10 including an 8-game losing streak. Lance Lynn has been the bright spot for this team and he has been a big name in trade rumors as we get closer to the deadline. The rest of the rotation – one of that I was high on coming into the season – has disappointed. Offensively, the Rangers are dead last in the American League in On-Base-Percentage (.289), batting average (.211), runs scored (107), and home runs (24).
28. Detroit Tigers
The Tigers started the season fairly hot, but have since cooled down drastically. So far this season, this team has only managed a .297 on base percentage and have the second worst ERA in baseball at 5.92. They’ve lost 7 of their last 10 and are starting to look more like the team most fans expected to see in 2020. Some bright spots include Spencer Turnbull and Jacoby Jones but all in all it hasn’t been great. The Tigers did recently promote several of their big prospects including #1 pick Casey Mize, so there is some excitement there for sure.
27. Kansas City Royals
Coming in at #27 is the 2015 Champions, the Kansas City Royals. Despite a 5-4 win yesterday against the Cardinals, the Royals have been struggling. They lost 4 of 5 before that including a 5-0 loss the the Reds in which Trevor Bauer threw a 7-inning 1-hitter. Earlier in the season, they lost 6 in a row. Their starting pitching and offense have struggled mightily. Admittedly, the Royals haven’t had the easiest schedule with 22 of their first 30 games coming against teams with a winning record. Their bullpen has impressed and, as I said in my first Trade Deadline Video, they could dangle out a couple bullpen arms for prospects. One of the best stories so far of 2020 has to be Trevor Rosenthal, who has 7 saves with a 1.46 ERA.
26. Los Angeles Angels
The Angels got a little bump after beating the Astros 11-4 on Monday, but everything considered, this team has been a monumental disappointment. Despite the superstar power of Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon along with the surprisingly dominant season Dylan Bundy is having on the mound, the Angels are 10-22. The Angels have a team batting average of .233, Shohei Ohtanti hasn’t pitched or hit effectively, Jo Addell is just getting his career started and hasn’t produced yet, and besides Bundy, the Angels didn’t do much to improve their rotation and it is showing.
25. Boston Red Sox
I got a lot of hate for putting the Red Sox in 4th place and down around #21 in my preseason power rankings, but here we are. The Red Sox are 10-20 and sitting in last place in the American League East. For the past 15 years, they have seemed like a team that either wins the World Series or completely falls apart and finishes in the basement. This year – it’s looking like the basement. They’ve already been active in the trade market and look for that to continue – Kevin Pillar, J.D. Martinez and Mitch Moreland, among others, could all be on the move.
24. Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are ahead of Boston after winning 2 of 3 in their recent series. Nevertheless, after a hot start, they have cooled down significantly. They were swept by the Blue Jays and lost 2 of 3 to the Nationals before the Red Sox series. One bright spot for the Orioles this season has been outfielder Anthony Santander, who 10 bombs on the season in just 119 at bats along with a solid .277 batting average. Meanwhile, 2015 first round pick Ryan Mountcastle finally made his big league debut and has looked solid so far, going 4 for his first 12. The next few days will determine what the O’s will do at the deadline – they’ll have to get hot quickly to avoid being sellers.
23. Arizona Diamondbacks
Next up is the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team I was high on coming into 2020. They have not been good. Madison Bumgarner lost his velocity and got hit hard before going on the Injured List. Robbie Ray’s control has been horrendous with 25 walks in 27 innings. He’s also given up an incredible 25 runs in the same span. Ketel Marte has hit well but has just one bomb after hitting 32 last season. They have fallen to last in the NL West and have lost 7 straight games. It has been a rough season thusfar for the D-Backs.
22. Seattle Mariners
All the way up at 22 is the Mariners, who are on a 4-game winning streak after crushing the Padres 8-3 yesterday. They lost 3 out of 4 before that to the Dodgers, but honestly, most fans likely expected the Dodgers to sweep that series. Kyle Lewis has been great for Seattle hitting .360 in 111 at bats, definitely making himself a serious contender for Rookie of the Year. Evan White hasn’t been great but does have 5 home runs and is hitting .375 with runners in scoring position. The Mariners are 12-19 on the season but sit in 3rd in the American League West.
21. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have won 2 straight against the Reds but have largely disappointed this season. They were even swept by none other than the #30 Pittsburgh Pirates. It is safe to say that my prediction that Christian Yelich would the MVP this season was completely wrong. He is hitting .200 after 100 at bats although he’s hit 7 home runs and managed a .322 on base percentage. The Brew Crew have a .213 batting average and .297 on base percentage, both second to last in the National League. It has been disappointing to say the least for the Milwaukee Brewers.
20. New York Mets
The New York Mets come in at #20 after a disappointed first half of 2020. They’ve returned to playing again after a couple positive covid tests and proceeded to get shutout twice by the Marlins. The Mets are 12-16 on the season and would have been much worse if it wasn’t for some solid offense by guys like Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith. Pete Alonso, despite a .232 batting average, is also heating up and starting to tear the cover off the ball like he did last season. The pitching staff has struggled, however, with a 4.89 ERA, good for 10th in the National League.
19. Washington Nationals
The World Champions have not looked great for most of 2020 and things are even worse now that Steven Strasburg has been lost for the season due to surgery on his hand. They’re 4-6 in their last 10 and sit at the bottom of the NL East standings with a pathetic 6-12 home record. They are second in the NL with a .263 batting average but their starting pitching has not been up to standard. Corbin, Sherzer and Sanchez have been okay, but not quite as dominant as you’d hope as Nationals fan. All in all, it has been a rough campaign thus far for the Champions.
18. Cincinnati Reds
Coming in at #18 is the Cincinnati Reds, who are on a 4-game losing streak and have really disappointed this season so far. The starting pitching has been good as expected, especially Trevor Bauer and Sonny Gray, but the Reds are dead last in baseball with a .203 batting average. Their entire team is hitting near the Mendoza Line. Their on base percentage is barely over .300 and the Reds currently sit in 4th place with a record of 11-17. Shogo Akiyama is hitting .214 with nary a home run. Eugenio Suarez is hitting .158. The advanced stats show the Reds have had some bad luck this year, but they better figure something out quick or not only will they not with the World Series like I predicted, but they won’t even be a part of October baseball at all.
17. Miami Marlins
One of the biggest surprises of the season has been the Miami Marlins, who I have all the way up at #17. They have definitely cooled off after a hot start and also haven’t played as many games as most teams due to their Covid adventures. However, they’ve just shut out the Mets in back to back games and sit in second place right now in the National League East with a 14-11 record. The Marlins may actually be buyers at the deadline, which is absolutely insane. Some of their key contributors this season have been Jesus Aguilar, Corey Dickerson, Jonathan Villar and pitcher Pablo Lopez, who has 1.98 ERA through 5 starts with a 3-1 record and 27 strikeouts in 27 innings.
16. Philadelphia Phillies
Coming in at #16 is the Philadelphia Phillies, who just eek out the Marlins after beating the Nationals yesterday 8-3 and the Braves on Sunday 5-4. Despite superstar performances by superstar players like Bryce Harper and JT Realmuto and a very good rotation, the bullpen has been atrocious. They have tried to address these issues by trading for Brandon Workman but then he blew a save in his first opportunity, so… yeah. The Phillies are 11-14 and sit in third place right now, still hoping for a chance to slip in the playoffs but that bullpen will have to step it up if they expect to get anywhere in October.
15. Colorado Rockies
The Rockies would have been much higher on this list only a few days ago, but they have fallen apart after a blazing start and are now at .500. The true test for this team came with a series against the Astros and Dodgers – they lost every game. They are 3-7 in their last 10 and are barely hanging on to 3rd place as the San Francisco Giants are hot on their heels. Nolan Arenado, who was wanting to get traded during the offseason, is hitting .231 and Jon Gray is 1-3 with a 6.23 ERA. However, Kyle Freeland has been a nice surprise after a terrible 2019 and Charlie Blackmon is still hitting close to .400.
14. San Francisco Giants
Next up, and don’t worry folks, they’re moving up this ladder quickly, but after losing 4 straight, including 3 9th inning blown saves, the San Francisco Giants have done nothing but dominate with 7 straight wins including a walk off yesterday in extras against the rival Dodgers. With this latest streak, the Giants have leaped back into playoff contention. So far this year, the bullpen has been reliable more often than not and the offense has absolutely exploded as the Giants are 4th in the National League in home runs and 6th in batting average. The starting pitching has been good enough with Kevin Gausman and Logan Webb stepping it up as mainstays in the rotation along with the guy who came out of nowhere, Tyler Anderson, who just threw a complete game 3-hitter. Offensively, Mike Yastrzemski is for real, Donovan Solano has been incredible and veterans like Brandon Belt, Wilmer Flores and Evan Longoria among others have been vital it helping the Giants stay in playoff contention as the trade deadline approaches.
13. Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are .500 on the season and sit in 3rd place in the American League East in a prime spot to play in October. They have unfortunately had a lot of injury issues this season, especially with their rotation, but have continued to fight and maintain a spot in the playoffs. Hyun Jin Ryu has been good with a 3.19 ERA and 33 strikeouts in his first 31 innings white both Chase Anderson and Tanner Roark have provided some solid outings. The team is 5th in the American League with a .249 batting average and 2nd with 48 home runs, 11 coming from Teoscar Hernandez who is hitting .292 with 19 RBI in just 106 at bats.
12. St. Louis Cardinals
Next up is the casino lovers themselves – just kidding – St. Louis Cardinals. They’ve won 4 of their last 6 including a 9-3 pounding of the Royals and currently sit in second place in the NL Central trailing only the Chicago Cubs. This is a team that will be tested with several double headers after having so many games postponed. However, the talent has been there with Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson and even Adam Wainright – still in 2020 – pitching great out of the rotation. Although their offense has underperformed overall, Paul Goldschmidt has quietly hit .344 with nearly a .500 on base percentage. The Cardinals are still a legit contender this season and are currently #12 in my power rankings.
11. Houston Astros
Coming in at #11, just missing out on the top 10, is the beloved Houston Astros. I maintained coming into this season that this is still an excellent baseball team and so far this year, they’ve done well sitting in second place in the AL West with a 17-14 record. However, they just got beat by the Angels 12-5 after walking 10 batters and have struggled with command all season as Astros pitchers lead the Major Leagues with 135 walks. Still, Jose Alutve is starting to heat up, Correa and Reddick have been good and despite losing Verlander for the season, guys like Zack Greinke and Framber Valdez have been fantastic and I still have the Astros at #11.
10. Atlanta Braves
Kicking off the top 10 for the current MLB Power Rankings we have the Atlanta Braves. Despite a ton of injuries, the Braves have continued to play good baseball. Max Fried has sparkled this season with a 4-0 record and 1.32 ERA while Mark Melancon has proved that as long as he’s not wearing a Giant uniform, he’s an elite closer. Freddie Freeman continues to be Freddie Freeman, Marzell Ozuna has 7 bombs on the year and even old friend Adam Duvall has contributed some key hits this season as the Atlanta Braves lead the NL East with a 16-12 record.
9. Chicago Cubs
Coming in at #9 and dropping a few spots is the Chicago Cubs, who are 5-5 in their last 10 after starting the season on fire. They’re still 18-11 and lead the National League Central even after getting clobbered by the Tigers yesterday 7-1. Yu Darvish has shown that he’s still got it after 6 starts and a 1.7 ERA while offensive players like Jason Heyward and Ian Happ have stepped it up while other key guys have struggled like Javy Baez and Kris Bryant. Overall, however, they’ve gotten the wins and that’s what counts – the Cubs are in first place and are going to be a prime position to buy at the deadline.
8. San Diego Padres
Zooming up the power rankings are the red hot San Diego Padres although they just lost the Mariners, they have proved to be a super exciting team with a ton of talent. The Padres swept the Astros including a 13-2 pounding on Saturday and Fernado Tatis Jr. is a straight up superstar. The Padres are 7-3 in their last 10 and recently had a 7-game winning streak. They are only 4 games behind the Dodgers and still sitting in 2nd in the National League West thanks to timely hitting and outstanding pitching by guys like Dinelson Lamet and Garrett Richard. This team is really exciting and if the Giants stay hot, it will be a massive clash when they meet with the Padres in San Diego in a couple weeks.
7. New York Yankees
Next up is the famous Bronx Bombers, who got swept by the Rays when they last played which is why they’ve dropped down to #7, but they are still a legit threat to go all the way this season. They’re 16-9 on the season and are about to welcome back Aaron Judge from the Injured List. As always, they have struggled with injuries, but also as always, others have stepped it up and performed anyway including Luke Voit and Clint Frazier. Meawhile, Gerrit Cole has pitched well with 44 strikeouts in 36 innings and a 4-0 record while Aroldis Chapman is just returning from his bout with Covid-19 to add some much needed dominance to that bullpen.
6. Cleveland Indians
At #6 is the Cleveland Indians, whose 2.85 ERA is second only to the Dodgers in all of baseball. This team is 18-12 on the season tied for 2nd in the Central and in a position to definitely make the playoffs and possibly fight for a division championship. As expected, it has been their pitching that has done it for Cleveland while the offense has been underwhelming. Shane Beiber is 6-0 with a 1.35 ERA and leads this fantastic staff that includes guys like Mike Clevinger and Zach Pleasac, who had to sit in the corner after violating Covid-19 rules. Nevertheless, look for the Indians to be playing in October.
5. Chicago White Sox
When I did my preseason power ranking and put the Chicago White Sox at #6, I was called every name in the book except smart. However, here we are, halfway into the 2020 season, and I have the White Sox even higher at #5. They lead all of baseball in batting average and are 3rd in home runs with 55 bombs already. All they do is crush the ball every day, which is exactly what I said would happen – this team can straight up rake. They are in second place right now, tied with Cleveland and trail the Twins by just a game and a half. Meanwhile, their pitchers are doing okay as well… for instance, Lucas Giolito just pitched a no-hitter.
4. Minnesota Twins
Despite my hype for the Sox and Indians, I have to give full credit to the Minnesota Twins, who are 20-11 on the season and 12-3 at home this year. Despite some struggles offensively, the pitching has stepped up, led by Randy Dobnak who wasn’t even on my radar during the off-season. He is 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA. Kenta Maeda has also been phenomenal, flirting with a no-hitter earlier in the year and pitching to the tune of a 4-0 record with a 2.21 ERA. The Twins come in at #5 easily and have proven that their 101 wins last year was no fluke.
3. Tampa Bay Rays
What’s amazing about the Tampa Bay Rays is they are so deep with their pitching staff that despite injuries to Yonny Chirinos, Charlie Morton and a variety of solid bullpen arms, they still continue to pitch well and win games. Tyler Glasnow has 48 strikeouts in 28 innings and just pitched 7 innings giving up one run against the Orioles for a win yesterday and Blake Snell has been fantastic with a 2-0 record and ERA just over 3. Some offensive players like Ji-Man Choi, Hunter Renfroe and Yoshi Tsutsugo have disappointed but led by this pitching staff, the Rays are 20-11 and in first place in the east. I do believe their hitting needs to be better to make a World Series run, but with that record and the fact that this team is 8-2 in their last 10, I couldn’t put them any lower than #3.
2. Oakland A’s
I was high on the A’s coming into this season, but obviously not high enough. The Oakland A’s are 21-10, sitting comfortably in first place in the AL West and just crushed the Rangers 10-3 thanks to a strong outing by Sean Manaea, who has been solid along with Mike Fiers and rookie Jesus Luzardo. But their offense has also been solid hitting as many home runs as the Yankees with 45 on the year, tied for 4th in the American League and have shown great patience in the fashion of those old 2002 Moneyball A’s by working 132 walks, second in the league only to the Rays, who have 134. Their bullpen came into 2020 smoking hot, allowing just 1 run in 20 innings and this team is just overall solid, without any glaring weaknesses. That said, they will definitely be buying at the deadline as they try to bring the first Championship to Oakland since the Bay Bridge Series in ’89.
1.Los Angeles Dodgers
Sad but true for Giants fans, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still #1. Despite a slow start for Cody Bellinger, this team is just too stacked to allow the struggles of one or two (or three or four) of their superstars to effect their record. They are 22-9 on the season, consistently winning at home and on the road with 11 wins each, and are 8-2 in their last 10. Despite an extra inning loss to the Giants, who always play the Dodgers hard, this is easily the best team in baseball both on paper and on the field. Clayton Kershaw has pitched very well, proving that he is still elite, and Mookie Betts has 11 bombs – 3 of which came in one game. With names like Bellinger, Seager, Turner, Muncy, and upcoming star Will Smith behind the plate, there are just no holes in their offense and the pitching has been more than sufficient for this team. Also, long time prospect Edwin Rios has finally gotten his chance and hit 3 bombs in 29 at bats with a .279 average before getting injured. The Dodgers are for real – but can they get over the hump and win it all? That remains to be seen.
