So, as July is here there is and no real favorite in this week’s MLB Power rankings. Only the Dodgers and Tigers have been in the at the top of the MLB Power rankings for more than two weeks. The MLB rankings are missing the New York teams, the Phillies, and Padres all are still in the top ten but not in the in top five.
MLB Power Rankings top tier of the group.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (53-32, No. 1 last week): Through 40 games, Max Muncy was batting .191/.310/.305 with two home runs and 12 RBIs. Since then, he has batted .325/.448/.642 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs.
2. Detroit Tigers (53-32, No. 2): Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize have 18 wins, and that’s with Mize spending nearly a month on the injured list. It’ll be interesting to watch what president of baseball operations Scott Harris does at the deadline to help an already terrific team.
3. Houston Astros (50-34, No. 7): The Astros went 2-4 in the second week of the season but have not had a sub-.500 week since. In the last five weeks they have skyrocketed high into my top 10 with a 22-9 record fueled by the spirited play of shortstop Jeremy Peña and the arms of Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez.
4. Chicago Cubs (49-35, No. 3): The offense is top shelf. The starting pitching aside from Matthew Boyd (7-3 with a 2.65 ERA) is beyond dicey. No other starter has a sub-4.30 ERA. With Milwaukee, St. Louis and even Cincinnati all playing at a high level, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer will have to import a starter or two at the deadline if he’s serious about competing for a World Series.
5. Tampa Bay Rays (47-37, No. 8): The Rays are a well-managed, well-constructed and very lucky team. By lucky, I merely mean that Shane Baz, Taj Bradley, Zack Littell, Ryan Pepiot and Drew Rasmussen have made 83 of the club’s 84 starts to date. Only Joe Boyle was called up from Triple-A to make a spot start in April.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (47-37, No. 9): Jacob Misiorowski has made three starts for the Brewers and is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 0.63 WHIP. Sometimes an organization should use significant draft capital to store up in pitchers in the hopes of finding a star. Maybe the Brewers did just that — a lesson to be learned.
7. New York Mets (48-37, No. 5): With Kodai Senga on the IL with a low-grade hamstring strain, the Mets were desperate to get Frankie Montas back with Sean Manaea close behind. Montas has been a disaster so far and Manaea had a setback with a loose body in his throwing elbow. Oy vey.
8. Philadelphia Phillies (49-35, No. 4): Bryce Harper recently reached the halfway mark on his 13-year contract with the Phillies. He’s due back from the IL this week, but how well has his wrist healed? President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski still needs to make a big move for a bullpen arm or two. Remember, José Alvarado isn’t eligible for the postseason.
9. New York Yankees (48-35, No. 6): I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, but all these expensive parts don’t add up for me. Reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is due back just after the All-Star break from a lat strain that has held him out all season. Much of GM Brian Cashman’s decision-making at the deadline may have to do with how Gil looks. They do have 19 wins from Max Fried and Carlos Rodón.
10. St. Louis Cardinals (47-38, No. 12): Remember how horrible that January 2020 trade with Tampa Bay was for the Cardinals? They gave up outfield prospect Randy Arozarena and 1B/OF José Martínez for pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore. Arozarena had some great moments for the Rays, but Liberatore looks like he just may be putting it all together this year. The lefty has had a few clunkers, but six innings of shutout ball against the Guardians on Sunday brought his record to 6-6 and ERA to 3.70.
MLB also ran group.
11. Toronto Blue Jays (45-38, No. 11)
12. San Francisco Giants (45-39, No. 10)
13. San Diego Padres (45-38, No. 13)
14. Cincinnati Reds (44-40, No. 19)
15. Seattle Mariners (43-40, No. 15)
16. Boston Red Sox (41-44, No. 14)
17. Texas Rangers (41-43, No. 18)
18. Atlanta Braves (38-45, No. 21)
19. Los Angeles Angels (41-42, No. 23)
20. Arizona Diamondbacks (41-42, No. 16)
21. Cleveland Guardians (40-42, No. 17)
22. Kansas City Royals (39-45, No. 20)
23. Minnesota Twins (40-44, No. 22)
24. Baltimore Orioles (36-47, No. 24)
25. Miami Marlins (37-45, No. 28)
26. Pittsburgh Pirates (35-50, No. 26)
27. Athletics (34-52, No. 25)
28. Washington Nationals (35-49, No. 27)
29. Chicago White Sox (28-56, No. 29)
30. Colorado Rockies (19-65, No. 30)
