7/27 MLB Power Rankings: West is best

The MLB Power Rankings were assembled by BoSox Injection writers Joe Meehan, Michele Pettis, and Drew Peabody.

(Last week’s ranking in parentheses.)

1.(1) Oakland Athletics (64-39) – Oakland has won three of four. When you rank first in runs and third in ERA, then you might be the best team in the majors. Tommy Milone (3.55 ERA), a starter on almost every other team, has been relegated to the minors. – Drew

2.(2) LA Angels (62-41) – The Angels have won three of four but have played .500 since the break. Matt Shoemaker is a name you probably don’t know very well, but he is 8-3 in 17 appearances (11 starts) and just outdueled Justin Verlander. – Drew

3.(10) Milwaukee Brewers (59-46) – A sweep of the Reds has the Brewers back in first, but for how long? They’ve got a tough schedule for the next few weeks and last time they faced a similar schedule, they crumbled. – Joe

4.(6) LA Dodgers (58-47) – Currently playing Yasiel Puig in center field and clinging to half a game lead in the division. – Michele

5.(3) Detroit Tigers (57-44) – Joakim Soria is a big acquisition for a team that was desperate for bullpen help. – Joe

6.(7) Washington Nationals (56-45) – Washington has won five of eight and now leads the NL East by 1.5 games. Since his return from the disabled list, Gio Gonzalez is pitching like the front line starter the Nationals thought they signed, boasting a 2.30 ERA in seven starts (4.62 ERA before). – Drew

7.(12) San Francisco Giants (57-47) – The Giants are only half a game back from first place in the division with a big series against the Pirates coming up. – Michele

8.(4) Baltimore Orioles (57-46) – The Orioles are in first place in the AL East but should probably make a move at the trade deadline to stay there. – Michele

9.(8) Atlanta Braves (56-48) – Atlanta has treaded water since the break, losing five of nine. The Braves continue to be carried by their pitching staff, which is fifth in the majors in ERA and first in quality starts, while their offense is ranked 25th in runs scored. – Drew

10.(13) Pittsburgh Pirates (54-49) – I’ve said all year that I think the Pirates are the best team in the NL Central, and they continue to climb in the standings, due in large part to the strong play of Andrew McCutchen. – Joe

11.(5) St. Louis Cardinals (55-48) – The Cardinals are playing .500 ball since the break, which just won’t be good enough in the Central. Not with the Brewers playing well in front of them and the Pirates and Reds coming in hot behind them. – Joe

12.(17) New York Yankees (54-49) – Making moves already. The so-far lackluster AL East could finally have a competition going on for first place. – Michele

13.(14) Toronto Blue Jays (55-50) – A huge series with the Yankees is a chance to prove they belong in the AL East race. – Michele

14.(9) Seattle Mariners (54-50) – Seattle has lost six of nine. The Mariners were desperate enough for offense to bring back Kendrys Morales and his .586 OPS from his short time spent in Minnesota. Ask Stephen Drew how well holding out works for your hitting numbers. – Drew

15.(22) Tampa Bay Rays (51-53) – Coming up from last place in the division with a fervor that begs the question: can they get into the playoff hunt? – Michele

16.(15) Kansas City Royals (53-50) – Just when it looked like the Royals were out, they take five in a row against the White Sox and Indians to move within 5.0 games of the Tigers in the Central. – Joe

17.(11) Cincinnati Reds (52-51) – After moving within striking distance of the Brewers in the division, the Reds have dropped eight of 10 and sit in second to last, but are somehow still only 6.0 games back. – Joe

18.(20) Chicago White Sox (51-54) – Jose Abreu became the third-fastest in MLB history to reach 30 career home runs. – Joe

19.(16) Cleveland Indians (51-53) – You have to believe that if the Indians are going to attempt to make a playoff push this season then they’ll be actively searching the starting pitching market. – Joe

20.(19) Miami Marlins (50-53) – Miami has been hot since the break, winning six of seven games, including three of four at Atlanta. Mike Redmond should be a candidate for NL manager of the year, keeping the team in sight of the .500  mark despite the loss of all-world starter Jose Fernandez for
the season. Giancarlo Stanton (Red Sox fans’ dream scenario object) continues to live up to expecations this season, smashing 23 HR to go with 69 RBI and a .936 OPS. – Drew

21.(18) New York Mets (49-55) – The Mets have lost five of nine. Jacob deGrom and his Brock Holt-esque flowing locks has performed up to Holt’s high standards of late, with a 2.12 ERA in his last six starts, though he does only play one position (slacker). – Drew

22.(21) Boston Red Sox (47-57) – Trading Jake Peavy for a pair of young guys shows they’re now focusing more on next year. – Michele

23.(26) San Diego Padres (46-57) – Odrisamer Despaigne nearly had a no-hitter, which would have been the team’s first one ever. At least it gave fans something to cheer for during a bad season. – Michele

24.(23) Minnesota Twins (46-57) – Ron Gardenhire‘s last season as their skipper? – Michele

25.(29) Arizona Diamondbacks (45-59) – The season may be unsalvageable, but at least it’s fun to watch Oliver Perez strike people out with abandon (45 Ks in 38.2 innings). – Michele

26.(24) Philadelphia Phillies (45-59) – Philadelphia has lost six of nine. The only interesting thing about them at this point is who they might trade before the July 31 trade deadline (Cliff Lee, Marlon Byrd, Jonathan Papelbon). – Drew

27.(25) Colorado Rockies (43-60) – It’s been a bad season overall, but batting averages are as high as the mountains after which the team is named; seven players have averages over .300. – Michele

28.(28) Houston Astros (42-62) – Houston has lost six of eight, and is now back to 20 games under .500. Dallas Keuchel, at one time 8-3 with a 2.38 ERA, endured a five start run of a 6.07 ERA, and stands at 9-7, though he didn’t allow an earned run in his last start of seven innings. – Drew

29.(27) Chicago Cubs (42-60) – The Cubs have completely gone under without Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija. – Joe

30.(30) Texas Rangers (41-63) – Texas has lost six of nine as they battle Houston to stay out of the division cellar. Neftali Feliz has returned to the closer role since Joakim Soria was dealt to the Tigers, notching his first save of the season on Friday. – Drew

Biggest Jump: Brewers, Rays (+7)

Biggest Drop: Cardinals, Reds (-6)