9/21 MLB Power Rankings; Still hot in LA
By Joe Meehan
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) LA Angels (96-59) – The Angels split their last eight games, but clinched the AL West. Mike Trout‘s 8.6 WAR continues to lead the world. – Drew
2.(2) Baltimore Orioles (93-61) – The Orioles clinched the AL East and could possibly win 100 games this season. – Michele
3.(3) Washington Nationals (90-64) – Washington has clinched the NL East. The Nationals continue to roll, winning seven of eight. Drew Storen has replaced Rafael Soriano, who has struggled, as closer. – Drew
4.(4) LA Dodgers (88-67) – The Dodgers look great with Clayton Kershaw on the mound, but how will they do in the playoffs when he’s not? – Michele
5.(8) Detroit Tigers (86-68) – There’s only 2.5 games separating the Tigers and Royals, but the head-to-head matchup shows the Tigers are the superior team. – Joe
6.(5) St. Louis Cardinals (87-68) – With the division all but clinched, getting Matt Adams healthy should be the top priority. – Joe
7.(10) Pittsburgh Pirates (83-71) – The Pirates would appreciate it if people would stop throwing at Andrew McCutchen. – Joe
8.(7) Kansas City Royals (83-70) – Two weeks ago it looked like the Royals had the division, but now they’re in danger of missing the playoffs. Norichika Aoki is looking to propel them with a hot bat. – Joe
9.(6) San Francisco Giants (84-70) – Odds are pretty slim that they can win the division, but a wildcard spot looks good. – Michele
10.(11) Oakland Athletics (84-70) – Oakland continues it’s free fall, losing four of five. Jon Lester is 6-3 with a 2.20 ERA in 10 Oakland starts. – Drew
11.(9) Seattle Mariners (83-71) – Seattle, battling for a playoff spot, has lost five of eight. Felix Hernandez is on his way to another Cy Young with a 2.07 ERA and 236 strikeouts on the year. – Drew
12.(15) Milwaukee Brewers (80-75) – Milwaukee will be wondering where it all went wrong, as they are likely to miss the playoffs. – Joe
13.(13) Cleveland Indians (80-74) – The Indians playoff hopes are slim, but a strong week coupled with the struggles of the rest of those in the chase could result in the Tribe sneaking in. – Joe
14.(14) New York Yankees (79-75) – The long farewell tour for “the captain” has not ended with the playoff push that the Yanks would have liked. – Michele
15.(12) Toronto Blue Jays (78-76) – It’s been a tough season for Jays. After looking so good to start the season, they’ve run out of steam when it mattered. – Michele
16.(16) Atlanta Braves (76-78) – Atlanta has been eliminated from contention. It was a lack of offense that killed them this year; they remain 29th in runs scored. – Drew
17.(18) New York Mets (75-80) – The Mets have won four of five as they try to finish ahead of Miami. Jennry Mejia has notched 27 saves on the season since being converted from a starting role. – Drew
18.(17) Tampa Bay Rays (75-80) – A healthy Wil Myers could mean a bounce-back season in 2015. – Michele
19.(19) Miami Marlins (74-80) – Miami has lost four of five. They have exceeded all expectations this year and should be better next year with a core of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna powering the offense. – Drew
20.(21) San Diego Padres (73-81) – They’ve showed some improvement as the season wore on. If they can make the right moves over the winter they could have a much better season next year. – Michele
21.(23) Chicago White Sox (70-84) – After a bit of a power drought, Jose Abreu is back on the train, as he’s slugged 35 home runs to go with a 104 RBI and a .319 average. – Joe
22.(20) Cincinnati Reds (71-84) – The Reds have pretty much given up, losing their last six. Johnny Cueto might look good in a contender’s rotation next season. – Joe
23.(22) Philadelphia Phillies (71-84) – Philadelphia has lost five of seven. The Jonathan Papelbon suspension was just what they wanted as closer-in-waiting Ken Giles converted his first save chance and might give them an excuse to deal Papelbon in the offseason. – Drew
24.(24) Houston Astros (68-87) – Houston has lost four of five. After losing over 100 games last year, the Astros are neck and neck with the depleted Red Sox for wins this season. – Drew
25.(25) Boston Red Sox (67-88) – Ending the season with the Yanks at home and the big hoopla over Derek Jeter is not fun, but at least Sox fans can take comfort in the fact that their New York rivals aren’t making the playoffs either. – Michele
26.(26) Chicago Cubs (69-86) – Anthony Rizzo has been excellent since his return, going 5-12 and adding a home run. – Joe
27.(27) Minnesota Twins (66-88) – Glen Perkins has been shut down for the season with an arm injury. Not that it really matters all that much at this point. – Joe
28.(29) Colorado Rockies (64-91) – Wanted: pitching. – Michele
29.(30) Texas Rangers (61-93) – Texas has won seven of eight. Interim manager Tim Bogar is 8-5 since replacing Ron Washington as manager. – Drew
30.(28) Arizona Diamondbacks (62-93) – Dave Stewart for GM? – Michele
Biggest Jump: Brewers, Tigers, Pirates (+3)
Biggest Drop: Blue Jays, Giants (-3)