Aug 10, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; An overall view of Safeco Field during the fifth inning of a game between the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
In my initial ranking of MLB teams released back on June 1st, it was the Kansas City Royals on top of the heap. By the 2nd ranking on July 16th, the Los Angeles Dodgers had taken over the top spot. Now as we approach the middle of August, a new team has taken charge at the top of the latest TBOH Power Rankings.
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As always, these rankings incorporate each team’s Fangraphs team WAR calculation for the categories of Batting, Pitching, and Fielding.
The 30 MLB teams also have their actual Win-Loss record factored, since it’s professional baseball at the highest level, and you play to win. Actually getting it done in those standings over the marathon of a season must count for something in addition to the statistics.
As you review the Top 10 teams, each will have their current Power Rankings points total shown in parentheses. These points are accumulated based on their positioning in each of the 4 categories. Also shown for the Top 10 teams will be the number of points they had in the last ranking, and where they finished in that previous ranking. The remaining 20 teams will show their current spot and current points totals.
Since this is a Phillies fan site, I’m always going to give you a rundown on the Fightin’ Phils here in the introduction. Unfortunately, despite being one of the hottest teams in MLB since the All-Star break with a 16-6 record over the last 3 1/2 weeks, the Phils have not budged in these latest TBOH Power Rankings.
Undoubtedly the Phillies have been a much more entertaining team these last few weeks. The unexpected emergence of Odubel Herrera as the everyday center fielder and offensive spark plug, the re-emergence of Ryan Howard as a strong run-producer (at least against righties), and the continued emergence of rookie 3rd baseman Maikel Franco as an NL Rookie of the Year candidate have made their attack more potent.
Pitching, however, despite solid rookie Aaron Nola and flame-throwing closer Ken Giles, remains a problem.
The Power Rankings reflect the body of work over the full season, and only serves to demonstrate how deep a hole the Phillies dug for themselves. A hot 3 1/2 week stretch is simply not going to undo what happened over the first 3 1/2 months.
The Phillies are currently 29th out of the 30 MLB teams in Win-Loss record, with the Miami Marlins having just dropped below them this past weekend. The Phils are 29th in Fielding, 26th in Pitching, 29th in Batting.
In short, while they have won more, that winning isn’t translating into much of anything in their overall rank. But hey, it has made for more enjoyable watching, no?
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