MLB Power Rankings on Memorial Day
The 2nd TBOH Power Rankings reveal the Top 10 teams in Major League Baseball as Memorial Day arrives after two full months of play.
A month ago when the first TBOH Power Ranking was released the surprising Philadelphia Phillies were in the #9 slot.
Unfortunately, a recent stretch of losing baseball in which the club has dropped three straight series has left them off the latest ranking.
Frankly, I would be surprised to see them return to the Top 10 teams in Major League Baseball again this season. But then, I would never have anticipated when the year began that we would have seen them on it at all in 2016.
More from That Balls Outta Here
- 3 Reasons to get excited for Phillies’ Craig Kimbrel signing
- 11 Free-agent deals the Philadelphia Phillies wish fell through
- Phillies-Mets owners’ rivalry grows after shocking Carlos Correa deal
- Could Rich Hill become ‘Jamie Moyer 2.0’ in Phillies rotation?
- Does Bailey Falter have a future in Phillies’ rotation?
The 10-6 spots this time around are listed here, and the Top 5 presented in the slideshow by clicking on the link at the bottom of this piece. That is the format that I will use to present each Power Ranking for the rest of the season.
Unlike the 2015 season, when I began first producing the TBOH Power Ranking, this year will see the list released every two weeks. Those who followed will recall that last year it was a monthly feature.
Here are the teams in my 10-6 slots on this Memorial Day:
10. TORONTO BLUE JAYS: at 26-26 the Jays are in 3rd place in the AL East, five games back of the front-runners. They may be heating up, however. The Jays had a four game win streak, and won 7 of 9, before dropping yesterday’s decision to Boston.
9. SAINT LOUIS CARDINALS: the Cards have just a pair of winning streaks all season, and have fallen 9.5 games back in the NL Central race. However, they are just 3 back in the NL Wildcard battle. The key for the Redbirds will be putting a legitimate run of victories together.
8. PITTSBURGH PIRATES: the Bucs are tied as an NL Wildcard team, 3 ahead of the Cards. But they are 6.5 behind the division leaders. It looks as if the Bucs will have to settle for one of those Wildcards once again, which means another single elimination win-or-go-home game in early October, assuming they get there.
7. BOSTON RED SOX: the Bosox have bolted out to the American League’s best record, third best in baseball, and lead the AL East by one game. Boston is just 6-6 over their last dozen games, however, and just yesterday put an end to their first losing streak since mid-April.
6. CLEVELAND INDIANS: the Tribe were swept in Philly, and following the third of those defeats sat at 10-12 on May 1st. But a hot month blasted them up the AL Central standings. They now sit at 26-22, just a half game back, going 16-10 over the last four weeks.
Next: TBOH POWER RANKING: #5
5. LOS ANGELES DODGERS
The Dodgers are in 2nd place in the NL West Division, trailing the arch-rival Giants by 4.5 games on Memorial Day.
However, LA is also heating up as the SoCal weather does the same. The Dodgers have won six of their last seven, and are now just two games out of an NL Wildcard playoff spot.
With the ultimate stopper in lefty Clayton Kershaw, there should be no lengthy losing skids. But the rest of the pitching rotation remains questionable, and the answers will all have to be positive for them to stay ranked this highly.
Also, of interest to Phillies fans: how long can Chase Utley continue to turn back time, to drink from the fountain of youth that he seems to have discovered here over the first two months of his age 37 season?
Next: TBOH POWER RANKING: #4
4. NEW YORK METS
The defending National League champions are sitting in 2nd place in the NL East race, but are just one game behind the rival Nationals.
The last three weeks have not seen New York playing their best baseball. The club has a record of just 8-10 since May 10th.
Known most for their pitching, the Mets have allowed seven or more runs on five different occasions in that span. They’re going to need more consistency if they want to stay with Washington over the long summer to come.
Next: TBOH POWER RANKING: #3
3. WASHINGTON NATIONALS
The Nats lead the NL East Division, but are just a game up on the rival Mets. Part of the reason is that they have struggled to score runs in recent weeks, and thus have gone only 11-13 since early May.
A big piece to the puzzle in those hitting woes has been a lengthy slump by superstar right fielder Bryce Harper. Those woes will not continue, likely for not much longer.
Once Harper does break out of that slump, assuming health from the rest of the roster, Washington has enough pitching to off-set that of the Mets, and to potentially run away with the division. Of course, how many times has that been predicted in recent years?
Next: TBOH POWER RANKING: #2
2. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
The Giants are out to a strong start at 32-20, and lead the National League West Division rival LA Dodgers by 4.5 games after two months.
San Fran is also one of the hottest teams in the game right now. Sitting with a losing 17-18 record as late as May 10th, they have now won 15 of 17, including seven of their last eight games to take charge.
After their current seemingly easy series with the Atlanta Braves, the Giants will face a test as they take on the Cardinals, Red Sox, and Dodgers leading up to our next Power Ranking.
Next: TBOH POWER RANKING: #1
1. CHICAGO CUBS
It should surprise no one that manager Joe Maddon‘s North Siders are atop our rankings for a second consecutive period.
The Cubs have baseball’s best record at 34-14, already a full 20 games over the .500 mark by Memorial Day. They have a 6.5 game lead in the NL Central Division, and have won five games in a row.
At this pace, Chicago would finish with approximately 115 wins on the season. The franchise record is 116, set all the way back in 1906. Those Cubbies lost in the World Series, but then won the next two in 1907 and 1908. They have famously not won any since then.