TBOH MLB Power Ranking

Beginning today, June 1st, I’ll be releasing my official “TBOH Power Ranking” of the top 10 teams in Major League Baseball twice each month. The rank will come out roughly around the 1st and 15th of each month.

Begun a year ago at my own blog, the formula that I use to calculate the Power Ranking comes from statistics provided at Fangraphs, using a combination of Team WAR for both Pitching and Hitting, and incorporating Defensive stats as well.

The bottom line, my Power Ranking is and will be based on statistical performance, which does not always reflect in the actual Win-Loss record for a team in the standings.

However, over the length of a full season, it becomes harder and harder for a team that is not achieving statistically to maintain a position high in the standings. Conversely, a team performing well statistically is almost always going to find itself in the running right to the end.

Also, I am only going to do the Top 10, because lower down the rank, teams lose relevance to this year’s races. The focus will remain on the top of the game. At the end of the season, the final rank will show all 30 teams. As this is a Philadelphia Phillies site, we’ll always let you know where the Fightin’s stand.

The Phillies are currently 20th out of 30 teams in the statistical evaluations, which is surprisingly high considering both their record and the way things have looked to anyone following on a regular basis. But when you get down into the bottom 1/3 of the game, the stats are all closely bunched and bad. They’ll have a hard time staying even that high in 2015.

Previous: -th. Kansas City Royals. 1. team. 7. The defending American League champions are again the game’s best defense by a wide margin. Their offense has become far more consistent. If not for some questionable starting pitching, this rank would also reflect in the AL Central standings.. (47.4)

63. The perennial American League powers are strong again. It is going to be extremely difficult, and would go completely against all available statistical information, for the Minnesota Twins to hold off these two teams much longer.. (34.7). Previous: -th. Detroit Tigers. 2. team

21. One of the two biggest surprises on this list, the AL East is full of teams with big holes. The Rays’ defense has been stellar, their pitching typically competitive. But it’s been a surprisingly productive offense that has them this high for now.. (30.3). Previous: -th. Tampa Bay Rays. 3. team

Previous: -th. Toronto Blue Jays. 4. team. 39. Based on the stats, this team should not be floundering near the bottom of that AL East race. As expected, their offense is one of the best in the game. Their defense has been solid as well. Only their inconsistent pitching is keeping them from making a run to the top of the division.. (26.4)

(26.2). Previous: -th. Saint Louis Cardinals. 5. team. 33. The top team in the National League was my pick to win the World Series in our preseason predictions. The Cards are typically solid across the board, and it would be a major surprise if they are not among the top teams all year.

Previous: -th. Los Angeles Dodgers. 6. team. 71. The Dodgers are just a hair behind the Cardinals, almost not far enough to even discuss. It’s a virtual dead heat between the two teams who, to this point, are clearly the NL’s best. As with Saint Louis, the Dodgers are strong across the board.. (26.1)

Los Angeles Angels. 7. team. 102. The Halos are the top team in the AL West. They are statistically even with the Houston team they currently trail in the standings. But their defense is far superior, and over time should more than make up the difference, barring any major health troubles.. (22.7). Previous: -th

8. team. 82. This team is far better statistically than they are in the standings. Their pitching is a little on the weak side, and their offense a bit better than average. They play very strong defense, and that is the difference in this ranking right now. The Fish are 11 games under .500 in the standings – maybe it’s the manager?. (20.0). Previous: -th. Miami Marlins

Previous: -th. New York Mets. 9. team. 3. The Mets are statistically even with the Fish everywhere but on defense, but are 8 games ahead of them in the standings. The Nationals are better offensively and on the mound than either of them. But Washington’s horrid defense has them out of the Top 10, at least this first time around.. (17.9)

10. team. 9. The Cubbies are for real, or at least so say the stats to this point. Above average in the Hitting and Pitching ranks, only a mediocre defensive performance to this point keeps them this low. Tighten it up, and maybe they can tighten the NL Central as well. They are at least a strong Wildcard contender.. (16.7). Previous: -th. Chicago Cubs

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