MLB Power Rankings: Week 2
First power rankings out of the gate from Opening Weekend. Keep in mind that I weigh both preseason expectations and the very, very small sample size of the season so far to determine my rankings. So there will be some interesting placements and omissions but don’t send ABS on my ass just because you want things perfect. Anyway, I digress…
12. Boston Red Sox (1-2)
The Red Sox got an Opening Day shutout win, but were unable to win the next two in a series loss to the Reds. Both losses were by one run, which can be both good and bad. Best hitter out the gate is Wilyer Abreu and Garrett Crochet looked like the ace he is expected to be. Not going to weigh too much into this series.
11. Chicago Cubs (1-2)
Getting outplayed by a team like the Nationals at home to open the season is not the prettiest way to start. Similar to the Red Sox, I’m not going to overreact too much here but I didn’t love the pitching performance. Good news is they signed their star outfielder, Pete Crow-Armstrong to a 6-year extension before Opening Day. The Cubs look to bounce back against the Angels and Guardians this week.
10. Philadelphia Phillies (1-2)
Another team high in the preseason rankings who had a disappointing first series. Christopher Sanchez was brilliant in his Opening Day start but past that, there wasn’t much to take away from a series loss to the Rangers. Their big 3 in Turner, Schwarber, and Harper had 5 hits combined over the weekend. That’s gotta change.
9. Atlanta Braves (2-1)
The Braves had themselves a nice opening weekend including an emotional walk-off grand slam on Saturday night from Dominic Smith, just days after his mom’s passing. So far, my worries about Chris Sale were unwarranted and they looked like a complete team ready to bounce back into contention.
8. Baltimore Orioles (2-1)
The Orioles performance was pretty much as expected to start. Pete Alonso in the lineup really makes them look complete. Also liked what I saw from starting pitchers Trevor Rogers and Shane Baz. They’ll need that to continue to really compete this season.
7. New York Mets (2-1)
The Mets almost completed the sweep of the Pirates this weekend. The new look lineup had some good and some bad. Luis Robert Jr looked revived but Bo Bichette is already hearing boos from Mets fans with his 1-14 weekend at the plate, including 8 strikeouts. Yikes…
6. Seattle Mariners (2-2)
Seattle opened the season with a 4-game series split with the Guardians. Newcomer Brendan Donovan is off to a hot start. Not off to a hot start is Cal Raleigh who had only 2 hits and struck out 10 times. He also didn’t look good in the WBC. It’s still early but there might be some rumblings of one-hit-wonder talk soon if he doesn’t pick it up.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (3-0)
And I’m already looking like a moron with placing the Brewers so low in my preseason rankings. Yes, they played the White Sox this weekend but a sweep is a sweep and that’s still impressive. The offense looks deadly and Jacob Misiorowski looked sharp to start his first full season in the big leagues.
4. Detroit Tigers (2-1)
The Tigers looked really good out the gate with a road series win against the Padres. How about rookie Kevin McGonigle going 4-5 in his MLB debut!? The 1-2 punch of Skubal and Valdez both looked sharp to start the year. This Tigers team is going to be a problem.
3. New York Yankees (3-0)
The Yankees had no trouble at all with the Giants this weekend, allowing only 1 run the whole series. And just think, the pitching isn’t fully healthy yet. Aaron Judge hit two home runs and Giancarlo Stanton is hitting .500. I know, it’s early but I got nothing else to go on. The Yankees look great to start, that’s all I’m trying to say.
2. Toronto Blue Jays (3-0)
No change in the top two of my rankings to start the season. The Blue Jays looked every bit as lethal and last season with a series sweep of the A’s. The offense and pitching both looked good. They will continue to be the AL favorites until proven otherwise.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (3-0)
Similar to the Blue Jays, the Dodgers have started the year right where they left off with a sweep. LA was down 2-0 in each game but found a way to fight back each time. New closer Edwin Diaz had two saves and new outfielder Kyle Tucker had the game-winning RBI hit in Friday’s victory. Banner raised, rings presented, 3-peat mode activated.