Yeah, I know this isn’t news so I’ll recap the last week: Shane Bieber and Spencer Strider both shut down with UCL injuries, Houston’s Ronel Blanco threw a no-hitter, and Mookie Betts, Juan Soto and Mike Trout are all still very good at baseball. Now let’s get to my power rankings because I’m feeling controversial.
Fringe Teams (no particular order)
- Los Angeles Angels
- Boston Red Sox
- Baltimore Orioles
- Detroit Tigers
- Kansas City Royals
Number 5
Atlanta Braves: Number five was by far the toughest decision on this list, as there are several teams in the same boat. The Braves stand out a little better than the rest of that group though.
The Braves won a series against their kryptonite the Phillies, and swept defending World Series competitor Diamondbacks and are sitting at 6-3. I think the Braves, Dodgers, and Yankees will be juggernauts for years to come.
Number 4
Cleveland Guardians: This one felt weird because the Guardians have played two questionable teams in the Twins and the Mariners and one high school team in the Oakland A’s. But they are 8-2, and you can’t argue with that.
I doubt one month from now they will be in my top five however, with the loss of Shane Bieber and the increase in competition I see them losing several games. But hey, I’ve been proven wrong before and I hate the Guardians so maybe that’s blinding me.
Number 3
Pittsburgh Pirates: Now in all of the power rankings I have seen, why have the Pirates not been included? They are 9-3 this season, beating the defending AL East champions Orioles 2-1 in their recent series.
If we’re talking about who is the better team, it’s probably the Orioles. But power rankings are supposed to be a snapshot look at who is performing the best right now.
Number 2
Los Angeles Dodgers: It’s looking like it may be back to the good old days of the Dodgers and Yankees running baseball, but I don’t want to jinx it. The Dodgers have started hot, even after starting their season overseas in Seoul.
Mookie Betts has been RIDICULOUS, to say the least, as the Dodgers sit at 9-4 after a week and a half of regular season baseball. With the addition of Shohei Ohtani to an already-loaded lineup, this team is scary.
Number 1
New York Yankees: Yeah, yeah, yeah, call me biased or whatever, but the Yankees are 9-2 at the time of writing this holding the best record in baseball. Over the first week, they went 6-1 against the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks, two of the best teams in the league last season.
Soto was carrying their powerful new hitting core in Juan Soto and Aaron Judge to start the season, but Judge has quickly found his stride. Now that they are both producing and young players like Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera have stepped up, the entire league should be trembling.
