There is a new No. 1 atop Power Rankings

2 years ago
image

For the first time this season, there is a new No. 1 team atop the Power Rankings. While the Dodgers have held the top spot dating to the preseason edition, the Yankees now claim the crown.

That was far from the only movement within the rankings from last week, though, so let’s take a look at how our voters ranked the 30 clubs, from top to bottom:

Biggest jump: The A’s (No. 29 to 24) and the Astros (No. 9 to No. 4) each leaped five spots, while the Giants moved up four places from No. 11 to No. 7. The Astros are 12-1 over their last 13 games and they have recorded four shutouts in their last seven contests.

Biggest drop: A pair of AL East contenders each moved down four spots this week, with the Rays falling to No. 9 and the Blue Jays to No. 11. The Rockies also slid four places to No. 19. The Blue Jays lost a two-game sweep to the Yankees before losing two of three to the Rays, who started their own week by dropping a series against the Angels. Colorado, meanwhile, dropped five straight — including a three-game sweep at the hands of the rival Giants — then closed the week by dropping two of three to the Royals.

1) Yankees (2 last week)
DraftKings World Series odds: 6-1
Nestor Cortes has emerged as a legitimate AL Cy Young candidate, lowering his ERA to an AL-leading 1.35 after another masterful outing on Sunday against the White Sox. It’s not just Cortes, though — the Yankees (25-9) are tied for an MLB-best 2.74 ERA this season. Offensively, their 49 home runs are tied for the most in Major League Baseball, while New York also ranks among the top five in runs per game and OPS.

2) Dodgers (1)
DraftKings World Series odds: 4.75-1
The Dodgers (21-12) fell out of the top spot for the first time this season after losing three of four to the Phillies at Dodger Stadium over the weekend. It also didn’t help that Clayton Kershaw’s resurgent 2022 season hit a roadblock on Friday, when — instead of making his scheduled start against the Phils — he was placed on the IL due to right SI (pelvic) joint inflammation. The Dodgers still have the highest-scoring offense in the Majors (5.3 runs per game) and are tied with the Yankees to lead team ERA (2.74).

3) Mets (3)
DraftKings World Series odds: 8-1
The Mets (23-13) nearly pulled off another miraculous comeback on Sunday, but ultimately came up just short in an 8-7 loss to the Mariners. That capped a 3-3 week for the Mets, who rank first in MLB with a .329 on-base percentage and sixth with a 3.40 team ERA — though their pitching depth will be tested with Tylor Megill joining ace Jacob deGrom on the IL.

4) Astros (9)
DraftKings World Series odds: 8-1
The Astros (23-12) finally saw their 11-game winning streak snapped on Saturday in a 13-6 loss to the Nationals, but Houston responded with an 8-0 victory on Sunday. Not only are the Astros 12-1 since starting the season 11-11, but they have not allowed more than three runs in any of those 12 victories — and half of them have been shutouts. Houston’s starting rotation has a 3.05 ERA (fifth in MLB), while the bullpen’s 2.69 ERA ranks second among all clubs.

5) Angels (8)
DraftKings World Series odds: 25-1
This week alone, the Angels (24-13) had Reid Detmers throw a no-hitter, Shohei Ohtani hit his 100th career home run, Mike Trout turn in a multihomer game, Taylor Ward crush a grand slam and Chase Silseth toss six innings of one-hit ball in his MLB debut. Detmers obviously stole the show for this week, but Ward continues to be one of the best stories in baseball. Though he’s just two plate appearances shy of qualifying for the league leaderboards entering this week, his .385 average, .500 on-base percentage and .747 slugging percentage would all lead the Majors. But with Ward’s 1.247 OPS not eligible for the top spot, it’s instead Trout’s 1.093 OPS that leads all players. Not a bad one-two punch hitting ahead of Ohtani.

The rest of the field of 30:

Voters: Alyson Footer, Anthony Castrovince, Paul Casella, Mark Feinsand, Nathalie Alonso, Mike Petriello, Sarah Langs, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Brett Blueweiss, Doug Gausepohl