MLB Power Rankings: Where All 30 Teams Stand After Opening Week
The 2018 MLB season is officially underway with each team's opening series now in the books.
With the first Monday morning of the season now upon us, that can only mean one thing: updated MLB power rankings.
It's important to remember in the early going that a team's potential and overall outlook will still carry significantly more weight than anything it has shown over just a handful of games. With that in mind, teams were limited to moving no more than four spots in either direction for this first update to the rankings.
It's a fluid process, with teams rising and falling based on where they were ranked the previous week. If a team keeps winning, it will keep climbing—it's as simple as that.
Here's an updated look at where all 30 teams stand heading into this week's action.
| 1 |  Houston Astros (3-1) |  |
| 2 |  Washington Nationals (3-0) |  2 |
| 3 |  Chicago Cubs (2-2) |  1 |
| 4 |  Los Angeles Dodgers (2-2) | 1 |
| 5 |  New York Yankees (2-2) | 1 |
| 6 |  Boston Red Sox (3-1) | 1 |
| 7 |  Cleveland Indians (1-2) | 1 |
| 8 |  Arizona Diamondbacks (2-1) | |
| 9 |  Los Angeles Angels (3-1) | 1 |
| 10 |  Milwaukee Brewers (3-0) | 3 |
| 11 |  Minnesota Twins (2-1) | 1 |
| 12 |  St. Louis Cardinals (1-2) | 3 |
| 13 |  Colorado Rockies (1-2) | 2 |
| 14 |  Seattle Mariners (2-1) | 3 |
| 15 |  New York Mets (2-1) | 1 |
| 16 |  Toronto Blue Jays (2-2) | 1 |
| 17 |  Texas Rangers (1-3) | 3 |
| 18 |  Atlanta Braves (2-1) | 4 |
| 19 |  Baltimore Orioles (1-2) | 1 |
| 20 |  Oakland Athletics (1-3) | |
| 21 |  Tampa Bay Rays (1-3) | |
| 22 |  Philadelphia Phillies (1-2) | 3 |
| 23 |  San Francisco Giants (2-2) | |
| 24 |  Pittsburgh Pirates (3-0) | 2 |
| 25 |  Chicago White Sox (2-0) | 3 |
| 26 |  Miami Marlins (2-2) | 4 |
| 27 |  San Diego Padres (0-3) | 3 |
| 28 |  Cincinnati Reds (0-3) | 3 |
| 29 |  Kansas City Royals (0-2) | 2 |
| 30 |  Detroit Tigers (0-3) | 1 |
Teams That Impressed
The Atlanta Braves immediately jump out as one team that impressed relative to expectations during the abridged first week of the season. Thanks in large part to a 15-2 victory on Saturday, they lead all of baseball with a plus-15 run differential.
Sticking in the NL East, the Miami Marlins also surprised. This team might still lose 100-plus games, but for one series at least, it went toe-to-toe with a perceived contender in the Chicago Cubs and walked away with a series split. After originally being optioned to the minors, only to return when injuries opened a spot, rookie left-hander Dillon Peters threw six shutout innings in his 2018 debut.
Further up the rankings, the Seattle Mariners got off to a strong start with a series win over the Cleveland Indians. Felix Hernandez and Mike Leake both turned in strong starts, while Mitch Haniger (5-for-8, 2 HR), Nelson Cruz (2-for-6, 2 HR) and Robinson Cano (6-for-10, 2 2B) led the offense.
The Milwaukee Brewers also started the season on a high note, sweeping the Padres in San Diego. Newcomers Lorenzo Cain (8-for-14) and Christian Yelich (7-for-14) are both swinging hot bats, and Chase Anderson looked every bit deserving of the Opening Day start with six one-hit innings of shutout ball.
Finally, the Washington Nationals jumped into the No. 2 spot overall and the top spot among NL teams with a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds on the road. Max Scherzer (W, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER), Stephen Strasburg (W, 6.1 IP, 8 H, 1 ER) and Gio Gonzalez (W, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER) all turned in quality starts in the hitter's paradise that is Great American Ballpark.
Teams That Disappointed
Despite splitting a four-game series with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants have the second-worst run differential in baseball at minus-12. The team is hitting a collective .192 and was shut out in back-to-back games to close out the week. The injury bug also continued to bite as closer Mark Melancon was placed on the disabled list with a right elbow strain.
The flashy offseason additions of Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta had some picking the Philadelphia Phillies as a potential dark horse for this season. A series loss to the Braves and an MLB-worst minus-15 run differential is not a great start down that road. Arrieta is scheduled to make his Phillies debut on Sunday.
The Baltimore Orioles mustered just five runs in three games against the Minnesota Twins, including a three-hit shutout by Jose Berrios on Sunday. Jonathan Schoop, Chris Davis, Adam Jones, Trey Mancini and Tim Beckham have gone a combined 4-for-57 (.070) to start the season.
Pitching already looks like an issue for the Texas Rangers, who didn't get a single quality start in dropping three of four to the Houston Astros while the bullpen racked up a 6.48 ERA. Then again, most pitching staffs struggle against the Astros offense.
The Colorado Rockies had a chance to make an early statement matching up with division rival Arizona but fell flat with rocky starts from Jon Gray (4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER) and Tyler Anderson (2.1 IP, 5 H, 7 ER). After a strong spring, shortstop Trevor Story (1-for-12, 7 K's) is off to a tough start.
MVPs of the Week
AL MVP: Jose Berrios, Minnesota Twins
Stats: W, 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
If you're looking for a potential breakout star on the mound this season, look no further.
After a disappointing debut in 2016 that saw him rack up an unsightly 8.02 ERA in 14 starts, Berrios went 14-8 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 145.2 innings last year.
By season's end, he had emerged as the best pitcher on the Twins staff and that looks like just the tip of the iceberg after he twirled his first career shutout against the Orioles on Sunday.
NL MVP: Adam Eaton, Washington Nationals
Stats: 8-for-13, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 7 R
Nothing says "I'm back from a season lost to injury and ready to make a serious impact" like a five-hit game.
Eaton played just 23 games in his first season with the Nationals before a torn ACL abruptly ended his season. In the three years prior, he hit .290/.362/.422 and averaged 5.1 WAR while playing for the Chicago White Sox.
Hitting in the leadoff spot, he has a chance to be a catalyst for one of the best offenses in baseball.
Video Highlights of the Week
Longest Home Run: Matt Adams, Washington Nationals
This tape-measure blast went 460 feet off Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo. It was the first home run of the season and the first in a Nationals uniform for Adams, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal in the offseason after a 20-homer campaign last year.
Best Defensive Play: Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
Ichiro won 10 straight Gold Glove Awards to begin his MLB career. He hasn't won one since the 2010 season, but he's still got it even at 44 years old.
Must-See Upcoming Matchup
Cleveland Indians vs. Los Angeles Angels (Monday-Wednesday)
This series will serve as an early litmus test for an Angels team with legitimate aspirations of contention.
The Indians might have lost their season-opening series to the Mariners, but they're still one of the league's best team and the heavy favorites to run away with the AL Central title.
It will be Mike Clevinger vs. JC Ramirez on Monday, Josh Tomlin vs. Garrett Richards on Tuesday and Corey Kluber vs. Tyler Skaggs on Wednesday.
Both Kluber (8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) and Skaggs (6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) looked sharp in their season debuts, so the Wednesday matchup should be a good one.
The Indians swept the season series last year, going 6-0 with a plus-18 run differential, so that should serve as some added motivation for the Angels.
Mike Trout is 2-for-13 with a home run in his career against Kluber in what will be one of the better early-season pitcher/hitter matchups you'll see.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.
