Power Ranking All 30 MLB Teams After the 1st Month
The month of April is in the books and May is under way, which means baseball is in full swing as teams start to shape into their real form.
Like every other season, some teams hit the ground running in April, while others needed the days of spring to work out some kinks. The St. Louis Cardinals continue to be consistently good as their recent history shows, while the New York Mets slightly cooled off from their blazing-hot start.
Now that all 30 teams have played between 25 and 30 games, their true colors are starting to show.
Let’s take a look at which teams are in scintillating form and which teams may pack up their bags early. The teams' current records, team earned run averages, total runs scored and current winning or losing streaks factored into this ranking.
30. Philadelphia Phillies
1 of 30
Current Record: 10-19
What positive things can be said about the Phillies? Aaron Harang is off to a surprisingly good start to the season with a 2.35 ERA, but that is where the good news ends.
Philadelphia ranks 24th in the league with a 4.46 team ERA, and opponents currently bat .277 against the Phillies. Philly also ranks dead last in runs scored with 82 runs in 29 games, including only 15 home runs. Nelson Cruz currently has 14 home runs by himself for the Seattle Mariners.
29. Milwaukee Brewers
2 of 30
Current Record: 9-20
The Brewers have the fewest wins in Major League Baseball with just nine victories, and their superstar Ryan Braun continues to struggle early in the season. The 31-year-old outfielder is currently only hitting for a .229 average with 22 strikeouts.
Countered by the St. Louis Cardinals' fast start, the Brewers are already 12.5 games behind first place in the National League Central.
28. Chicago White Sox
3 of 30
Current Record: 10-15
The only team with fewer home runs than the Phillies is the Chicago White Sox. They have only gone yard 14 times so far this season.
Meanwhile, the pitching staff has failed to take the pressure off the batters, as opposing teams currently hit .276 against the White Sox—the second highest opposing batting average in the league.
However, the Cleveland Indians are also struggling, so they remain one game ahead of their division rivals in the AL Central standings.
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27. Oakland Athletics
4 of 30
Current Record: 12-18
The Athletics know how to score, as they are currently tied for the second-most runs in the league, with 145 on the season. This is in large part due to Josh Reddick’s recent hot streak, during which he secured at least a base hit in 12 straight games.
Oakland’s fielding mistakes have proved costly for the team, and they now have the most errors in the league with 27.
26. Texas Rangers
5 of 30
Current Record: 12-16
The Rangers are not short of talent in their lineup, but their players are currently underperforming. Established players like Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus need to step up to help the team get back on track.
A combination of bad hitting and poor bullpen play has resulted in just 12 wins for the Rangers in 28 games. The Rangers rank third-to-last in Major League Baseball with only four saves and second-to-last with a .225 team batting average.
25. Colorado Rockies
6 of 30
Current Record: 11-15
The Colorado Rockies can not seem to stop their current slide as their losing streak is now up to seven games.
A team ERA of 5.38 definitely does not help the cause either. Colorado’s opponents currently bat with a .291 average and have scored a total of 149 runs on the season.
The pitching is just bad all around for the Rockies, and that needs to turn around if they want to finish above last place in their division.
24. Cleveland Indians
7 of 30
Current Record: 10-17
The Indians sadly boast the fifth-worst team ERA in the league at 4.72, and they lack the run support to overcome such an obstacle. Cleveland is not terrible at any particular aspect of the game, but they're also not performing well.
Their star pitcher Corey Kluber is currently winless in his first seven starts with a 5.04 ERA. They will hope the 29-year-old pitcher can turn it around like last season.
23. Arizona Diamondbacks
8 of 30
Current Record: 13-14
Arizona’s bad start is due in large part to their terrible bullpen, which has earned one measly save up to this point. The Diamondbacks have only held on long enough into their games to create four save opportunities so far.
Luckily for Arizona, the Rockies are in even worse form at the moment, which has allowed them to maintain a one-and-half-game lead. Overall, the Diamondbacks are four-and-a-half games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
22. Seattle Mariners
9 of 30
Current Record: 11-17
The American League West is still an open battle, with four teams within one-and-a-half games of each other in the standings. However, the Mariners currently sit in last place through 28 games.
Nelson Cruz is currently carrying the offense on his back with a league-leading 14 home runs. The major problem for the Mariners is the lack of consistency. Seattle swept the Texas Rangers, then lost four straight games to the division-leading Houston Astros.
21. Pittsburgh Pirates
10 of 30
Current Record: 13-15
The Pirates do not want to allow the Cardinals to establish too large of a lead over them and the rest of the division. Pittsburgh just snapped a five-game losing streak, putting them eight games behind St. Louis.
To make matters worse for the Pirates, they lost three games in extra innings to the Cardinals last week. Surprisingly, their superstar Andrew McCutchen only has two home runs so far and is batting .210.
20. Atlanta Braves
11 of 30
Current Record: 14-14
How could a team in second place in their division be ranked in the bottom third of the power rankings? Well, the National East is just that bad.
The Braves currently walk the third-most batters in Major League Baseball, with 103 total free passes. However, Atlanta takes advantage when they have runners in scoring position. The Braves have stayed afloat by scoring 125 runs on the year.
19. Cincinnati Reds
12 of 30
Current Record: 14-14
The Reds' pitching is already thin, and now they've lost Homer Bailey for the rest of the season to Tommy John surgery.
Cincinnati currently sits fifth in home runs surrendered, having given up 32. Meanwhile, the Reds boast the third-most home runs in the league with 38. Offsetting factors like these leave the team floating right around .500.
18. Boston Red Sox
13 of 30
Current Record: 13-15
The Boston Red Sox are in fourth place in the American League East, with their archrivals sitting atop the division 4.5 games ahead of them.
The Red Sox are also down to their third-choice catcher due to injuries to Ryan Hanigan and Christian Vazquez. However, this provides their talented prospect Blake Swihart with an opportunity to step in and log some time in the big leagues.
17. Baltimore Orioles
14 of 30
Current Record: 12-14
What is happening in the American League East? Last year’s division winners are now last in the division.
Baltimore fans are probably wishing they re-signed Nelson Cruz now. The Orioles would possibly have the most home runs in baseball if they kept Cruz to add to their current 34 team homers.
However, Adam Jones’ play may put him near the top of the current MVP list, thanks to his .367 batting average and .407 OBP. The center fielder posted a four-hit game against the Tampa Bay Rays last week as well.
16. San Francisco Giants
15 of 30
Current Record: 14-15
The defending World Series champions started the season with a rough patch, losing eight in a row in April, but they look like they may be turning it around.
The Giants won 10 of their last 15 games, and their star catcher Buster Posey is also starting to swing the bat better, getting a hit in eight of his last 10 games to bring his average up to .275.
15. Los Angeles Angels
16 of 30
Current Record: 13-16
One of the most surprising starts to the season belongs to Jered Weaver. The right-handed pitcher currently sits 0-4 with a 6.29 ERA through his first six starts.
The Angels also got swept by the Giants over the weekend, but rebounded positively, taking two out of three from the Seattle Mariners.
It's hard to drop the Angels too far when they have Mike Trout batting .298 with a .393 OBP.
14. Miami Marlins
17 of 30
Current Record: 14-15
Miami’s second baseman Dee Gordon holds the highest batting average in the bigs at .437. The speedy infielder stole 12 bases already this year, which is more than nine teams.
Dan Haren is also off to an impressive start with a 2.68 ERA and 0.92 WHIP through six outings.
Miami ranks in the middle of the majors in both runs scored and ERA this season, justifying their average start to the season.
13. Toronto Blue Jays
18 of 30
Current Record: 14-15
The Blue Jays may be the most exciting team to watch in baseball. They lead the league with 155 runs scored, which is 10 more than the A's (who rank second), but they also give up the third-most runs in the league at 146.
They live and die by the home run, hitting and giving up 34 through 29 games.
12. Washington Nationals
19 of 30
Current Record: 14-15
Bryce Harper hit three bombs on Wednesday on the way to a 7-5 victory for the Nationals over the Marlins.
Like the Giants, the Nationals got off to a bad start. Washington lost six of their first eight games but have now won seven of their last nine games. Streaks like this are why the Nationals rest right around the .500 mark.
With their phenomenal pitching rotation, look for the Nationals to continue to challenge and catch the New York Mets.
11. Chicago Cubs
20 of 30
Current Record: 14-13
The Chicago Cubs remain one of the most exciting teams in baseball because of all their young talent, but Joe Maddon would probably prefer to see more consistency.
The week started poorly for the Cubs, as they lost two out of three to the Brewers before losing three out of four from the Cardinals. There will be more ups and downs for Chicago this season.
10. Minnesota Twins
21 of 30
Current Record: 16-13
The Minnesota Twins bounced back from a 1-6 start quite nicely and now sit three games above .500. Sweeping the Chicago White Sox in a four-game series this past weekend went a long way to help their resurgence.
However, Minnesota needs to do a better job of keeping the ball out of play. The Twins currently have the lowest strikeout total in the big leagues with only 153. That's 25 fewer than the Detroit Tigers, who have the second-lowest total.
9. Tampa Bay Rays
22 of 30
Current Record: 15-14
The Rays do not beat themselves. They are tied with Miami for the fewest errors in the league with only 10 through 29 games. Opposing teams also bat for the lowest average in the league against Tampa Bay at .212.
There's nothing particularly exciting about the Rays, but they win despite possessing average talent. The Rays currently sit second in the American League East behind the New York Yankees.
8. San Diego Padres
23 of 30
Current Record: 15-15
Petco Park is supposed to be the ultimate sanctuary for fly-ball pitchers, but the Padres rank second in home runs allowed with 38.
San Diego currently sits in second place, four games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres also rank fifth in runs scored with 140 through 30 games.
7. New York Mets
24 of 30
Current Record: 18-10
Between the Yankees and Mets, New York fans are all smiles this season. The Mets currently sit in first place in the National League East due to their impressive pitching.
New York’s 2.90 team ERA is the second lowest in Major League Baseball. They also have the second-most saves with 13.
But Mets fans had to fall out of the clouds at some point. The Mets won 11 straight games in April but recently fell back to reality, winning only five of their last 12 games.
6. New York Yankees
25 of 30
Current Record: 18-11
Alex Rodriguez passed Willie Mays on the all-time home run list by hitting his 661st homer against the Baltimore Orioles Thursday night. The controversial slugger now moves into fourth place behind Babe Ruth.
This season, A-Rod returned to the diamond, and the Yankees returned to the top spot in the American League East.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
26 of 30
Current Record: 18-10
The Dodgers know how to take care of business at home, winning 13 of their 15 games in their own ballpark.
Los Angeles’ pitchers top all other teams with 258 strikeouts, in large part due to Clayton Kershaw’s league-high 51. It’s only the beginning of May and Kershaw is already past the half-century mark.
The Dodgers currently sit atop the National League West. They also lead the league with 47 team home runs this season.
4. Detroit Tigers
27 of 30
Current Record: 18-11
The American League Central is home to two of the best teams in baseball: the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers finally look like they found a reliable closer in Joakim Soria. The right-handed closer converted all 11 of his save opportunities so far this season.
Oh, they still have Miguel Cabrera too. The 32-year-old is hitting .350 and gets on base over 45 percent of the time.
3. Houston Astros
28 of 30
Current Record: 19-10
The award for the biggest surprise team goes to the Astros for their performance through April. They currently sit atop the American League West with 19 wins.
Getting swept by the Texas Rangers this week brought Houston down from the high of their 10-game winning streak. The Astros' success is due in large part to their 42 home runs this season. It is unclear whether this success will continue, but Houston fans will enjoy it while it lasts.
2. Kansas City Royals
29 of 30
Current Record: 18-10
There is no presence of a World Series hangover in Kansas City. The Royals look determined to avenge their World Series loss this season by playing great baseball.
The Royals do not launch a lot of home runs, but they hit for the highest average in the major leagues. Kansas City look to continue their small-ball tradition.
1. St. Louis Cardinals
30 of 30
Current Record: 21-7
The St. Louis Cardinals are the first team to reach 20 wins in baseball this season. St. Louis also possesses the largest divisional lead, sitting six-and-a-half games over the Cubs.
The Cardinals offense rallies behind Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday. Both players currently hit over .330 and get on base over 40 percent of the time. St. Louis is currently the best team in baseball, despite losing Adam Wainwright to injury.
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