MLB Power Rankings: Mariners Continue to Climb, Cubs Back in the Top 10
With roughly two months of the 2018 MLB season in the books, we're starting to get a better idea of which teams will by vying for playoff spots and which ones could be looking to change course at the trade deadline.
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees maintained their standing as the top two teams in baseball, but there was once again plenty of shuffling behind them, including plenty of movement in the top 10.
This remains a fluid process, as teams rise and fall based on where they were ranked the previous week. If a team keeps winning, it will keep climbing—it's as simple as that.
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Here's an updated look at where all 30 teams stand heading into this week's action.
| 1 |  Boston Red Sox (41-19) |  |
| 2 |  New York Yankees (38-18) | |
| 3 |  Seattle Mariners (37-22) |  4 |
| 4 |  Houston Astros (37-24) |  1 |
| 5 |  Atlanta Braves (35-25) | 1 |
| 6 |  Milwaukee Brewers (37-23) | 2 |
| 7 |  Chicago Cubs (33-23) | 4 |
| 8 |  Los Angeles Angels (33-28) | 3 |
| 9 |  Washington Nationals (33-25) | |
| 10 |  St. Louis Cardinals (32-25) | |
| 11 |  Arizona D-backs (31-28) | 5 |
| 12 |  Philadelphia Phillies (31-26) | 4 |
| 13 |  Cleveland Indians (30-28) | 1 |
| 14 |  San Francisco Giants (30-30) | 4 |
| 15 |  Oakland Athletics (31-29) | 2 |
| 16 |  Pittsburgh Pirates (30-29) | 4 |
| 17 |  Los Angeles Dodgers (29-30) | 3 |
| 18 |  Colorado Rockies (30-29) | 3 |
| 19 |  Detroit Tigers (29-32) | 4 |
| 20 |  San Diego Padres (28-34) | 5 |
| 21 |  Tampa Bay Rays (28-30) | 2 |
| 22 |  New York Mets (27-30) | 5 |
| 23 |  Toronto Blue Jays (26-33) | 2 |
| 24 |  Minnesota Twins (25-30) | 2 |
| 25 |  Texas Rangers (25-37) | 3 |
| 26 |  Kansas City Royals (21-39) | 4 |
| 27 |  Cincinnati Reds (21-39) | 3 |
| 28 |  Chicago White Sox (18-38) | 2 |
| 29 |  Miami Marlins (20-39) | 3 |
| 30 |  Baltimore Orioles (17-41) | 3 |
Teams That Impressed
The Seattle Mariners (5-2) have gone 13-3 in their last 16 games to join the upper echelon of MLB teams here in the early going.
The pitching staff posted a 3.13 ERA in May—good for fifth in the majors—and Wade LeBlanc (6 GS, 1-0, 2.60 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) has been a revelation stepping into the starting rotation.
Denard Span (7-for-25) and Alex Colome (4 G, 3 HLD, 0.00 ERA, 4.0 IP) have both made an impact since coming over in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, while Dee Gordon has made a smooth transition back to second base to help ease the loss of Robinson Cano.
On the NL side of things, the Chicago Cubs (6-1) used a four-game sweep of the New York Mets to climb back into the top 10 in these rankings.
A strong week from the starting rotation is a promising sign going forward. Mike Montgomery has been excellent filling in for the injured Yu Darvish, going 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA in 11.2 innings over two starts.
Four NL West teams made strong moves up our rankings, as the Arizona Diamondbacks (5-2), San Francisco Giants (5-2), Los Angeles Dodgers (5-2) and San Diego Padres (6-2) are all playing good baseball right now.
The Detroit Tigers (6-3) also enjoyed a strong week with series wins over the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays before putting a nice cherry on top of that with the selection of Casey Mize as No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft on Monday night.
Teams That Disappointed
The Philadelphia Phillies were dealt a three-game sweep at the hands of the Giants over the weekend, and they've now gone 6-10 in their last 16 games while failing to win consecutive games during that span.
"Overall, it's just a really horses--t series," pitcher Jake Arrieta told reporters after Sunday's loss. "Really bad. Really bad."
The Phillies have been one of the better stories in the early part of 2018, as they look to make the jump from rebuilding to contention, but some holes have been exposed.
Sticking in the National League, the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets also continued their downward trajectories.
The Pirates have dropped five straight series and are 5-12 during that span.
The Mets are now 16-29 since exploding out of the gates to an 11-1 start, and they have not won a series since they swept the Diamondbacks in the middle of May.
After a brief climb up the rankings, the Baltimore Orioles are back in the No. 30 spot after a 0-5 week. Two games against the Yankees were mercifully rained out, or things could have been even worse for a team that appears to be on a collision course with a full-blown rebuild.
MVPs of the Week
Hitter: Edwin Encarnacion, Cleveland Indians
Stats: 11-for-27, 2 2B, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 9 R
It was a brutal first month of the season for Encarnacion—the slugger hit just .160/.243/.350 with a 29.5 percent strikeout rate.
The month of May was a different story.
He hit .315/.376/.609 with seven home runs and 24 RBI in 23 games, tallying eight multihit games along the way.
He's continued to rake since the calendar turned over to June and now appears to be well on his way to a sixth straight 30-homer, 90-RBI season.
That three-year, $60 million deal he signed last winter has been well worth the money.
Pitcher: Mike Foltynewicz, Atlanta Braves
Stats: W, 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
Foltynewicz is enjoying a breakout season for the Braves.
The hard-throwing right-hander is 5-3 with a 2.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 69 innings of work on the year.
He threw his first career shutout on Friday, allowing just two hits and one walk against the Washington Nationals, finishing off the gem on just 106 pitches.
He struck out Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon twice each in the game.
"It's good to see that he can do that and kind of match those guys," Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters, "because that's the cream of the crop in our game."
The 26-year-old has now gone 3-1 with a 0.56 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 37 strikeouts in 32 innings over his last five starts.
Video Highlights of the Week
Longest Home Run: Matt Olson, Oakland Athletics (475 feet)
After launching 24 home runs in 216 plate appearances last season to finish fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting last year, Olson had just eight home runs through his first 211 plate appearances entering last week.
The 24-year-old once again flashed his elite power, though.
He went 8-for-30 on the week with four home runs, including three of the longest shots of the year:
- 5/31: 475 feet off Ryan Yarbrough (5th longest)
- 6/1: 456 feet off Ian Kennedy (t-21st longest)
- 6/3: 454 feet off Burch Smith (t-27th longest)
Olson hit a 483-footer last season that checked in as the sixth-longest of the year, so he's no stranger to moonshots.
Best Defensive Play: Andrelton Simmons, Los Angeles Angels
Andrelton Simmons is the best defensive player in baseball.
End of story.
The 28-year-old has already racked up 7 DRS and a 14.3 UZR/150 this year, after piling up a whopping 32 DRS to earn his third Gold Glove award in 2017.
His elite instincts and lightning fast first step make plays like this one looks routine, but the amount of ground he covered after starting the play a few steps away from second base is amazing.
That's a play most shortstops don't make.
Must-See Upcoming Matchup
Seattle Mariners vs. Houston Astros (Tuesday-Wednesday)
This will be a terrific test for the Mariners.
Seattle has been steadily climbing these rankings in recent weeks, going 13-3 in their last 16 games to take a one-game lead in the AL West standings.
The Astros began the season as reigning World Series champs and heavy favorites to once again claim the division title, and a series win in Houston would further establish the M's as legitimate contenders in 2018.
Houston took three of four in Seattle earlier this year as part of a 9-8 start by the Mariners, but the Mariners have momentum on their side this time around.
Lefties James Paxton (12 GS, 4-1, 3.13 ERA) and Dallas Keuchel (12 GS, 3-7, 3.65 ERA) will square off in the first game of the brief two-game set, while Wade LeBlanc (6 GS, 1-0, 1.72 ERA as a starter) and Lance McCullers Jr. (12 GS, 7-3, 3.89 ERA) take the ball on Wednesday.
The Red Sox and Yankees are not the only compelling division race in the American League this year.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
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