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MLB Power Rankings: Where All 30 Teams Stand with 7 Weeks Remaining
August 10, 2021MLB Power Rankings: Where All 30 Teams Stand with 7 Weeks Remaining
Seven weeks. That's all that's left of the 2021 MLB regular season, and postseason races are heating up around baseball as we enter the stretch run.
With the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets hitting a rough patch, the door has swung wide open in the American League East and National League East races, and outside of the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central, no division leader has a lead of more than five games.
That should mean plenty more shuffling of our MLB power rankings in the weeks ahead.
If a team is winning, it will climb the rankings. If a team is losing, a slide is inevitable. The beauty of this exercise is that it's a fluid process and things will continue to change.
Statistics and analysis reflect action through Sunday's games. Records include Monday's results. Check out last week's power rankings here.
Nos. 30-26
30. Arizona Diamondbacks (35-78)
Previous Rank: 30
With series losses to the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres last week, the D-backs are now 14-38 against the rest of the NL West. The franchise has drafted No. 1 overall twice before, selecting Justin Upton in 2005 and Dansby Swanson in 2015. Will it hold onto the worst record in baseball?
29. Texas Rangers (39-73)
Previous Rank: 29
The Rangers have lost six in a row, and they are now 4-18 with a minus-81 run differential since the All-Star break. The final two months will be about assessing their in-house talent, and that means significant playing time for Jonah Heim, Jason Martin, DJ Peters, Spencer Howard, Dennis Santana, Joe Barlow and others who could factor into future plans.
28. Baltimore Orioles (38-72)
Previous Rank: 28
It's been a tough ride for an Orioles team that shares the AL East with four postseason contenders. Series losses to the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays last week ran their record to 13-31 against the rest of the AL East, and they've lost five in a row entering play on Tuesday. On a positive note, top prospect Adley Rutschman is one step closer to the big leagues after he was promoted to Triple-A.
27. Pittsburgh Pirates (41-71)
Previous Rank: 26
Sticking with our theme, the Pirates are 12-35 against NL Central opponents following a 1-6 week against the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds. Rookie Hoy Park has gone 8-for-25 with four doubles while taking over as the team's primary leadoff hitter since he was acquired from the New York Yankees at the deadline.
26. Washington Nationals (50-62)
Previous Rank: 25
The Nationals are 2-7 since their trade deadline fire sale, and they are now just three games ahead of the Miami Marlins in the battle to avoid the NL East cellar. Right-hander Josiah Gray, one of the key pieces acquired in the Max Scherzer/Trea Turner blockbuster, has a 1.80 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 10 innings in his first two starts in a Nationals uniform.
Nos. 25-21
25. Chicago Cubs (52-61)
Previous Rank: 24
The Cubs were outscored 21-9 in a weekend series sweep against the crosstown Chicago White Sox, and it figures to be a long road to the finish line following their deadline sell-off. Outfielder Greg Deichmann made his MLB debut on Aug. 6, and he should get a long look down the stretch after he was acquired from Oakland in the Andrew Chafin deal.
24. Minnesota Twins (48-65)
Previous Rank: 27
Despite selling high on Jose Berrios and flipping free-agent-to-be Nelson Cruz at the deadline, the Twins are still talented enough to be a thorn in the side of contenders. They took three of four from the Astros in Houston over the weekend to wrap up a 5-4 road trip that also saw them steal a game from the Reds last Tuesday with a three-run ninth inning.
23. Miami Marlins (47-66)
Previous Rank: 23
With a 3.72 ERA that ranks 11th in the majors, the Marlins continue to be a tough draw despite their sub-.500 record. Catcher Alex Jackson, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz and starters Zach Thompson and Braxton Garrett are among the young players poised to receive an extended look the rest of the way as the team looks ahead to 2022.
22. Kansas City Royals (48-63)
Previous Rank: 21
The Royals took two of three from the Chicago White Sox on the road last week, but dropped their weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Young right-hander Carlos Hernandez has thrown the ball well since moving into the starting rotation in the middle of July, and he limited the White Sox to two hits and one run in five innings on Wednesday.
21. Colorado Rockies (51-61)
Previous Rank: 22
The Rockies scored 55 runs in six games last week, cracking double digits three different times en route to a 5-1 record and a plus-27 run differential. Granted, that performance came against the Cubs and Marlins, but it's impressive nonetheless. Trevor Story is hitting .433/.514/.800 with five doubles and two home runs in 35 plate appearances since the trade deadline.
Nos. 20-16
20. Detroit Tigers (54-60)
Previous Rank: 19
The Tigers split last week with a series win against the Boston Red Sox and a series loss in Cleveland, but they are still within striking distance of a winning record. Infielder Jonathan Schoop was inked to a modest two-year, $15 million extension on Saturday, and he'll continue to be an important veteran voice amid the rebuild. The 29-year-old has a 124 OPS+ with 19 doubles, 18 home runs and 64 RBI.
19. Cleveland (55-55)
Previous Rank: 18
With a loss on Wednesday, Cleveland dropped below .500 for the first time since May 1. One of the few positive takeaways of late has been the performance of Cal Quantrill, who tossed seven scoreless innings against Detroit on Friday with a career-high 10 strikeouts. The 26-year-old has a 3.10 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 58 innings since shifting from the bullpen to the starting rotation in mid-June.
18. St. Louis Cardinals (55-56)
Previous Rank: 17
With a 15-15 record since July 1, the Cardinals have been spinning their tires while the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds have continued to pull away in the NL Central. The Cubs' sell-off means there's a good chance they won't finish any lower than third in the division standings, but it's going to take an unexpected hot streak to climb back into the race.
17. Los Angeles Angels (56-56)
Previous Rank: 20
The Angels traded away Andrew Heaney and Tony Watson at the deadline, but they continue to hover around .500 and on the periphery of the AL wild-card race. A tough homestand awaits as they welcome the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros to town. Can they keep their long-shot playoff hopes alive for another week?
16. New York Mets (56-55)
Previous Rank: 12
Yikes. The Mets had a 3.5-game lead in the NL East standings when play concluded on Sunday, Aug. 1. One week later, they plummeted to third in the standings after a brutal 1-6 showing against the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins. With 13 of their next 16 games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, things could get a lot worse before they get better.
Nos. 15-11
15. Seattle Mariners (59-54)
Previous Rank: 13
The Mariners went 3-4 last week and lost an important series to a fellow AL wild-card contender in the New York Yankees. With a 5.5-game deficit and three AL East teams to pass in the hunt for a postseason berth, they're going to need to get hot at some point. A three-game series at home against the Texas Rangers is a good place to start.
14. Atlanta Braves (57-55)
Previous Rank: 15
With a 5-4 victory on Sunday behind six strong innings from Max Fried, the Braves are back to second in the NL East standings. They've gone 6-2 since making a handful of additions at the trade deadline, and Jorge Soler (9-for-29, 3 HR, 6 RBI) might be the under-the-radar pickup of the year for a team that desperately needed outfield help and middle-of-the-order run production.
13. Toronto Blue Jays (60-50)
Previous Rank: 14
With series wins over Cleveland and Boston during a 6-2 week, the Blue Jays are right in the thick of things in the AL East and AL wild-card races. With 15 of their next 22 games against teams with a .500 record or worse entering play on Monday, they have a golden opportunity to continue to make up ground in their quest for a postseason berth.
12. Philadelphia Phillies (59-53)
Previous Rank: 16
With a weekend series sweep of the New York Mets behind strong starts from Kyle Gibson (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER) on Friday and Zack Wheeler (9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 11 K) on Sunday, the Phillies have officially moved into first in the NL East standings. Winners of eight straight entering play on Tuesday, this team is getting hot at the right time.
11. Cincinnati Reds (61-52)
Previous Rank: 11
Since getting shut out by Marcus Stroman and the New York Mets on July 24, the Reds have gone an MLB-best 12-4 with a plus-40 run differential. They still face a five-game deficit in the NL Central and are 2.5 games back in the NL wild-card standings, but this team is firing on all cylinders right now after welcoming Nick Castellanos and Mike Moustakas back to the lineup last week.
Nos. 10-6
10. New York Yankees (62-50)
Previous Rank: 10
The Yankees are 8-2 with a plus-21 run differential in their last 10 games, but they've made up just two games in the AL East standings during that stretch. The division race is going to be a battle the entire way, and rookie right-hander Luis Gil has a chance to be a major X-factor. The 23-year-old tossed 11 scoreless innings in his first two big league starts with a 14-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
9. Boston Red Sox (65-49)
Previous Rank: 7
The Red Sox are 4-10 in their last 14 games since taking three of four from the rival Yankees at Fenway Park in late July. They had a one-game lead in the AL East standings at the conclusion of that series but now face a four-game deficit with that same Yankees team closing in quickly. Chris Sale will make his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery on Saturday, and not a moment too soon.
8. Oakland Athletics (64-48)
Previous Rank: 9
Walk-off wins on Wednesday and Friday highlighted a 4-1 week for the Athletics, and two scheduled days off should help them rest and reset for the final push. Is there a more underrated duo than Cole Irvin (22 GS, 3.45 ERA, 130.1 IP) and James Kaprielian (14 GS, 3.22 ERA, 78.1 IP)? Those two have provided what Oakland fans hoped Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk would when the season began.
7. San Diego Padres (65-49)
Previous Rank: 8
The Padres' next 10 games are against the Marlins, Diamondbacks and Rockies, and with 19 games remaining against the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers down the stretch, this might be their best opportunity to bridge the gap in the NL West standings. How valuable is the defensive versatility of Jake Cronenworth with Fernando Tatis Jr. on the injured list?
6. Houston Astros (66-46)
Previous Rank: 6
The Astros are 2-6 since the trade deadline, including dropping three of four to the Minnesota Twins to close out last week. Their lead in the AL West standings has been trimmed from 5.5 games to two games during that span, and Oakland is not going anywhere. A stretch of nine games against the Rockies, Angels and Royals should allow them to extend that lead if they can right the ship.
Nos. 5-1
5. Milwaukee Brewers (66-46)
Previous Rank: 4
Looking for a dark-horse NL MVP candidate? The Brewers were 21-23 when they acquired shortstop Willy Adames from the Tampa Bay Rays on May 21. They have since gone an MLB-best 45-23 with a plus-113 run differential, and Adames has a 147 OPS+ with 20 doubles, 15 home runs, 45 RBI and 3.3 WAR in 67 games with the team. A series loss to the San Francisco Giants drops them one spot, but this is still a top-five team.
4. Chicago White Sox (67-46)
Previous Rank: 5
After dropping two of three to the Royals, the South Siders came away with a decisive sweep of the crosstown rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. With a 10.5-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central race, the White Sox will likely be the first team to clinch a postseason berth, and they are just two games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the best record in the American League.
3. Tampa Bay Rays (68-44)
Previous Rank: 3
Winners of eight of their last 10, including a series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend, the Rays have built a four-game cushion over the Boston Red Sox in the AL East race. Multi-inning reliever Collin McHugh returned to action last week, and he could be the first of several reinforcements who make their way back from the injured list. With plenty of mixing and matching of the pitching staff likely in October, every arm is critical.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (67-45)
Previous Rank: 2
After a two-game split with the Houston Astros and a series win over the Los Angeles Angels, the Dodgers' MLB-leading run differential now sits at plus-171. With Jacob deGrom injured, the NL Cy Young race is suddenly wide open, and Walker Buehler added to his resume on Sunday with six innings of four-hit, one-run ball against the Angels.
1. San Francisco Giants (71-41)
Previous Rank: 1
The Giants have not lost more than two consecutive games since July 1, and they picked up two more series wins last week over the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers. It's entirely possible they will wind up squaring off against that same Brewers team in the postseason, and the two teams play four more times in San Francisco before the regular season is over.
Complete Rankings
Complete Rankings
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Milwaukee Brewers
6. Houston Astros
7. San Diego Padres
8. Oakland Athletics
9. Boston Red Sox
10. New York Yankees
11. Cincinnati Reds
12. Philadelphia Phillies
13. Toronto Blue Jays
14. Atlanta Braves
15. Seattle Mariners
16. New York Mets
17. Los Angeles Angels
18. St. Louis Cardinals
19. Cleveland
20. Detroit Tigers
21. Colorado Rockies
22. Kansas City Royals
23. Miami Marlins
24. Minnesota Twins
25. Chicago Cubs
26. Washington Nationals
27. Pittsburgh Pirates
28. Baltimore Orioles
29. Texas Rangers
30. Arizona Diamondbacks
Highlight of the Week: Team USA Wins Silver in Tokyo
For the first time since 2008, baseball was part of the Summer Olympics.
With the MLB season in full swing, the United States sent a collection of recently retired veterans and minor leaguers not on the 40-man roster to represent the country.
Familiar faces like Todd Frazier and David Robertson were part of the veteran contingent, while Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas, Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Shane Baz and Oakland Athletics shortstop Nick Allen were among the high-profile prospects in action.
After falling to Japan in extra innings in the first game of the tournament, Team USA rallied through the loser's bracket with victories over the Dominican Republic and South Korea to set up a rematch with Japan in the gold-medal game.
Five different pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout for Japan in a 2-0 victory to claim the country's first-ever gold medal in baseball, and the United States settled for the silver medal.
Tyler Austin (10-for-24, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI), Casas (5-for-23, 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI) and Allen (6-for-21, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI) were the offensive stars for the United States, while Nick Martinez (2 GS, 11.0 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 16 K) and Joe Ryan (2 GS, 10.1 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) shined on the mound.
It wasn't gold, but it was a terrific showing for Team USA nonetheless.
Congratulations to Team Japan!
Team of the Week
C Elias Diaz, COL
(7-for-15, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI)
1B C.J. Cron, COL
(10-for-18, 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI)
2B Jonathan India, CIN
(9-for-25, 2 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI)
3B Jack Mayfield, LAA
(8-for-25, 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBI)
SS Trevor Story, COL
(11-for-23, 4 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI)
OF Starling Marte, OAK
(12-for-24, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI)
OF George Springer, TOR
(12-for-33, 3 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 11 RBI)
OF Bryce Harper, PHI
(8-for-26, 2 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI)
DH Yordan Alvarez, HOU
(9-for-25, 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI)
SP Zack Wheeler, PHI
(2 GS, 2 W, 16.1 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 16 K)
SP Luis Gil, NYY
(2 GS, W, ND, 11.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 14 K)
SP Cal Quantrill, CLE
(1 GS, W, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K)
SP Blake Snell, SD
(2 GS, 2 W, 12.0 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 19 K)
SP Max Fried, ATL
(2 GS, 2 W, 12.0 IP, 11 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 12 K)
RP Alex Colome, MIN
(4 G, 3/3 SV, 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K)
Award Rankings
If the season ended today, this is what my MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year ballots would look like. As the season continues, injured players will inevitably slide and perhaps fall off the rankings. For now, they are included, since these rankings are based on the season to date.
AL MVP
1. Shohei Ohtani, LAA
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
3. Rafael Devers, BOS
4. Matt Olson, OAK
5. Cedric Mullins, BAL
6. Aaron Judge, NYY
7. Carlos Correa, HOU
8. Marcus Semien, TOR
9. Xander Bogaerts, BOS
10. Jose Ramirez, CLE
NL MVP
1. Fernando Tatis Jr., SD
2. Bryce Harper, PHI
3. Max Muncy, LAD
4. Ronald Acuna Jr., ATL
5. Trea Turner, LAD
6. Buster Posey, SF
7. Freddie Freeman, ATL
8. Jesse Winker, CIN
9. Bryan Reynolds, PIT
10. Mookie Betts, LAD
AL Cy Young
1. Lance Lynn, CWS
2. Carlos Rodon, CWS
3. Robbie Ray, TOR
4. Gerrit Cole, NYY
5. Chris Bassitt, OAK
NL Cy Young
1. Jacob deGrom, NYM
2. Walker Buehler, LAD
3. Freddy Peralta, MIL
4. Zack Wheeler, PHI
5. Brandon Woodruff, MIL
AL Rookie of the Year
1. Adolis Garcia, TEX
2. Randy Arozarena, TB
3. Casey Mize, DET
NL Rookie of the Year
1. Trevor Rogers, MIA
2. Jonathan India, CIN
3. Patrick Wisdom, CHC
Stats courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.