MLB Power Rankings: Cardinals and Royals rivalry expands to top of the rankings

6. team. 90. One week after watching them dip to a season-worst 16th in these rankings, the Nats came back with a vengeance, going 8-2 over their last ten games. Bryce Harper has hoisted this team onto his 22-year-old shoulders, claiming NL Player of the Week honors on the back of a .458/.500/1.250 week with 6 home runs and 14 RBI over the last 7 days. However, let’s not downplay the performance of Yunel Escobar, who paces the team with a .342/.388/.423 slash-line and has quietly become the biggest bargain of the winter.. . Previous: +10th. Washington Nationals

63. The magic of Shane Greene has worn off, and coupled with the struggles of Anibal Sanchez, that has left the Tigers looking for a couple of answers in their rotation. Perhaps we’ve expected too much from Greene, but Sanchez is destined to turn things around. They’ll need a staff at full strength if they want to keep up with the Royals all season long.. . Previous: -4th. Detroit Tigers. 7. team

135. After winning nine straight, Houston has gone 2-6 since, including getting swept by the Texas Rangers. At this stage, the Astros are still in the driver’s seat, but with a 27.5% team strike-out rate and the lack of consistency out of the fifth spot in the rotation, Houston still has a lot of questions to answer.. . Previous: -2th. Houston Astros. 8. team

9. team. 127. The loss of Brandon Morrow creates a hole in the rotation, but the return of Ian Kennedy helps fill it. Of course, they’ll need better than the six earned runs Kennedy allowed over the last 11.2 innings. Speaking of returns, the Padres have to really be excited that Jedd Gyorko has returned to productivity (.389/.421/.556) over his last seven games. That adds some flexibility to the line-up, especially one with the rotation the Padres infield is seeing.. . Previous: -1th. San Diego Padres

Previous: +2nd. Chicago Cubs. 10. team. 9. Is it finally time that Anthony Rizzo gets his due for being one of the top young players in the game? After breaking out in 2014, Rizzo is off to a career-best start, slashing .330/.455/.600 through the first 32 games. Having Kris Bryant hitting behind him in the line-up only makes the Cubs that much deeper and Rizzo becomes a true MVP candidate..