MLB Power Rankings: Indians take over
The Cleveland Indians take over the top spot in our weekly MLB Power Rankings thanks to an epic winning streak.
If you’ve been asleep for the past three weeks and are just now waking up, the Cleveland Indians have just put the finishing touches on the longest winning streak since almost all of the United States got electricity and indoor plumbing. Twenty-one games is nothing to sneeze at, and the Tribe’s winning streak is the most impressive team feat in MLB history. No team has ever been so dominant over a 22-game span.
The Indians winning streak, combined with the struggles of the Los Angeles Dodgers has given us a new team at the top of the MLB Power Rankings for the first time in months. We gave the Dodgers the benefit of the doubt during their ten-game losing streak, but Cleveland has just been too good to ignore. While Los Angeles still has the best record in MLB, the Indians now look like the better team.
Around the rest of the league, the Wild Card races are still going strong and the Chicago Cubs have not been able to shake free from the rest of the NL Central. A handful of the rebuilding teams have also made things interesting as their September call-ups impress. Read on and find out where your team stands in the latest edition of the MLB Power Rankings.
Philadelphia Phillies 57-89
Last week: 5-5
Last rank: 30
Gary Sanchez hit 20 home runs in 53 games last season to finish second in the AL Rookie of the Year vote. Rhys Hoskins is this year’s half-season rookie phenom, and his numbers blow Sanchez out of the water. He has 18 home runs and 39 RBI in his first 33 games. Hoskins has hit a home run every six at-bats.
The NL Rookie of the Year for 2017 will go to Cody Bellinger, but Hoskins should finish second. He has an incredible command of the strike zone for a player making his MLB debut and has walked almost as often as he has struck out. Hoskins has already topped the numbers from Willie McCovey’s 1959 season where he won the NL Rookie of the Year playing in only 52 games.
San Francisco Giants 57-91
Last week: 3-7
Last rank: 28
The Giants are going to lose 100 games for the first time since 1985, but their struggles have not done much to keep fans from coming out to the ballpark. San Francisco is third in the National League in attendance and will top three million before the end of the year. Plenty of money is still flowing in through the turnstiles, but the Giants have over $179 million already committed to the 2018 roster (although it’s a safe assumption that Matt Cain’s $21-million club option will be turned down). There are going to be free agents on the market who can help the Giants, but they are already up against the luxury tax.