MLB Power Rankings: Indians take over
Minnesota Twins 77-69
Last week: 6-4
Last rank: 12
The regular season is almost over, and it’s still impossible to determine whether the Twins are a good baseball team or a product of playing in one of the weakest divisions in MLB history with not one but two teams in a full-on tank. My gut tells me that every one of the teams currently trailing the Twins for the AL’s final playoff spot would have handled the 19 games against the White Sox and Tigers well enough to make the playoffs if given the chance.
That’s enough shade being thrown at the Twins for now. They’re certainly making the most of a flawed scheduling system. Minnesota feels like the 2015 Royals as they race towards a playoff spot. Their rotation is far from good, but it’s good enough most nights. Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios are both strong options in a playoff rotation, but it falls off a cliff from there.
Chicago Cubs 80-66
Last week: 5-5
Last rank: 6
With a slim lead and the teams behind them playing better baseball, the Cubs have very little margin for error the final two-plus weeks of the regular season. Manager Joe Maddon has the tricky task of managing his bench and deciding when to play Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras, Alex Avila, Ian Happ, Javy Baez, Albert Almora, Jon Jay and Ben Zobrist. With the exception of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Maddon has options at every other position on the diamond.
Options are never a bad thing for an MLB manager to have on his hands, but Maddon almost has too many to work with. First world problems, I know. The Cubs lineup has lacked continuity at times this year. Every single position player on the active roster could start for most MLB teams, but there are only so many at-bats to go around.