MLB Power Rankings: Indians take over
Tampa Bay Rays 72-75
Last week: 4-6
Last rank: 18
A strikeout-prone offense has been too much for the Rays to overcome, and they appear headed towards a third losing record in the past four years. It has become harder and harder for Tampa Bay to succeed with their pitching-first development scheme because the rest of the league is catching up and getting young starters to the big leagues ready to dominate. That was what set the Rays apart when they were making the playoffs consistently under Joe Maddon.
There should be serious concerns about the long-term viability of the Rays in the AL East. Those concerns were only tamped down slightly when the team was winning. There has been little-to-no development of position players by the organization. The successors to Ben Zobrist, Melvin Upton and Carl Crawford are nowhere to be seen.
Kansas City Royals 72-74
Last week: 4-6
Last rank: 17
Kansas City Royals fans need to pack The K over the next three weeks to see this group together as many times as possible before it comes to an end. The Royals may be able to retain some of their core, but the group that won the World Series will have to begin splitting up. That’s a tough reality for small-market franchises to accept, and the Royals decided to go for it this year despite their low playoff odds and flawed starting rotation.
It will be interesting to see how the Royals owners and front office decide to proceed with Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain hitting the open market. Their formula for winning has been upended by a shaky bullpen. Kelvin Herrera has not been able to replace Wade Davis and Greg Holland, the rotation is still in shambles but just going five decent innings is no longer enough. Kansas City also has one of the weaker farm systems in the league. This feels like a franchise in need of a rebuild.