MLB Power Rankings: Phillies lose McCutchen, Twins beat Rays and Marlins get out of the basement

By Sean Sears | Jun 5, 2019

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 04: Outfielders Alex Verdugo #27, Chris Taylor #3 and Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in the MLB game at Chase Field on June 04, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Dodgers defeated the Diamondbacks 9-0. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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TORONTO, ON – JUNE 04: Aaron Hicks #31 of the New York Yankees hits a double in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 4, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

4. New York Yankees, 38-21, 1st in the AL East (ranked 4th last week)

Winners of six of their last 10 games, the Yankees continue to defy odds despite having 13 players on the IL. But it’s finally June which means guys like Aaron Judge, Troy Tulowitzki, Greg Bird, Dellin Betances and even Giancarlo Stanton could all be back this month. For the moment, the Yankees are making do with what they have, which has turned out surprisingly well for them. C Gary Sanchez is OPSing .992 with 18 home runs and looks like the starting catcher for the 2019 AL All-Star team. D.J. LeMahieu has been an underrated signing for the Yankees, and while guys like Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier are getting a lot of attention, the veteran infielder leads the club with a 2.0 bWAR.

The starting pitching has been good when healthy, but it’s hard to say their group will stay that way. Of course, there’s plenty of rumors about the Yankees linking them to free agent starter Dallas Keuchel. They currently own a 2.5 game lead in the AL East and if they can add Keuchel and get their big bats in Stanton and Judge back this month, the Yankees might jump to the top of this list.

3. Minnesota Twins, 40-19, 1st in the AL Central (ranked 1st last week)

The Twins bested the Rays and their young group of hitters and pitchers, taking three of four and striking any doubt in people’s minds that the Twins are for real. Everything seems to be working for the Twins, as they’ve gotten back Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver back from the IL and both have hit well in their returns, maintaining OPS’ over 1.000 on the season.

But the real story is Jorge Polanco and Byron Buxton (yes that “bust” of a former prospect), who leads the team’s offensive players in bWAR at the moment. Add in Eddie Rosario’s 18 home runs and C.J. Cron’s 13 dingers and the Twins lineup is full of pop. Starter Jake Odorizzi has erased his poor 2018 season, producing a 1.96 ERA while striking out nearly 10 batters to every walk he’s allowed this season. He and Jose Berrios form a talented rotation that can do some damage in a postseason run. Factor in their juggernaut offense, the Twins are formidable.

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