MLB Power Rankings: Red-hot Oakland A’s crack the top-10

2021 MLB Power Rankings: Red-hot Oakland A’s crack the top-10

Nos. 20-11

Looking at this Chicago Cubs roster, you have to believe there is enough talent for them to start turning things around this season. On Sunday night, they were blasted by the Atlanta Braves, and have now gone 3-8 since a 3-1 start to the season, so as we inch closer to May, they need to start finding some answers.

The Miami Marlins have been one of the hottest teams in baseball as of late, winning six of their last eight games, and are getting it done offensively, and on the mound. As a staff, the Marlins have an earned run average under 4.00 for the season, as Sandy Alcantra leads the way with better than a strikeout per inning to go along with his 3.28 ERA.

The Texas Rangers made huge headlines to start the season when they announced that their games would be played at full capacity despite the fact there is still a pandemic going on. On the field, they have been a big up and down, but have a solid series against Tampa Bay on their record, and avoided a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles their last time out.

The Houston Astros were one of the hottest teams in baseball to start the season, but since then, they have certainly fallen on hard times. They have looked like one of the worst teams in the sport over the past few weeks, but they have the talent to turn this thing around, and it would not be surprising to see them in the top-10 in the league before the month closes out.

The Chicago White Sox went on the road their last series and played the Boston Red Sox tough, taking two of three games inside Fenway Park. Chicago is another team with some solid young talent, and catcher Yermin Mercedes is off to a torrid start, batting .415, and leading the team with four home runs.

Sitting with a 7-8 record through their first 15 games, the St. Louis Cardinals have a lot to be excited about, but also some real questions that need to be answered. Sure, Yadier Molina is having another great season, but the pitching staff has been awful, specifically Adam Wainwright and Carlos Martinez, who both have earned run averages over 7.00.

The Milwaukee Brewers currently sit in second place in the NL Central, and currently do not have any full-time starter batting over .300. The biggest issue with this team right now is the health of Christian Yelich, however, as he is dealing with back issues, and the franchise recently put him on the ten-day injured list.

As a team, the Cleveland Indians are struggling big time at the plate, but luckily for them, Shane Bieber is off to a historic start on the hill. Bieber is 2-1 in his four starts, but he is striking people out at a historic pace, as his 48 strikeouts in 29.1 innings pitched is good for a 14.7 K/9 ratio early on.

The Philadelphia Phillies got off to a blazing start to the 2021 MLB season, winning four straight, and looking like the team to beat early on in the NL East. However, they have struggled to play consistent baseball since then, but the starting staff has been outstanding, led by Aaron Nola, who has struck out better than a batter per inning while posting a 2.19 earned run average.

The Los Angeles Angels were one of the hottest teams in baseball heading into their series with the Minnesota Twins, but have been put on hold, as the Twins are dealing with COVID issues within their franchise. Mike Trout is doing Mike Trout things, batting close to .400 with four home runs, and just maybe they can finally get this guy to the playoffs this season.