MLB Power Rankings: Marry the Dodgers and Padres, bury the Tigers and Nationals
By Tim Boyle
20) MLB Power Rankings: Colorado Rockies
The days of the Colorado Rockies competing alongside their tough National League West division rivals are gone. While statistically very much alive in any sort of playoff race, their good luck early on in 2022 seems to have run out.
C.J. Cron remains a beast at the plate and the team has gotten a lot from some other unexpected places such as Connor Joe. The Rockies are having the kind of year one might expect from them. They are able to smash their way to victory sometimes. On other days, they settle for getting pummeled. The pitching staff is not a strength. Coors Field remains an enemy.
19) MLB Power Rankings: Boston Red Sox
The death sentence for the 2022 Boston Red Sox has been overturned. Suddenly, the team looks capable of competing again. Trevor Story is starting to hit. Certainly far from catching some of their division rivals, the Red Sox are a club that needs to get hot, stay hot, and start streaking.
The Red Sox have a nice shot at turning their season around. The biggest challenge is the schedule featuring regular matchups against three teams ahead of them in the standings and this week’s MLB Power Rankings.
18) MLB Power Rankings: Texas Rangers
It isn’t going to click for the Texas Rangers this year. The offseason moves they made haven’t propelled them forward. The best case scenario has this year working as a learning experience. The worst thing would be that the spending spree they went on was all for nothing and they have to completely overhaul the roster yet again.
The best player for the Rangers this year has been pitcher Martin Perez. Closer Joe Barlow also deserves some credit. This is a team short on offense and shallow on the mound. They might not be trade deadline buyers or sellers. Caught in the middle, the Rangers are an incredibly flawed team finally beginning to win more.
17) MLB Power Rankings: Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies continue to ping-pong in the teens within the MLB Power Rankings. They certainly have the potential to win a lot of games. Their execution has just been too poor to make any advancement.
Plenty of adversity has already come Philadelphia’s way with the biggest being the injury to Bryce Harper. While still present in the lineup some days, his inability to play the field has further weakened their defense even though he isn’t a great fielder anyway. The Phillies are a team that could catch fire and become a real threat. On paper, they are dangerous. They could potentially be in the market for nothing much more than relief pitchers this summer which isn’t such a bad thing if everything else is working well.
16) MLB Power Rankings: Cleveland Guardians
There just isn’t enough commitment from the Cleveland Guardians to buy into any success they may have. You’re right to feel a sense that it’s only a matter of time until they possibly fall in the standings. Fortunately, they play in a weak division where they still have an opportunity to get closer to first place.
One of those other teams trapped in purgatory as a .500 club, the Guardians are the opposite of the Phillies with good pitching and questionable hitting when looking at the names available. The Guardians haven’t gotten nearly enough from their starters this year which is one of the biggest reasons why strong beginnings from players like Andres Gimenez are going to waste.