MLB Power Rankings: Soaring Cardinals, fallen Angels
By Tim Boyle
June has arrived. For the MLB Power Rankings, time is officially running out for the bottom ten to get anywhere near the top ten. On this week’s list, the distance between those at the bottom and the teams at the top is even stronger than it was last week on Memorial Day.
This MLB season has included several terrible teams, a handful of mediocre ones, and a few more clubs we should take seriously.
Teams in the top range have been playing musical chairs for weeks now but not nearly as much as those at the bottom. It’s becoming painfully clear which teams will be buying, which will be selling, and the small number hoping the ball begins to bounce their way.
30) MLB Power Rankings: Kansas City Royals
Things continue to get worse for the Kansas City Royals who are in the last-place spot for the second straight week. The list of “good” we can mention about their season starts and ends with Andrew Benintendi’s bat. Bobby Witt doesn’t look like a Rookie of the Year candidate. Perennial trade candidate Whit Merrifield has lost a lot of his value with a poor start to the year.
Royals fans are likely already waiting for the Kansas City Chiefs to take the field again. Unfortunately, the city’s baseball team is already dead.
29) MLB Power Rankings: Cincinnati Reds
There are plenty of “ifs” in regards to the Cincinnati Reds. What if they tried to seriously build a winner this year or at least not sell off many of their veterans? What if they simply stayed healthy? The Reds have climbed out from the MLB cellar and are now poking their heads up out—or at least a few hairs.
The Reds may no longer be viewed as the universal worst team in the league. That’s hardly a positive parting gift. Cincinnati is more than a club troubled by injuries. They have an ownership that doesn’t seem to care and players like Joey Votto nearing the end of their successful seasons and not necessarily their contracts. He is the latest version of how a long and expensive contract won’t pay off.
28) MLB Power Rankings: Washington Nationals
If you thought prime years of Mike Trout’s career were wasted, wait until you check out the season the Washington Nationals are putting together. Juan Soto hasn’t been terrific but the team’s woes don’t fall too heavily on him. It’s their pitching that has them as one of the National League’s worst.
Only because they were able to handle the Reds this weekend did the Nationals not get the number 29 spot. They are a worse team than Cincinnati but it’s too close of a call to not go with the winner of the series. The Nationals can consider this a warning. They are on probation for another week.
27) MLB Power Rankings: Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics have the opposite problem as the Reds. They actually have stayed relatively healthy this year. They just aren’t very good. A nice start has fallen to the wayside as they now join the rest of baseball’s worst teams near the bottom of the MLB Power Rankings.
Oakland doesn’t have a single hitter putting up good numbers this year which has made them completely reliant on their pitching staff to win them games. Things should only get worse for the Athletics. This isn’t a ball club with a lot of exciting prospects auditioning this season. The situation is far direr. Expect them to challenge for a future last-place spot on this list.
26) MLB Power Rankings: Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an awful team. This week, there just happens to be a few teams that are worse. Miguel Cabrera is somehow their best hitter which was hardly what they had planned for success in 2022.
There are a few bright sides with Detroit. Tarik Skubal has been amazing. If not for several other injuries to young pitchers, there would be a lot for Tigers fans to hang their hats on. Instead, they’ve fallen behind early and have long losing season.