MLB Power Rankings: Phillies are out of their cage, Blue Jays doing just fine
By Tim Boyle
10) MLB Power Rankings: Seattle Mariners
There are no bonus points for the Julio Rodriguez extension although Seattle Mariners fans should still celebrate it. This is a team that won’t win the division but should have a decent shot to be one of the clubs to defeat a division winner. In fact, if they do take the third wild card spot, they’ll get to play the winner of the AL Central. That’s not so bad.
The Mariners are a quality team with some guys many people have never heard of stepping up huge in the bullpen. Closer Paul Sewald gets some credit but what about Penn Murfee or Erik Swanson? The Mariners are the definition of a team. There isn’t a single player carrying them. That’s a good thing.
9) MLB Power Rankings: Tampa Bay Rays
On the topic of teams without a superstar, nobody fits the playoff race more with that attribute than the Tampa Bay Rays. Sure, there’s Wander Franco and even Shane McLanahan. But do they fall in the same class as Justin Verlander or Aaron Judge?
It’s hard to buy what the Rays do and believe they can actually win a World Series. We still shouldn’t sleep on them. They always seem to be a pest and despite their lack of household names, they know how to win baseball games.
8) MLB Power Rankings: Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are built much better than the Rays with a completely different strategy. They want to outslug you. With their best pitchers, they look to embarrass your team’s hitters.
Things haven’t gone perfectly well for Toronto and even their playoff spot is far from secure. Because there is some greater separation between the contenders and pretenders in the American League right now, it shouldn’t be too hard for the Blue Jays to eventually clinch a spot.
7) MLB Power Rankings: Philadelphia Phillies
Zack Wheeler went down with an injury but the Philadelphia Phillies did get Bryce Harper back. They will have a somewhat bumpy road to the postseason. However, it’s going to take a collapse on the scale of the one they had in 1964 to eliminate them from the playoff race.
The Phillies have a lot to prove against baseball’s best clubs. They beat up on the Reds and Pirates over the last week. It’s something anyone can do. A much more well-balanced club than they sometimes get credit for, the Phillies have a chance to do something special this year.
6) MLB Power Rankings: St. Louis Cardinals
Paul Goldschmidt has a shot at the Triple Crown. If you ask him which he’d prefer, the St. Louis Cardinals first baseman would probably want a World Series win.
The Cardinals have taken off over the last few weeks. It’s hard to imagine they were ever in any sort of a division race with the Brewers let alone behind them for a good part of the year. Healthy pitching and a starting lineup that can score runs makes them much more than just the third seed in the National League.