MLB Power Rankings: Guardians dash, Yankees mash, Pirates crash
By Tim Boyle
15) MLB Power Rankings: Chicago White Sox
Calling what the Chicago White Sox did this year a collapse isn’t fair. To collapse, you need to be on the top at some point. They never were outside of a few preseason predictions.
The White Sox fought hard to be a middling team all season. They never pulled far enough away from averageness or fell below it too far. Tony La Russa is done for the year and it would seem unlikely to return next year either due to his health. It’s not the way fans wanted him to leave. The end result is the same: a change.
14) MLB Power Rankings: Baltimore Orioles
There are a lot of negative things to say about the last few teams on the MLB Power Rankings. For the Baltimore Orioles, there’s little to do other than praise them for accomplishing more than anyone expected.
The Orioles could end up as the best team in the American League to not make the playoffs. It’s a hollow victory but a good start to a promising future. As other organizations collapsed and trended downward, the Orioles showed a lot of heart. Let’s go get them next year, boys.
13) MLB Power Rankings: Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers aren’t going away without a fight. A mini-collapse of their own earlier this year in the National League Central remains minor because the wild card berth is still possible. They are, however, running out of time to catch the teams ahead of them.
The Brewers are definitely a team that could sneak into the postseason and maybe cause a little trouble. Doing much more than attending the playoffs might be asking too much. They aren’t nearly as good as they were last season and they were quickly erased.
12) MLB Power Rankings: Philadelphia Phillies
A team that needs to show more fight, the Philadelphia Phillies are the dreaded No. 12 team in this week’s MLB Power Rankings. This spot represents the last of those in the playoff race. Can they hold on?
Philadelphia remains a team that many doubt can do much at all if they do make the postseason. The team can prove a lot to their doubters by at least taking the opening series. The team doesn’t seem quite prepared for a World Series run. Fans are hopeful the 2022 season is like the 2007 campaign when they finally broke a playoff drought and won it all the next year.
11) MLB Power Rankings: San Diego Padres
It’s almost as if the San Diego Padres are trying to get the third wild card spot. They had a chance to pull away but have yet to do so. They remain a good team in name value. On the field, they are rather flawed.
With some big games ahead of them versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres will need to muster together every win possible to make sure the Brewers don’t catch them. Now is the time for Juan Soto to step up and prove adding him was the right move. Otherwise, the Padres might be forced into rethinking whether or not he’s worth extending.