MLB Power Rankings: Astros are alive again, Padres need an amen
By Tim Boyle
25) MLB Power Rankings: Washington Nationals
Put the Washington Nationals at 27 if you must. You can also put them at 26 on your list if you choose. They earn the number 25 spot here simply because of how much worse they should’ve been. Although they remain a mostly fractured franchise, there are some players to watch. Josiah Gray and MacKenzie Gore remain the most intriguing pitchers. How CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, and anyone else acquired via major trade perform have also grabbed our attention. It’s easy to say the Nationals have outperformed expectations this year. They’ll fall back to earth eventually. Let’s tip our caps one last time before they do.
24) MLB Power Rankings: Detroit Tigers
Not only are the Detroit Tigers surprisingly close to .500, they’re actually not all that far from catching the Minnesota Twins. It’s not for real, though. They still have one of the game’s worst starting lineups. The pitching staff, outside of Eduardo Rodriguez, isn’t anything special either. Don’t let the Tigers fool you into thinking they’ll make some sort of magical run. They are a work in progress.
23) MLB Power Rankings: San Diego Padres
Woof! The San Diego Padres are playing the worst baseball in the league. This super team must have stepped on some Kryptonite because they absolutely stink. The pitching is very “meh” and the hitting is sinful. All of that money spent this offseason and in trades for star players may go to waste. The Padres need some sort of Hail Mary. At the rate they’re going, a huge shake-up could be on the way. A win on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox will only temporarily fix what ails this ball club.
22) MLB Power Rankings: Cleveland Guardians
This isn’t the same Cleveland Guardians team we saw take the New York Yankees to the brink of elimination in last year’s playoffs. The offense is weak and the pitching is nothing special. This division was theirs to win. Somewhere along the lines they decided playing baseball in October wasn’t for them. The division lead may be within their reach and yet it feels so far. They lost all three games to the New York Mets this weekend and now have an identical record with their 2016 World Series buddies.
21) MLB Power Rankings: Chicago Cubs
The +21 run differential for the Chicago Cubs is beginning to decline. They hammered the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday then had the same done to them on Saturday before losing on Sunday. Their hot start seems to be a thing of the past. The Cubs were always meant to be an average ball club. At 20-26, they’d happily swap it for 23-23.