June is upon us now, representing another "checkpoint" in the season. As the season wears on, you could say the cream is rising to the top...if by "cream" you mean "Minnesota Twins." Joe Mauer and Co. (is Mauer really even the face of the Twins anymore? If not him, then who?) are suddenly in first place in the AL Central, above even the high-flying Royals.
With that comes another week of MLB Power Rankings from CSNChicago.com's Tony Andracki and JJ Stankevitz. Stay tuned for updated rankings every Monday throughout the 2015 campaign. Here's where we're at so far: Preseason rankings | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7
| Rank | Team |
Last Week | Comment |
| 1 | 2 |
Who needs Wainwright when you have Carlos Martinez? Cards are 9-2 when he starts. |
|
| 2 | 3 |
Andre Ethier has a .914 OPS. Remember when he was considered washed up? |
|
| 3 | 1 |
After his narrow escape Sunday at Wrigley Field, Wade Davis still hasn’t allowed a run in 22 innings this year. |
|
| 4 | 6 |
They begin June leading the AL Central after 20 wins in May. Now the real fun starts to see if they can hang on. |
|
| 5 | 4 |
3-game losing streak can't keep them out of the Top 5. |
|
| 6 | 5 |
As long as Dallas Keuchel starts every fifth game, they won’t go on many long losing streaks. |
|
| 7 | 7 |
Keys to success? How about a lineup that features 6 everyday players hitting .295 or higher (5 of which have OBPs over .369)? |
|
| 8 | 11 |
They're still only two over .500 despite recent hot streak and the 4th-best run differential (+34) in MLB. |
|
| 9 | 10 |
Bartolo Colon had a 6.00 ERA in May, but the Mets will probably keep him around just to keep things light in the clubhouse for when he does things like this. |
|
| 10 | 9 |
Cardiac Cubs lead MLB in walk-off wins and are 14-10 in one-run games. |
|
| 11 | 13 |
Get the nod over Detroit for sweeping a four-game series against the Tigers over the weekend. |
|
| 12 | 8 |
All eyes are on Justin Verlander’s rehab stint (which didn’t start well) to see if he can be the solution to their pitching problems. |
|
| 13 | 12 |
Just like we all drew it up, the Rays, Twins and Astros are leading their respective divisions on June 1. |
|
| 14 | 14 |
In a weak AL East, this aging, flawed roster has a legitimate playoff shot — especially if Masahiro Tanaka returns strong to the rotation. |
|
| 15 | 13 |
Josh Hamilton has a .273/.385/.636 slash line with two home runs through seven games. What a steal to get him. |
|
| 16 | 19 |
Corey Kluber is averaging more strikeouts and fewer walks per 9 IP than he did last year, when he won the Cy Young. |
|
| 17 | 18 |
Juan Uribe already has more homers in a Braves uniform than Nick Markakis. |
|
| 18 | 20 |
Paul Goldschmidt is unreal right now - .354/.463/.680 slash line with 15 HRs and 8 SBs. |
|
| 19 | 22 |
It's crazy to think Justin Upton is still only 27. He's doing everything he can (.913 OPS, 10 steals) to get Padres over .500, but it's just not working. |
|
| 20 | 17 |
What looked like a stacked roster has been one of baseball’s biggest disappointments through two months. |
|
| 21 | 16 |
They’re not doing anything especially good or bad (hitting/pitching/fielding), which isn’t necessarily a detriment in the AL East. |
|
| 22 | 23 | Video game offense + rough pitching = good run differential, sub-optimal record. | |
| 23 | 25 |
Tulo homering twice in one game is nice and all, but was it just a good game or a sign of things to come? |
|
| 24 | 24 |
Position players have combined for -0.7 WAR, the worst in baseball. But Melky Cabrera and Adam Eaton shouldn’t have negative WARs for much longer, you’d think. |
|
| 25 | 29 |
Should they trade Cueto? Uhhh...yeah. No brainer. |
|
| 26 | 21 |
Not even re-signing Jon Lester could’ve saved this moribund pitching staff. |
|
| 27 | 26 |
Good news for Scott Kazmir, who’ll have to be healthy and effective if they want to pull out of this deep hole they dug themselves. |
|
| 28 | 28 |
Former Cubs prospect Justin Bour with homers in three straight games and now hitting cleanup behind Giancarlo. |
|
| 29 | 27 |
7-game losing streak at the hands of Nationals, Mets and Rockies just icing on the cake in a lost season. |
|
| 30 | 30 |
Lucroy returns, but does it even matter at this point? |