Welcome to the Rotoworld MLB Power Rankings, a weekly feature that will run every Tuesday through the end of the 2019 regular season. These rankings are not fantasy-driven in any way, though I will include nuggets of more abstract fantasy advice here and there inside the individual team write-ups. Who’s hot, who’s not -- that sort of thing. Send any and all complaints to me on Twitter: @drewsilv. Please believe me when I tell you that I do not hate your team.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 63-33
Last Week: 1
Cody Bellinger launched his 32nd and 33rd home runs of the season on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park as the Dodgers rolled to a 16-2 victory over the Phillies and moved to 30 games above the .500 mark. Bellinger now sits alone atop the home run leaderboard -- Christian Yelich has 32 -- and the newly-turned 24-year-old is sporting a sensational .341/.436/.707 batting line in 398 total plate appearances. MLB’s marketing team played up the Yeli vs. Belli thing over the All-Star break, and that ad campaign may have some real staying power. If you factor in defense, Bellinger is the clear current frontrunner for NL MVP.
2. New York Yankees
Record: 59-33
Last Week: 2
The Yankees took two of three from the Blue Jays over the weekend before falling 5-4 to the Rays on Monday night in the Bronx as Aroldis Chapman yielded a go-ahead three-run homer to Travis d’Arnaud in the top of the ninth inning. Chapman has been good all year, so we can call that one a minor hiccup, and New York still holds a five-game lead over Tampa Bay on first place in the American League East standings. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post has been told that “no one is untouchable” in the Yankees’ farm system as general manager Brian Cashman looks to further beef up the major league roster via the trade market.
3. Minnesota Twins
Record: 58-34
Last Week: 4
The Twins couldn’t pull off a sweep of the Indians over the weekend, but they did win two of three and are currently six games up on Cleveland for first place in the American League Central standings. Byron Buxton yet again injured himself making a diving catch on Saturday, but it sounds like he won’t be out for too long. And it appears that Eddie Rosario will be ready for activation from the injured list ahead of Tuesday night’s series opener against the Mets after missing about three weeks of action with a left ankle sprain. Rosario has posted an .841 OPS with 20 home runs, 60 RBI, and 51 runs scored in 75 games this season.
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4. Atlanta Braves
Record: 58-37
Last Week: 5
The Braves won 24 of 34 games leading into the All-Star break and have rattled off four consecutive victories against the Padres and Brewers to open the second half. They’re up 7 1/2 games on first place in the National League East standings as of Tuesday afternoon. Remember when that was supposed to be a four-team race? Freddie Freeman slugged a three-run shot in Monday night’s 4-2 win over Milwaukee and is now batting .302/.388/.582 with 25 home runs and 75 RBI through 94 games this season. He’s on pace for 43 home runs and 126 RBI. The 29-year-old’s consistent excellence sometimes seems to go overlooked.
5. Houston Astros
Record: 59-36
Last Week: 3
George Springer hit his 19th and 20th home runs of the year on Monday night against the Angels, but the Astros ultimately fell 9-6 as Framber Valdez again struggled behind opener Josh James. The poor outing from Valdez, essentially the Astros’ fifth starter, came a day after it was revealed that the Astros’ fourth starter, Brad Peacock, suffered a setback with his injured right shoulder after throwing a bullpen session. Houston is suddenly lacking in rotation depth behind Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Wade Miley. Look for the AL West leaders to add at least one starter at the trade deadline. They’ve been linked to Noah Syndergaard, Trevor Bauer, Madison Bumgarner, Matthew Boyd, Robbie Ray, and Marcus Stroman.
6. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 56-40
Last Week: 6
Travis d’Arnaud delivered one of the best individual performances in Rays franchise history on Monday night at Yankee Stadium, as he hit a leadoff homer in the top of the first inning, another solo shot in the top of the third, and then crushed a go-ahead three-run blast off Aroldis Chapman in the top of the ninth as Tampa Bay went on to win 5-4. Yes, d’Arnaud drove in all five of the Rays’ runs, and he also drew two walks. Since being acquired from the Dodgers in early May for mere cash considerations, the 30-year-old catcher has registered an .884 OPS with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 39 games.
7. Oakland Athletics
Record: 53-41
Last Week: 8
The Athletics won 18 of 26 games leading into the All-Star break and then opened the second half with a three-game weekend series sweep of the White Sox. Catching the Astros at the top of the American League West standings will likely prove to be too daunting of a task, but the top AL Wild Card spot is well within reach. Oakland picked up Homer Bailey from the Royals on Sunday afternoon, and while that might come off as an underwhelming addition on the surface, the veteran right-hander had posted a 2.48 ERA over his final five starts for Kansas City. He’ll make his A’s debut Wednesday against the Mariners.
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8. Cleveland Indians
Record: 52-40
Last Week: 7
Oscar Mercado swatted two home runs as part of a 3-for-5 night as the Indians topped the Tigers by a score of 8-6 on Monday at Progressive Field in Cleveland. The 24-year-old was somewhat of an afterthought among the string of heralded prospects that descended upon the majors back in mid-May, but he has out-performed the large majority of them with a .284/.332/.454 batting line through his first 200 big league plate appearances. Mercado is now up to six home runs, 19 RBI, seven stolen bases, and 31 runs scored in 47 games at baseball’s highest level. He’s been a godsend for the Indians’ otherwise anemic outfield.
9. Washington Nationals
Record: 49-43
Last Week: 10
Washington won 23 of 32 games to close out the first half of the season and then opened the second half by winning two of three against the division-rival Phillies. It was almost a sweep, but Philly won in walk-off fashion on Sunday. Entering their two-game interleague series against the Orioles -- you can call it the Battle of the Beltway, I’ll call it the MASN Revenue ... Grapple? -- the Nationals are up two games on the first NL Wild Card spot. Staff ace Max Scherzer landed on the injured list Saturday with a mid-back strain, but it sounds like he could be ready to return this weekend during a big four-game clash with the Braves.
10. Boston Red Sox
Record: 51-43
Last Week: 9
The Red Sox outlasted the Blue Jays for a 10-8 victory on Monday night, but they dropped two of three to the Dodgers over the weekend and have a .404 winning percentage this year against teams that are .500 or better. They are 4-5 against the Rays and 1-6 against the Yankees, and so it’s no wonder that they sit nine games back of first place in the American League East standings. Eduardo Nunez was designated for assignment on Monday afternoon after batting just .228/.243/.305 through 174 plate appearances in the second year of a two-year, $9 million deal. He will probably pass through waivers unclaimed.
11. Chicago Cubs
Record: 50-44
Last Week: 11
The Cubs swept a three-game series against the Pirates over the weekend before falling 6-3 to the Reds on Monday. They are in first place in the National League Central, but only by two games, and they’re going to have to survive for a while without All-Star catcher Willson Contreras, who landed on the injured list late Monday night with a muscle strain in the arch of his right foot. Martin Maldonado has been brought over from the Royals -- with left-hander Mike Montgomery going to Kansas City in return -- but Maldonado can’t match the offensive production of Contreras. Few catchers can. Victor Caratini will probably be the primary starter behind the plate.
12. Texas Rangers
Record: 50-44
Last Week: 13
Texas opened the second half with two big wins against the Astros on Thursday and Friday before losing Saturday and Sunday to ultimately split the four-game set. Lance Lynn was brilliant in Thursday night’s 5-0 victory versus Houston, striking out 11 batters over seven scoreless innings while becoming the first pitcher in baseball to reach 12 wins. Lynn’s overall numbers this year are somewhat mediocre, but that’s due in large part to a messy first month. He boasts a 2.54 ERA and 90/11 K/BB ratio over his last 74 1/3 innings. It’s apparent by now that this team is going to be buying, not selling, at the July 31 trade deadline.
13. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 49-46
Last Week: 20
Whatever happens moving forward, the Angels will have the highlight of the year in Major League Baseball, as Taylor Cole and Felix Pena twirled a combined no-hitter Friday in the team’s first home game since the tragic passing of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Every member of the Angels was wearing a No. 45 jersey in honor of Skaggs, and they celebrated by laying those jerseys on the mound after the 13-0 victory. The Angels went on to sweep that three-game series versus Seattle and then beat the American League West-leading Astros by a score of 9-6 on Monday night. There’s some magic happening right now in Anaheim.
14. St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 47-45
Last Week: 17
Miles Mikolas fired his second career shutout on Monday night against the Pirates as the Cardinals won their third straight game -- this one by a score of 7-0 -- and jumped into a tie for the second National League Wild Card spot. They’re also just two games back of the Cubs for first place in the National League Central. Mikolas has been a letdown for the most part this season, but perhaps he mentally turned the page during the All-Star break and can get on a roll here in the second half. The right-hander posted a 2.83 ERA in 200 2/3 innings last year with St. Louis before signing a four-year, $68 million contract extension in late February.
15. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 48-47
Last Week: 12
What in the world has happened to the Brewers? They are 2-8 over their last 10 games and 9-18 dating back to June 14, when they held a one-game lead on first place in the National League Central. Now they are in third place, and their overall dun differential for the season has fallen to -26. Christian Yelich continues to do his thing, but the offense as a whole ranks 17th among all major league teams in runs scored. And the pitching staff ranks 18th in combined ERA with a mark of 4.66. It’s no surprise that Milwaukee has been linked to just about every available pitcher on the trade market, but they could probably use a high-contact hitter too.
