MLB Power Rankings Week 8: Yankees rise while Braves dip

bet365 News Team Published: May 26 2024 08:09

It was another exciting week in baseball with plenty of action and nail biters. Some teams have taken a huge leap in the rankings while some teams, including most of the American League Central division, have fallen.

Let’s take a look at the Week 8 Power Rankings in Major League Baseball.

1. Philadelphia Phillies (37-14, 1st in NL East)

With the best record in baseball by far, the Phillies are the new owners of the #1 spot. Philadelphia has won 9 of their last 10 games and hold a 6-game lead over the Braves in the division. The lineup has been incredible, the pitching is on a historic pace, and it’s crazy to think Philadelphia has done all this without Trea Turner in the last few weeks!

2. New York Yankees (35-17, 1st in AL East)

You might be surprised to see the Yankees above the Dodgers this week, but it’s well deserved. New York has caught fire in May as their lineup has finally come together. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are wreaking havoc in the Bronx while Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Volpe, and Alex Verdugo are producing at a high rate. Plus, the rumor is Gerrit Cole could be coming back in a few weeks.

3. Cleveland Guardians (33-17, 1st in AL Central)

Okay, now you really might be wondering where the Dodgers are. But the fact is the Guardians are playing better baseball than the star-studded Dodgers right now. Cleveland has won 9 of their last 10 games and their lineup has been the key to success. It also helps that their bullpen is the best in baseball and Emmanuel Clase is nails in the 9th inning.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers (33-19, 1st in NL West)

This might be an overreaction to this week, but the Dodgers didn’t look good. Los Angeles dropped a series to divisional foe Arizona as their offense went ice cold. Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani are on-base machines, but here’s the deal - the rest of the lineup isn’t helping. It’s hard to win baseball games with just your top two hitters getting on base.

5. Baltimore Orioles (30-18, 2nd in AL East)

The O’s started the week by getting swept in St. Louis which was the first time they had been swept in the regular season since Adley Rutschman was called up (that was over 2 years ago!). Gunnar Henderson and the rest of the lineup has been as consistent as they come, but one issue is the rotation. John Means is out again, but at least Kyle Bradish is back.

6. Kansas City Royals (32-19, 2nd in AL Central)

If you told me that the Royals would hold a better record than the Braves after 8 weeks, I would have laughed. However, that’s the case right now. Bobby Witt Jr. has created some excitement in Kansas City and is in contention for the way-too-early MVP award. Plus, the Royals starting rotation has been fantastic. Good things are brewing in KC.

7. Atlanta Braves (29-18, 2nd in NL East)

I didn’t expect to drop the Braves out of the top 5 for the entire season, but it happened after just a month and a half. The primary reason for Atlanta’s struggles is their lineup which is something nobody expected. Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Michael Harris, and Austin Riley have not lived up to expectations. However, there’s still plenty of time to turn it around.

8. Milwaukee Brewers (28-21, 1st in NL Central)

The Brewers have started to slip in the last week or so as they’ve lost 6 of their last 10 games. It’s hard to continually win games when the rotation hasn’t been too big of a help. Milwaukee’s lineup is deep and dangerous, but until the rotation gets better, it’s hard to expect the Brewers to remain at the top of the division.

9. Boston Red Sox (26-24, 3rd in AL East)

Boston continues to remain in the busy picture of the American League East division. Even without Trevor Story, Triston Casas, and Masataka Yoshida in the lineup, the Sox have won 4 straight and are back above .500. A lot of their success comes from their league-leading rotation made up of Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta, and Brayan Bello.

10. San Diego Padres (27-26, 2nd in NL West)

Luis Arraez has been everything the Padres needed and more. The former batting champ has eight straight multi-hit games and has 20 hits in his last 38 at-bats. The trade looks even smarter now that Xander Bogaerts has a fractured shoulder and is out for a while. Plus, the rest of the lineup has done their part. The Padres are on the upswing.

11. Chicago Cubs (27-24, 2nd in NL Central)

With Milwaukee going through a bit of a rut, the past week was the perfect time for the Cubs to get hot and leap them in the division. But the Cubbies have lost 7 of their last 10 games and missed out on the opportunity. I’m not ready to write off Chicago yet because their rotation has been fabulous all year long.

12. Seattle Mariners (27-24, 1st in AL West)

I feel like I have to include the Mariners in the top half of the rankings since they have a winning record and are leading the AL West. However, Seattle hasn’t been playing all that great. The Mariners have been fortunate that the rest of the division has been even worse. Seattle’s rotation remains elite, but the lineup has a lot of issues that need fixing ASAP.

13. San Francisco Giants (25-26, 3rd in NL West)

Even without Blake Snell, the Giants have looked great recently. San Francisco has won 7 of their last 10 games and a lot of their success has come from the youth in their lineup. One issue is that their star offseason acquisition Jung Hoo Lee is out for the rest of the season. The Giants will need to replace his production - and fast.

14. Arizona Diamondbacks (24-26, 4th in NL West)

Right on San Francisco’s heels are the Diamondbacks. The Snakes had a tough April as their schedule was a gauntlet, but Arizona is finally coming around. The Diamondbacks just swept the Dodgers in Los Angeles without Zac Gallen pitching. It was an impressive display of pitching depth, and I’m high on them after the sweep.

15. Houston Astros (22-28, 3rd in AL West)

The Astros got themselves in a big hole early on, but they’ve slowly started to dig out of it recently. Houston has won 7 of their last 10 games and their lineup is finally looking like normal. Jose Altuve is raking, Yordan Alvarez is an on-base machine, and Kyle Tucker is a leading candidate for the AL MVP. All the Astros need is a bit of better pitching.