As we get to the middle of the pack, it's normally full of teams on the brink of contention. However, of the 10 clubs listed here, only four saw their ranking improve since the season got underway last week.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Atlanta Braves | -0.68 | 1-5 | 9.6% | 0 |
| 19 | San Diego Padres | -0.67 | 4-4 | 1.0% | +11 |
| 18 | Texas Rangers | -0.37 | 2-4 | 25.8% | -5 |
| 17 | Miami Marlins | -0.36 | 3-3 | 27.9% | -1 |
| 16 | San Francisco Giants | 0.01 | 3-5 | 53.2% | -7 |
| 15 | Boston Red Sox | 0.34 | 3-3 | 79.1% | -13 |
| 14 | Houston Astros | 0.51 | 4-4 | 64.8% | -9 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Phillies | 0.56 | 3-4 | 3.2% | +14 |
| 12 | Detroit Tigers | 0.73 | 4-2 | 38.8% | +2 |
| 11 | Oakland Athletics | 0.94 | 4-4 | 13.8% | +10 |
How about those San Diego Padres! Wil Myers is fresh off the second cycle in franchise history, and they're tied for the best record amongst this group. However, it probably won't last all that long -- despite jumping from 30th to 19th, their playoff odds actually decreased from 1.4% to 1.0%.
San Diego is fully committed to a rebuild, which is evidenced by the fact that the three highest-paid players on their current payroll don't play for them anymore. Their roster is full of rookies, Rule 5 draft picks and underwhelming starting pitchers. This start has been fun, but enjoy it while it lasts.
Another team of note here is the Boston Red Sox -- they entered the year as the second-best team behind just the Chicago Cubs but have quickly spiraled out of the top 10. David Price start the year on the disabled list and having a flu bug wreck havoc on the offense haven't helped, though. Considering those factors, it's rather impressive they've split their first six games of the year. Their odds of making the playoffs have stayed exactly the same since the last time we checked in.