MLB Team Power Rankings Update: The Royals Take Over the Basement
Teams Ranked 10th to 1st
Despite going just 2-3 since we last checked in, the New York Yankees did enough to remain in the top spot. They also were able increase their playoff odds by nearly three percentage points. Behind them, though, there was quite a bit of movement in the top 10.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 0.52 | 13-8 | 31.1% | +3 |
| 9 | Minnesota Twins | 0.58 | 9-10 | 5.8% | -7 |
| 8 | Cleveland Indians | 0.73 | 10-8 | 83.7% | +13 |
| 7 | Cincinnati Reds | 0.81 | 10-10 | 6.0% | -1 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 0.87 | 9-11 | 71.3% | -3 |
| 5 | Chicago Cubs | 1.12 | 11-8 | 92.7% | +3 |
| 4 | Oakland Athletics | 1.14 | 10-9 | 17.3% | +6 |
| 2 | Houston Astros | 1.35 | 13-6 | 84.9% | +3 |
| 2 | Washington Nationals | 1.35 | 13-6 | 90.9% | +2 |
| 1 | New York Yankees | 1.94 | 11-7 | 45.0% | 0 |
Biggest Rise: Cleveland Indians
After a season-opening sweep against the Texas Rangers, the Cleveland Indians went 3-7 in their next 10 games. The offense dealt with some issues, but the starting rotation -- their perceived biggest strength -- scuffled to an MLB-worst 6.79 ERA through April 15th.
Over the past week, Tribe starters are leading the league in fWAR (1.5), ERA (2.36) and FIP (1.75), while placing sixth in xFIP (3.21). It's also worth noting that they're the only rotation that hasn't allowed a homer during this time. Corey Kluber has posted a 0.5 fWAR all by himself in just one start (nine innings pitched), which is better than half the league's rotations.
Biggest Drop: Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins didn't fall that far in relation to some of the other teams we've discussed, but they're hanging onto a top-10 spot by a thread. Their collective 80 wRC+ this week was better than just seven squads, while their 0.3 fWAR on the mound was better than only four.
And, in case you were wondering, Byron Buxton still hasn't figured things out at the plate, evidenced by his .143/.250/.143 triple slash and .195 wOBA in his last 16 plate appearances. He only struck out 31.3% of the time, though, which is much better than the alarming 45.2% mark he's produced so far in 2017.
