MLB Team Power Rankings Update: The Astros Finally Ascend to the Top
Teams Ranked 20th to 11th
The Colorado Rockies didn't have the week they were hoping for, but they still hold onto a slim lead in the National League West over the Dodgers. Their playoff odds haven't moved all that much despite a substantial drop in nERD.
There is one team that's seen things move in the right direction after a slow start, though.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Chicago White Sox | -0.14 | 24-31 | 3.6% | -8 |
| 19 | Colorado Rockies | -0.10 | 36-23 | 65.1% | -5 |
| 17 | Minnesota Twins | -0.05 | 29-24 | 20.0% | -4 |
| 17 | Toronto Blue Jays | -0.05 | 28-30 | 19.8% | +1 |
| 16 | Los Angeles Angels | -0.02 | 29-31 | 7.6% | +3 |
| 15 | Milwaukee Brewers | 0.01 | 30-28 | 13.9% | +2 |
| 14 | Chicago Cubs | 0.05 | 29-27 | 73.8% | +2 |
| 13 | Cincinnati Reds | 0.24 | 26-30 | 4.9% | -2 |
| 12 | Seattle Mariners | 0.25 | 29-30 | 31.4% | +8 |
| 11 | Oakland Athletics | 0.28 | 25-32 | 4.6% | -3 |
Biggest Rise: Seattle Mariners
The Mariners haven't been to the postseason since 2001, when they enjoyed that record-breaking regular season, and while they're clearly in win-now mode, they haven't made things easy on themselves. However, manager Scott Servais' squad is just one game shy of .500 and improved their playoff odds by nearly 20 percentage points.
While the rotation gets a boost with the return of James Paxton, the offense takes a hit with Jean Segura going back on the disabled list. The offense has crushed lately, though -- their 162 wRC+ since the last time we checked in was only bested by the Astros and Tigers. Not surprisingly, Nelson Cruz is doing what he does best (320 wRC+ and .637 wOBA over his last 19 plate appearances), but so has Danny Valencia (237 wRC+ and .516 wOBA over 25 plate appearances) and Mike Zunino (231 wRC+ and .506 wOBA over 20 plate appearances.)
Biggest Drop: Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox have been hanging around much longer than many probably expected. Although an 0-5 week is never fun, it helps the front office continue to justify being sellers at the trade deadline -- which they were likely going to do anyways.
Two of Chicago's bigger potential trade chips are Todd Frazier and Jose Quintana. While Frazier's overall stats don't look great (.195/.306/.396 triple slash with an 88 wRC+) he's come alive over the past week to the tune of a .438 wOBA and 179 wRC+. So, maybe he's heating up at the right time.
Quintana, on the other hand, is still struggling -- he got rocked in 2.2 innings against the Boston Red Sox this week, allowing 7 runs on 10 hits, which included 3 homers. His 4.18 SIERA is more in line with how he performed last year (4.01), but it'll be hard for the White Sox to ask for a huge return if the southpaw's ERA stays at its current level (5.60).
