MLB Team Power Rankings Update: The National League West Is Stacked
Teams Ranked 20th to 11th
The Rockies continue defying expectations. As mentioned earlier, they're currently in control of a very top-heavy NL West division, and the Rox are one of just five MLB teams with 40-plus wins at this point in the season.
Despite that -- and very good playoff odds compared to the rest of this group -- they're the only 40-win team not in the top 10. And they're not exactly close to getting there.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Atlanta Braves | -0.20 | 32-37 | 2.6% | +3 |
| 19 | Los Angeles Angels | -0.14 | 36-37 | 8.4% | 0 |
| 18 | Chicago White Sox | -0.11 | 31-37 | 5.9% | 0 |
| 17 | Colorado Rockies | -0.01 | 46-26 | 85.9% | -3 |
| 15 | Toronto Blue Jays | 0.06 | 34-35 | 26.2% | 0 |
| 15 | Milwaukee Brewers | 0.06 | 38-34 | 21.0% | +2 |
| 14 | Seattle Mariners | 0.10 | 36-37 | 23.9% | -6 |
| 12 | Cincinnati Reds | 0.12 | 30-39 | 1.8% | -2 |
| 12 | Boston Red Sox | 0.12 | 39-31 | 73.8% | 1 |
| 11 | Oakland Athletics | 0.14 | 31-39 | 5.3% | -1 |
Biggest Rise: Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves haven't been the same without Freddie Freeman mashing in the middle of it their order, but they're doing the best they can without him.
During a week in which Atlanta won four of six games, the offense landed just outside the top 10 with regard to wRC+ (117) and wOBA (.354). Brandon Phillips and Ender Inciarte each had solid performances, but it was Matt Adams who continues to rake.
The fill-in first baseman is slashing .455/.500/.864 over his last 26 plate appearances, which includes 2 homers, 8 RBI, 7 runs scored, and an eye-popping .409 ISO. This isn't anything new, though -- in 122 plate appearances since joining the Braves, he's hit 10 homers with 27 RBI to go along with a 154 wRC+ and .411 wOBA.
It's a shame to think he'll likely be forced into more of a bench role once Freeman returns, but it's only a matter of time before we find out if any contending teams are interested in him prior to the non-waiver trade deadline.
Biggest Drop: Seattle Mariners
Man, these guys can't seem to catch a toehold.
We were just talking about the Seattle Mariners last week following their surge into the top 10, and here they are just seven days later, tumbling right back out. They did manage to go 3-4 during this stretch, but they literally got no help from their pitching staff.
Their cumulative fWAR of -0.9 ranks last in baseball since the last time we checked in around the league, and seeing their FIP (7.30) nearly match their ERA (8.08) doesn't make anyone feel that much better. While their 64.4% strand rate is third-lowest in baseball over the past past week, their 35.6% ground-ball rate is the lowest, along with their 20.7% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio being tied for fifth-worst with the Baltimore Orioles.
