Here at numberFire, we like math. We're not about subjectivity. So when we calculate our power rankings, it's not based on what our eyes are telling us or what our feelings say. It's based on straight up math.
For baseball, we use our nERD metric to show how good a team actually is performing. nERD, for those of you who are unaware, tells us how many runs a team should win by against a league-average opponent on a neutral field. A nERD of 1.00, for instance, means that team would beat an ordinary one by a run. If that team was facing a squad with a nERD of -0.5, we'd expect them to win by 1.5 runs.
Take a look at how things are shaping up around Major League Baseball, sorted by nERD.
| Team | Playoffs | World Series Champion | nERD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 100.00% | 26.00% | 1.9 |
| Boston Red Sox | 81.90% | 10.20% | 1.19 |
| Washington Nationals | 99.70% | 13.60% | 1.09 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 97.30% | 11.10% | 0.98 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 92.00% | 11.20% | 0.95 |
| Cleveland Indians | 94.00% | 11.40% | 0.95 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 57.20% | 2.00% | 0.84 |
| San Francisco Giants | 80.50% | 4.00% | 0.66 |
| Seattle Mariners | 26.40% | 1.20% | 0.49 |
| Detroit Tigers | 36.20% | 1.70% | 0.31 |
| New York Mets | 20.30% | 0.70% | 0.19 |
| Miami Marlins | 22.40% | 0.40% | 0.19 |
| New York Yankees | 7.90% | 0.20% | 0.11 |
| Houston Astros | 13.80% | 0.80% | 0.1 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.05 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 42.20% | 1.80% | 0.01 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 22.30% | 0.20% | -0.16 |
| Texas Rangers | 96.80% | 3.40% | -0.3 |
| Kansas City Royals | 8.70% | 0.20% | -0.31 |
| Chicago White Sox | 0.10% | 0.00% | -0.36 |
| San Diego Padres | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.39 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.42 |
| Colorado Rockies | 0.20% | 0.00% | -0.43 |
| Oakland Athletics | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.54 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.61 |
| Minnesota Twins | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.85 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.85 |
| Atlanta Braves | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.88 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.94 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.09 |