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 be 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 | Champs | nERD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 98.80% | 26.20% | 2.17 |
| 2 | Kansas City Royals | 61.00% | 4.80% | 1.11 |
| 3 | New York Yankees | 51.00% | 3.40% | 0.91 |
| 4 | St. Louis Cardinals | 95.00% | 12.80% | 0.88 |
| 5 | Baltimore Orioles | 35.10% | 3.20% | 0.86 |
| 6 | Oakland Athletics | 21.80% | 1.80% | 0.82 |
| 7 | Tampa Bay Rays | 57.60% | 5.80% | 0.80 |
| 8 | Houston Astros | 42.50% | 2.40% | 0.73 |
| 9 | Detroit Tigers | 69.80% | 7.80% | 0.61 |
| 10 | Chicago Cubs | 36.40% | 1.80% | 0.42 |
| 11 | Cincinnati Reds | 16.20% | 0.30% | 0.36 |
| 12 | Toronto Blue Jays | 30.50% | 1.70% | 0.21 |
| 13 | San Francisco Giants | 51.00% | 2.60% | 0.21 |
| 14 | New York Mets | 39.20% | 1.40% | 0.09 |
| 15 | Seattle Mariners | 37.20% | 4.00% | 0.06 |
| 16 | Washington Nationals | 80.60% | 9.20% | -0.11 |
| 17 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 1.80% | 0.00% | -0.22 |
| 18 | Los Angeles Angels | 45.70% | 4.50% | -0.23 |
| 19 | Miami Marlins | 9.10% | 0.40% | -0.29 |
| 20 | San Diego Padres | 20.80% | 0.60% | -0.3 |
| 21 | Cleveland Indians | 12.30% | 0.80% | -0.35 |
| 22 | Minnesota Twins | 9.80% | 0.60% | -0.57 |
| 23 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 41.10% | 2.40% | -0.59 |
| 24 | Texas Rangers | 3.50% | 0.10% | -0.63 |
| 25 | Atlanta Braves | 8.70% | 0.20% | -0.63 |
| 26 | Boston Red Sox | 19.80% | 0.90% | -1.12 |
| 27 | Chicago White Sox | 2.60% | 0.10% | -1.17 |
| 28 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1.10% | 0.00% | -1.52 |
| 29 | Colorado Rockies | 0.10% | 0.00% | -1.67 |
| 30 | Philadelphia Phillies | 0.00% | 0.00% | -2.09 |
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