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 | Division | nERD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 89.30% | 22.20% | 75.20% | 1.32 |
| 2 | Toronto Blue Jays | 51.00% | 5.70% | 27.00% | 0.9 |
| 3 | Houston Astros | 60.60% | 4.60% | 45.70% | 0.72 |
| 4 | Oakland Athletics | 7.10% | 1.00% | 4.00% | 0.71 |
| 5 | St. Louis Cardinals | 96.90% | 13.20% | 77.30% | 0.7 |
| 6 | Detroit Tigers | 55.30% | 7.10% | 36.70% | 0.69 |
| 7 | San Francisco Giants | 52.20% | 5.10% | 19.10% | 0.52 |
| 8 | Kansas City Royals | 59.40% | 4.40% | 42.90% | 0.45 |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Rays | 60.00% | 6.50% | 34.80% | 0.43 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 73.00% | 4.60% | 18.20% | 0.31 |
| 11 | Baltimore Orioles | 34.20% | 3.20% | 13.70% | 0.3 |
| 12 | Chicago Cubs | 38.00% | 1.60% | 4.00% | 0.27 |
| 13 | New York Yankees | 46.40% | 2.60% | 23.50% | 0.24 |
| 14 | New York Mets | 49.00% | 2.40% | 40.90% | 0.22 |
| 15 | Cleveland Indians | 18.10% | 1.60% | 8.40% | 0.22 |
| 16 | Los Angeles Angels | 37.10% | 4.00% | 25.00% | 0.01 |
| 17 | Cincinnati Reds | 4.60% | 0.20% | 0.50% | -0.11 |
| 18 | Washington Nationals | 51.40% | 5.10% | 43.30% | -0.22 |
| 19 | Texas Rangers | 29.40% | 1.30% | 18.00% | -0.25 |
| 20 | Miami Marlins | 5.40% | 0.20% | 4.20% | -0.33 |
| 21 | Seattle Mariners | 14.00% | 1.30% | 7.40% | -0.34 |
| 22 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 8.70% | 0.20% | 1.90% | -0.39 |
| 23 | Atlanta Braves | 16.40% | 0.60% | 11.70% | -0.59 |
| 24 | Boston Red Sox | 3.60% | 0.30% | 1.00% | -0.6 |
| 25 | San Diego Padres | 13.00% | 0.40% | 3.60% | -0.68 |
| 26 | Colorado Rockies | 1.70% | 0.00% | 0.20% | -1.01 |
| 27 | Minnesota Twins | 21.70% | 0.40% | 11.00% | -1.07 |
| 28 | Milwaukee Brewers | 0.40% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.29 |
| 29 | Chicago White Sox | 2.30% | 0.10% | 1.00% | -1.58 |
| 30 | Philadelphia Phillies | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.67 |