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 | Champs | Division | nERD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 95.60% | 25.70% | 83.80% | 1.13 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 65.50% | 8.60% | 25.00% | 0.93 |
| Houston Astros | 93.00% | 11.30% | 76.60% | 0.93 |
| New York Yankees | 88.20% | 6.70% | 62.60% | 0.63 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 99.60% | 10.00% | 89.40% | 0.6 |
| San Francisco Giants | 59.50% | 4.80% | 15.70% | 0.57 |
| Oakland Athletics | 0.30% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.41 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 63.00% | 3.50% | 21.20% | 0.31 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 18.80% | 0.70% | 3.60% | 0.25 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 37.40% | 1.80% | 8.80% | 0.23 |
| Kansas City Royals | 99.20% | 12.20% | 98.40% | 0.22 |
| Cleveland Indians | 3.00% | 0.10% | 0.00% | 0.21 |
| New York Mets | 69.00% | 6.30% | 64.20% | 0.2 |
| Chicago Cubs | 40.70% | 1.30% | 0.50% | 0.18 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.13 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 86.40% | 3.40% | 10.10% | 0.07 |
| Washington Nationals | 42.80% | 2.90% | 35.80% | 0.01 |
| Detroit Tigers | 3.40% | 0.00% | 0.40% | 0 |
| Seattle Mariners | 2.30% | 0.00% | 0.20% | -0.13 |
| San Diego Padres | 4.90% | 0.20% | 0.40% | -0.22 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 1.40% | 0.00% | 0.10% | -0.29 |
| Miami Marlins | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.41 |
| Boston Red Sox | 0.50% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.53 |
| Texas Rangers | 9.40% | 0.20% | 1.90% | -0.64 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.75 |
| Minnesota Twins | 13.30% | 0.20% | 1.00% | -0.75 |
| Chicago White Sox | 2.60% | 0.00% | 0.20% | -0.81 |
| Atlanta Braves | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.05 |
| Colorado Rockies | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.14 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.44 |