MLB Power Rankings Update: Are the Cardinals for Real?
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Blue Jays | 99.80% | 20.80% | 81.70% | 1.16 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 99.90% | 22.00% | 99.90% | 1.07 |
| 3 | Houston Astros | 95.70% | 12.10% | 86.50% | 0.85 |
| 4 | New York Mets | 99.50% | 11.70% | 99.50% | 0.62 |
| 5 | Cleveland Indians | 17.40% | 0.80% | 0.00% | 0.62 |
| 6 | Tampa Bay Rays | 4.40% | 0.20% | 0.00% | 0.52 |
| 7 | Chicago Cubs | 99.00% | 4.10% | 1.60% | 0.49 |
| 8 | San Francisco Giants | 0.90% | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.49 |
| 9 | New York Yankees | 97.40% | 4.60% | 18.30% | 0.43 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 99.90% | 4.20% | 10.30% | 0.38 |
| 11 | Kansas City Royals | 100.00% | 12.20% | 100.00% | 0.35 |
| 12 | Washington Nationals | 0.80% | 0.00% | 0.50% | 0.33 |
| 13 | St. Louis Cardinals | 100.00% | 6.20% | 88.10% | 0.33 |
| 14 | Oakland Athletics | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.3 |
| 15 | Seattle Mariners | 1.00% | 0.00% | 0.10% | -0.01 |
| 16 | San Diego Padres | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.03 |
| 17 | Los Angeles Angels | 13.30% | 0.20% | 2.00% | -0.06 |
| 18 | Baltimore Orioles | 0.90% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.09 |
| 19 | Cincinnati Reds | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.19 |
| 20 | Boston Red Sox | 0.10% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.23 |
| 21 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.31 |
| 22 | Detroit Tigers | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.32 |
| 23 | Milwaukee Brewers | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.51 |
| 24 | Miami Marlins | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.52 |
| 25 | Texas Rangers | 44.70% | 0.80% | 11.40% | -0.57 |
| 26 | Chicago White Sox | 0.50% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.6 |
| 27 | Minnesota Twins | 24.70% | 0.10% | 0.00% | -0.74 |
| 28 | Atlanta Braves | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.31 |
| 29 | Colorado Rockies | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.39 |
| 30 | Philadelphia Phillies | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.48 |
