Griff’s Power Rankings – 9
Heading into this week’s Griff’s Power Rankings, note that the National League has pulled slightly ahead of the AL in interleague play, at plus-8. That has some influence on relative 1-30 rankings, favouring teams in the power divisions.
The 5-team division standings through Tuesday are as follows – 1-ALE +60; 2-NLE +11; 3-NLW +9; 4-ALW minus-8; 5-NLC minus-12 and 6-ALC minus-60.
The surprise (not the best) division as summer arrives is the NL Central, with surges from the young Reds, with the disappointment of the Cardinals, leaving the Cubs looming, while the Brewers and Pirates, tread water. NL Central, with 8 games separating first from last, will likely show just one team, the division winner, qualifying for the post-season.
Repeating the premise that we have forever maintained at Griff’s The Pitch, the bottom line is that baseball remains the most evenly balanced of all major North American pro sports, top-to-bottom. Consider that through Tuesday’s games, there were just four teams with win-percentage over .600, four teams under the .400 mark and fully 22 teams bouncing around in the .401-.600 range.
Numbers in parentheses are from Edition 8 power rankings.
Griff’s Power Rankings – Edition 9
1-Rays (1)
Six Rays with between 11-13 home runs is a welcomed rarity for this team, traditionally built on the depth of its pitching with a couple of hidden gems stepping up in the pen. 1B Yandy Diaz, SS Wander Franco and LF Randy Arozarena are clear all-stars.
2-Rangers (2)
They signed a couple of big-ticket items two years ago in 2B Marcus Semien and SS Corey Seager, but two of the team’s three leading RBI guys are Buffalo-born C Jonah Heim and RF Adolis Garcia. Nobody wants to play this team right now.
3-Braves (4)
The most consistent quality of any team in baseball, April 3 is the only day the Braves have not been in first place, holding down top spot for 83 of 84 days. RF Ronald Acuna Jr. already has 15 homers, 31 steals and a .961 OPS.
4-Orioles (5)
The loss of their offensive catalyst to injury, CF Cedric Mullins, has not slowed them down as they astutely reached out to sign DFA’d CF Aaron Hicks from the Yankees. One more acquisition of a mid-rotation starting pitcher before the deadline and watch out.
5-Diamondbacks (7)
RH Zac Gallen and RH Merrill Kelly should both be all-stars, while the newfound Barrio at the end of the Snakes dugout is presided over by LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (11HR, 42 RBIs) and C Gabriel Moreno, who has thrown out 14 of 30 base stealers.
6-Dodgers (3)
The fact of the Dodgers ranking No. 6 must be a disappointment in La La Land. They have been passed in the standings by the D’backs and hated Giants. The last time the Dodgers were in 3rd place on consecutive days was April ’22. Have an astounding 15 players – 12 pitchers -- on the IL, including 11 on the 60-day list. The offence has not been to blame.
7-Yankees (8)
It’s tough when you’re missing two-thirds of your starting outfield including MVP RF Aaron Judge, who has played just 49 games as the season approaches the mid-way mark. Finger-wagging RH Gerrit Cole has stalled a little, with 8 Ws and 7 NDs among his 16 starts.
8-Marlins (11)
Worth the price of admission and a rare, singles-hitting MVP candidate, 2B Luis Arraez waves his magic wand and has found himself batting .400 as summer officially arrives. Can he bat .400 for the season? The Answer is an emphatic no, but it will be fun to watch him try.
9-Astros (6)
It’s easy to rationalize light-hitting C Martin Maldonado and his importance to a terrific pitching staff at times when the offence is clicking. However, with DH Yordan Alvarez on the IL and 1B Jose Abreu struggling and with two starters RH Jose Urquidy and RH Luis Garcia on the IL, the Astros real drop in offence and in rankings is a natural result.
10-Giants (18)
Best team in the Bay Area and bouncing back in the standings, having passed the hated Dodgers, at least for the moment. RH Logan Webb has rebounded from a slow start, but this team relies on baseball’s most anonymous closer, Camilo Doval, plus Tyler and Taylor Rogers.
11-Angels (14)
This spot threatening the overall Top 10 is where any team with the two best players in baseball should always be. DH/RH Shohei Ohtani and CF Mike Trout have combined for 39 homers and 97 RBIs in the first 75 games. Angels loom for a wild-card.
12-Reds (24)
Here come the Reds, led by entertaining and talented 1B Joey Votto who finally returned from injury. The Reds have taken over first place with timely offence and some hard-to-figure pitching. CL Alexis Diaz and setup RH Buck Farmer make it a 7-inning game with a lead.
13-Blue Jays (9)
The tough 9-game road trip just completed needs a little bit of context, with three-game sets against the 2nd, 4th and 8th place teams in Griff’s power rankings. It’s an excuse, but with the struggles also shows the Jays are full value for their drop outside the Top 12. Jays still waiting for befuddling 1B Vlad Guerrero Jr. to have his (Vlad) Senior moments.
14-Red Sox (10)
The shortstop position in Boston post-Xander Bogaerts has been a struggle, with SS Kike Hernandez finally given the boot after too many boots. Five AL East teams currently in the Top 14 of MLB shows the strength of that division. OF Jarren Duran has been a revelation.
15-Phillies (20)
The to-be-expected power of DH Bryce Harper has not fully returned, as he comes back from injury, but his lineup presence seems to have keyed a Phils resurgence back to above .500 where they should always be. RF Nick Castellanos has had a nice comeback season.
16-Brewers (17)
One can throw a blanket over the standings in the weak NL Central, so the Brewers ranking second to the Reds could change dramatically by all-star break. Hard to see how the Brew Crew remains over .500 with an offence that continues to struggle and no real starting ace.
17-Twins (12)
A solid top three in the rotation – RH Joe Ryan, RH Sonny Gray and RH Pablo Lopez -- plus an intimidating closer, RH Jhoan Duran, are enough for first place in the bad AL Central, but not enough to be above .500. Disappointments abound offensively.
18-Mariners (15)
This is a team built around the starting rotation and the longball. The rotation has pitched well, but with not enough run support. LF Jarred Kelenic has come back to earth after a fast start, while Teoscar has been Teoscar. Kingston (ON) RH Matt Brash has 56 Ks in 28.2 IP.
19-Padres (19)
One of most disappointing teams headed to the halfway mark, the failure to maintain individual excellence, by the trio of LF Juan Soto, 3B Manny Machado and SS Xander Bogaerts keeps them under .500. RF Fernando Tatis Jr. is starting to heat up. LH Blake Snell and RH Yu Darvish are combined 8-11 in 27 starts.
20-Mets (13)
Owner Steve Cohen looks at the roster he put together for $338M and must scratch his head. The four-man rotation on paper is great. SS Francisco Lindor, 1B Pete Alonso and OF Brandon Nimmo should be able to lead the offence. It hasn’t happened. The Mets have paid their Top 5 starters $128.6M in ’23 for 16 combined wins.
21-Cubs (25)
Former Jays’ RH Marcus Stroman has won seven straight and is having arguably his best season in his third stop in five years. All five NL Central teams are within 8.0 games, with only one playoff spot likely at stake. DH/OF Chris Morel. Has had significant impact in a short time.
22-Pirates (16)
The Bucs early season magic walked the plank a long time ago. The early loss of dynamic SS Oneil Cruz seemed to precipitate the downward slide. Ace RH Mitch Kellar and CL David Bednar deserve to be all-stars. 2B Ji Hwan Bae has 20 steals.
23-Guardians (21)
Another disappointing pre-season contender in a winnable division, the Guardians show 40% of the rotation on the IL, with sub-par performances from an infield that was supposed to lead the way. Mississauga 1B Josh Naylor and 3B Jose Ramirez are warming up with the weather.
24-Cardinals (23)
Another group on the short list of most disappointing teams this year. Former Jays starter, LH Steven Matz is 0-7, 5.49 ERA in 15 games (10 starts). The Cards have been very un-Cardinal-like. Was retired, future Hall-of-Fame C Yadier Molina more valuable than we thought?
25-Tigers (22)
After climbing to within a game of .500, in May, a 2-13 stretch through mid-June, leaves the Tigers not burning so bright. The 40-year-old, future Hall-of-Famer DH Miguel Cabrera has been a non-factor. Miggy has 1 homer and 10 RBIs and needs three of each to catch Hall-of-Famer Mel Ott on the all-time list before he retires.
26-White Sox (26)
The fact that CL Liam Hendriks has gone back to the IL does not lessen the importance and the feel-good story of his return to the mound from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The return to health of SS Tim Anderson has not paid off yet, but it will. This team should be better.
27-Rockies (27)
It doesn’t help that three of the Rox 30-something starting position players are all on the IL at the same time. For those wondering about popular former Jays’ OF Randal Grichuk, yes he is still in the Mile High City and in 42 games is on pace for a 4/2 HR/SB season.
28-Nationals (28)
Nats have needed just six starting pitchers to cover the first 72 games, unfortunately only RH Josiah Gray has a sub-4.00 ERA. Also, unfortunately, the starting sextet has a combined 15-31 record. DH Joey Meneses at 6-3, 240 lbs. with 2 HRs, may be the biggest singles hitter in MLB.
29-A’s (30)
Followed up a surprising 7-game win streak in June, with a six-game losing streak. This A’s team now on pace for 41 wins and has moved out of the power-basement, sub-letting that spot to the Royals who are in a tighter spiral than a Patrick Mahomes pass. Viva Las Vegas.
30-Royals (29)
Have two shutouts in June, unfortunately that’s among only three total wins this month. Have scored 5-plus just twice in June. SS Bobby Witt Jr. has 12 homers and 22 steals and has missed just one game. RH Jordan Lyles 0-11 in 15 starts not even at the halfway mark.
Avast, me hearty. Thanks for the read.
"The Bucs early season magic walked the plank a long time ago" is a great line!