Power Rankings: Griff's 2023 Power Rankings #8

June 6, 2023

It’s not always teams with the better records that rank higher in the weekly power rankings. There’s a Griff’s The Pitch thought process in the rankings, with emphasis on the word “power” especially at that moment of the season. Top tier clubs would be teams that, at this stage, no opponent wants to see coming up on the schedule. To that end, a few of the pre-season, power teams that found themselves with slow starts are finding their rhythm and are back where experts felt they belonged – filling opponents with fear. Through one-third of the schedule, nobody in MLB really wanted to see any games coming up against the AL East. Fear factor.

The bottom line is that baseball remains the most evenly balanced of major North American pro sports in top-to-bottom winning percentage. Consider that through Monday’s games, there were three teams with numbers over .600, two teams under the .400 mark and fully 25 teams bouncing around in the .401-.600 win-percentage range. Overall, the 15 AL teams are three games above the break-even mark in inter-league play. The 15 NL teams (through Monday) ranged from winning percentages of .593 (Braves) to .410 (Cardinals).

Numbers in parentheses are from Edition 7 power rankings. 

Griff’s Power Rankings – Edition 8

1-Rays (2)

A healthy rotation (which rarely happens) should, at its best, feature LH Shane McLanahan, RH Tyler Glasnow, RH Zach Eflin, RH Drew Rasmussen and LH Jeffrey Springs. That’s as good as any in MLB. But two are currently on the IL.  Twelve position players have played more than half the games. Deep.

2-Rangers (5)

Only six of 31 active players, plus current IL, are homegrown, signed and developed by the Rangers. Free agents and trades built this roster. Nobody wants to play this team right now. C Jonah Heim and 3B Josh Jung add depth to a strong lineup.

3-Braves (1)

Heading to the season, the Braves were a team to be feared. Even though they continue to win, the fear factor is not as powerful. Other than RF Ronald Acuna Jr. and C Sean Murphy, the offence has been pedestrian and the bullpen gettable.

4-Dodgers (3)

Team Canada 1B Freddie Freeman bounced back nicely from the minor injury he suffered at WBC. The Dodgers have had three different primary shortstops the past three seasons – Corey Seager, Trea Turner and Miguel Rojas -- and continue to excel.

5-Orioles (4)

The O’s surprising ascent to the Top 5 is built around a power-armed bullpen led by RH Yennier Cano and RH Felix Bautista, a Top 5 catcher, Adley Rutchman, and OF Austin Hays. Dynamic table-setter CF Cedric Mullins is on the IL and OF Aaron Hicks does not make up for that loss. Don’t trail the O’s after seven.

6-Astros (6)

A slow-out-of-the-gate powerhouse that is now finding its footing, the Astros were 17-18 on May 8. With two starters RH Jose Urquidy and RH Luis Garcia on the IL, Houston’s pitching depth is keeping them on an upward curve. 1B Jose Abreu has just one homer, 23 RBIs and a .539 OPS.

7-Diamondbacks (9)

Resurgent Snakes offence led by LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and 1B Christian Walker while the rotation is paced by RH Zac Gallen (7-2, 2.72 ERA) and RH Merrill Kelly (7-3, 2.80 ERA). Have a nice balance of 66 homers and 53 steals. C Gabby Moreno thrown out 14 of 26 base-stealers.

8-Yankees (7)

He is one of the best defenders in MLB, but CF Harrison Bader has played more than 131 games just once in six seasons and has missed 35 already this year. RF Aaron Judge remains MVP until proven otherwise, with 19 homers, 40 RBIs.

9-Blue Jays (10)

Combining the level of Jays talent with the health and consistency of the 5-man rotation (Manoah’s consistency not what they had in mind), fans believe they should be at a higher ranking. Jays have had five starters that have not missed a start, the only team in MLB with that consistency. Rotation a combined 22-20.

10-Red Sox (8)

The loss of LH Chris Sale to the IL in the midst of a nice 11-start comeback is going to hurt. This may end up being the best managing job of Alex Cora’s career. Sox get extra credit in these rankings for playing in the meat grinder of the AL East.

11-Marlins (12)

Can 2B Luis Arraez wave his magic wand and be a .400 hitter, the first since Ted Williams in 1941. The Answer is an emphatic no, but with a .399 average through the first week of June, it will be fun to watch him try. Cy guy RH Sandy Alcantara has 2 wins and a 5.07 ERA in 12 starts.

12-Twins (11)

Disappointments abound in free-agent SS Carlos Correa, plus they need more from DH Byron Buxton and are feeling the loss of Arraez in trade with the Marlins. That has all led to diminished offence. CL Jhoan Duran is a force of nature.

13-Mets (14)

The fans at Citi Field are booing the home team … and it’s only June. Much more was expected of this Mets team, armed with the highest payroll in baseball, but eight players on the 60-day IL doesn’t help, including CL Edwin Diaz.

14-Angels (13)

On the season, DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani has 27% of the Angels’ stolen bases, 19% of Halos homers, 16% of team wins and 18% of pitcher strikeouts. That’s either high praise for Ohtani or an indictment of his teammates. They loom for a wild-card.

15-Mariners (19)

CF Julio Rodriguez has been a disappointment in his sophomore season, while LF Jarred Kelenic has the top BA among regulars at .270. 1B Ty France leads the underachieving M’s group with a .750 OPS.  Lost 5 of last 6 through Monday.

16-Pirates (16)

Veteran leadership was an off-season plan and 43-year-old LH Rich Hill (5-5, 4.41 ERA) has fit nicely into a mid-rotation role while 36-year-old DH Andrew McCutchen has a chance for a 20HR/20SB season. In other news, 2B Ji Hwan Bae has 18 steals.

17-Brewers (15)

Brew Crew offence continues to struggle as 1B Rowdy Tellez and INF Owen Miller are only hitters with an above-.800 OPS. Spiritual leader SS Willy Adames continues on the IL. CL Devin Williams in 19 games has a 0.46 ERA and 0.864 WHIP.

18-Giants (22)

Best team in the Bay Area and bouncing back in the standings, although blocked in the NL West by the Dodgers and D’backs. For those that may have been wondering, RH Ross Stripling sits on the current IL, has pitched just 32.1 innings and is 0-2, 7.24. Ace RH Logan Webb finding himself

19-Padres (17)

Any team with LF Juan Soto, 3B Manny Machado, SS Xander Bogaerts and RF Fernando Tatis Jr. should be better than three games below .500. CL Josh Hader has allowed just 9 hits and 10 walks in 22.1 innings. LH Blake Snell is 2-6 in 12 starts.

20-Phillies (18)

The season-ending injury to 1B Rhys Hoskins has hurt the Phils more than expected. Five others have played at least a game at 1B led by Alec Bohm (50G) and Kody Clemens. They are all marking time until DH Bryce Harper is comfortable enough, in daily drills, to assume the position.   

21-Guardians (21)

Mississauga 1B Josh Naylor ended May with a bang, going 4-for-5 with a homer and 6 RBIs at Camden Yards on the month’s final day. Guardians are still to be considered dangerous with 3B Jose Ramirez annually warming up with the weather. Weak division gives them a chance at playoffs.

22-Tigers (25)

At 40-years-old, future Hall-of-Famer DH Miguel Cabrera’s farewell tour not going well. Hitting .196 with no homers and 7 RBIs. SS Javier Baez has to be considered a disappointment with a .572 OPS with a .265 on-base average. Four starting pitchers on IL including LH Eduardo Rodriguez who was pitching like an ace, at age 30.     

23-Cardinals (20)

Another team whose best chance is the weak NL Central, with Brewers and Pirates treading water in what is a 162G freestyle. The Cards have been very un-Cardinal-like, especially with issues surrounding C Willson Contreras and the handling of OF Tyler O’Neill. RIP to a great friend, Hall-of-Fame writer and columnist Rick Hummel. Viewed by his peers, The Commish was the Pied Piper of Humanity.

24-Reds (26)

Here come the Reds, led by dynamic RH Hunter Greene (88K in 62.0 IP) and CL Alexis Diaz, with 44Ks, 14 saves and 9 hits allowed in 23.1 IP. 1B Spencer Steer has been more than adequate in replacing injured 1B Joey (Where’s Waldo) Votto.

25-Cubs (24)

Former Jays’ signee RH Marcus Stroman is stepping up his game in an effort to finally earn the status of ace. His WHIP (soon to be sponsored by Shugo, we assume) is 1.000 and he recently tossed a CG 1-hitter vs. the first-place Rays. Stro’ has allowed just 3ER in his last 29 IP with 4 straight Ws.

26-White Sox (28)

The best story of the season may be the healthy and effective return to the mound of CL Liam Hendriks. Without him, the Sox have ranked 15^th in MLB saves. They missed SS Tim Anderson when he was out and now that he’s back, this should be a better team than the first 60 games show.

27-Rockies (23)

Sorry, but as the unique MLB team in the Mountain Time Zone, with no star players to look for and nobody east of Two Buttes, CO (yes, it is an actual town) paying attention, it’s tough to give an intelligent read on the Rox. And, yes, OF Randal Grichuk is still there.

28-Nationals (27)

Not one name on this roster that as a fan you would pay to see. The good news is that DH Joey Meneses is the only one of their Top 10 players that is 30+years-old. Their six starting pitchers have a combined 14-24 record and none of them has a .500 record.

29-Royals (29)

The ageless and durable C Sal Perez continues to pace his team in most offensive categories. SS Bobby Witt Jr. is a special talent and is on pace for a 25HR/50SB season. RH Zack Greinke at 39 has a 2.30 ERA in his last six, but the team is 2-4. RH Brady Singer may be finding himself.

30-A’s (30)

With oddsmakers today giving the A’s a 0.1% chance at post-season, I have milk in my fridge that’s 1% clearly with a better chance at playoffs than Oakland. A team on pace for 31 wins, A’s opponents, according to the entertaining former pitcher, Dallas Braden, interviewed on Barstool Sports, suggested opponents may have to return to traditional pitch-calling because it’s so quiet, all the players on the Coliseum field can hear the calls on PitchCom.  Viva Las Vegas.