Power Rankings: Perfect week brings new No. 1

Power Rankings: Perfect week brings new No. 1

June 6th, 2022

For the past month, there has been a consensus top two in these rankings -- though the exact order of those storied franchises continues to alternate.

After the Dodgers leaped the Yankees for top billing in last week’s Power Rankings, the Yanks responded by simply winning every game they played this week to regain the No. 1 spot. That, however, was far from the only movement as we roll out the first Power Rankings in the month of June.

Biggest jump: It took a little bit to get going, but the Blue Jays are finally starting to look like the contender that many expected them to be before the season -- and they jumped five spots to No. 6 this week as a result. Toronto started the week with a sweep of the White Sox before dropping two of three to the Twins, but the Blue Jays have still won nine of their last 11 overall.

Biggest drop: The Angels plummeted six spots this week -- a development that coincides with their freefall in the standings. Joe Maddon’s club has lost 11 consecutive games, the latest of which saw the Halos squander a four-run lead in the eighth inning against the Phillies on Sunday, only to recapture the lead in the top of the ninth before serving up a walk-off homer in the bottom half. Along with the overall team drought, Mike Trout is hitless in his last 26 at-bats.

Here are the latest Power Rankings:

1. Yankees (39-15, last week: 2)
DraftKings World Series odds: 5.5-1

The Yankees flirted with perfection not once, but twice this week, and while they may have come up short in each of those perfect-game bids, they were perfect for the week as a team. The Bronx Bombers completed a perfect 6-0 homestand by sweeping the Angels and the Tigers, all while outscoring their opponents by a football-like score of 38-7. The Yankees lead the Majors with a 2.74 team ERA, while their starting rotation specifically has an MLB-best 2.55 ERA. Offensively, Aaron Judge leads all players with a 1.059 OPS and he’s on pace for 64 home runs. As a team, the Yankees have clubbed 80 homers -- a mark that also leads the Majors.

2. Dodgers (35-19, last week: 1)
DraftKings World Series odds: 4.25-1

Despite beginning the week with a shocking sweep at the hands of the Pirates -- at Dodger Stadium, no less -- Los Angeles remains one of the most balanced teams in the Majors. Offensively, the Dodgers lead all teams in runs per game (5.4) and OPS (.761), while their pitching staff ranks second in both ERA (2.91) and WHIP (1.09).

3. Mets (37-19, last week: 3)
DraftKings World Series odds: 8-1

The Mets started the week with a dominating sweep of the Nationals -- one in which they outscored Washington, 28-5 -- before being held to just one run over the first two games of their four-game weekend set at Dodger Stadium. Buck Showalter's club once again showed its resiliency, however, bouncing back with consecutive wins to split the series in L.A. Though the Mets aren’t exactly knocking the cover off the ball, they continue to lead the Majors in batting average (.264) and on-base percentage (.335).

4. Astros (35-19, last week: 4)
DraftKings World Series odds: 6.5-1

Don’t look now, but the Astros have opened up an 8 1/2-game lead in the AL West -- tied with the Mets for the largest division lead in the big leagues. Houston just completed a nine-game road trip by rattling off victories in six of its last seven games. The Astros are 24-9 since the start of May, which is tied with the Yankees for the best record during that span. They also have a 2.51 ERA in that stretch, easily the best by any club across the big leagues. Houston’s rotation has a 2.64 ERA in that stretch, while the bullpen has put together a 2.21 mark.

5. Brewers (33-23, last week: 6)
DraftKings World Series odds: 11-1

The Brewers hit a bit of a rough patch this week, dropping five of their last six games -- including three straight at home against the Padres to close the weekend. That included nearly being no-hit by Joe Musgrove on Friday. The absences of Brandon Woodruff (right ankle sprain) and Freddy Peralta (right posterior shoulder strain) are certainly being felt, though Aaron Ashby has certainly turned some heads while filling in for those injured stars. The southpaw has a 2.55 ERA in three starts since rejoining the rotation and has racked up 26 strikeouts in just 17 2/3 innings, including 12 in a six-inning gem on May 30. Those numbers fit in perfectly on a Brewers pitching staff that has racked up an MLB-leading 544 strikeouts this season.

The rest of the field of 30:

  1. Blue Jays (11)
  2. Padres (5)
  3. Cardinals (10)
  4. Rays (7)
  5. Twins (9)
  6. Giants (12)
  7. Braves (14)
  8. Red Sox (13)
  9. Angels (8)
  10. White Sox (15)
  11. Guardians (16)
  12. Rangers (18)
  13. D-backs (20)
  14. Mariners (21)
  15. Phillies (17)
  16. Marlins (19)
  17. Rockies (22)
  18. Cubs (23)
  19. Orioles (24)
  20. Pirates (26)
  21. Tigers (25)
  22. A's (27)
  23. Nationals (28)
  24. Reds (30)
  25. Royals (29)

Voters: Alyson Footer, Anthony Castrovince, Paul Casella, Mark Feinsand, Nathalie Alonso, Mike Petriello, Sarah Langs, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Brett Blueweiss