Surprise team cracks Top 5 in Power Rankings

Surprise team cracks Top 5 in Power Rankings

May 15th, 2023

While the Rays continue to hold down the top spot in this week's Power Rankings, a familiar National League powerhouse is charging up the standings -- and a new contender has seemingly emerged in the American League West.

Though the top two spots remained the same, there was plenty of movement elsewhere in the latest edition of the Power Rankings. Four teams moved at least five places, and the Top 5 welcomed a newcomer.

Here are this week's rankings:

Biggest jump: The Phillies jumped seven spots to No. 13 after rattling off a five-game winning streak that was snapped in Sunday's series finale against the Rockies at Coors Field. Bryce Harper has somehow not missed a beat despite returning just five months after undergoing Tommy John surgery in November -- and not even going on a Minor League rehab assignment. He's hitting .333 with a .973 OPS in 10 games. The Yankees and Mariners each moved up six spots this week.

Biggest drop: The Red Sox continue to be one of the biggest movers from week to week. After making one of the biggest jumps we've ever seen last week -- moving up 14 spots to No. 6 -- Boston dropped five spots to No. 11 this week. The Red Sox have lost five of their last six games, including being swept at home by the struggling Cardinals this past weekend.

Power Rankings Top 5:

1) Rays, 31-11 (last week: 1)

The Rays finally showed some signs of slowing down this week, dropping four of five games at one point against the Orioles and Yankees. Still, they rallied for an 8-7 win in the Bronx on Sunday to earn a four-game split in New York. The good news is, Tampa Bay still has the best record in the Majors, including a 19-3 mark at home -- though the Rays are just 3-4 on their current 10-game road trip that finishes up in Queens this week. The bad news is, they will be without Drew Rasmussen indefinitely after the star right-hander was placed on the 60-day injured list Friday with a flexor strain in his right elbow.

2) Braves, 25-15 (last week: 2)

It was a forgettable weekend north of the border for the Braves, whose walk-off loss on Sunday capped a three-game sweep at the hands of the surging Blue Jays. Atlanta has lost four straight overall, though it still sits atop the National League East -- and just a half-game back of the Dodgers for the best record in the NL. Ronald Acuña Jr. remains the NL MVP favorite, as he enters the week hitting .346 with a 1.014 OPS. With eight home runs and 17 stolen bases through 40 games, he's on pace for a 32-homer, 68-steal campaign.

3) Dodgers, 26-15 (last week: 5)

Remember when the Dodgers were scuffling just a few weeks ago? They sat at 13-13 and had fallen out of the Top 10 in these very rankings. Yet since bottoming out at No. 11 in our poll, they have charged back up the ranks by going 13-2 in their past 15 games. Tony Gonsolin has provided a boost, posting a 1.42 ERA in four starts since coming off the IL. That's helped solidify a Dodgers rotation that also features Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 2.36 ERA), Dustin May (4-1, 2.68) and Julio Urías (5-3, 3.61).

4) Orioles, 26-14 (last week: 3)

The O's started last week by making a statement with their series victory over the MLB-leading Rays. Baltimore took two of three from Tampa Bay, joining the Blue Jays and Astros as the only clubs to win a series against the Rays this season. The Orioles then capped the week with another series victory over the Pirates, as they continue to lean on their stellar bullpen in close games. Baltimore relievers rank second in the Majors with a 3.05 ERA, led by Yennier Cano (0.00 ERA, 22 K's in 19 2/3 innings) and Félix Bautista (1.42 ERA, 10 saves, 36 K's in 19 innings).

5) Rangers, 25-15 (last week: 7)

Though Jacob deGrom (right elbow inflammation) remains sidelined, another Rangers newcomer in 2023 has helped pick up the slack by doing his best deGrom impression. Nathan Eovaldi has turned in three consecutive scoreless outings, starting with his complete-game shutout against the Yankees on April 29. He followed that up with eight scoreless innings against the Angels, then struck out a career-high 12 over 8 2/3 scoreless frames on Thursday against the A's. Eovaldi has racked up 25 K's to just three walks over 25 2/3 spotless innings in that three-start span. He's a big reason the Rangers sit atop the AL West heading into Monday's series opener against the NL East-leading Braves.

The rest of the field of 30:

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

Voters: Will Leitch, Alyson Footer, Anthony Castrovince, Paul Casella, Mark Feinsand, Nathalie Alonso, Mike Petriello, Sarah Langs, Arturo Pardavila, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Sweeny Murti, Doug Gausepohl, Travis Miller