Believe it or not, we're already past the quarter mark of the MLB season and there has been a good deal of surprises as the cream of the crop have begun to separate themselves. The Atlanta Braves have emerged as one of the best teams in the National League, while teams we thought would be at the top of the standings in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians have struggled. Elsewhere, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are clearly the two best teams in the league.
How do the 30 teams in the league stack up against each other this early in the season? Here are our current MLB Power Rankings:
30) Chicago White Sox (13-31)
Why was this White Sox team the fastest to reach 30 losses in franchise history? They have the worst ERA (5.76) in the majors.
29) Kansas City Royals (14-33)
Kansas City's rotation hasn't been much better as Danny Duffy and Jason Hammel are two of the three worst starting pitchers (in terms of ERA) in the majors this season.
28) Miami Marlins (17-30)
The Marlins went into this season knowing they were going to essentially put a minor league team on the field every night and they've done that - and have the results that show it.
27) Baltimore Orioles (15-32)
Baltimore has only recorded one shutout this season, which is absolutely terrible from their pitching staff. It also doesn't help that Manny Machado is the only player they can rely on.
26) Cincinnati Reds (16-32)
Cincinnati ranks in the bottom six in every major statistical category in the league and is on pace to earn a top-five pick for the fourth straight year.
25) Texas Rangers (18-31)
Texas is just 7-17 at home this season and rank among the bottom six teams in the league in opponents slugging average and WHIP. They won't improve until their pitching does.
24) San Diego Padres (20-29)
The Padres have been better than expected early this season and Franchy Cordero looks like he could turn into a star in the future...but that - and San Diego's success - is still in the future.
23) Detroit Tigers (20-27)
Detroit has been largely inconsistent this season, which is to be expected from a team that's rebuilding.
22) Minnesota Twins (20-23)
The bad news for Minnesota is that Lance Lynn has been an absolute disaster. The good news is that they're somehow just one game out of first place.
21) Tampa Bay Rays (22-23)
The Rays are starting to find their rhythm after an absolutely dreadful start, posting a top-10 winning percentage since April 15. Can they continue that upward trend?
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20) San Francisco Giants (24-24)
San Francisco had wildcard expectations, which is still a possibility, but they need their pitching staff to step up before Madison Bumgarner returns.
19) Toronto Blue Jays (22-25)
The Blue Jays were one of the surprise teams of the year thanks to their offense, but that offense has cooled of late as they've lost seven of their last eight games.
18) Los Angeles Dodgers (20-27)
The Dodgers have been decimated by injury to this point in the season and they're in danger of completely falling out of the playoff picture. Can they hold steady until they get healthy or will this season spiral out of control?
17) Oakland A's (25-22)
Oakland has played well above their talent level this season, ranking in the top seven in runs and batting average. However, they're stuck around .500 because of their lackluster pitching.
16) New York Mets (24-19)
The Mets are just the 22nd team in the World Series era (since 1903) to start the season with an 11-1 record. Then they lost 13 of their last 19 games. Now, they've won six of their last eight games. It appears this team will be streaky all season long.
15) Colorado Rockies (26-22)
Colorado has cooled since their red-hot start but they have more wins on the road (19) than any other team. Why? Their pitching staff is carrying them as opposed to their offense.
14) Pittsburgh Pirates (26-20)
The Pirates have gotten off to a great start behind an offense that ranks in the top seven in every major hitting category. However, their pitching indicates that they can't keep this pace up. Will they?
13) Arizona Diamondbacks (25-22)
Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock are killing teams in the heart of their order as the Diamondbacks have been getting quality pitching as well. They rank in the top seven in the league in every major pitching category.
12) Cleveland Indians (22-23)
Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez are finally starting to play better after an incredibly slow start to the season. Still, this team has all of the key pieces from the teams that have been so good over the past two years. They'll be fine - especially with how bad the AL Central is.
11) Seattle Mariners (27-19)
Despite Robinson Cano's suspension as Seattle's offense has carried them to this point in the season, but we've seen this movie from the Mariners before. Is it actually sustainable without Cano?
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10) St. Louis Cardinals (26-19)
The Cardinals have solidified themselves as a playoff team this year but have been playing .500 ball for about the past month. Do they have what it takes to kick things into another gear if needed?
9) Milwaukee Brewers (29-19)
Milwaukee's pitching staff has been one of the best of the league so far, ranking second in quality starts and fifth in ERA (3.44).
8) Philadelphia Phillies (27-18)
The rebuild is still ongoing in Philly but there is plenty of reason for optimism as they're WAY ahead of schedule. They are getting more production from players 25 years old and younger than any other club.
7) Washington Nationals (25-21)
Bryce Harper has been a legitimate MVP frontrunner as the Nationals continue to showcase their solid, all-around play. Even if they don't win the division, they'll make the playoffs - but the verdict on this team won't be issued until the postseason.
6) Los Angeles Angels (26-21)
The Angels have cooled off after the best start in franchise history but Mike Trout doing things only the best player in baseball can do and Shohei Ohtani continues to be great in the batter's box and on the mound. They look like a legitimate threat in the American League.
5) Atlanta Braves (28-18)
Atlanta has the best run differential in the NL and is all alone in first place in the NL East for the first time in three years. They've been one of the best stories of the opening part of the season. Now, can they keep it up?
4) Chicago Cubs (25-19)
Yes, the Cubs have one of the best lineups in baseball but their rotation has let them down to this point - though their bullpen has lessened that blow as that group leads the majors in ERA. They've won nine of their last 13 games.
3) Houston Astros (30-18)
The champs haven't been dominant to start the season as we've expected, but they've had great outings from their top-end starters and lead the league in every major pitching category. However, their offense has been inconsistent.
2) Boston Red Sox (32-15)
Boston had all the pieces to make a World Series run last season if they played consistent baseball. This year, they've playing consistent baseball right now and, while the Yankees surpassed them in their latest series, the Red Sox are a legit World Series favorite. Mookie Betts is also the easy favorite to win AL MVP.
1) New York Yankees (31-13)
The Yankees have continued their red-hot run, going 13-3 in May and 22-4 in their last 26 games. A major power surge has sparked this run with four players that have already hit double-digit home runs.
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