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It's been a month since the first power rankings drop; just the right time to let players and clubs find a new gear. If you don't know, I keep power rankings of my top-15 current batters & pitchers as well as the team power rankings. Those ladders have seen some major movement since the middle of April. Guys are progressing; some regressing. I'll drop those updated ladders prior to the new power rankings. So, who leads the way with just one full week left in May?
The top three in my batting power-rankings remain the same as Ohtani, Betts, and Ozuna continue their batting prowess to pave the way for the league- and their squads. Following the top-3, it's a complete shuffle; some guys regressed while others hit the launch button to catapult into a heatwave at the dish. The current top-15 as of today:
Willy Contreras continues to prove his acquisition by Milwaukee to be utter gold of a move. The cat is scorching hot at the plate to start '24 after a real-real solid all-around campaign in '23; mix his offensive contributions to his production behind the plate and his value speaks high volumes. As high a value in the league right now. Contreras is tied with Ohtani for the second highest batting average (.350) in MLB, ranks 5th in Total Bases; 2nd in OBP, 5th in OPS, and is 3rd in Hits. Willy is right on Ozuna's back porch for third in the rankings. He has been flawless swinging the lumber for the Brew-Crew.
Kwan, Soto, Witt, Marte, and Turner all keep their positioning to make up the second half of the top-10 while spots 11-15 see a complete swap. Guys like Jeremy Peña and Alec Bohm are two of the highest clipped bats flamin' right now. Alec Bohm, I see you! Phillies' third-basemen currently ranks 4th (tied) in Hits, 7th in batting average, and leads the league in two-baggers (18) over Ohtani. Peña is right there with Bohm, only he gets on base with a base-knock rather than an extra-base knock. Peña is batting .324, ranking him 10th overall, while ranking 2nd in singles (46), just one behind Luis Arráez, and he's 4th (tied) in Hits.
Royals' veteran captain Salvador Pérez continues to produce; he is on an absolute tear to start the campaign. On the last drop, he was nowhere near the pact, including near those in the bubble. Now he storms his way into the top-15, and I don't think many will disagree with me on that. Pérez is leading the way for the Royals alongside Bobby Witt Jr. Pérez ranks 10th in Hits, 6th in batting average (.333), 8th in OPS, and 7th in runs-batted-in. Salvy's production has taken a plunge the past two years, but boy is he starting 2024 off strong; declaring at 34, that he has more fuel left in the tank. The newfound energy and vibe inside the Royals' clubhouse has the captain locked-in at the dish.
Kyle Tucker is another cat who has exploded as of late. Tucker seems to have snapped out of his weird approach at the plate, an approach that looked noticeably uncomfortable in the playoffs last season. Tucker has been destructive with his swing early on batting a solid .284 while smashing 13 homeruns: tied for the 2nd most in the big leagues along with Ohtani. Tucker ranks 2nd in OPS and 3rd in slugging-percentage. Tucker's resurgence at the plate has been massive for the Astros, who are now 13-7 after starting a brutal 7-19. Houston is just six games under .500 and 5-games back in the AL West.
The pitching ladder has an entirely new top-3 after a month of action on the diamond. Ranger Suárez and Shōta Imanaga have been lights out stellar, while veteran Seth Lugo makes a splash to claim the third seat. Kutter Crawford drops, but continues his strong pace, and the five-spot gets a new face; as the Tigers declare their new franchise ace. Here is my current pitching power-rankings (done last week):
Astros' Ronel Blanco will likely get the bounce from the top-15 come the next drop due to his 10-game suspension after gettin' booked and rung for a foreign substance found in his glove. Seats 6-8 remain the same, Tanner Houck joins the top-ten (+3), and Zack Wheeler remains in the top-10 as he allows Suárez to take the reigns of the Phillies' rotation early on. My favorite changes would be 11-12. Javier Assad and Jared Jones are trying to ride the same wave as Imanaga. Assad doing so to form a furious trio in Chicago with Steele returning; Jones doing so to keep pace in the rookie of the year discussions with Imanaga. I expect to still see a high volume of changes across the top-15 in the next few drops.
Power Rankings:
Record since last drop (4/17): 17-12
Current Streak: L1
Notable series wins: vs ATL; vs KCR; @ TEX
Marchin' Mariners! Seattle takes a 1.5 lead over the Rangers atop the AL West and catapult 8 spots in my power-rankings. Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo have been solid leading the rotation early on. Castillo is back to having strong strikeout numbers; currently is tied-6th in the big leagues with 66 Ks. Seattle is fortunate the rotation is performing well with the offense continuing it's struggles. M's lineup leads the league in strikeouts and ranks 25th in batting average, 26th in hits, and 26th in runs as a unit: the fact the club is 4-games above .500 with a +4 runs differential tells you how good the pitching staff has been. Offense needs to step up for me to have any faith of them staying in the top-10 moving forward. Offense needs to step up if they wish to gain separation atop the AL West.
Biggest Positives:
Logan Gilbert doing ace things
Power: 9th in team Home-Runs
Entire pitching staff has been great; the back-brace early on
Playing out west: 10-5 in games on western side of USA (not including home)
Upcoming Series: @ NYY, @ WAS, vs HOU, vs LAA
Record since last drop (4/17): 16-14
Current Streak: W1
Notable series wins: vs MIL; vs HOU (sweep)
Cubs had a rock solid April, but have rode the slopes in May going just 8-9 thus far in the month- they do remain in my top-10, however. Thanks to their pitching, specifically Shōta Imanaga, Javier Assad, and Mark Leiter Jr. out of the 'pen. Cubs have to get more out of Cody Bellinger and Ian Happ offensively. Have to. They also need Seiya Suzuki to return to his pre-injury, April form. I believe the good out weighs the bad for the Cubs right now. They do face a challenging first test to the season coming up: 14 road games in an 18-game span. Cubs are 12-13 on the road thus far; they have a chance to build some major confidence as a club with the upcoming road trip.
Biggest Positives:
Rookie Fever: Imanaga & 1B Michael Busch
Justin Steele is back; but shaky
Home field play: 14-8 home record (7th best in MLB)
Nico Hoerner starting to get a more productive groove
Upcoming Series: vs ATL, @ STL, @ MIL, vs CIN
Record since last drop (4/17): 18-13
Current Streak: W3
Notable series wins: vs MIL
Royals keep their pace as they fight with the Guardians for the throne atop the AL Central. Kansas City is a rock solid 11-6 in May after ending April losing six of ten. Royals have five separate three-game (or more) winning streaks to go with their two separate three game losing skids: far more good than bad, but they do still have some steps to climb to find the level superior to the Guardians. Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Pérez continue to be tears at the plate while Lugo and Singer hold down the rotation. Look for this team to find that missing consistency.
Biggest Positives:
2-3 Card: Witt Jr. & Pérez hold down the fort
Home Cookin': 18-8 home record
Seth Lugo on pace for career year
6th best runs differential (+55) in MLB
8-5 against AL Central; 3 of next 5 series are inner-division
Upcoming Series: vs DET, @ TB, @ MIN, vs SDP
Record since last drop (4/17): 17-13
Current Streak: L1
Notable series wins: @ STL (sweep)
Milwaukee is only 9-8 in May and have slowed down a bit since their 17-8 start to the campaign. Droppin' three spots may seem harsh on the Brew-Crew, but they have dropped three of their last five series. The rotation is beat up; and gets beat up, including ace Peralta, who has struggled in his past outings. The bullpen has been far more sharper. A good note as they are without star Devin Williams for the foreseeable future. The lineup has been struggling; like the starting rotation. That doesn't include holes 1-3. Turang-Contreras-Yelich hold all the weight early on. If the Brewers take advantage of the upcoming road trip, as well as the next four series, then they will shoot back up in the right direction.
Biggest Positives:
William Contreras offensive contributions
Lefties Bryan Hudson & Hoby Milner sharp in 'pen
Still top-3 in batting average and on-base-percentage as a club
Brice Turang showing major progression from rookie campaign
Upcoming Series: @ NYY, @ WAS, vs HOU, vs LAA
Record since last drop (4/17): 18-11
Current Streak: W3
Notable series wins: vs MIN (sweep); @ TEX; @ BOS
Guardians are the 4th club to reach 30 wins on the campaign as they continue to lead the AL Central. Just as they drop in my PRs; they flip back the switch to win their third straight, today. I expect them to be back on the rise. Cleveland has won six of their last seven games after losing eight of twelve. Andrés Giménez linsanity run is over as he looks to have regressed back to his value, but Steven Kwan continues to be a top hitter in all of baseball. Having Triston McKenzie start to settle in on the mound is a huge positive. He now is the only starting arm to have an ERA below 4. If the rotation can improve; Guardians will rise again in quest for the top-spot that they once owned (PRs).
Biggest Positives:
Bullpen is one of the top units in the league
Emmanuel Clase currently top closer; tied-1st in Saves w/ 0.39 ERA
5-0 against Minnesota; other matchups not until 2nd Half
Upcoming Series: vs NYM, @ LAA, @ COL, vs WAS
Record since last drop (4/17): 15-11
Current Streak: L3
Notable series wins: vs TEX; vs CLE
Braves responded well after losing six of eight to start May, but don't look as good as they should be looking. They drop out of the top three as the stars begin to craft poorly off their slow starts. The only guy smashing at the plate right now for The A is Ozuna. Everyone else is batting under .280; Acuña Jr. is batting .247 with just 3 homers and 54 total bases. The fact the Braves are winning at a good rate despite the slow offensive start is the exact reason to believe there is nothing to worry about. The pitching has been solid through the injuries; 35-year old Chris Sale is playing above and beyond expectations along with Reynaldo Lopez. I like Atlanta still in the top-5.
Biggest Positives:
Newbies Sale & Lopez are damage controlling losing Strider
Marcell Ozuna on a complete tear at the plate
Solid discipline as a team at the plate; rank top-10 in team strikeouts
Bullpen has been sharp
Upcoming Series: @ CHC, @ PIT, vs WAS, vs OAK
Record since last drop (4/17): 18-9
Current Streak: W1
Notable series wins: vs NYY; @ KC
Orioles have a 7-game road trip coming up and couldn't be happier. Baltimore is right behind the Yankees atop the AL East and atop the AL due to their success on the road, the decision to trade for ace Corbin Burnes, and the young phenom duo of Adley Rutschman & Gunnar Henderson. I have Gunnar in the bubble of my batter PRs for any who felt appalled by his "snub"- the higher his batting average and OBP go up; the higher he climbs that ladder. Henderson's power numbers are on point right now; which has been a big driving force for the Os. Now they just need the rest of the lineup to follow suit and it's watch out.
Biggest Positives:
12-5 road record; league best (win percentage)
Corbin Burnes a savior to the rotation early on
Gunnar Henderson: leads league in Home-Runs
7-2 against division; 4 of next 6 series against AL East rivals
Upcoming Series: @ STL, @ CWS, vs BOS, vs TB
Record since last drop (4/17): 21-9
Current Streak: W7
Notable series wins: @ MIL; @ MIN (sweep); vs DET (sweep)
Yankees are rollin'! New York has won 13 of their last 15 games to place atop the AL East and AL; they have the second most wins (33) in the big leagues with three sweeps since the start of April. Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt have been excellent to power the rotation; as Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver have been excellent in the back-end. All this winning and Aaron Judge hasn't even produced to the caliber he can. There has been 35 big flies between the power-trio of Soto-Stanton-Judge; Yankees lead the league in total team Home-Runs along with the Orioles (66). Power mixed with pitching; not a bad combo.
Biggest Positives:
Juan Soto: .311/11 HR/37 RBIs
Clay Holmes: 0 ER in 19.1 IP - 13 Saves
3rd highest runs differential in MLB (+79)
Night Vision: 19-9 at night; 18 of next 21 games under the lights
Upcoming Series: vs SEA, @ SDP, @ LAA, @ SFG
Record since last drop (4/17): 20-9
Current Streak: W3
Notable series wins: vs ATL (sweep)
Dodgers climb back up the ladder. LA has gone 13-4 thus far in May to catapult to the 4th best record in baseball and an early-commanding lead atop the NL West. The offense is boomin' with Shohei and Mookie actively two of the best overall hitters on the planet; now the Dodgers await the starting rotation to get consistently healthy & productive. James Paxton has stepped up, Yoshinobu is settlin' in, and Walker Buehler has finally returned after a 20-month-long rehabilitation from a second Tommy John surgery. The more this unit gels, the more healthy they get; the more they will win.
Biggest Positives:
Offense is top 3 in most team categories (as they should be)
T-Nasty: Glasnow leads league with 81 Ks - 7 Quality Starts
Leads league in runs differential (+85)
Night Vision: 22-9 at night
Mookie & Ohtani is an unfair duo... better than Trout x Ohtani?
Upcoming Series: vs ARI, @ CIN, @ NYM, vs COL
Record since last drop (4/17): 24-6
Current Streak: W3
Notable series wins: vs SFG (4-game sweep); @ SDP (sweep)
No club is hotter than the Phillies right now. Philly has had two separate 7-game winning streaks on the campaign, using them to win 17 of 20. Phillies currently lead the league in wins and win percentage. Now they claim the top spot in my PRs. This club continues to be one of the more streaky clubs we have seen. When they get hot; they get HOT. Thankfully their streakiness is all towards the hot side to start off 2024; lets see how long it sticks.
Biggest Positives:
10-4 in 1-run games
Home cookin': 19-8 at home
2nd in MLB in runs differential (+80)
Jeff Hoffman & Matt Strahm have been crucial for the 'pen
Starting rotation; Spencer Turnbull has been solid
Upcoming Series: vs TEX, @ COL, @ SFG, vs STL
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