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    MLB Power Rankings Week 23: Philadelphia Phillies Continue Their Climb

    The Philadelphia Phillies took another step forward in this week's MLB Power Rankings on Inside the Phillies.

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    Philadelphia Phillies
    Philadelphia Phillies

    The Philadelphia Phillies continued to move up in our weekly MLB power rankings. The Fightin' Phils are now the no. 7 team in the power rankings, jumping up a spot from a week ago, and moving in front of the Houston Astros.

    The top six teams in our rankings from last week didn't move, retaining their spots for another week. However, the bottom half of the top-10 saw some movement, with one team moving into the top-10.

    Here's a look at our power rankings for Week 23 of the 2023 Major League Baseball season:

    1) Atlanta Braves (90-46; +239 DIFF, 47-28 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 1 [no movement]) — Our reigning top two teams met for a battle in Los Angeles over the weekend. The Braves came out on top, taking three of four, and retaining their top spot in our power rankings. This is the fourth week in a row that Atlanta sits atop the power rankings. 

    2) Los Angeles Dodgers (84-52; +166 DIFF, 42-33 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 2 [no movement]) — The Dodgers may have lost the battle, but the war is far from over. Los Angeles and Atlanta seem destined to meet in the postseason for the fourth time in six years. The Dodgers also went a ridiculous 24-4 in the month of August. Make no mistake about it, these are the best two teams in the sport right now.

    3) Baltimore Orioles (85-51; +101 DIFF, 44-32 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 3 [no movement]) — The Orioles remain at the top of the American League, after picking up an impressive series victory over the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

    4) Tampa Bay Rays (80-52; +174 DIFF, 36-32 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 4 [no movement]) — The Rays were able to avoid being swept in Cleveland, pulling away late in Sunday's game and collecting a much-needed victory.

    5) Seattle Mariners (77-59; +105 DIFF, 32-33 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 5 [no movement]) — The Mariners cooled off this week. I was expecting more than a 3-3 week from a team that played the New York Mets and hosted the Oakland Athletics. Their series against the Mets was the first series the M's lost since August 13.

    6) Milwaukee Brewers (76-60; +23 DIFF, 40-39 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 6 [no movement]) — The Brewers remain steady in our six spot. Despite dropping two of three at Wrigley to the Cubs, Milwaukee outscored Chicago 8-6 for the series and narrowly won the two games they lost. Over the weekend, they played the Phillies in a battle of teams jockeying for third place in the National League. The Brewers won this round, and they remain in pole position to win the NL Central for the third time in six years.

    7) Philadelphia Phillies (75-61; +71 DIFF, 40-39 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 8 [up 1]) — An embarrassing performance from the Astros over the weekend moves the Phillies up to the no. 7 spot.

    8) Houston Astros (77-61; +93 DIFF, 35-38 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 7 [down 1]) — The Astros went 3-3 over the past week, but got swept by the Yankees, at home! After years of difficulty with Houston, leave it to the Yankees to finally sweep the 'Stros, when they're entirely out of the race.

    9) Toronto Blue Jays (75-62; +69 DIFF, 38-42 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 10 [up 1]) — If the Blue Jays miss the playoffs, they will look back and think, "Why didn't we sweep a terrible Rockies team in September?" A 4-2 week has the Blue Jays at 1.5 games back of an AL Wild Card.

    10) Chicago Cubs (73-64; +87 DIFF, 33-39 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 11 [up 1]) — The Cubs climb back into the top-10, after an impressive series win over the division-leading Brewers. The club remains 3.5 games back with four weeks remaining in the regular season.

    11) Minnesota Twins (71-66; +51 DIFF, 32-35 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 13 [up 2]) — A series loss at home to Cleveland has opened the door for the Guardians to scratch their way back into contention in the AL Central. The two clubs will open a pivotal series in Cleveland on Monday.

    12) Texas Rangers (76-60; +168 DIFF, 33-36 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 14 [up 2]) — Don't let the record deceive you. The Rangers got off to an improbable 40-20 start over their first 60 games. Over the three months since, Texas is 36-40. If the Rangers played at that pace all season, they would finish with 77 wins, which is right around where many of us predicted them to be, coming into the season.

    13) Arizona Diamondbacks (70-67; -26 DIFF, 32-46 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 9 [down 4]) — Bad week for the Diamondbacks drops them four spots. I'm not overly concerned, though. The Snakes have struggled against the Dodgers for years, and Baltimore is the best team in the AL. They'll have a chance to get some wins back early in the week when the Rockies come to town, before beginning a four-game series at Wrigley against the Cubs.

    14) Boston Red Sox (71-66; +24 DIFF, 36-39 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 12 [down 2]) — The Red Sox lost five straight, a stretch in which they were outscored 46-19, including a humiliating 13-2 loss to the league-worst Kansas City Royals. The losing skid drops them to 5.5 games back of an AL Wild Card.

    15) Miami Marlins (70-67; -44 DIFF, 30-42 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 17 [up 2) — A four-game sweep of the Nationals is just what the doctor ordered, and the Marlins now find themselves in a four-way tie for the third and final National League Wild Card.

    16) San Francisco Giants (70-67; -5 DIFF, 40-36 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 16 [no movement]) — The Giants picked up a series win over the Reds last week, giving them the edge over the Medium-Sized Red Machine.

    17) Cincinnati Reds (71-68; -37 DIFF, 40-43 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 15 [down 2]) — For a moment there, it looked like Cincinnati was about to make a statement by taking three of four from the Cubs at the Great American Ballpark, but a disastrous performance from their bullpen cost them on Sunday. The Reds imploded, allowing seven runs in the top of the eighth inning, losing 15-7. When you lose a game like that, it often carries the weight of more than one loss.

    18) New York Yankees (68-69; -5 DIFF, 42-48 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 21 [up 3]) — The Bronx Bombers have won six of seven, and swept the Astros over the weekend. Only one game under .500 now, the club has a chance to extend its 27-year streak of recording a winning season.

    19) Cleveland Guardians (66-71; -11 DIFF, 34-37 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 19 [no movement]) — Not only did the Guardians (and the Reds) win the waiver deadline, but Cleveland is FINALLY picking up steam. The Guardians took two of three from the Twins in Minnesota last week, and came close to sweeping the Rays over the weekend. Winners of four of their last five, the Guardians will have a prime opportunity to gain ground on the division-leading Twins, when Minnesota comes to town for a three-game series, beginning Monday.

    20) San Diego Padres (65-73; +62 DIFF, 42-50 vs. >.500. LAST WEEK: no. 22 [up 2]) — Time's running out for the Padres. The club has a three-game win-streak, but is 5.5 games back of a postseason spot, which isn't unattainable. Is this the start of a hot stretch for Slam Diego?

    21) Pittsburgh Pirates (63-74; -84 DIFF, 30-54 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 25 [up 4]) — This past week, the Pirates resembled the team they were in April, winning five of six.

    22) Detroit Tigers (63-74; -111 DIFF, 30-48 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 24 [up 2]) — The Tigers move up, after a 4-3 week.

    23) New York Mets (63-74; -37 DIFF, 34-45 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 23 [no movement]) — The Mets stole a series from a hot Mariners team over the weekend, playing spoiler to a club fighting for its first division title in 22 years.

    24) Los Angeles Angels (64-73; -58 DIFF, 33-51 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 20 [down 2]) — Did the train come off the tracks, or what? Over the past week, the Angels dumped a handful of players, placing them on waivers, before the start of the final month of the season. I guess Lucas Giolito won't be re-signing in Anaheim.

    25) Washington Nationals (62-76; -118 DIFF, 36-51 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 18 [up 5) — Less than a week ago, the Nationals had an identical record to the Padres, who they traded Juan Soto to last summer. In the time since, they've lost five in a row.

    26) St. Louis Cardinals (59-78; -77 DIFF, 33-47 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 26 [no movement]) — If you're a Cubs fan, you better enjoy this sight while you can. The Cardinals haven't posted a losing record since 2007, and they haven't finished 20 games below .500 since 1990.

    27) Colorado Rockies (50-86; -202 DIFF, 22-58 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 28 [no movement]) — At least football is starting soon? Perhaps Sean Payton can get Russell Wilson back on track? And how about Coach Prime? What a win for the Buffs! I imagine this is what a normal conversation amongst Colorado sports fans sounds like right now.

    28) Chicago White Sox (53-84; -147 DIFF, 23-52 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 27 [down 1]) — This past week, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf promoted assistant general manager Chris Getz to the role of Senior Vice President and General Manager, replacing Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn. The White Sox stay the White Sox. That decision by Reinsdorf was enough to drop the South Siders in our power rankings.

    29) Oakland Athletics (42-95; -296 DIFF, 20-64 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 30 [up 1]) — Ladies and gentlemen, the A's have surpassed the Royals, and no longer have the worst record in baseball! Oakland is now on pace to finish the season 50-112, which would be the worst record in franchise history.

    30) Kansas City Royals (42-96; -189 DIFF, 20-57 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 29 [no movement]) — The Royals now have the worst record in baseball, and are on pace to finish the season 49-113, which would also be the worst record in the history of their franchise.

    For more from Jack Vita, follow him on Twitter @JackVitaShow, and subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, iHeartRadio, and wherever podcasts are found.

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