MLB Power Rankings: Padres, Dodgers Return to Winning Ways

Padres, Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees lead MLB Power Rankings for the last week of May 2021.

The theme of last week’s power rankings centered around the biggest surprises through the first quarter of the season, and we half-jokingly wondered whether we’d really see 16 no-hitters this year, as was the pace at the time. Seven days later, that would-be record total seems rather quaint.

Somehow, two more no-hitters were added to the list in the days that followed. At this rate, we’d have 21 by the end of the season, which would laughably shatter the previous record of eight. The barrage of no-hitters has led to something of an existential crisis throughout the game that surely won’t slow down anytime soon. By the time you read this, we might have already seen no-hitter No. 7.

Answering a question of what this all means in the grand scheme of things is not the aim of this column. Instead, let’s get down to business and rank all 30 teams as we barrel toward Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer.

30. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last Week: 29)

The Pittsburgh tank reached new depths Friday night with a 20-1 defeat to Atlanta, the biggest blowout of the season. MLB hits leader Adam Frazier continues to be one of the few diamonds in the rough, and was the hero in the Pirates' lone victory in their four-game series loss to the Braves. Ke’Bryan Hayes started his rehab assignment Saturday and is eligible to come off the injured list June 3. His fill-in at third base, Erik Gonzalez, has compiled the worst wRC+ (53) among third baseman in his stead.

29. Baltimore Orioles (LW: 27)

Since John Means’s no-hitter on May 5, the Orioles have lost 13 of their last 15 games. Baltimore has given up 54 runs during the team’s current six-game losing streak. On the plus side, first baseman Trey Mancini has enjoyed a hot month at the plate. Since the start of May, Mancini is batting .333/.416/.615 with five home runs and 24 RBIs in 20 games, hitting safely in 16 games during that span.

28. Detroit Tigers (LW: 30)

The preponderance of no-hitters this season and subsequent discussions of what the barrage means for baseball has distracted some from the pitching performances themselves. For that, we’ll take a moment here to tip the cap to Spencer Turnbull on his career outing on Tuesday. Of the 18 balls put in play by Mariners hitters, only six had an expected batting average of .200 or greater. His nine strikeouts were his most since April 4, 2019, a season in which he led the majors with 17 losses. The Tigers won a season-high four games in a row last week but ended it with back-to-back defeats to Kansas City.

27. Arizona Diamondbacks (LW: 26)

Madison Bumgarner (38.8%)—whose remarkable hot streak was halted by Albert Pujols and the Dodgers—and Merrill Kelly (37.7%) rank No. 2 and No. 3 in the NL in highest hard-hit rate allowed. The Diamondbacks own MLB’s second-worst road record (9-21), and their eight-game losing streak featuring sweeps at the hands of the Dodgers and Rockies has dragged them down to last place in the NL West. 

26. Colorado Rockies (LW: 28)

Remember the section immediately before this one? Well, Antonio Senzatela is the only NL pitcher who has a worse hard-hit rate (39.9%) than Bumgarner and Kelly, and the Rockies are the only team with a worse road record (2-17) than the Diamondbacks. But they’re above Arizona for now on the basis of a better record (by half a game), a better run differential (by 12 runs) and the aforementioned three-game sweep over the weekend.

25. Minnesota Twins (LW: 26)

It was an uneven week for Twins pitching, the latest in what’s been a disastrous season. Minnesota owns a league-worst 4.67 FIP, and the situation has tough days ahead with Kenta Maeda and Michael Pineda on the injured list. Slugger Nelson Cruz has missed the last four games with a bruised left wrist, and center fielder Byron Buxton still has not progressed past light baseball activities. On the bright side, Twins fans: six of the next nine games are against the Orioles.

Jay Biggerstaff/USA TODAY Sports

24. Los Angeles Angels (LW: 23)

A rough start for the Angels got even rougher when news broke that Mike Trout would miss up to two months with a strained calf, making 2021 appear very likely to be another lost season. Angels pitching has been a complete trainwreck, and the offense—while overall slightly below average—has been extremely reliant on standout seasons from Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Jared Walsh. With Trout on the shelf for the foreseeable future, it seems dark times are ahead. To avoid ending on a complete bummer, enjoy Ohtani turning a broken bat, jam shot ground ball into a hustle double in what was eventually an Angels loss.

Ohtani wouldn't settle for a single. pic.twitter.com/ODOBPo3JT6

— MLB (@MLB) May 23, 2021

23. Texas Rangers (LW: 25)

The Rangers held their own through a challenging week to snap their six-game losing streak and pull off a home sweep of the Astros. The offense remained in stall mode, getting no-hit for the second time this season, but the pitching had a strong showing. Since getting knocked out of the first inning on Opening Day, right-hander Kyle Gibson has been outstanding. He’s gone at least six innings with three runs allowed or fewer in every start since then, with just three home runs allowed in 60 innings.

22. Seattle Mariners (LW: 17)

A winless week that included getting no-hit for the second time this season sends the Mariners tumbling down the rankings and a season-worst five games below .500. Seattle was outscored 46-10 in six games against the Tigers and Padres last week, scoring two runs or fewer in five of the six games. The Mariners led for exactly one out of 54 innings in that span. Right fielder Mitch Haniger has swung a hot bat of late, though. He’s hit .256/.347/.566 with nine extra-base hits over the last two weeks.

21. Washington Nationals (LW: 21)

Washington may be in last place, but they’re only 2.5 games behind the NL East-leading Mets after sweeping the Orioles at home in the Beltway Series over the weekend. Thankfully for Nats fans, a cringeworthy blunder by Juan Soto didn’t end up costing the club in a one-run victory Sunday.

Juan Soto with maybe the toughest non hustle play of this MLB season pic.twitter.com/ZX9xJhNBLp

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 23, 2021

20. Cincinnati Reds (LW: 16)

The Reds boast the National League’s top two hitters by OPS, Jesse Winker (1.096) and Nick Castellanos (1.085), and the NL’s second-highest scoring offense (5.1 runs per game). Yet they still lost six of their last seven, including a 19-4 drubbing at the hands of the Giants on Thursday to conclude a deflating four-game sweep.

19. Kansas City Royals (LW: 22)

Despite struggling through what was an overall down season in 2020, Carlos Santana never wavered from his ability to work the strike zone. He led the league with 47 walks and had a .349 on-base percentage despite hitting .199. He still has the same sharp eye, but his bat has picked up the pace again. The 35-year-old is hitting .257/.396/.461 on the season, again leading the league in walks. He played the hero Sunday with a walk-off, two-run homer to beat the Tigers, 3-2. Kansas City has managed to stop the bleeding after a rough stretch in the middle of the month, winning six of its last nine following an 11-game losing streak.

An old-fashioned good time!#TogetherRoyal pic.twitter.com/faNv9MU9uU

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 23, 2021

18. Milwaukee Brewers (LW: 15)

Christian Yelich got his first hit and home run Sunday since returning from the injured list a few days prior, and the Brewers beat Cincinnati 9-4 in the rubber match of the weekend series to notch their second-highest run total of the season. Yelich, who’s played in only 15 of Milwaukee’s 46 games, and newly acquired shortstop Willy Adames could give a couple boosts to an offense (3.8 runs/game, 13th in NL) in serious need of at least one.

17. Philadelphia Phillies (LW: 14)

Philadelphia’s bullpen may be better than last year’s historically poor unit, but it’s still a weakness with a 4.45 ERA that ranks 10th in the NL. The only two games they won last week were started by Zack Wheeler, who is the first Phillies pitcher to have a sub-2.50 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP in the first 10 starts of a season since the late, great Roy Halladay in 2011 (2.21 ERA and 0.98 WHIP), according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. In the four losses last week, the Phillies offense scored just seven runs, as Bryce Harper has two hits in his last 25 at-bats and just one one homer and three RBIs in all of May.

Sam Navarro/USA Today Sports

16. Miami Marlins (LW: 19)

After taking series from the Phillies and Mets over the past week, Miami is still hanging tough with the NL East’s best run differential, two games out of first place. The Marlins have gone 5-2 since the return of Jazz Chisholm Jr. (team-best .857 OPS) and could be primed for a run.

JAZZ CHISHOLM

That homer came on a 100.5 mph pitch from José Alvarado

He homered off 100.4 mph from Jacob deGrom earlier this year

He's the 1st player with multiple HR off 100.0+ mph pitches in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008)

NOT JUST IN A SINGLE SEASON, JUST AT ALL!

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 19, 2021

15. Chicago Cubs (LW: 20)

The Cubs rank second in the NL with a 3.02 bullpen ERA after ranking sixth (4.38 ERA) last season. Chicago’s five most-used relievers have been even better, with 19 earned runs in 83 IP (2.06 ERA), led by closer Craig Kimbrel, who’s performing near his peak levels. His walk rate is lower than it’s been in four of his seven All-Star seasons, while his strikeout rate (15.2 K/9) is higher than it’s been in five of his All-Star campaigns and ranks sixth out of 182 qualified relievers.

14. Atlanta Braves (LW: 18)

With 15 round-trippers in their four game series last week against Pittsburgh, the Braves hit half as many as the Pirates have all season. They lead all teams in home runs (78), and their 10-homer lead over second-place Oakland is the same gap as the Athletics have over the two teams tied for 10th-place (Yankees, Rangers). Austin Riley, who’s been more selective at the plate in his age-24 season, has the second-highest batting average (.357), fourth-highest on-base percentage (.434) and third-highest slugging percentage (.653) in baseball over the last month.

13. New York Mets (LW: 13)

This is the final NL East team in our ranking this week. All five are placed between 13-21, reflecting the even and mediocre nature of the division. We’re still waiting for New York’s offense to heat up, while Taijuan Walker (right side tightness) and his 2.05 ERA are headed to the injured list. At least Jacob deGrom is slated to return on Tuesday against Colorado.

12. Cleveland (LW: 12)

Franmil Reyes has been a vital piece of a mostly hapless Cleveland lineup, continually making hard contact with plenty of swings-and-misses in between. So his absence for the next five-to-seven weeks with a strained oblique is a difficult blow to deal with, putting even more pressure on José Ramírez. Second baseman César Hernández has started to heat up, batting .284/.348/.519 in 19 games this month.

11. Toronto Blue Jays (LW: 8)

The Blue Jays wilted last week in two matchups against AL East heavyweights Boston and Tampa Bay, losing five straight behind subpar pitching. Toronto ranks last in the American League in pitching fWAR (1.1) and 27th in the majors in average innings per start, putting added strain on its bullpen. The road ahead doesn’t get easier, either: 17 of the team’s next 22 games are against the Rays, Yankees, Astros, White Sox and Red Sox.

D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

10. San Francisco Giants (LW: 8)

Kevin Gausman is the owner of the sport's second-lowest ERA (1.66) after shutting out Cincinnati’s high-octane offense for six innings in his most recent start, and is the only pitcher with two of the league’s 12 most valuable pitches, per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs. The Giants followed a sweep of Cincinnati with three straight losses to the Dodgers, and have fallen to third place in the NL West behind their red-hot rivals to the south. They’d still qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today on the strength of the NL’s third-best record, though.

9. St. Louis Cardinals (LW: 10)

St. Louis has been handing out too many free passes, like an out-of-order parking garage machine (if only there were more of these in the world). Their pitching staff ranks last in walk rate (11.7%). John Gant has been the worst offender in the rotation, and he’s been extremely lucky to record a 2.04 ERA despite compiling 28 walks and 32 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. But as a whole, the relievers have been the worst culprits. Entering their Sunday night loss to the Cubs, they owned the highest walk rate (14.9%) of any bullpen since 1969.

8. Oakland Athletics (LW: 9)

Even after losing to the Angels, 6-5, on Sunday, Oakland leads the majors with an 11-5 record in one-run games this season. A key reason why? Veteran relief pitcher Yusmeiro Petit. The 36-year-old has been a steady rock since joining the A’s in 2018, and he’s continued to deliver in high leverage situations this year. Petit ranks ninth among all relief pitchers in win probability added, remaining effective despite a declining strikeout rate. Petit ranks among the top 10% of the league in average exit velocity (85.8 miles per hour) and has .201 expected batting average against. He’s been durable since becoming a relief pitcher full-time, and should continue coming through in the late innings.

7. Houston Astros (LW: 2)

A hot Astros team was stopped in its tracks against the Rangers this weekend, getting swept with two extra-innings losses. Houston’s offense has led the charge to this point, ranking second in fWAR (9.7) and first in batting average (.270). Seven of the nine Astros hitters with at least 100 plate appearances have a wRC+ of 110 or better, with three clocking in at over 140: Alex Bregman (144), Yordan Álvarez (149) and Yuli Gurriel (159). The schedule gets tougher coming up, with 12 of the next 15 games coming against the Dodgers, Padres and Red Sox.

6. Tampa Bay Rays (LW: 11)

The AL East has a firm hold as the best division in baseball, and the reigning AL champions are a big reason why. The Rays have won 10 straight to move into a tie with Boston for first place, outscoring opponents 81-35 during that span. The biggest storyline of the week, though, was the trade of shortstop Willy Adames to the Brewers, opening up shortstop for Taylor Walls and, perhaps eventually, No. 1 prospect Wander Franco. Franco is clearly the buzziest prospect in recent memory, but Walls is no slouch himself. He was hitting .327/.468/.490 in Triple A before getting called up, and was a third round pick out of Florida State in 2017. Regardless of when Franco ultimately gets the nod, Tampa Bay’s embarrassment of riches is evident.

5. Chicago White Sox (LW: 1)

The White Sox were swept by the Yankees in the Bronx over the weekend, with one blowout loss and two, tough one-run defeats. It was Chicago’s first series loss since dropping two of three to Cleveland at the start of May, and just the third all season. With starting pitching like this, though, prolonged slumps should be in short supply for the South Siders. Now if they could only get on the same nonexistent page about baseball’s unwritten rules...

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

4. New York Yankees (LW: 6)

The Yankees’ pitching has flexed its muscle during the team’s current six-game win streak, giving up just nine runs in that span with three shutouts. Gerrit Cole has been outstanding, while Corey Kluber, Domingo German and Jordan Montgomery have all delivered. The wild card of the bunch is Jameson Taillon, and after a rocky April he’s found his footing in May. Through five starts this month, he has a 4.26 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 25.1 innings, holding opponents to a .213 batting average. Yankees starters lead the AL in fWAR (6.0) and are second only to the Red Sox in FIP (3.34).

3. Boston Red Sox (LW: 4)

The Red Sox enjoyed a 4-2 week during their road trip to regain the AL pole position. Boston’s stars have shone brightly all season, but perhaps none more than shortstop Xander Bogaerts. The 28-year-old has four multi-hit games in his last nine and is batting .365/.442/.676 this month, with six home runs and three stolen bases. Most of the surprise from Boston’s strong start to the season is centered around an overachieving pitching staff. Bogaerts’s hot start shouldn’t have caught anybody off guard, as he’s quietly been one of the game’s best hitters for the last four years.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (LW: 5)

Los Angeles has drawn the most walks of any team this season (209), and Max Muncy and his NL-best .460 on-base percentage is the poster child for this amazingly patient approach. The Dodgers have won seven straight after sweeping Arizona and San Francisco, compiled the league’s second-best run differential and appear to be hitting their stride again. Unfortunately for them, the only team with a better record and run differential resides in the same division.

1. San Diego Padres (LW: 3)

The Padres own MLB’s best record after becoming the first team with a perfect homestand of at least nine games since the Mets went 10-0 at Citi Field in April 2015. Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his second career grand slam Sunday—the first since the famous one he hit on a 3-0 count against the Rangers last year to set off the mind-numbing unwritten rules debate—and is hitting an MLB-best .403 over the last month among hitters with at least 60 at-bats. Dinelson Lamet pitched a season-high three innings Saturday, and the Padres could employ a fearsome six-man rotation once he’s fully stretched out again. Longer starts from a more rested rotation could help a bullpen that’s pitched the most innings of any unit this year. Slam Diego’s depth has shined in 2021 amid a slew of injuries and is perhaps its most promising takeaway of the season.