MLB Power Rankings: The Giants Are Better Than We Thought

The Mets, Cardinals and White Sox are also surging this week after their hot starts to the 2022 season.

When settling in to hammer out this week’s power rankings, I wondered how it might feel to apply this same process to other aspects of life. What if, every 10 minutes of a movie, you paused to rank all the characters? Or ranked every shirt you owned each Sunday evening? Or maybe even took the time to rank your friends in a public forum (Tom from MySpace was an agent of chaos for this)?

It might seem kind of silly to do any of these things, yet we carry on in this space every Monday morning. (Well, except for last week because we were less than a few days into the season.) Because it’s not called MLB Sometimes Power Rankings, or MLB Whenever We Feel Like It Power Rankings. This is the MLB Weekly Power Rankings, and they will be here, rain or shine, at this time each week through the end of the season for your reading pleasure. 

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A quick rundown of how this will work this year, other than the regular weekly schedule. Will and I will both rank the 30 teams each week, but we’ll alternate which one of us writes the story.

O.K., enough housekeeping and philosophical musings. Here’s how things stand through the season’s first 11 days.

30. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last week: 27)

Stats from the first week and a half always provide fun nuggets. Well, “fun” is a relative term, but here are a couple Diamondbacks stats: They have the lowest team batting average (.152) and highest walk rate (13.9%) in the majors. Their pitchers also have the lowest strikeout rate (15.6%) and second-highest walk rate (12.1%). It’s looking like a long year in Phoenix.

29. Baltimore Orioles (LW: 30)

The Orioles’ season immediately took a turn for the worse when John Means went on the 60-day injured list with a strained left elbow. Taking two out of three against the Yankees—with a shutout victory on Sunday—takes the sting out of things a little bit, as does a pitching staff that currently owns the league’s fifth-best ERA (3.04).

28. Washington Nationals (LW: 26)

Juan Soto’s mastery of the batter’s box remains unmatched, walking nearly a quarter of the time he steps up to the plate. As a team, the Nationals have the second-lowest isolated power mark (.093) in the majors.

27. Cincinnati Reds (LW: 24)

It was a tough week for the Reds, who have lost six straight since team president and COO Phil Castellini told fans calling for the team to be sold, “Where are you going to go? Are you gonna abandon being a Reds fan?” Right now, those fans might consider taking him up on the offer given the trajectory of this year’s squad. But hey, at least Hunter Greene is exciting!

26. Texas Rangers (LW: 23)

The Rangers spent half a billion dollars to fortify their middle infield for the next half decade and beyond, but the team’s pitching situation already looks dire. Texas has the worst ERA (6.19) and has given up the most home runs (18) of any team in the league.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates (LW: 29)

A strong start to the season for Ke’Bryan Hayes is a wonderful sight to behold for Pirates fans after his up-and-down 2021 campaign. It’s only a matter of time before Oneil Cruz joins him on the left side of the infield.

24. Kansas City Royals (LW: 21)

Whit Merrifield, Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Pérez and Adalberto Mondesi are all off to sluggish starts for the Royals. But at least Andrew Benintendi is not. Now in his seventh big-league, it’s easy to forget he’s only 27 and still has more ceiling to reach after a bounce-back year in 2021.

23. Oakland A’s (LW: 28)

It would be fitting for the A’s to put together a contending season after an “everything must go” fire sale this offseason. Three of Oakland’s five losses have come by two runs or fewer, but we’re not so confident that this team can hover around .500 for too long—and nearly certain its offense won’t continue to lead the majors in runs (53).

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22. Detroit Tigers (LW: 19)

As a team, the Tigers haven’t hit much through the first week-and-a-half of the season. But Spencer Torkelson already looks to be an impact bat, posting a .907 OPS through his first 31 plate appearances. There might be some swing-and-miss issues to start, but the power is more than enough to compensate for them.

21. Colorado Rockies (LW: 25)

Well, look who has yet to lose a series so far! Who knows how long the good times will last, but Colorado’s 6–3 start was worth a four-spot bump. Connor Joe’s hot start demonstrates promise that his (relatively) late-career breakout from last season can continue in 2022. Also a moment of recognition for the Rockies bullpen, which has the best ERA in the majors (1.80)

20. Miami Marlins (LW: 18)

Of all of Miami’s young starters, Jesús Luzardo might possess the highest ceiling. That’s why his career-high 12 strikeouts against the Angels on Tuesday was so encouraging. He reached a dozen punchouts in just five innings and 76 pitches, making the prospect of a breakout season feel even more reachable.

19. Minnesota Twins (LW: 17)

Can we please just let Byron Buxton play a full season uninterrupted? Buxton had to leave Minnesota’s 8–4 win on Friday after hurting his knee while sliding into second base. An MRI thankfully showed no structural damage, and he’s expected to miss about a week. 

18. Cleveland Guardians (LW: 22)

It turns out the only thing that could cool down Cleveland’s bats is San Francisco’s pitching. The Guardians put up just four runs in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Giants, though are still averaging the most runs per game in the American League (5.44).

17. Chicago Cubs (LW: 20)

Have a first week in the big leagues, Seiya Suzuki. The five-time NPB All-Star enjoyed a scorching start to his Cubs career, slugging .960 with four home runs in nine games. Any questions about whether his bat could play against the best pitchers in the world have so far been answered resoundingly.

16. Seattle Mariners (LW: 15)

It’s still incredibly early, but we’re still waiting for Julio Rodríguez and Jarred Kelenic to look anything other than overmatched against big-league pitching. Rodríguez has 16 strikeouts in 35 plate appearances so far, while Kelenic is batting .172/.242/.310 after looking lost for most of last season. They represent the hope for the Mariners to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001. So far, the two young studs haven’t lived up to the hype, but there’s plenty of time to turn things around.

15. Milwaukee Brewers (LW: 7)

Free passes were a big issue for Brewers pitching last week. Their pitchers issued 4.75 walks per nine innings over its first 10 games. Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s bats averaged 3.1 runs per game, the second worst mark in the National League.

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14. Los Angeles Angels (LW: 14)

That sound you hear isn’t a gust of wind rolling through—it’s the collective exhale from Angels fans after X-rays on Mike Trout’s plunked hand came back negative. A full season from the three-time MVP is paramount for the Angels contending in 2022. Los Angeles leads the majors with 15 home runs, so far.

13. Philadelphia Phillies (LW: 10)

Alec Bohm’s “I hate this place” comment has already reserved a spot on the Phillies’ 2022 highlight reel. Philadelphia fans likely felt the same way about the team’s play last week after dropping five out of seven to the Mets and Marlins. Better results against NL East foes will be needed to compete in what should be a tight division race.

12. Boston Red Sox (LW: 13)

In our season preview, I questioned whether or not the Red Sox had enough pitching to contend in the AL East. Those questions have not yet been resolved, but Michael Wacha, Garrett Whitlock and company are off to a strong start.

11. Tampa Bay Rays (LW: 4)

Ji-Man Choi has long thrived in a part-time role, but if he keeps up this pace, he might be in store for more playing time. He has seven walks and five extra-base hits in 31 plate appearances as one of the few hot-hitting Rays regulars. Also in that category (of course): Wander Franco, who’s batting .381/.386/.548 through 10 games.

10. San Diego Padres (LW: 8)

Padres fans who have long been frustrated with Eric Hosmer had to be relieved at the first baseman’s hot start. The underlying numbers—namely the .519 BABIP and a barrel rate that ranks in the bottom 1st percentile among qualified hitters—aren’t as rosy, so maybe don’t bet on this to continue much longer. Then again, he’s finding the sweet spot 44.4% of the time and has a .320 expected batting average. So, uh, maybe?

9. New York Yankees (LW: 9)

Dropping two out of three to the Orioles is the perfect early-season gift for back page headline writers in the Big Apple. We think the Yankees ultimately will be fine, especially if Anthony Rizzo can keep tapping into his power. He’s pulling the ball nearly two-thirds of the time with the highest average launch angle of his career (20.7 degrees).

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8. St. Louis Cardinals (LW: 16)

The Cardinals put up the fourth-best FIP (3.34) and the third-best wRC+ (125) in the National League to this point. After an injury-shortened 2021 season, Miles Mikolas is off to a promising start, though his fly ball-heavy batted ball profile means the home runs will probably start coming soon enough.

7. Atlanta Braves (LW: 2)

The defending champs take a bit of a tumble after a so-so start, which included a series loss at home to the lowly Nationals. Braves fans won’t forget Freddie Freeman’s name, but Matt Olson has done well to endear himself to Atlanta with his white-hot start.

6. Houston Astros (LW: 5)

Houston’s offense will wake up soon enough, particularly when Yordan Álvarez returns from illness. Jeremy Peña had big shoes to fill after the departure of Carlos Correa, and he’s done everything you’d hope for and then some in the early stages of his career.

5. Toronto Blue Jays (LW: 3)

Thanks to Shohei Ohtani’s historic two-way supernova, we might look back on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 2021 season as the most overlooked masterpiece of a contemporary hitter. The early goings of 2022 suggest that the 23-year-old is intent on not letting us take his followup for granted. He and the Blue Jays are going to mash, though their pitching is a bit suspect.

4. New York Mets (LW: 11)

No Jacob deGrom, no problem? Mets starters have dominated so far, and Tylor Megill is the latest sensation. The towering righthander has yet to allow a run or a walk through two starts, somewhat overshadowing stellar work by Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, Max Scherzer and David Peterson.

3. San Francisco Giants (LW: 12)

Well, well, well, look who we have here. We waited too long last year to take the Giants seriously, and we won’t be making that same mistake again. San Francisco’s rotation has great depth, and if all five starters can stay relatively healthy, there’s no reason to think the Giants can’t keep pace in the NL playoff race.

2. Chicago White Sox (LW: 6)

Winning every series to date is a great way to surge up the power rankings. The White Sox struggled against good teams last season, but beating the defending AL East champion Rays and upstart Mariners is a good way to begin breaking that trend. So, too, will strong starts by Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (LW: 1)

Is this the year of the Hean Dog? Andrew Heaney struck out 11 Reds on Sunday, and now has 15 punchouts and just four hits allowed across two starts. Clayton Kershaw’s perfect seven innings was the headline pitching event out of Dodgers camp last week, but a breakout year from Heaney would be a massive win for the front office’s savvy winter signing.