Week 8 MLB Power Rankings: Yankees, Astros Rise; Blue Jays Fall

Jack Vita introduces the first edition of his weekly MLB power rankings and notes for the 2023 season.

New to Inside the Phillies, is our weekly power rankings and notes from national baseball writer Jack Vita.

Hello, I'm Jack Vita. My power rankings are my best attempt at an accurate reflection of how teams are playing right now. My power rankings are not projections or predictions for later performance in the regular season or postseason. Instead, they should be looked at as a snapshot of where teams stand in the current moment. Two weeks ago, the St. Louis Cardinals would have been my bottom team in the National League. In the time since, they've won 11 of 14, and now find themselves just five games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for the National League Central division-lead.

Below the power rankings, are my additional notes from around the league.

Without much further ado, let's kick off the first edition of my weekly power rankings. Note that "DIFF" means run differential and ">.500" is record versus teams with records above .500.

30) Oakland Athletics (10-38; -168 DIFF, 6-27 vs. >.500) — For the first time in a long time, the Oakland A's truly stink. Last season, the A's finished 60-102, the club's first 100-loss season since 1979. As of May 21, the A's are on pace to finish 34-128, which would easily be the worst record by a team in a 162-game season in Major League Baseball history. Currently, the worst mark over 162 is the 43-119 record the Detroit Tigers managed to compile in 2003.

The A's have had two players that have shined through the early part of the season: center fielder Esteury Ruiz (.286/.348/.729) and designated hitter Brent Rooker (.284/.391/.958). I also like what I've seen from 25 year-old JJ Bleday, since he was recalled from Triple-A Nashville two weeks ago. One thing that is clear is that this team is in the early stage of a full-scale rebuild. It's going to be a long season in Oakland.

29) Kansas City Royals (14-34; -71 DIFF, 6-26 vs. >.500) — The Royals might not be quite as terrible as the A's, but they're still awful. Kansas City is on pace to finish the season 47-115, which would tie the 2018 Baltimore Orioles for the second-worst record in a 162-game season in baseball history.

28) Chicago White Sox (19-29; -54 DIFF, 9-20 vs. >.500) — Are the White Sox showing signs of life? Did we write them off too soon? After a dreadful start, the South Siders took five of six over the past week, completing a sweep of the Royals. Barring a rainout, the team will play on 16 straight days, not seeing a day off until June 1. With series in Cleveland and Detroit, before the Angels come to town Memorial Day, the White Sox have a chance to climb their way back into the division race. Thanks to a lackluster American League Central, the White Sox enter the new week only 6.5 games back of first place.

27) Colorado Rockies (19-28; -46 DIFF, 8-12 vs. >.500) — The Rockies rolled into Arlington Friday with an impressive 10-5 record in the month of May. Colorado was then outscored 31-10 over three games by an upstart Texas Rangers team.

Kris Bryant is quietly putting together a very nice season, slashing .288/.366/.777 with five home runs and 16 RBI.

26) Cincinnati Reds (19-27; -43 DIFF, 10-15 vs. >.500) — With the Cardinals on the rise, the Reds are now in sole possession of last place in a very thin National League Central division. Cincy has now dropped four straight and lost six of seven.

25) Washington Nationals (20-27; -21 DIFF, 10-20 vs. >.500) — The Nationals are in the early stages of a rebuild, but the club has a number of highly intriguing young players already at the Major League level. This team may not be very good, but it is actually kind of fun to watch. Josiah Gray is a star in the making.

24) Chicago Cubs (20-26; +21 DIFF, 9-16 vs. >.500) — Since sweeping Oakland in mid-April, the Cubs are 9-20. An impressive first three weeks of the season raised expectations from fans and gave false hope to the Cubby faithful. Now, the Cubs appear to be the same subpar club they were in each of the last two seasons.

23) Detroit Tigers (20-24; -51 DIFF, 10-17 vs. >.500) — Detroit is in second place in the AL Central. That tells me more about the AL Central than it does the Tigers.

22) Cleveland Guardians (20-26; -33 DIFF, 8-12 vs. >.500) — The Guardians' struggles have been alarming, but given the strength — of lack thereof — of their division, I'm not terribly worried about them quite yet. They're only 4.5 games back, and I'm not expecting the Twins to run away with the division.

21) San Diego Padres (21-26; -8 DIFF, 13-19 vs. >.500) — The Padres have been baseball's greatest disappointment thus far. The Cardinals owned that title until recently. There's no reason the Padres can't rattle off an impressive stretch in which they take ten of 12 games and find themselves back above .500. The National League is wide open for the taking.

20) Philadelphia Phillies (22-24; -28 DIFF, 7-13 vs. >.500) — Both teams that played in the NLCS last fall have losing records. I predicted a World Series hangover for the Phillies and I have yet to see substantial evidence that will change my view. The Trea Turner, $300 million contract has been a bust thus far. The new Phillies shortstop has -3 Defensive Runs Saved and is slashing just .257/.300/.693. The Phillies also find themselves near the bottom of the league defensively yet again, placing 29th in DRS (-18).

19) Miami Marlins (24-23; -54 DIFF, 9-14 vs. >.500) — A sweep of the Nationals put the Marlins above .500, and Luis Arraez continues to rake. Through 43 games this season, the Marlins second baseman is batting a Major-League best .382.

18) San Francisco Giants (22-24; -18 DIFF, 12-14 vs. >.500) — The Giants had a great week, sweeping Gabe Kapler's former team, before taking two of three from the Marlins. It was a nice recovery after dropping six of their previous eight.

17) Seattle Mariners (22-24; +18 DIFF, 7-14 vs. >.500) — Seattle has been disappointing, but not terrible. I expect the M's and the Guardians' bats to heat up as the seasons change and spring turns to summer.

16) Los Angeles Angels (25-23; +7 DIFF, 10-16 vs. >.500) — The Angels lost third baseman Anthony Rendon to a left groin strain earlier in the week. Rendon is a huge x-factor for the Angels. If he can stay healthy, the club can contend for a playoff spot. Without their $245 million dollar man, the Angels lose a key bat and a very good defensive third baseman. Rendon is batting .301 with a .415 On Base Percentage through 30 games this season.

15) Pittsburgh Pirates (24-22; +17 DIFF, 8-13 vs. >.500) — Entering the month of May, the Pirates had the best run-differential in the National League. Since the start of a new month, the Buccos have been one of the worst teams in baseball with a 4-13 record. Guess that's why we play 162.

14) St. Louis Cardinals (21-27; +18 DIFF, 14-18 vs. >.500) — Don't let the record fool you. The Cardinals have flipped a switch and won 11 of their last 14; this is a good team. Now, they're just five games back of the division-lead in the NL Central.

13) Milwaukee Brewers (25-21; -2 DIFF, 9-9 vs. >.500) — Even with the Cardinals quickly climbing the NL Central standings, the Brewers remain the favorites to win the division in most sportsbooks. Following a sweep of the Royals last weekend, the Brew Crew has dropped four of their last six, and now possesses a negative run-differential. The Brewers rank 23rd in runs. They won't be favorites for too much longer if their offense doesn't wake up.

12) New York Mets (25-23; -14 DIFF, 10-9 vs. >.500) — A sweep of the Guardians was an encouraging sign for Mets fans that the team's best play has yet to come.

11) Minnesota Twins (25-22; +43 DIFF, 10-12 vs. >.500) — The Twins had high hopes when they joined together the top two picks of the 2012 MLB Draft in Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa. The duo has underperformed, with Correa slashing just .206/.298/.686, but the Twins' pitching staff has been excellent. Sonny Gray leads MLB with the lowest ERA (1.64) among qualified starters, with the Twins posting the third-lowest team ERA (3.43) in the sport.

10) Toronto Blue Jays (25-22; +7 DIFF, 14-15 vs. >.500) — Since the Blue Jays swept the Braves and many of my colleagues in the media talked up the Blue Jays as an overlooked giant in the American League, Toronto went 1-6 to division rivals at home over the past week. The Blue Jays have a solid team, but right now they're the fifth-best team in a loaded American League East.

9) Boston Red Sox (26-21; +16 DIFF, 15-14 vs. >.500) — Boston continues to hang around and impress, led by Japanese rookie Masataka Yoshida, who is slashing .303/.382/.875 with six home runs and 28 RBI through 39 games.

8) Arizona Diamondbacks (27-20; +12 DIFF, 12-10 vs. >.500) — The Diamondbacks continue to hum along, and are just 1.5 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West.

7) New York Yankees (29-20; +31 DIFF, 15-16 vs. >.500) — Hot off a sweep of the Reds in Cincinnati, the Yankees have won 11 of their last 14 games. They'll enjoy an off-day Monday, preparing for battle with the Orioles coming to town this week.

6) Texas Rangers (28-17; +108 DIFF, 10-8 vs. >.500) — The Rangers are the best team that people aren't talking about, and probably the best team that few people believe in. I need to see more, personally, before I fully buy in, but Texas has my attention.

5) Los Angeles Dodgers (29-19; +48 DIFF, 9-11 vs. >.500) — The Dodgers dropped three of four in St. Louis over the weekend, but after a slow over the first few weeks, the Dodgers are playing the way we are used to seeing them play. The Dodgers were 15-3 over their last 18 entering the weekend series.

4) Houston Astros (27-19; +38, 13-8 vs. >.500) — The Astros and Dodgers have found sustained success through their ability to continually draft and develop young players. Hampered by injuries, both clubs got off to relatively slow starts, but are now in midseason form.

Injuries to Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy have opened up opportunities for young guns Hunter Brown, JP France and Brandon Bielak. All three have shown great promise. Similarly, Mauricio Dubon has filled Jose Altuve's place at second base... and led the Astros in Batting Average!

3) Atlanta Braves (29-17; +63 DIFF, 13-11 vs. >.500) — The Braves remain at the top of the National League, but injuries to Max Fried and Kyle Wright are cause for concern.

2) Baltimore Orioles (31-16; +41 DIFF, 16-12 vs. >.500) — The Orioles just swept the Blue Jays in Toronto. The club has the second-best record in all of baseball. Baltimore had little preseason hype from the national media coming into the season. It's time to take the O's seriously. Baltimore is a heavyweight in the American League.

1) Tampa Bay Rays (34-14; +124 DIFF, 17-12 vs. >.500) — Since the start of the month, the Rays have taken a slight step back (12-7 in May) from their remarkable 23-6 start, but Tampa Bay remains baseball's best team... for now, at least.

Around the Diamond

•  On the topic of the Rays' remarkable start, former Rays' pregame and postgame analyst Orestes Destrade has a theory as to why the Rays got off to their greatest start in franchise history. He recently shared his thoughts on the Jack Vita Show.

"The Rays, because of Hurricane Ian, had spring training at 'The Trop," Destrade said. "I can't think of another team that had spring training in their home ballpark... There's no transitional period for said team. Talk about their start being historic, that's historic... That is a major plus and that brought their team together."

Destrade covered the Rays for Fox Sports and Bally Sports from 2011 through 2022. The Rays were unable to host spring training at their spring training home at the Charlotte Sports Park, due to damage from Hurricane Ian that occurred last fall. With Charlotte Sports Park out of play, the Rays worked out and played their home spring training games at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

"If [the Rays] go on to break the 116-game win record, someone needs to write a book called, 'The Perfect Storm," Destrade said.

•  Destrade also suggests that it isn't inconceivable that Major League Baseball might have altered the baseballs that are being used in play this season, as a distraction from radical rule changes that have come to the game in the form of the pitch clock and the banning of the shift.

"Why not tighten the balls a little bit when you're going to be having such a paradigm shift in the beloved game of baseball, with reference to some rule changes that are dramatic?... In order to take the eyes away from that in baseball, you tighten it a little bit and you've got more home runs."

MLB had deadened the ball a year ago, after balls were exploding off of bats in 2017 and 2019. An MLB record 6,776 home runs were hit across the league in 2019. MLB has been known to make changes to its baseball in recent years, as recently as last year. So it isn't far-fetched that the uptick we are seeing in home runs this season is due to a new baseball that is flying further off the bat.

•  Last season, the Cleveland Guardians had one of the best bullpens in the Majors. This year, Cleveland's bullpen has allowed 20 home runs, the 12th-highest total in MLB. James Karinchak and Trevor Stephan have combined for 10 of those home runs. Last season, the pair combined for 5 all season.

Karinchak has a 5.03 ERA and in many ways, is starting to remind me of 'Wild Thing' Rick Vaughn in Major League 2.

Last year, Emmanuel Clase was the best reliever in the American League. This season, he's responsible for four of the Guardians' losses. In fact, Clase, Karinchak and Stephan are a combined 4-10 this season. This speaks to the volatility of relief pitchers. A team can have a lights-out bullpen one year that is highly ineffective the next. This also speaks to how valuable the true great relievers that can sustain success, like Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner, are.

•  Shohei Ohtani is approaching free agency, and appears to be in line for the richest contract in baseball history. Seattle Mariners play-by-play broadcaster Dave Sims does not believe that the Mariners will sign the 2021 AL MVP, however.

Sims was asked about the Mariners' chances of landing Ohtani Friday on the Jack Vita Show.

"If they want to spend $70 or $80 million a year, I would say they'll do it. I don't see it happening," Sims said with a laugh. "Would we love to have him? Are you kidding? Absolutely. I'd love to be surprised... I'm not holding my breath."

The Mariners were one of the teams in contention for Ohtani when he first tested the waters of free agency upon the conclusion of the 2017 season. The club had Japanese-born star Ichiro Suzuki playing in the Pacific Northwest for the bulk of his career, and many thought the M's could be in play for the modern day Babe Ruth this winter. Sims doesn't see it happening, though.

Check out the latest episode of the Jack Vita Show with Dave Sims, for more notes and news from around Major League Baseball!

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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.