Pro-GM Power Rankings - Episode 4

[Buster Olney]

Pro-GM Power Rankings
Episode: 4
Week: 10

Rising: Los Angeles Angels (+2), Seattle Mariners (+2), Chicago White Sox (+2)
Falling:  Pittsburgh Pirates (-3), Los Angeles Dodgers (-6)

Welcome to the fourth episode of my power rankings. I've included a new feature this week that lists every team's MVP thus far this season.

Key games to keep an eye on this week...

American League

• Chicago White Sox (7-1-1) vs Tampa Bay Rays (9-0)

National League

• Cincinnati Reds (8-1) vs Colorado Rockies (9-0)
• Washington Nationals (4-5) vs Los Angeles Dodgers (5-4)

1. Chicago Cubs (9-0)  
Last Week: 1
MVP: Clayton Kershaw
Convincing win over the Phillies this past week. Everything's going well for the Cubs right now, but should there be concern regarding Herrera and Bush? Neither have pitched as well as they had last year and if their struggles worsen you have to wonder if they'll keep their closing jobs. A worry for another day.

2. Cincinnati Reds (8-1)  
Last Week: 3
MVP: Aaron Judge
This team looks better every week in my eyes. Quintana has continued to struggle and looks nothing like last year's version.

3. Tampa Bay Rays (9-0)  
Last Week: 2
MVP: Marcell Ozuna
With the Blue Jays suffering another loss, the division looks more secure by the week. Will Rays GM Ben keep making moves that hurt the team short term in exchange for long term success?

4. Los Angeles Angels (7-2)  
Last Week: 6
MVP: Paul Goldschmidt
Very impressive bounceback win this week over the Blue Jays. Both teams played worse than they usually do, but what matters is the Angels got the win.

5. Colorado Rockies (9-0)  
Last Week: 5
This week's matchup against the Reds means everything. Buckle in and enjoy the matchup between two NL powerhouses.

6. Toronto Blue Jays (6-2-1)  
Last Week: 4
MVP: Dallas Keuchel
Losing back to back weeks to the Rays and Angels is nothing to be ashamed of for any regular team, but the Blue Jays and their fans expect more. Losing Segura and Wood to injuries just makes things worse.

7. Seattle Mariners (6-2-1) 
Last Week: 9
MVP: Zack Greinke
The Mariners continue to move their way up the power rankings after a great win over the Tigers. Koda Glover does not seem to be the answer at closer for the Nationals.

8. Chicago White Sox (7-1-1) 
Last Week: 10
MVP: Kendrys Morales
The White Sox continued to roll in week 9, defeating the Yankees 11-1. This week's match against the Rays is gonna be awesome.

9. Baltimore Orioles (5-4)  
Last Week: 7
MVP: Charlie Blackmon
Another really convincing win this week by the Orioles over the Royals. The pitching staff's struggles have continued with just one quality start last week.

10. Detroit Tigers (5-4) 
Last Week: 8
MVP: Ervin Santana
It was a horrific week from their pitching staff and it culminated in a 8-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners. Gregorius continues to mash and seems to be in the midst of a mini-breakout season.

11. Philadelphia Phillies (7-2)  
Last Week: 11
MVP: Cesar Hernandez
Predictably, could not get past the Cubs in week 9. The division lead is still safe, but you'd like to see the Phillies beat a formidable opponent. The Astros in week 10 won't tell us any more about this team than we already know.

12. Cleveland Indians (3-5-1) 
Last Week: 12
MVP: Chris Davis
A much needed win over the Athletics, yet they had to scratch out a 5-4 victory vs a one win team (albeit better than their record shows). This week's game vs the Blue Jays is almost a must win to prove this team can compete and to stay in the playoff hunt.

13. Arizona Diamondbacks (3-5-1) 
Last Week: 15
MVP: Jose Altuve
The Diamondbacks did what they had to do against the winless Marlins. They can't afford any injuries with no depth on the roster.

14. New York Yankees (4-5) 
Last Week: 14
MVP: Joey Votto
Got their asses handed to the (11-1) by the White Sox. The Marte suspension has really taken the wind out of the sails for this team and they continue to struggle. The As in Week 10 is a nice "get right" matchup.

15. St. Louis Cardinals (6-3)
Last Week: 16
MVP: Trea Turner
Took advantage of the Padres lack of depth for a 6-4 victory last week. Things are starting to look up for this team as young guys like Turner and Swanson start to play better.

16. Pittsburgh Pirates (4-5) 
Last Week: 19
MVP: Elvis Andrus
The Pirates followed up last week's big win over the Nationals with another one against the Dodgers. Elvis Andrus and Beltran are hot right now at the plate and Wainwright continues to turn back the clock.

17. San Diego Padres (4-4-1) 
Last Week: 17
MVP: Max Scherzer
Even a Scherzer complete game couldn't stop the Padres from losing to the Cardinals in week 9. If this team had more depth in their lineup they'd be more of a factor especially with how strong their pitching is and with Donaldson in their lineup.

18. New York Mets (4-5) 
Last Week: 18
MVP: Ender Inciarte
The Mets pitching staff did their part, but the lineup couldn't do enough to get past the Rockies. Todd Frazier has looked better at least.

19. Los Angeles Dodgers (5-4)
Last Week: 13
MVP: Lance McCullers
Close loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The lack of depth on this team is hurting them the most at the moment.

20. Boston Red Sox (4-5) 
Last Week: 20
MVP: Evan Longoria
The Red Sox just beat the Twins despite having a team ERA of 8.46, which tells more about the quality of their opponent than the quality of their team.

21. Atlanta Braves (4-5) 
Last Week: 21
MVP: Brian McCann
Even with the struggles from the pitching, the Braves came out on top against the Brewers. With Turner on the shelf, this was an important win.

22. Washington Nationals (4-5) 
Last Week: 24
MVP: Miguel Sano
Did what they were supposed to do in beating the Astros. Let's see if they can string together a couple wins this week vs the Dodgers.

23. Oakland Athletics (1-8 
Last Week: 22
MVP: Daniel Murphy
Tough loss against the Indians in week 9. The As kept it close, but just couldn't come out on top. Facing the Yankees this week, the As have a chance to bounce back against a reeling team.

24. Kansas City Royals (2-7) 
Last Week: 23
MVP: Starlin Castro
Got blown out again, this time by the Orioles. The Royals showed some promise early on, but clearly still have work to do.

25. Texas Rangers (2-7) 
Last Week: 25
MVP: Lorenzo Cain

26. Milwaukee Brewers (3-6) 
Last Week: 26
MVP: Ryan Zimmerman

27. Houston Astros (1-8) 
Last Week: 27
MVP: Matt Kemp

28. Miami Marlins (0-9) 
Last Week: 28
MVP: Dustin Pedroia

29. Minnesota Twins (0-9) 
Last Week: 29
MVP: Adam Duvall

30. San Francisco Giants (0-9) 
Last Week: 30
MVP: Adam Frazier

[Rob (Rockies GM)]

Hey Buster -- good to be with you, a fine job as always. I mean, you're no Heyman, but..

Who's the Rockies MVP thus far? Since we are the only team without one, I'm going to assume we're just a team that's better than our individual parts.

[Buster Olney]

Jun 6, 2017 19:42:28 GMT -5 Rob (Rockies GM) said:

Hey Buster -- good to be with you, a fine job as always. I mean, you're no Heyman, but..

Who's the Rockies MVP thus far? Since we are the only team without one, I'm going to assume we're just a team that's better than our individual parts.

Apologies for my late response...Hard to pinpoint one player that's performed all year for you, but Verlander holds down that rotation so I'd say it'd have to be him.