Power Rankings Week 2

[Peter Gammons]

Welcome to week 2. Let’s get started. Remember player rankings as of Tuesday June 26th. 

1. Cubs- 10-1-1, +1. Last week Win over Philadelphia. Top players JD Martinez(11) Mike Foltynewicz(52). Cubs stay hot with a quality win over the Phillies.  Just enough to claim the top spot for the first time. Cubs making big moves acquiring Giancarlo Stanton in a 3 Team blockbuster with the Astros and Blue Jays. 

2. Nationals- 10-2, -1. Last week Win over Milwaukee. Top players Francisco Lindor(10) Carlos Carrasco(92). Didn’t lose the top spot for well, losing. But with the Cubs beating. Better team they edge out the Nats this week.  Not to be out done, Nats made a huge move dealing for Jacob deGrom and Yoenis Cespedes. Seems to be title or bust for the Nats. 

3. Rays- 9-2-1, Same. Last week Tie vs Angels. Top players Mike Trout(1) Sean Manaea(39). Tough matchup with the Angels results in a tie for the Rays. With the Rays having a solid team already will we see Ben make the moves needed to compete with some of the other squads improving. History says yes.  Or does he think he already has a good enough team to win.  He is in the toughest division in Pro-GM. 

4. Orioles- 9-2-1, +1. Last week Win over Kansas City. Top players Jose Altuve(18) Aaron Nola(19). Nick climbs a spot due to a win and a bad tie for Diamondbacks. Competing in a very tough division, he is playing some really good ball.  It starts at the top with two players in the top 20 in fantasy. Can he sustain or will the perennial powerhouses prevail.

5. Dodgers- 9-2-1, +2. Last week Win over Houston. Top players Travis Shaw(109) Chris Sale(7). Dave posted a impressive win over Houston to climb 2 spots this week.  Kicked off the week making a under the radar trade to improve his depth. Also playing in a tough division he has shown the ability to make moves and compete.  I’d expect this to continue over the next few weeks until the trade deadline. 

6. Diamondbacks- 8-3-1, -2. Last week Tie vs Pittsburgh. Top players George Springer(39) Luis Severino(6). Rough week against a Pittsburgh team he should have beat.  Oren seems to be playing to his competition, beating the teams he should and not playing well against others.  If there is one thing we know, it’s that he will continue to make moves till he thinks he has it right. 

7. Angels- 7-2-3, +1. Last week Tie vs Tampa Bay. Top players Jose Ramirez(4) Noah Syndergaard((111). Impressive tie with Tampa Bay.  Nic seems to be the king of the Tie this season.  Also, raise your hand if you saw Jose Ramirez as one of the 5 best players in baseball this season.  He has plenty of offense but will he make the moves necessary to improve his pitching staff and make a run in the wide open AL. 

8. Blue Jays- 8-3-1, +1. Last week Win vs Minnesota. Top players Trea Turner(34) Corey Kluber(5). Big win against a top 10 team in Minnesota. The most active team this week in making trades can’t seem to decide whether he is buying, selling, or both. Impressive depth has allowed him to do so.  One thing we know is Brian will have his team ready, whoever is still on it. 

9. Rockies- 9-2-1, +1. Last week Win over Cincinnati. Top players Justin Upton(71) Max Scherzer(2). Effective win against the Reds keeps him in the hunt fir the NL West. We haven’t heard much from Rob so we don’t know if he is planning to buy or roll with what he has. Good thing for him is that he has a pretty good team.  Has the pieces to make some moves if he so desires. The 1/2 pinch of Scherzer and Verlander has been dominating. 

10. Twins- 7-3-2, -4. Last week Loss over Blue Jays. Top players Freddie Freeman(12) Edwin Diaz(46). No shame in losing the the Blue Jays, but unfortunately as the only team in the top 10 to lose someone had to tumble. Hopefully he can rebound this week or we may see a new team jump in. Luckily the division this year isn’t as strong but watch out for the Indians.

Missing out:

11. Mariners 8-3-1
12. Phillies 7-4-1
13. Astros 7-4-1
14. Indians 6-5-1
15. Marlins 6-5-1
16. Mets 6-5-1

Recap:

Well folks, the top teams won so there wasn’t much of a shakeup.  Quite a few trades were made this week so we could see a shakeup next week.  This is the time of year where we see separation from the contenders and the pretenders to the rebuilders. The rumor mill is heating up as we approach a month from the trade deadline. Biggest questions are:

-Is there a chance Shohei Ohtani does NOT go #1?
-Will we see a major blockbuster trade happen?
-What are your thoughts on the rankings?
-Too high, too low? 

Feel free to comment below and converse!

[Ben (Rays GM)]

Ouch! Harsh on the Nationals to lose a spot when they didn't even lose, but if I'm understanding correctly it sounds like the fact that the Cubs beat a stronger team (PHI) this past week added enough to their résumé to bump them ahead, is that right?
Out of curiosity do transactions factor into the rankings at all? Like, does adding a Stanton or a deGrom help CHC or WAS in these rankings? Or will we not see that reflected in the rankings until it plays out on the field and in the actual standings?

[Max]

Hmmm... just adding fuel to the fire, I suppose.

[Peter Gammons]

Ben, you hit the nail on the head. I felt it was very close leading into the intital rankings. Cubs beating a better team pushed him ahead. But is close, with both teams making major moves.

Personally I’d like to see the trades play out on the field before giving them the credit in the rankings. It should be a fun run to the deadline. This old timer loves the activity!