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Some teams are barrelling into the All-Star Break on a roll, while others are limping into next week's days off with the hope that some rest can revitalize their team as they gear up for the second half of what is a grueling 162-game season.
Remember, when I do my rankings, I factor in past performance, the current level of performance, overall talent, injuries, and schedules -- as many factors as possible.
Keep reading to find out where your favorite team ranks and which teams moved up and down the rankings the most this week. Let's get into it already. Here are my Week 16 MLB Power Rankings!
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The Worst Team Ever?
30. Chicago White Sox (27-68)
Last Week's Ranking (30)
The only question I have about the White Sox is, "Will this be the last start for Garrett Crochet in Chicago." The Chi Sox need talent badly, and Crochet is at his peak effectiveness this season - he could fetch a huge ransom from a contender in the coming weeks.
Last 30 Days - SIERA Leaders
Garrett Crochet: 5 GS, 2.31 SIERA (2.43 ERA)
Paul Skenes: 5 GS, 2.52 SIERA (1.36 ERA)
DJ Herz: 5 GS, 2.58 SIERA (4.7 ERA)
Yusei Kikuchi: 5 GS, 2.59 SIERA (6.38 ERA)
Chris Sale: 5 GS, 2.65 SIERA (2.08 ERA)
Tanner Bibee: 6 GS, 2.67 SIERA (3.86 ERA)— Jon Anderson (@JonPgh) July 12, 2024
Bottom Dwellers
29. Colorado Rockies (33-61)
Last Week's Ranking (29)
28. Miami Marlins (32-61)
Last Week's Ranking (28)
Brenton Doyle has been darn good for the Rockies and is the lone bright spot in the Colorado lineup. Sorry for two Jon Anderson tweets in a row. I promise he's not paying me to promote him.
Hitting Leaders - Last 100 Swings
Most Barrels:
Austin Riley: 11 Brls
Brenton Doyle: 11 Brls
Ben Rice: 9 Brls
Juan Soto: 9 Brls
George Springer: 9 Brls
Michael Toglia: 8 Brls
Christian Yelich: 8 Brls
Jordan Westburg: 8 Brls
Tyrone Taylor: 7 Brls— Jon Anderson (@JonPgh) July 12, 2024
Miami needs to bring up Max Meyer after the break and trade Jazz Chisholm to a contender. Otherwise, no one cares about this team at all.
27. Oakland Athletics (35-60)
Last Week's Ranking (27)
26. Los Angeles Angels (38-55)
Last Week's Ranking (26)
Yeah, the Angels are bad enough that I can lump them in here with Oakland in the bottom tier, just above Miami/Colorado. The latest rumor has them shipping Taylor Ward out to Pittsburgh (which makes me mildly excited, but I'd rather have Chisholm), and we should expect them to be active sellers at the deadline, with Tyler Anderson being another player that contenders could have interest in acquiring.
At Least We're Not Those Guys
If a team doesn't have a blurb, it's because not much has changed with their rating, or there's simply not much to discuss this week compared to last.
25. Toronto Blue Jays (43-50)
Last Week's Ranking (25)
24. Washington Nationals (42-52)
Last Week's Ranking (21)
The Nats are big fallers this week, as they've dropped five straight. They were likely playing over their heads and are probably going to finish in the bottom tier by the time the season finishes up.
23. Detroit Tigers (45-49)
Last Week's Ranking (24)
The Tigers finally stopped their free-fall and have turned it around, winning seven of their last ten. While Reese Olson has been really good lately as a strong third starter behind Jack Flaherty and Tarik Skubal, it's been some improved offense that has lifted the Tigers recently.
22. Chicago Cubs (45-49)
Last Week's Ranking (23)
The one consistent thing for the Cubs right now is Justin Steele.
Best MLB ERA over the last 2 years belongs to #Cubs pitcher Justin Steele…and it’s not even close
(minimum 300 IP since July 12, 2022)
Steele 2.73
—————
Zac Gallen 2.96
Sonny Gray 2.99
Seth Lugo 3.02
Gerrit Cole 3.19
Corbin Burnes 3.20— Vlad Sedler (@RotoGut) July 12, 2024
21. Texas Rangers (44-49)
Last Week's Ranking (22)
The Rangers are one of only two teams with a losing record but a positive run differential (the Reds being the other), so there is some hope that they can make a second-half push. It sounds like they are going to give it a shot rather than sell off any assets at the deadline.
20. San Francisco Giants (45-49)
Last Week's Ranking (19)
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (45-48)
Last Week's Ranking (20)
Paul Skenes and Bryan Reynolds have been nothing short of spectacular over the last month. Rowdy Tellez has had a major turnaround, but will the Pirates commit to being buyers and add another hitter or two to try to contend this season?
18. Cincinnati Reds (45-49)
Last Week's Ranking (18)
The Reds have a whopping +32 run differential yet remain four games under .500. Everyone knows this team could be a sleeping giant, but how long will they wait to break out and make their move up the standings?
So You're Telling Me There's A Chance?
17. Arizona Diamondbacks (47-47)
Last Week's Ranking (14)
16. Tampa Bay Rays (46-47)
Last Week's Ranking (16)
Shane Baz has looked pretty solid through his first two starts, but Tampa will need more help than that to make a second-half run. Hopefully, Jeffrey Springs returns soon, too.
15. New York Mets (47-45)
Last Week's Ranking (17)
The Mets are feisty, if nothing else. Lately, it's been Brandon Nimmo carrying the offense and a resurgent Sean Manaea stabilizing the rotation.
Brandon Nimmo has caught fire for the @Mets, slashing .348/.437/.719 with 9 HR and 27 RBI over his last 23 games! 🔥🔥@markdero7 and @CliffFloyd30 take a look at the lefty's breakout after homering in a career-best three straight games. pic.twitter.com/7Lt4iYGRlu
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 11, 2024
14. St. Louis Cardinals (48-44)
Last Week's Ranking (15)
The Cardinals can't keep this charade up for long with a -38 run differential. I expect a second-half swoon from St. Louis and for them to finish below .500.
13. San Diego Padres (49-47)
Last Week's Ranking (12)
The Padres have dropped four in a row and are creeping back toward the .500 mark. Michael King has been outstanding over the last month, but the rest of the rotation is still a huge question mark.
12. Houston Astros (49-44)
Last Week's Ranking (13)
Houston continues their climb up the rankings after a terrible first two months. It's even more impressive that they are doing it with half of their rotation hurt and their best hitter (Kyle Tucker) on the IL.
Contenders, Maybe?
11. Boston Red Sox (51-41)
Last Week's Ranking (11)
I think Jared Carrabis sums up the Sox about as succinctly as possible.
The 2024 Boston Red Sox are fun.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) July 11, 2024
Hopefully, Boston fans know that they are playing above their heads and have some realistic expectations for this team.
10. Seattle Mariners (52-43)
Last Week's Ranking (10)
I'm not sure I have ever seen a team strike out this often and still manage a deep postseason run. The Mariners' offense is a major liability every time they face a strikeout pitcher.
9. Kansas City Royals (51-43)
Last Week's Ranking (9)
KC is still hanging around and is the winner of three straight. Cole Ragans pitches tonight against the red-hot Red Sox - it should be appointment television.
8. Atlanta Braves (51-41)
Last Week's Ranking (7)
7. Minnesota Twins (53-40)
Last Week's Ranking (8)
The Twins overtake the Braves this week behind a strong 7-3 mark over their last ten games and a really impressive balance of good pitching and hitting. They are still my dark horse team in the AL to make some noise this postseason.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (54-40)
Last Week's Ranking (6)
My Pirates just took two of three from the Brew Crew, proving my point that Pittsburgh is "kinda good" and that Milwaukee is probably a bit overrated. They are still well out in front of the rest of the division, but if they falter a bit in the second half, I could see Cincinnati making a run (not nearly as much faith in Chicago, Pittsburgh, or St. Louis).
Contenders, For Sure
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (55-39)
Last Week's Ranking (4)
4. New York Yankees (56-39)
Last Week's Ranking (5)
The Dodgers and Yankees flip spots this week but are separated by just one win. Both teams are mired in 3-7 stretches over their last ten games and despite their popularity, I think they would be underdogs in their respective conference championships if they started today.
3. Cleveland Guardians (57-35)
Last Week's Ranking (3)
2. Baltimore Orioles (57-36)
Last Week's Ranking (2)
These two teams are separated by just one loss, but I still have Baltimore slightly ahead of the Guardians due to their depth, starting pitching, and the trump cards that they hold in their minor league talent that they could flip for major league talent at the deadline.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (61-32)
Last Week's Ranking (1)
The Phillies are starting to run away with the top spot! They made it through a tough stretch without Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber just fine. Trea Turner looks like the superstar that we've seen in the past, and Zack Wheeler's back is just fine. Aaron Nola is in full "ace mode" right now, as he just shut down the Dodgers yesterday. Things are looking bright in the City of Brotherly Love!
I'll see you next week for my newest batch of rankings -- feel free to let me know what I got right and wrong!
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