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Welcome back to my weekly MLB power rankings piece! It's been over a week since we last checked in around the league since I took the All-Star Break week off, and a lot has happened in terms of teams moving up and down the rankings!
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 19 MLB Power Rankings!
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The Worst Team Ever?
30. Chicago White Sox (27-84)
The White Sox have lost 17 games in a row. That's simply incredible. They did trade a few players at the deadline, but not their best hitter (Luis Robert Jr.) or pitcher (Garrett Crochet). They are barreling toward that worst record of all-time and for Chicago fans' sake, I hope they don't get there.
Bottom Dwellers
29. Miami Marlins (40-69)
Last Week's Ranking (28)
28. Colorado Rockies (40-70)
Last Week's Ranking (29)
I have Miami and Colorado flipped this week. The Marlins had a fire sale at the deadline and traded any valuable assets they had left, so I would expect the Rockies (who did not trade away much) to pull away from them at some point down the stretch.
27. Los Angeles Angels (47-62)
Last Week's Ranking (26)
26. Oakland Athletics (45-65)
Last Week's Ranking (27)
I finally bumped the A's ahead of the Angels, even if their record is still a few games worse. Neither team sold at the deadline, which was a bit surprising, and both teams are significantly better than the other bottom three.
I like a lot of the young talent on Oakland and at some point, I think they pass up the Angels in the standings. Sad news for Angels fans today as Mike Trout has been announced out for the season.
25. Toronto Blue Jays (50-59)
Last Week's Ranking (25)
Toronto waived the white flag this week, trading away Yusei Kikuchi to Houston and making a few other smaller deals. It's officially a lost season north of the border, but the final few months should be fun to watch some of the young players get their chance. Joey Loperfido is a talented prospect who came over from Houston, and Addison Barger is a homegrown talent who should be playing every day now.
Addison Barger's first Major League homer! pic.twitter.com/cU5El9jsCl
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 29, 2024
24. Washington Nationals (49-60)
Last Week's Ranking (24)
The Nats have lost four in a row to drop 11 games under .500. They get moved down to the bottom tier this week as a result. They sent Lane Thomas to Cleveland at the deadline, so does that mean we get to see Dylan Crews up in the majors soon?
At Least We're Not Those Guys
23. Detroit Tigers (52-58)
Last Week's Ranking (20)
The Tigers have dropped four straight games. They dealt Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers at the deadline, which made sense that they cashed him in for something with his checkered injury history. Tarik Skubal goes tonight for the Tigers, and perhaps he can be the stopper and get them back in the win column.
22. Texas Rangers (52-57)
Last Week's Ranking (18)
Texas traded away Michael Lorenzen, but they were not entirely sellers and I think that they think they can still get into this playoff race in the AL West. There are some stirrings that Jacob deGrom could be available toward the end of the season which makes this team somewhat compelling if they can go on a run here soon.
21. Chicago Cubs (53-58)
Last Week's Ranking (22)
20. Cincinnati Reds (52-56)
Last Week's Ranking (19)
The Cubs and Reds are neck and neck in the standings and bringing up the rear in the NL Central. But Pittsburgh and St. Louis are not far in front, and the Brewers have done little to salt away the division lately. I don't think either team gets to the postseason, but it's certainly still well within the range of outcomes.
19. Tampa Bay Rays (55-53)
Last Week's Ranking (21)
I've said this before - I know that the Rays are constantly flirting with .500, but this team is badly flawed, and I don't think they care much about the postseason, especially considering they shipped out Randy Arozarena, Jason Adam, and Zach Eflin at the deadline.
18. San Francisco Giants (54-56)
Last Week's Ranking (23)
The Giants were really on the fence when it came to being buyers or sellers at the deadline. They did move Alex Cobb to Cleveland but held onto Blake Snell. With Robbie Ray back, they still have a pretty formidable rotation of Ray, Snell, Logan Webb, Kyle Harrison, and the talented rookie Hayden Birdsong. If there is one team in this tier that could make a push late, I think it could be the Giants.
Hayden Birdsong over his last 5 starts:
25.2 IP
2.45 ERA
1.09 WHIP
33 KDynasty Stock 📈
— Kirk Snyder (@dynastyinfo411) July 28, 2024
So You're Telling Me There's A Chance?
17. St. Louis Cardinals (53-49)
Last Week's Ranking (16)
16. Pittsburgh Pirates (52-50)
Last Week's Ranking (17)
Just a half-game separates the Bucs and Cards right now, and both teams made a few modest moves at the deadline to signal that they're still hoping for the postseason. The Cardinals brought in Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham, while the Pirates landed Bryan De La Cruz and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Not exactly major market movers there, but both teams are just good enough to hang around in this race, though I'm not sure either team makes the postseason in the end.
15. Seattle Mariners (57-53)
Last Week's Ranking (15)
The Mariners made some moves to improve their offense, with Arozarena coming over from Tampa and Justin Turner from Toronto. They still are going to struggle to score at times as Julio Rodriguez is on the IL and Jorge Polanco can't seem to stay healthy, but we know they have the pitching to hang around.
14. New York Mets (57-51)
Last Week's Ranking (13)
The Mets are just a half-game out of the Wild Card as of today, which is not where I thought they would be if you asked me a month ago. It's going to be a battle down the stretch as there are seven teams separated by only five games fighting for three spots, but the Mets' offense has been excellent and gives them a leg up on the rest of the field.
13. Arizona Diamondbacks (58-51)
Last Week's Ranking (14)
The Snakes have won three in a row and are ready to make some noise again. They are slowly getting their pitching staff healthy and added Josh Bell at the deadline to play first base while Christian Walker is out with an injury. Eugenio Suarez has been on fire in July and Arizona looks like they are trending in the right direction.
Eugenio Suárez is out of his mind.
3-for-4, 2 home runs, 4 RBI.
On June 23rd, he was slashing .192/.276/.308
Now (for the moment), he’s hitting .225 and slugging .406 for the #Dbacks. pic.twitter.com/wjpLzdqrwp
— Alex D’Agostino (@AlexDagAZ) July 31, 2024
12. Houston Astros (56-52)
Last Week's Ranking (11)
Houston is narrowly leading their division over Seattle right now, and they decided to go for it at the deadline, acquiring Kikuchi to help sure up their rotation. Hopefully, they can get him back on track, as he was pitching well earlier in the season but has been rocked in his last several starts.
11. Boston Red Sox (57-50)
Last Week's Ranking (10)
Boston is sitting two games outside the Wild Card right now, but I have a hard time seeing them pass up Minnesota or Kansas City, as the Sox have a tough remaining schedule. Their offense is thriving at the moment, but I am not sure their rotation can hold up down the stretch, and I can't believe they resorted to adding James Paxton as their fifth starter.
Contenders, Maybe?
10. San Diego Padres (59-51)
Last Week's Ranking (12)
San Diego is surging and added a few pieces at the deadline that could really help them lock up a playoff berth. They brought in both Jason Adam and Tanner Scott, giving them the best bullpen in baseball while also adding Martin Perez as their fifth starter. Joe Musgrove is set to return fairly soon, and this offense continues to be a formidable one (that should get Fernando back Tatis Jr. in a few weeks, too)
The Kid embodies Heart & Hustle. pic.twitter.com/YRtid9lyqu
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 1, 2024
9. Atlanta Braves (59-49)
Last Week's Ranking (8)
The Braves didn't go big at the deadline, which just shows you that they know they are not true contenders this year with all of their injuries. They should still make the playoffs, though they will likely be overmatched if they advance past the first round. Next year, Braves fans!
8. Minnesota Twins (56-45)
Last Week's Ranking (9)
The Twins are currently in the playoffs if they started today with the AL Central having three teams in the top seven - when's the last time that happened? I have been saying it all season: I really like the Twins, and if they can get healthy on offense, they are going to be a tough out in the playoffs with Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober leading the way in the rotation.
7. Milwaukee Brewers (59-43)
Last Week's Ranking (6)
Milwaukee drops down a spot this week. They feel like the worst division leader, don't they? The entire division is competitive, but Milwaukee has been very lucky that none of their fellow Central division foes have been able to get it together this season.
6. Kansas City Royals (56-47)
Last Week's Ranking (7)
I love what the Royals are doing this year. They have built around their pitching staff, but lately, it's been their offense that has been on fire as Vinnie Pasquantino is coming on strong, and Bobby Witt Jr. continues to be one of the hardest outs in the league.
Vinnie Pasquantino hits his second HR of the night as the @Royals go back-to-back. pic.twitter.com/bidp8qFX7P
— MLB (@MLB) August 2, 2024
Contenders, For Sure
5. New York Yankees (65-45)
Last Week's Ranking (5)
The Yankees have ripped off five straight wins and I was very close to bumping them up this week - that was until the Dodgers acquired Flaherty at the deadline. We will see how things go in the next few weeks, but for now, I still like the Dodgers overall roster better than New York's.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (63-46)
Last Week's Ranking (3)
Let's not forget the Dodgers have been playing without Mookie Betts for over a month and have barely missed a beat. The pitching has been where the Dodgers have lacked stability, but getting Flaherty was big, and they should get Walker Buehler back from injury soon, too. Facing Tyler Glasnow, Flaherty, and Clayton Kershaw in the postseason will be a challenge for any team.
3. Baltimore Orioles (65-45)
Last Week's Ranking (2)
Baltimore had one of the most confusing deadlines I can remember. They shipped off two top prospects to Miami for...Trevor Rogers? They brought in Eflin from Tampa Bay (not a terrible move, but not a top arm either). And then they traded for guys like Austin Slater and Eloy Jimenez instead of going with their best prospect - Heston Kjerstad.
An injury to Jordan Westburg has forced them to bring up their top prospect, Coby Mayo, and he should be in the lineup now along with Jackson Holliday for the stretch run. They have plenty of offense, I just hope they did enough to sure up their pitching. This team was my favorite in the American League, but I was hoping for a bigger splash at the deadline.
2. Cleveland Guardians (66-42)
Last Week's Ranking (4)
The Guardians have won four in a row and now have the best record in baseball. They made two smart, low-cost moves by acquiring Lane Thomas and Alex Cobb. Thomas is already contributing as their #2 hitter, while Cobb should be in their rotation as soon as next week.
The vibe train has arrived back in Cleveland in spectacular fashion.#ForTheLand | #GuardiWWWWins pic.twitter.com/digRl2qQi6
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 2, 2024
This team continues to be incredibly well-run and defies the odds as they just "win, win, win no matter what."
1. Philadelphia Phillies (65-43)
Last Week's Ranking (1)
Despite dropping four in a row, the Phillies still hang on to the top spot today, but not by much. I think fans were expecting them to add a big name at the deadline and they brought in Tanner Banks, Carlos Estevez, and Austin Hays. This team still feels like the team to beat this year, they have a great balance of pitching and offense and solid organizational depth.
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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