BY MARVIN AZRAK & YEHUDA BESSER
The 2022 MLB season is back in business following the All-star break, and contributing to this week's new batch of power rankings is Marvzone member Yehuda Besser. It features a new top dog and attributes teams on hot and cold streaks.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS(67-30) (2)
They re-signed Clayton Kershaw for one year, and who would've thought he would be starting the all-star game, and that's not all; Tyler Anderson and Tony Gonsolin came out of nowhere and have combined to go 22-1 with 167 strikeouts. Despite losing Walker Buhler due to injury, the Dodgers have received contributions from the rest of the rotation, as Julio Urias and Mitch White have combined for a solid 3.78 ERA. Their bullpen has a combined 2.95 ERA, the best in baseball. Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner, and Mookie Betts are putting up all-star numbers, and Galvin Lux is starting to play the way the dodgers have hoped he would for the last two years. Simply
exceptional.
Big stat: 9-1 in their last ten games.
2 HOUSTON ASTROS(64-32) (3)
After winning five out of seven games against the Yanks, it's obvious who is the best team in the AL. with Justin Verlander pitching the way he did a decade ago with a 13-3 record, a 1.86 ERA and 117 strikeouts, and Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidi, and Jake Odorizzi each putting up ERA's under 4.00. Also, their bullpen has the 2nd lowest ERA in baseball with 2.96, thanks to guys like Rafael Montero (1.85 ERA), Ryan Pressly (19 SV), and Ryan Stanek (0.55 ERA). Also, they have one of the most dynamic offenses in the MLB, led by Yordan Alvarez(28 HR, 1.075 OPS), who is a prime MVP candidate this season. Young stars Jeremy Pena and Kyle Tucker are putting up all-star Numbers, and Jose Altuve is back as an all-star once again. They're the team to beat in the American League. (64-32)
Big stat: All of their starters and relievers who've pitched in at least ten games have under a 4.00 ERA.
3 NEW YORK YANKEES(66-31) (1)
The losses of Luis Severino and Michael King are HUGE, and the fact that Gallo can't hit is a big problem, which is why you will be Seeing the Yanks being heavy buyers come to the trade deadline. If all goes well, they will become better than they are right now, and thanks to guys like MVP candidate Aaron Judge, their ace Gerrit Cole and fan favorites Nasty Nestor and Matt Carpenter, they are flying high with the best record in baseball. The only problem is the Astros, who they went 2-5 against this season and hadn't seemed to figure out how to beat them. They will probably represent the AL in the world series if they can get past the Astros.
And no, they're not going to get prized OF Juan Soto from Washington this trade deadline.
Big stat: According to a baseball reference, the Yankees have the best chance to win the World Series with a 28.5% chance.
4 NEW YORK METS(59-37) (4)
The Mets are finally playing the way they should be with Buck Showalter as their manager and Steve Cohen throwing around his unlimited money. Even without having two-time CY Young award winner and franchise cornerstone Jacob DeGrom, their rotation has still been solid, with Max Scherzer just about striking and psyching every batter he faces while Tajuan Walker, Carlos. "Cookie" Carrasco and Bassitt are holding the fort at the back-end. Also, Edwin Diaz has been one of, if not the best, closer in baseball this year, with the all-star's explosive fastball accumulating to a 1.60 ERA, 77 strikeouts, a 0.94 WHIP, and an astounding 87.5(21/24) save conversion rate. Pete "Polar bear" Alonso is having another MVP-caliber season, and Jeff Mcneill and Starling Marte Marte have been durable two-way stars. If only Fransisco Lindor would start hitting as he did in '19(The season where he had 32 homers and a .284 batting average), then this team could make a case for that top spot. Currently, Lindor is hitting .247 with just 16 homers to show for it. On the bright side, he's got time on his side as we're only in July.
Big stat: The Mets have been hit by the most pitches this year, with 65.
5 ATLANTA BRAVES (58-39) (5)
They're only 1.5 games back on the Mets, and they've got five games against the Phillies and three against the Diamondbacks in their next eight games. But all eyes will be on the following series, at the Mets for 5 in Citi, so if they want to take the lead in the division over the Mets, they will have to win most of those games. Their Pitching has been reliable, and they have Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider, the two ROY frontrunners, as anchors behind Charlie Morton and Max Fried.
Big stat: Braves pitchers have struck out 930 batters, the most in the MLB.
6 SAN DIEGO PADRES(54-43) (7)
Coming off a big series win against the Mets, the Padres have a much lighter schedule for the next few weeks, playing the Tigers, Twins, and Rockies before heading to LA to face the Dodgers. Their Pitching has been great, and their offense, led by all-star Manny Machado, has also been solid. You could say they're in the (Cron) zone right now. The only problem is that they're 11.5 games back on the Dodgers, but with Fernando Tatis JR ready to come back for the playoff chase, they can make a big run. Also, their city connects jerseys are the best in baseball, in our humble opinions.
Big stat: The Padres are 9-3 in games that go into extra innings.
7 MILWAUKEE BREWERS(53-43) (12)
Their hitting has been OK, and their Pitching has been pretty good, but winning games are what matters.
Big stat: The Brew Crew leads the MLB in saves with 36.
8 ST LOUIS CARDINALS (51-46) (11)
Their offense has been outstanding, led by MVP favorite Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, and Matty's long-lost brother has led their Pitching (just kidding) Miles "mustache" (Mikolas). Wainwright is showing that he still has something left in him at 40. Oh yeah, and Albert Pujols made the all-star game. (51-46)
Big stat: Paul Goldschmidt leads the MLB in OBP and is top 5 for most other hitting categories.
9 TORONTO BLUE JAYS(10)
They were supposed to be the best team in the AL, but they haven't. If you look at the stats, they are overall pretty good. Their bullpen is a force led by closer Jordan Romano. Besides Cavan Biggio, who has been a disaster, their offense has been the powerhouse we've expected. The problem has been predictably their starting Pitching. Jose Berrios has been terrible; Hyun-jin Ryu and Yusei Kikuchi were putrid even before they were shelved. Ross Stripling has been solid, and all-star Alec Manoah and free agent acquisition Kevin Gausman have been dominant, but if half of your rotation hasn't been good for half the season, you're going to win a little more than half your games, which is what they've done, although they have heated up recently having just scored a combined 40 runs(28 in one game) in a three-game sweep at Fenway. However, let's not forget that most of the Blue Jays games have been against an incredible AL East, and the Yanks and Rays have beaten their Pitching around.
Big stat: The Blue Jays have the most hits in the MLB this year, with 881, which gives them the best batting average in the MLB with .267.
10 SEATTLE MARINERS (51-45) (6)
Suggestion for a team on a 14-game winning streak: Don't lose your win streak by getting swept by your division rival.
Next!
11 TAMPA BAY RAYS(53-43) (8)
It's not their fault despite what the media tries to portray. Tampa Bay has been plagued with injuries, including Wander Franco, Brandon Lowe, Shane Baz, Manuel Margot, and Tyler Glasnow for the entire year. Also, they've gone from being one of the best defensive teams in the MLB to one of the worst. Even with that, Kevin Cash has been able to keep the Rays alive and now are on pace to get one of the wild card spots. One of the reasons for that is Cy Young award favorite Shane Mcclanahan, who has the best WHIP, opponents BA, and ERA in baseball. When's that "Ray" of light exactly going to show up?
Big stat: The Rays have been caught stealing 25 times, good for worst in the bigs.
12 SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS(48-47) (13)
They're a perfect team, and I know it was the Dodgers, but you can't get swept in a four-game series to anyone, even the Dodgers. They're still on the hunt for a wild-card spot and can take a "Giant" step forward this upcoming week against lightweights in Arizona and the Cubs.
Big stat: Their pitchers have given up 76 home runs this year, the least in the MLB.
13 MINNESOTA TWINS(52-44) (15)
Although they've cooled down a bit, they're still winning games thanks to the all-star 5-tool player Byron Buxton and contact machine Luis Arauz. Joe Ryan has been an excellent and ample free agent signing, and Carlos Correa has been as advertised when they got him. They are leading the AL Central, but that's not saying much because the AL Central stinks, but the Twins are an excellent team. If they finally win a playoff game for the first time since 04', watch out.
Big stat: No matter what they do, they are a little above a .500 team that will make the playoffs and lose in the first round. Again.
14 BALTIMORE ORIOLES(47-48) (16)
They shouldn't be this good, but they are. You love to see it. (47-48). Kudos to them for showing tremendous fight despite the 6-7, 6-3, 0-6 series loss to the Yankees this week at Camden yards.
Big stat: Last place in the AL East and are 18 games back of 1st place, yet they are only one game under .500.
15 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (49-46) (9)
Their Pitching and shoddy defense continue to restrain the team from maximizing its full potential, and they were just swept by the lowly Cubs at home 15-2, 6-2, 4-3.
Big stat: They have the fourth least defensive runs saved but have hit the sixth most home runs in the MLB this year.
THE MAINLY HOPELESS HALF:
16 CLEVELAND GUARDIANS(48-46) (17)
17 CHICAGO WHITE SOX (48-48) (18)
18 COLORADO ROCKIES(43-53) (20)
Nobody is feeling for you. Your Avalanche just won the Stanley Cup; enjoy the summer while it lasts!
19 TEXAS RANGERS (43-51) (21)
20 BOSTON RED SOX(48-48) (14)
How can you claim to be a playoff team when you get outscored 40-10 by the team you are chasing? We'll leave it at that.
21 MIAMI MARLINS(45-50) (19)
BIG STAT: THEY WENT 37 STRAIGHT INNINGS WITHOUT SCORING A RUN! Let that sink in.
22 PITTSBURGH PIRATES(40-56) (24)
23 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS(42-53) (23)
24 CINCINNATI REDS(36-58) (28)
25 KANSAS CITY ROYALS (38-57) (27)
26 OAKLAND ATHLETICS(35-63) (29)
27 LOS ANGELES ANGELS(22) (40-55)
28 DETROIT TIGERS(38-58) (25)
29 CHICAGO CUBS(38-57) (26)
30 WASHINGTON NATIONALS(32-65) (30)
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