MLB Team Power Rankings Update: The Royals Take Over the Basement
Teams Ranked 30th to 21st
The Blue Jays are no longer last, but they didn't move up all that much. There wasn't a ton of positive movement among this group, and there are two teams in particular who spiraled into the back third of the league.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Kansas City Royals | -1.67 | 7-12 | 5.9% | -2 |
| 29 | Toronto Blue Jays | -1.06 | 5-14 | 16.7% | +1 |
| 28 | Pittsburgh Pirates | -0.93 | 8-11 | 10.4% | -3 |
| 27 | San Diego Padres | -0.86 | 8-13 | 0.9% | -1 |
| 26 | Atlanta Braves | -0.83 | 6-12 | 6.6% | -17 |
| 25 | San Francisco Giants | -0.72 | 7-13 | 33.7% | -10 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Angels | -0.69 | 9-12 | 9.1% | -4 |
| 23 | St. Louis Cardinals | -0.68 | 9-10 | 43.0% | +6 |
| 22 | Detroit Tigers | -0.50 | 10-8 | 31.8% | -6 |
| 21 | Seattle Mariners | -0.48 | 8-12 | 29.1% | +1 |
Biggest Rise: St. Louis Cardinals
Things weren't looking good last week for the St. Louis Cardinals -- they were 4-9 and burying themselves in what's likely to be a tough division in which to climb the standings. They still have a ways to go, but a 5-1 week certainly helps calm the people down who were already starting to panic.
St. Louis' starting rotation stepped up since we last checked in around the league, as they've accumulated the fourth-highest fWAR (0.9) and FIP (2.92) during that time. Mike Leake won both of his starts, and they'll eventually get a boost once Carlos Martinez can start turning his 12.31 strikeouts per nine innings and 3.28 SIERA into some wins (he's currently 0-3 with a 4.76 ERA).
Biggest Drop: Atlanta Braves
It was only a few days ago when we considered the Atlanta Braves a top-10 team, according to nERD, although no one really thought that would last. It changed quickly as they lost six games in a row. The offense hasn't been great during this stretch -- there are only two position players with 10-plus plate appearances who have produced a positive fWAR over the past week.
One is Brandon Phillips (0.2), and it shouldn't be surprising to see Freddie Freeman (0.5) pacing the offense. He's slashing .333/.520/.667 over his last 25 plate appearances, which is good for a 211 wRC+.
