MLB

MLB Power Rankings Update: According to Math, the Dodgers Are Easily the Best Team in Baseball

Though they don't have the best record in the bigs, the numberFire algorithm loves the Dodgers more than any other team.

Here at numberFire, we like math. We're not about subjectivity. So when we calculate our power rankings, it's not based on what our eyes are telling us or what our feelings say. It's based on straight up math.

For baseball, we use our nERD metric to show how good a team actually is performing. nERD, for those of you who are unaware, tells us how many runs a team should win by against a league-average opponent on a neutral field. A nERD of 1.00, for instance, means that team would be an ordinary one by a run. If that team was facing a squad with a nERD of -0.5, we'd expect them to win by 1.5 runs.

Take a look at how things are shaping up around Major League Baseball, sorted by nERD.

TeamPlayoffsChampsnERD
1Los Angeles Dodgers98.80%26.20%2.17
2Kansas City Royals61.00%4.80%1.11
3New York Yankees51.00%3.40%0.91
4St. Louis Cardinals95.00%12.80%0.88
5Baltimore Orioles35.10%3.20%0.86
6Oakland Athletics21.80%1.80%0.82
7Tampa Bay Rays57.60%5.80%0.80
8Houston Astros42.50%2.40%0.73
9Detroit Tigers69.80%7.80%0.61
10Chicago Cubs36.40%1.80%0.42
11Cincinnati Reds16.20%0.30%0.36
12Toronto Blue Jays30.50%1.70%0.21
13San Francisco Giants51.00%2.60%0.21
14New York Mets39.20%1.40%0.09
15Seattle Mariners37.20%4.00%0.06
16Washington Nationals80.60%9.20%-0.11
17Arizona Diamondbacks1.80%0.00%-0.22
18Los Angeles Angels45.70%4.50%-0.23
19Miami Marlins9.10%0.40%-0.29
20San Diego Padres20.80%0.60%-0.3
21Cleveland Indians12.30%0.80%-0.35
22Minnesota Twins9.80%0.60%-0.57
23Pittsburgh Pirates41.10%2.40%-0.59
24Texas Rangers3.50%0.10%-0.63
25Atlanta Braves8.70%0.20%-0.63
26Boston Red Sox19.80%0.90%-1.12
27Chicago White Sox2.60%0.10%-1.17
28Milwaukee Brewers1.10%0.00%-1.52
29Colorado Rockies0.10%0.00%-1.67
30Philadelphia Phillies0.00%0.00%-2.09

Have any thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below.