MLB Top 15 Power Rankings Week 2: 04/07 - 04/14

Welcome to another Top 15 Power Rankings report. We're already almost three weeks into the regular season and are starting to see glimmers of hope regarding some teams, areas of weakness for others, and a mixture of some surprising performances from a couple others. Regardless, all of those things are what make baseball great and have they have been played out in front of our eyes, over the course of the past week.

Within the fun, came continued disappointing starts to the season for teams such as the: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Colorado Rockies. Each team still has yet to find the perfect ingredients to put together a long win-streak, but given the makeup of each of those clubs, you have to think that is going to come sooner than later. However, as baseball has proved in the past, if you dig yourself a big enough hole in the month of April, you might not end up getting out of that hole, as the season wears on, and that could result in some big problems for those three teams.

With that being said, let's switch the narrative back over to positivity and hope that doesn't happen, while recapping the Top 5 moments/takeaways from the past week.

Five Key Moments/Takeaways

• Whit Merrifield Fever Overtakes Kansas City - Whit Merrifield was the name of the day for, at least a portion of this past week, as he set a new Kansas City Royals record by recording a hit in 31 consecutive games. That achievement came this past Wednesday, breaking George Brett's previous 30 consecutive games hitting streak, but abruptly ended the following day as Merrifield went o-for-6 at the plate. The streak might have ended, but now it means that Merrifield needs to start a new one, something he is perfectly capable of doing. 
• Chris Davis Snaps Historic Hitless Streak - While Merrifield was celebrating with the Royals, on the other side of the spectrum, Baltimore Orioles, Chris Davis, seemed like he just couldn't hit anything for a long period of time. In fact, Davis made history Monday night, breaking the previous record for the longest hitless streak, and wound up going 0-for-54 before finally coming through with a hit on Saturday afternoon. Hopefully that hitless streak isn't something that Davis ever has to deal with again! 
• German Marquez Tosses a Gem - Remember a few weeks ago when the Colorado Rockies inked starting pitcher, German Marquez, to an extension? Well, yesterday afternoon he proved exactly why that happened and ended up having his best outing, so far, of this season. Marquez tossed a complete game, while giving up 1 hit and recording 9 strikeouts. Simply brilliant and something that the Rockies definitely need, after they entered play on Sunday afternoon, amid an 8-game losing streak. 
• Houston, We Don't Have a Problem - One of the biggest takeaways from the last week is the fact that the Houston Astros are still a very good baseball team. In fact, you could easily make the argument that they are the best team in baseball and have star power up and down their lineup. Currently, Houston is in the midst of a 9-game win streak and everyone, outside of Tony Kemp, is batting above .300 and their pitching staff has been equally as good. There's plenty of reason to smile right now if you are an Astros fan. 
• Don't Mess with the Rays or They Will Sting - You really can't say that how the Tampa Bay Rays are performing is a big surprise, given the way they ended last season, but they are absolutely rocking and rolling atop the American League East right now. Heading into play today, the Rays have a 12-4 record, which translates to a .750 winning percentage, and are 7-3 over their last 10 games. Outside of getting terrific pitching from both the starting rotation and bullpen, the Rays have illustrated what happens when a team is patient at the plate and practices timely hitting. This year's Rays squad might not consist of the most well-known players, but the way they are playing will leave the opponents with a long-lasting sting! 

Top 15 Power Rankings 

1. Houston Astros (11-5) [Ranking Last Week: N/A] 

• Division Ranking: 2nd Place 
• Winning Percentage: .688 
• Win Streak: W 9 Games 
• Run Differential: +14 
• Team ERA: 3.17 Over 139.0 IP 
• Team Batting Line: .280/.349/.471 Over 535 At Bats 

2. Tampa Bay Rays (12-4) [Ranking Last Week: 6] 

• Division Ranking: 1st Place 
• Winning Percentage: .750 
• Win Streak: W 1 Game 
• Run Differential: +38 
• Team ERA: 2.44 Over 144.0 IP (1st in MLB) 
• Team Batting Line: .265/.341/.435 Over 563 At Bats 

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (9-8) [Ranking Last Week: 1] 

• Division Ranking: 2nd Place 
• Winning Percentage: .529 
• Win Streak: W 1 Game 
• Run Differential: +22 
• Team ERA: 4.71 Over 153.0 IP 
• Team Batting Line: .284/.374/.530 Over 581 At Bats (1st in MLB) 

4. Philadelphia Phillies (9-5) [Ranking Last Week: 5] 

• Division Ranking: 1st Place 
• Winning Percentage: .643 
• Win Streak: W 1 Game 
• Run Differential: +6 
• Team ERA: 4.71 Over 130.0 IP 
• Team Batting Line: .249/.351/.442 Over 486 At Bats 

5. Milwaukee Brewers (10-6) [Ranking Last Week: 3] 

• Division Ranking: 1st Place 
• Winning Percentage: .625 
• Win Streak: L 1 Game 
• Run Differential: -6 
• Team ERA: 5.27 Over 140.0 IP 
• Team Batting Line: .255/.337/.449 Over 530 At Bats 

6. St. Louis Cardinals (9-6) [Ranking Last Week: N/A] 

• Division Ranking: 2nd Place 
• Winning Percentage: .600 
• Win Streak: W 1 Game 
• Run Differential: +16 
• Team ERA: 3.90 Over 134.0 IP 
• Team Batting Line: .240/.322/.451 Over 508 At Bats 

7. Seattle Mariners (13-5) [Ranking Last Week: 2] 

• Division Ranking: 1st Place 
• Winning Percentage: .722 
• Win Streak: L 3 Games 
• Run Differential: +35 
• Team ERA: 4.20 Over 165.0 IP 
• Team Batting Line: .277/.346/.526 Over 643 At Bats 

8. Minnesota Twins (8-4) [Ranking Last Week: 8] 

• Division Ranking: 1st Place 
• Winning Percentage: .667 
• Win Streak: W 2 Games 
• Run Differential: +12 
• Team ERA: 4.25 Over 106.0 IP 
• Team Batting Line: .279/.347/.485 Over 408 At Bats 

9. Atlanta Braves (9-6) [Ranking Last Week: 11] 

• Division Ranking: 3rd Place 
• Winning Percentage: .600 
• Win Streak: W 2 Games 
• Run Differential: +15 
• Team ERA: 4.43 Over 132.0 IP 
• Team Batting Line: .270/.369/.461 Over 497 At Bats 

10. New York Mets (9-6) [Ranking Last Week: 4] 

• Division Ranking: 2nd Place 
• Winning Percentage: .600 
• Win Streak: L 2 Games 
• Run Differential: +1 
• Team ERA: 5.44 Over 132.1 IP 
• Team Batting Line: .268/.355/.442 Over 530 At Bats 

11. San Diego Padres (11-6) [Ranking Last Week: 7] 

12. Pittsburgh Pirates (8-6) [Ranking Last Week: 10] 

13. Los Angeles Angels (8-7) [Ranking Last Week: N/A] 

14. Cleveland Indians (8-7) [Ranking Last Week: 9] 

15. Oakland Athletics (10-9) [Ranking Last Week: N/A] 

Summary of Thoughts

It's easy to identify the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays as the two best teams in baseball right now. Who knows, at this rate, we might end up seeing both of those teams square off in an ALCS matchup or something. It sure didn't look that way for the Rays at the start of the season, but with the way they have been pitching and with their timely hitting, anything is possible. Remember, terrific pitching and solid defense are what win baseball games and when you put those two things together, you typically end up with a ball club of the caliber of the Rays. Same thing goes for the Houston Astros and the tremendous performance they have had as of late. Win streaks are never easy to put together, but when you can put together a 9-game one, it deserves plenty of recognition. 

Rounding out the Top 5, are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers. All three of those teams have continued to play a great brand of baseball, despite some struggles within the pitching staff for both the, Phillies and Brewers. Regardless, there's a lot to like on all 3 teams rosters and you would have to think that all three will continue to be viewed as favorites to win their respective division. However, that won't be an easy task, especially for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers, who both play in extremely competitive divisions. The Brewers are heading into a critical series against the St. Louis Cardinals, who were ranked sixth on the list, and have won six of their last seven games. It's one of those series where Milwaukee could end up losing first place depending on the final outcome. 

Moving onto the remainder of the Top 10, the Seattle Mariners are coming off a sweep against the Houston Astros, meaning that they aren't as powerful as they once were. Still, the way they have started this season deserves recognition. Beyond that, the Minnesota Twins have continued to stay atop the American League Central. They still haven't received the greatest performance from their pitching staff, but the offense has really been what's carried them as of late. Outside of those two, the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets make up the final two spots. The Braves are a tick ahead of the Mets right now, because of the Mets pitching struggles, but both lineups have nearly an identical batting line. Both teams just add to the ultra-competitiveness of the National League East. 

Lastly, the two teams that dropped outside of the Top 10 this week, were the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians. The Padres have played a nice brand of baseball lately, but there's still some unproven talent on their roster and it's hard to rank them above some of the other teams within the Top 10. Regardless, they continue to remain a threat in the National League West and are no longer the pushover team that they might have been, as recently as, last season. Finally, the Cleveland Indians, who are coming off a sweep by the Kansas City Royals, still haven't performed to their full level. Granted, they are getting Jason Kipnis back from the Injured List today and Francisco Lindor should follow shortly, but theres reason to worry regarding the depth of their starting rotation, the struggles of Corey Kluber, and the lack of offense overall. Currently, Cleveland has a league worst batting average of .194 and the fourth lowest on-base percentage, .282. 

Player Stats

Top 5 Starting Pitchers: 

• German Marquez (Colorado Rockies) = 2.00 ERA over 27.0 IP w/ 25 Strikeouts 
• Blake Snell (Tampa Bay Rays) = 2.16 ERA over 25.0 IP w/ a 0.76 WHIP 
• Jose Berrios (Minnesota Twins) = 2.30 ERA over 27.1 IP w/ a .158 OBAA 
• Brad Keller (Kansas City Royals) = 2.45 ERA over 25.2 IP w/ 23 Strikeouts 
• Madison Bumgarner (San Francisco Giants) = 3.12 ERA over 26.0 IP w/ a 0.92 WHIP 

Top 5 Relievers: 

• Brandon Brennan (Seattle Mariners) = 0.73 ERA over 12.1 IP w/ 13 Strikeouts 
• John Gant (St. Louis Cardinals) = 0.77 ERA over 11.2 IP w/ a .088 OBAA 
• Bryan Shaw (Colorado Rockies) = 0.87 ERA over 10.1 IP w/ a 0.97 WHIP 
• Blake Treinen (Oakland Athletics) = 0.87 ERA over 10.1 IP w/ 14 Strikeouts 
• Lou Trivino (Oakland Athletics) = 1.64 ERA over 11.0 IP w/ a 0.64 WHIP 

Top 5 Batters: 

• Tim Anderson (Chicago White Sox) = .429/.440/.653 Over 49 At Bats 
• Cody Bellinger (Los Angeles Dodgers) = .424/.500/.909 Over 66 At Bats 
• Elvis Andrus (Texas Rangers) = .414/.433/.655 Over 58 At Bats 
• Anthony Rendon (Washington Nationals) = .400/.460/.873 Over 55 At Bats 
• D.J. LeMahieu (New York Yankees) = .396/.455/.500 Over 48 At Bats