By: Chandler Ragsdale
Hey, everyone I hope that you’re enjoying this season as much as I am so far! The Astros are still playing dominant baseball, but the other team from Texas has heated up also and is coming for them. The Rangers have won 9 games in a row and are looking to continue that in order to make up some ground in the AL West. Also, the Big Blue Machine from Chicago is starting to come alive as well.
One Big Question:
Can surprising division leaders like the Brewers and Rockies hold on to their leads throughout the course of the season?
Answer: Both of these teams have been very surprising thus far this season, because we didn’t expect much out of them heading into 2017. However, I can definitely see one of these teams staying the course as their division leader to the end of the season, but not so much for the other team. The one that I can see keeping their lead is the Rockies, because they have already proven that they can consistently beat anybody in the NL West. The only team that they’ve had true problems against so far this season was the Washington Nationals, and they won’t be facing off that much. However, I don’t see the Brewers being able to stay up top of the NL Central for very long. The Reds were just there a couple of weeks ago, and they now find themselves fourth in the division. This is a very tough division, and I believe that either the Cubs or Cardinals will overtake them sooner than later.
Power Rankings
- Houston Astros (Last Week: 1)- The Astros are still red hot, and are playing very well in all aspects of the game so far this season. They’re 9-1 in their last 10 games are still proving to be the best team in baseball.
- Colorado Rockies (Last Week: 2)- We all know that the baseball flies in Colorado, but now the Rockies are showing that they can win on the road when necessary too. They’re pitching is the main reason for their success thus far, and now that they have a great closer in Greg Holland, this team can continue to perform very well out west.
- Texas Rangers (Last Week: 3)- The Rangers are smoking hot right now, and are looking to continue that trend. Winners of 9 in a row, this team is coming straight for the Astros in the AL West. :
- Los Angeles Dodgers (Last Week: 9)- The Dodgers are starting to look very good, and a lot of that is because Yasiel Puig is getting back to his superstar form. They had a scare last night with Justin Turner, however and any injury he might have could seriously hurt this team in chasing the Rockies.
- Minnesota Twins (Last Week: Not Listed)- The Twins are surprisingly leading the AL Central right now, and just split a doubleheader with Colorado yesterday. This team isn’t playing bad, and great things could be just around the corner for this team lead by spark plug Byron Buxton.
- New York Yankees (Last Week: 5)
- Washington Nationals (Last Week: 3)
- Chicago Cubs (Last Week: Not Listed)
- Louis Cardinals (Last Week: 7)
- Milwaukee Brewers (Last Week: Not Listed)
Source: mlb.com