By: Chandler Ragsdale
With the all-star break fast approaching, players and teams alike are starting to have a sense of urgency around the league. Trade deadline talk has now started, and also division races are shaping into form more and more by the game. So buckle up baseball fans, because it’s only going to get better from here!
One Big Question:
“Will Kyle Schwarber being demoted to triple-A help or hurt the Cubs?”
Answer: It may not help them right now, but this will help the Cubs in the long run. Kyle Schwarber hasn’t been performing so far this season, so the Cubs had to make this tough decision to send him down to triple-A Iowa. However, I believe that this demotion will only motivate Schwarber, and he will come back better than before, just like Jackie Bradley Jr. did for the Red Sox back in 2015.
Power Rankings
1. Houston Astros (Last Week: 1)- The Houston Astros are still the best team in baseball, even without their best pitchers, it’s just that plain and simple.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last Week: 3)- Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager are putting this team on a different level currently.
3. Cleveland Indians (Last Week: Not Listed)- The Indians get a big jump this week because their starting pitching is finally starting to produce, and Jose Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion are doing what they’ve been paid to do, hit the baseball.
4. Boston Red Sox (Last Week: 7)- The Red Sox took 2 of 3 from the Astros in Houston last weekend, and are only a half game back from the Yankees in first place. Once this train starts rolling, they won’t stop.
5. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last Week: 8)- They just knocked Colorado out of first place, and are seeming to become more consistent by the month. So you know what that means by the time September gets here…
6. Washington Nationals (Last Week: 5)- Too many bullpen issues…still.
7. Colorado Rockies (Last Week: 2)- They’ve been knocked down, now can they get back up?
8. New York Yankees (Last Week: 4)- Yankees fans better hope that they don’t have to play anyone from the AL West in the postseason…
9. Milwaukee Brewers (Last Week: 9)- Still going strong in the NL Central, but let’s not forget it is still the first half of the season.
10. Minnesota Twins (Last Week: 6)- They better start winning before the Indians leave them in the dust.
Source: mlb.com