By: Chandler Ragsdale
Hello baseball fans, I’m glad that you’re taking the time out of your busy days to read another one of my power ranking articles, so let’s jump right into things!
One Big Question
The Orioles are now 3-7 in their last 10 games and find themselves 3rd in the AL East, are they a true contender or will they just be average?
Answer: The Orioles have been on a skid as of late yes, and they now find themselves removed from 1st place and are currently sitting 3rd in their division. They have a very good team, no doubt about it. But so does everyone else in this powerhouse division that we call the AL East. Toronto has slowly been climbing back into contention and Tampa Bay is still somehow above .500 and trying to stay afloat. The Red Sox just got David Price back and are starting to look like they’re figuring things out, and the Yankees are continuing to show us that they’re for real also. So, I don’t see the Orioles finishing above 3rd place in this division come September because they rely on the home run ball too much. They were hot in April and the first half of May, but they have cooled-off since and they don’t have the pitching to pick them up when they aren’t hitting the ball out of the park every night.
Power Rankings
1. Houston Astros (Last Week: 1)- The Astros are still dominating the league right now, and they don’t show signs of slowing down. They’ve won 7 in a row, and any team that has to play them should fear them and they’re hard-hitting lineup. And oh, by the way, 2017 was the predicted year that this team would start to compete for a World Series…
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last Week: 4)- The Dodgers are starting to play better, and with the roster that they have, they couldn’t help but not to eventually. They have been climbing up to near the top spot of the NL West for the past several weeks and have finally arrived, only finding themselves 0.5 game back from the Rockies and D-backs entering Friday’s play.
3. Washington Nationals (Last Week: 7)- The Nats are still winning the games that they need to in order to show themselves as a powerhouse team. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games and are looking to continue to show the rest of the National League that they have their eyes on a pennant and possible World Series run.
4. New York Yankees (Last Week: 6)- The Yankees are proving to be consistently good, and that’s what this team has been needing. The young talent is starting to mesh beautifully with their already proven veterans, and this is causing a lot of excitement for the Bombers.
5. Colorado Rockies (Last Week: 2)- The Rockies didn’t look so good recently against Seattle, so they will be looking to rebound this weekend in San Diego. They are still right in the thick of things in the NL West, and are looking to hold their lead.
6. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last Week: Not Listed)
7. Minnesota Twins (Last Week: 5)
8. Boston Red Sox (Last Week: Not Listed)
9. Cleveland Indians (Last Week: Not Listed)
10. Milwaukee Brewers (Last Week: 10)
Source: mlb.com