It’s Sunday so that means a new release of my MLB Top 10 power rankings. The trade deadline is looming and hopefully we’ll see some big moves this week that will have an influence on these rankings for the remainder of the season. But for now, let’s see how things have shaped up as we close the curtain on July. With my ranking, I am taking into consideration the potential of teams over the course of the season, along with the current value of teams, with more emphasis on current value. Let me know how much you agree/disagree.

First Two Out: Milwaukee Brewers & Washington Nationals (better pitching than the Cubs)

10. St. Louis Cardinals (56-48)

Last Week: NR

After mounting a hot streak lately, the Cardinals have found their way back into my top 10 for the first time in a while. And they also now lead the wild NL Central by a game over the Cubs and Brewers. To be honest, the Cardinals, Brewers, and Cubs all could’ve just as easily been in this spot, but with the Cardinals currently atop the division they deserve it most. And that could totally change one week from now.

9. Tampa Bay Rays (59-48)

Last Week: 7

Like I said last week, the Rays have been in the top 10 all season long, but have been slowly falling. They continue that downward trend this week, dropping two more spots to #9. Losing CY winner Blake Snell for at least the next month certainly doesn’t help matters either. Now a half game back in the wild card picture, things don’t seem to be in favor for this team going forward, but they still have the talent to beat anyone and win a series or two in the playoffs if Snell comes back healthy and dominant.

8. Oakland Athletics (59-47)

Last Week: 5

After getting hot and jumping all the way to the fifth spot last week, the A’s have lost 5 of their last 7 and are down to the eighth spot in my ranking. They are looking for a win today to split the four-game series against division rival Texas Rangers. The A’s have a lot of talent and are fun to watch, but will have to get back on track to keep that coveted 2nd wild card spot or potentially advance further in the standings.

7. Boston Red Sox (59-47)

Last Week: 10

This team is tough to figure out, which is why I didn’t want to shoot them too far up the standings. But they have looked very impressive against the powerful Yankees in Boston this weekend. With Sale on the mound tonight, they have a good chance to sweep the four-game series. Easily the most impressive thing is the fact they’ve hung 38 runs on the scoreboard over the first three games of the series so far, so the offense is clearly clicking. Now the question is “for how long?” We know they certainly have the talent to win it all again, but until they become a little more consistent it’s tough to put them towards the top of this list.

6. Cleveland Indians (62-42)

Last Week: 9

Gaining three spots since last week, the Indians are the hot team now. In their last 14 games they are 12-2 and, amazingly, only one game behind the Twins now for the AL Central lead. There was a time when I thought this division was close to a wrap, but the Twins have cooled off and the Indians have been on fire. It will be interesting to keep up with this two-team race for the rest of the season and to see what kind of trade deadline moves both teams make this week.

5. Minnesota Twins (63-41)

Last Week: 4

The Twins have been in the top four for a while now and I debated keeping them there for at least another week, but my gut instincts tell me the Braves would have better chances if the playoffs were to begin right now. This team hasn’t been bad, but they haven’t been too good. Their record for the month of July stands at a below average 10-11. I was really high on this team the first half of the season, and they still have a monster offense, but I just have the feeling they are about to slowly start falling.

4. Atlanta Braves (62-43)

Last Week: 6

It’s kind of odd timing for the Braves to jump two spots into the top four since they have been average lately and just lost Nick Markakis for a while. But going back to my gut instincts, I have a good feeling about the Braves going forward. It will be really interesting to see if this team addresses their pitching needs at the trade deadline, and if they do, I like their chances to finally win a long-overdue playoff series. If they don’t, then that feeling disappears.

3. New York Yankees (66-38)

Last Week: 2

There’s no denying the Yankees are one of the most powerful teams in baseball. They haven’t looked great since Thursday, but a lot of that you can chalk up to playing a heated rival on the road, and the fact that Boston is a good team themselves. Even with three straight losses to the Red Sox, the Yankees maintain an eight-game lead in the East. They’re also one of only two teams in MLB that have scored over 600 runs on the season. The other: the Red Sox who have scored 620 to the Yankees’ 601.

2. Houston Astros (67-39)

Last Week: 3

The Astros have been playing pretty good lately, winning 8 of their last 10 games. But then again, that’s just the Astros doing Astros-things. This team is solid all around and will inevitably make a deal or two to get even better at the deadline. Their lead in the West has gone back up to eight games over the Athletics, which is exactly what everyone figured would happen after the A’s cut it down to 5 games or so.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (69-37)

Last Week: 1

Like the movie Groundhog Day, the Dodgers are #1 again. They haven’t done anything to lose that position and to me are the best team in baseball. Other than having a great roster, they are hungry to taste what they’ve been so close to tasting the last couple of Octobers. They have the best run differential in baseball by a long shot (+171 to the 2nd best Astros at +122). This team just has a different feel to it than all the other teams in the game, which is why they’re my pick to finally win it all this year.

Garett

MLB Top 10 Power Rankings