Breaking down the MLB’s top 10 power rankings heading into the month of September! Make sure to drop your thoughts and feedback in the comment section.
10.) Brewers
Nobody has a bigger division lead than the Milwaukee Brewers, but their lack of starting pitching on top of the announcement that star outfielder Christian Yelich will require season-ending back surgery has seriously hurt them. The team is flawed, but their incoming class of young studs should allow them to contend for the foreseeable future. Jackson Chourio has lit things up since the start of June, and this team could seriously use the postseason experience as much as this young fun Brew Crew.
9.) Twins
The Minnesota Twins have a deep lineup and brilliant bullpen, and they’re not really a team that you can confidently define as a bottom-half top 10 squad. They have just as much talent as the rest of the AL contenders, and if they got hot at the right time they could find themselves in the World Series. Last year they finally won a playoff series for the first time in nearly two decades; now it’s time to make a deep playoff run.
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8.) Royals
Just like everyone expected, the Kansas City Royals are one of the best teams in the American League this year. Their run differential trails only the Yankees in the AL, and their rotation has been dominant all year. With Bobby Witt Jr. having an insane season and the addition of Lucas Erceg panning out very well early-on, they’re set up to compete in the postseason. They could take first place in a tough AL Central this week depending on how they play the Guardians as well.
7.) Padres
An offense that should be getting Fernando Tatis Jr. back soon, the San Diego Padres are both loaded with bats and bullpen arms. With Yu Darvish back on the bump they can expect to get a huge boost to their rotation, and with the addition of guys Dylan Cease in the offseason paying huge dividends, they’re another well-constructed team for a postseason setting. San Diego has not experienced the joy of winning a World Series in their history, but 2024 could change that.
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6.) Astros
The Houston Astros have been on fire lately. While they split a series against Baltimore and dropped one against the Red Sox, their pitching staff has improved thanks to Yusei Kikuchi coming in and immediately shoving. At the same time, their offense has remained one of the best groups in baseball again. This team is tested in October, and regardless of their record being a step below the teams ahead of them, you do not want to have your season come down to whether you can beat them or not in the postseason.
5.) Orioles
Perhaps this is a bit too low, but there are some red flags in Baltimore. Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez should come back and bolster a scuffling rotation, but the bullpen is in disarray and their offense isn’t leaps and bounds better than anybody in front of them. They are as good as anybody in the top five, but given the way they’ve played for the last month and some of the injuries they’ll have to overcome, it’s a deserved level of caution. That being said; this league is open, and all they need to do is rattle off some wins (the Dodgers would be a nice opponent to prove themselves against), and they’ll be atop that AL East and the American League in general.
4.) Diamondbacks
What? Who? How? The Arizona Diamondbacks are a machine, and they belong in the tier of this top five. The pitching is shaky, but they’ve moved Jordan Montgomery out of the rotation, and their starting five is really strong. Gallen, Kelly, Pfaadt, E-Rod, and Nelson are a great playoff group, and if they shuffle someone like Nelson or Pfaadt to the bullpen, they’ll only get better. Justin Marinez, A.J. Puk, Ryan Thompson, and Kevin Ginkel are four of the best relievers in the game, and their offense bangs. Top of the league in both Runs Scored and Runs Per Game; this team could avenge their World Series loss last year.
3.) Phillies
Sure, they haven’t played great baseball as of late, but they’re still a fearsome group with excellent starting pitching, a lockdown bullpen nucleus, and a lineup with some absolute monsters. When Bryce Harper gets clicking they’re going to score runs at a clip that matches the top lineups in the league. Their lack of lineup depth is a bit of a problem, but they have the coziest cushion in their division race of any team in the top 5. The big question is whether they’re going to get a bye or not and whether that will actually affect them.
2.) Yankees
Sitting atop the AL East by 1.5 games (2 in the loss column), the Yankees have started to pick things up as of late, having the best record in the American League since July 27th. They’ve done a good job putting up runs thanks to Judge and Soto, but guys like Jazz Chisholm, Austin Wells, and Giancarlo Stanton boost this lineup as well. Gleyber Torres has gotten hot since being moved up to the leadoff spot as well, and if Jasson Dominguez can come up and contribute, that lineup suddenly looks a lot deeper. Pitching is their biggest question mark, but they’ve got some reinforcements working in Somerset right now.
1.) Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani looks like the NL MVP while Mookie Betts has started to get hot after returning from the IL Their rotation and bullpen are leaky right now, but they have the best record in baseball and they’ll be getting both Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto back before the postseason begins. Their offense rocks, Gavin Stone has really stepped up in their rotation, and the additions of Flaherty and Kopech have been home runs. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking they’re underdogs.