MLB Power Rankings: Astros Shoot Up
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Manuel Gómez, East Coast Contributor & Podcast Director
- June 28, 2022
Houston Astros re-enter the Top 3.
As we approach the midway point of the 2022 season, the Houston Astros are making a statement. For the first time since Week 5, they’re in the Top 3 in our weekly MLB Power Rankings and have no intention of letting the spot go.
This weekend, baseball fans got a preview of what might be the most exciting Postseason Series when the Astros faced off against the New York Yankees. The series featured two walk-off hits by Aaron Judge, a historic 16 1/3 consecutive hitless innings tossed by Astros pitching, and a no-hitter by committee on Saturday.
Elsewhere, the Boston Red Sox are riding a 7-game winning streak. In fact, since starting the season 11-20, the Sox have gone 31-11, a staggering .738 win-percentage. Today, they’re in second place in the American League East, leading the Tampa Bay Rays by 1 1/2 games.
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Before we see how the rest of the league did, understand that when preparing for the MLB Power Rankings this season, I relied on numbers. I created a spreadsheet using pitcher WAR, batter WAR, team record, and run differential. Teams with the highest combined score are ranked at the top.
Let’s look at the top 10 teams in Week 11 of the 2022 MLB season.
2022 MLB Power Rankings
| Rank | Team | Blurb | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Giants | The Giants swapped spots with the Blue Jays this week. I’m not confident they can remain in our MLB Power Rankings, especially if they continue to lose series against teams like the Cincinnati Reds. | +4 |
| 9 | Phillies | The Phillies suffered a major blow this week when Bryce Harper fractured his thumb. If their pitching can stay consistent, they may be able to overcome the Harper injury. | -1 |
| 8 | Cardinals | Cards hitters are Top 5 in the league, which should keep them in our ranking for the foreseeable future. A trade for a top-flight arm is in order, however. | -1 |
| 7 | Red Sox | The Red Sox continue to climb the charts, and they aren’t looking back. What’s more, Chris Sale can return any moment now. | +2 |
| 6 | Braves | The Braves remained put this week after winning four of seven games. They have won 19 games in 26 days this month, so, no concern for Atlanta at this moment. | 0 |
The Top Five
| Rank | Team | Blurb | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Padres | The Padres stayed at No. 5. However, they are within striking distance of the four-spot. A 4-game series against the Dodgers will determine whether or not they swap spots with the Mets. | 0 |
| 4 | Mets | For the first time since Week 5, the Mets are out of the Top 3. Fortunately, their two best pitchers — Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer — are slated to return soon! | -1 |
| 3 | Astros | The Astros are back in the Top 3 and don’t plan on surrendering it anytime soon. The team is clicking on all cylinders and the timing couldn’t be better. Their final three games in June are against the Mets and Yankees, and then the month of July looks like a breeze. | +1 |
| 2 | Dodgers | The Dodgers won five of six games last week. They also reclaimed the title for best offense in baseball from the Yankees. According to FanGraphs, the Dodgers’ offense has a 15.2 fWAR to the Yankees’ 15.1 fWAR. | 0 |
| 1 | Yankees | For the fourth consecutive week, the Yankees are the top dog in our MLB Power Rankings. They still have the best record and run differential in baseball. Enough said. | 0 |
Manuel Gómez
East Coast Contributor & Podcast Director
Manuel Gómez is a former Special Education teacher. He is a devout podcaster and baseball writer with strong Dominican roots.
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