MLB Power Rankings: NL East surges

The big story of this week’s MLB Power Rankings is the National League East. While the New York Mets have overcome many obstacles to remain in the Top 3, two other teams in their divisions had significant winning streaks that catapulted them into the Top 10.

We begin with the Philadelphia Phillies. After firing manager Joe Girardi, the Phils experienced a 9-game winning streak, which took them from 21-29 on May 31 to 30-30 on June 13. Sure, they’re still 9.5 games out of first place in the division, but it puts them within 3.5 games of a Wild Card spot.

Then there’s the Atlanta Braves, who haven’t lost a game since May 31. That’s an 11-game winning streak that saw them slash the New York Mets’ division lead in half from 10.5 games to 5.5 games.

Can the Phillies and Braves sustain this level of performance? Their upcoming schedules would indicate the affirmative.

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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 5 of the 2022 MLB season.

2022 MLB Power Rankings

10. San Francisco Giants (-2)

The Giants appear to be turning things around again. They swept the Los Angeles Dodgers this past weekend, salvaging a week in which they lost two of three games to the last place Colorado Rockies.

This coming week, they face two of the worst teams in MLB, which should result in a jump.

9. St. Louis Cardinals (-4)

The Cardinals lost four out of six games last week, which explains their drop in our rankings. Fortunately for them, the Milwaukee Brewers were worse. As a result, the Brew Crew dropped out of our Top 10 and helped to barely preserve a spot for St. Louis.

8. Philadelphia Phillies (+4)

The Phillies won five of six games this past week, shooting them back into the Top 10. Much of the team’s success is due in part to Rhys Hoskins, who has picked things up this season. In the last seven days, Hoskins is hitting .360 with an 1.189 OPS. Pair this with another MVP caliber season from Bryce Harper and Philly should be a team to be feared moving forward.

7. Atlanta Braves (+8)

This past week, the Braves were undefeated. The barrage is likely to continue as they prepare to face the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates this week. Two teams with a combined .402 win percentage.

6. Toronto Blue Jays (+5)

After hovering just outside of the MLB Power Rankings all season, the Blue Jays catapulted to the 6-spot this week. That’s after winning four of six games and posting a significant +24 run differential for the week.

The Top 5

5. San Diego Padres (+2)

Last week, the Pads had a huge series win against the New York Mets. Pair that with a bad stretch for the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego managed to jump up two spots and into the Top 5.

4. Houston Astros (0)

The Astros are just 5-5 in their last 10 games. Fortunately, they have a favorable schedule this week, which should allow them to remain within striking distance of the Top 3 next week.

A Three-Headed Monster

3. New York Mets (0)

The Mets continue to defy the odds. Despite losing a number of key players, they continue to rattle off wins. In fact, along with the neighbors in the Bronx, the Mets have 40 wins this season.

Only two teams have 40 wins and they both call New York home. 🍎🗽 pic.twitter.com/MPo1oL8LMY

— MLB (@MLB) June 13, 2022

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (0)

The Dodgers are in the middle of a bad stretch. They suffered a 3-game sweep to the Giants. Even worse, perhaps, their ace Walker Buehler suffered a flexor strain in his right elbow that will sideline him for 6-8 weeks.

What’s more, their division lead has been cut down to just 0.5 games. It’s possible the Dodgers fall out of the Top 3 if their woes continue.

1. New York Yankees (0)

What is there left to say about the Yankees this season? They own the best fWAR (hitters and pitchers), the most wins, and run differential in MLB. Enough said.