Isaac Paredes helps Rays stay atop Power Rankings

The Tampa Bay Rays remain the premier team in baseball. In a clash of division leaders, Tampa Bay reigned supreme. The Rays swept the Twins, who lead the AL Central. Then the Rays won the series against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

Isaac Paredes, who starred for Mexico at the World Baseball Classic, hit three home runs to catapult the Rays over the Twins. The Mexican third baseman tallied eight RBIs last week, adding to his team-leading 45 RBIs. Paredes has a .260 batting average and 11 home runs.

Another consistent player for the Rays has been Cuban first baseman Yandy Diaz. He leads Tampa Bay in many offensive categories, including batting average at .313,  runs (43). Diaz is also tied with Randy Arozarena for the team lead in home runs with 12 and OBP at .405.

Rays propel McClanahan to 10th victory

With Shane McClanahan notching his league best 10th win of the season, the Rays are looking to dominate all of baseball this season. 

No. 2. Rangers

The Rangers lost the series against the Rays, but they won two of three against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Since coming back from injury, Corey Seager continues to be a huge factor. In their lone win against Tampa Bay, Seager went 5-for-5 with four RBIs. Although he doesn’t have enough at-bats yet to be ranked in offensive categories, his .348 batting average is still impressive. 

Rangers slug to the top of AL West

Just like Seager, all the Rangers do is hit. They lead all of baseball in batting average, RBIs, runs scored, and on-base percentage. The Rangers have a five-game lead over the inconsistent Astros in the AL West. 

No. 3. Baltimore Orioles

After losing a series to Milwaukee, the Orioles fired back to sweep the Royals, largely due to the resurgence of Gunnar Henderson. 

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The first two months of the season have not been friendly to Henderson. He was hitting under .200. Now with the temperature heating up, so has the O’s rookie third baseman. Henderson has a stellar .458 batting average with four home runs and two stolen bases in June. 

Ramon Urias also had a great week, picking up eight hits, three doubles and three RBIs. The Sonora, Mexico, native has provided some offense production in the bottom of the O’s order. 

The bird land has been splashing. That will need to continue in order to compete in the tough AL East division. 

No. 4. Atlanta Braves

The Braves had a phenomenal week. Ronald Acuña Jr and the Braves went 5-1 against the Mets and Nationals. They swept New York and lost one against Washington. 

After some barking between Pete Alonso and Atlanta, the Braves used that as fuel to power their high caliber offense. Clutch performances by Marcell Ozuna, Michael Harris and Ozzie Albies propelled the Braves against both of their division rivals. 

Ronaldo Acuña Jr. shines

Acuña, a three-time All-Star, is also starting to be seen as one of the best in baseball. He and the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani lead their respective leagues in All-Star voting.

The Braves will look to create some separation against the Marlins as they face the Tigers and the Rockies this week. 

No. 5. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks are top five in our Power Rankings for the first time this season. Arizona is in first place in the NL West. Led by potential NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll, the Diamondbacks are taking the league by storm. 

They had a perfect record this week, winning all five games. They have won eight of their last 10 games. 

Carroll registered 11 hits this week along with three home runs and a triple. His eight RBIs were enough to help his team come back against the Tigers and sweep the Nationals. 

The rookie outfielder has had a great first half of the season. He is batting .308 with 13 home runs, 33 RBIs and 17 doubles. At the moment, Carroll looks like the future for Arizona. 

Hot Blue Jays

No. 6. Toronto Blue Jays. 

Although the Blue Jays are fourth in the AL East, their performance last week puts them at six in this week’s rankings. Toronto started the week with a series win against the defending champion Houston Astros. The Blue Jays have won seven of their last 10 games.

After a disappointing first few starts, Jose Berrios is looking like their ace so far. He has three quality starts in his last four starts. They have come against the Astros, Mets and Rays. Since Alek Manoah was optioned to Toronto’s Florida Complex League, the Blue Jays will rely on Berrios to front their rotation. 

No. 7. Houston Astros, No. 8. New York Yankees, No. 9 Los Angeles Dodgers, No. 10 Miami Marlins

The Astros tumbled out of the top 5 after a disappointing week against the Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians.

The Yankees also stumbled, dropping a series against the rival Red Sox. The Dodgers and Marlins finish up this week’s Our Esquina’s Power Rankings.