With a new month of baseball rolling, some teams have found to jump ahead of the pack. Both the American and National Leagues have seen squads entering May red hot. While other teams are looking to improve these next few weeks, others look to continue winning like they have in April. These are the teams atop of our own MLB Power Rankings.
Some have a commanding presence on the pitcher’s mound. Others have made their marks from the batter’s box. Then there are those who let little get past their fielding. Whatever these squads have done to remain victorious has worked at say the absolute least. As of right now, these are the teams making noise and strong cases for spots in October early.
Boston Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz, (AP Photo/Steve Nesius).
There are several reasons why the Boston Red Sox are the top dogs of the American League. The Boston Red Sox lead the AL in batting average as a team. At the same time, they boast one of the league’s stingiest pitching rotations and fielding corps. It doesn’t hurt that their current manager was once a Red Sox player and World Series champ himself.
The New York Yankees have won nine of their last 10 games, the best outing in that span. The Pinstripes owe it mostly to their thunderous batting crew, who share a lead in the American League for home runs belted, and lead alone in RBI’s. Along with a solid pitching season so far, the Yankees are looking to remain on fire in May.
The reigning World Series champions are looking to pick up where they left off in 2017. So far, the Astros have the AL’s best pitching unit and fielding squad at once. Houston has constantly shown why some view them as the favorite to win it all again in 2018.
These two squads are making big splashes in 2018. For Los Angeles, the one-two punch of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani has taken the league by storm. However, the Halos have won four of their last ten games. I do not believe this isn’t something they can’t overcome with their pitching and fielding rosters.
The Toronto Blue Jays have made their presence felt in the batter’s box, being tied in the AL for most home runs as a team. However, their batting average will need improvement in order to prolong their fireworks displays. Toronto’s pitching crew will need to step as well, especially when they have division rivals in the Red Sox and Yankees to compete against.
Diamondbacks manager, Torey Luvollo (Image courtesy of Sports Illustrated)
The Arizona Diamondbacks have the most dominant pitching core in the National League, plus one of the best fielding defenses. Last season, the Diamondbacks entered October as wild card winners, in Torey Luvollo’s first season as the skipper. Now, they have the Division title and more in their sights.
With a number of rookies hungry to strike it big on board, Atlanta has entered the National League playoff conversation. Not to mention that they’ve won seven of their last ten games. Atlanta currently leads the NL in team batting average and RBI’s. Continuing their momentum should give the Braves the lead in the NL East before even they know it.
The New York Mets are looking to turn things around from their 2017 campaign. So far, they’ve done well in doing so. Stats wise, their batting and pitching run around the middle of the pack. But to return to its 2015 days, New York will have to kick it up a few notches to get back to October.
The Milwaukee Brewers are duking it out with the Chicago Cubs for the NL Central. The Brewers have a merciless pitching roster, but also a fielding unit in need of improvement. Not to mention, Milwaukee leads the NL in errors. They have the lead in their division, but only a small one.
The Chicago Cubs have won seven of their last ten games. A big part of their good fortunes is their pitching lineup, whose boasts a more than solid ERA in the NL. However, the Cubs will need to clean up their fielding to keep men off base. Not to mention, the Milwaukee Brewers are not making it easy for the Cubs to take the NL Central.
As the new month thunders onward, teams will be looking for improvements in lacking areas to keeps wins coming. Some will hit slumps, and some will starts winning bursts: while others will look to remain hot like they have in April. There might be new teams eager to shake up MLB Power Rankings from across the league. In the meantime, PLAY BALL!
Featured image courtesy from wikipedia.org
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