MLB Power Rankings for Week 3: Rockies Continue to Defy Expectations

It may be early in the season but this past week has a strong chance of being the most interesting week of the 2022 MLB season at the end of the year. Miguel Cabrera surpassed 3,000 hits, five games were postponed, and eight games saw a team score 10 or more runs, most notably seen in the Cubs’ 21-0 romp over the Pirates. With so much going on, let’s break it down in the form of updated MLB Power Rankings.

Week 3 MLB Power Rankings

1) Los Angeles Dodgers (11-4) (Previous: 1)

The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t have a difficult schedule this week, but no week is “difficult” when you’re the Dodgers. Los Angeles took their revenge on Atlanta for last season’s NLCS by taking two of three games. The Dodgers also took two of three from their rival Padres and as boring as it may be, already seem to be a lock for the playoffs and likely at least the NLCS again. This team is just too good and will look to prove it again this week against the lowly Diamondbacks and Tigers. Look for them to stay atop the MLB Power Rankings for quite a while.

2) New York Mets (12-5) (3)

Early this past week the Mets got their first true test in the form of the San Francisco Giants. The Mets took three of four and it was no fluke either. The Mets would also take two of three from Arizona to end the week and this team doesn’t seem to be experiencing the hangover that other teams usually do with so many new pieces in the clubhouse. The question as always for the Mets however will be whether or not they can remain consistent for the entire season.

3) San Francisco Giants (11-5) (2)

The San Francisco Giants may have just made the acquisition of the year again this past offseason, landing free agent outfielder Joc Pederson for just $6 million on a one-year deal. With his two homers on Sunday, Pederson is now hitting .364 with five homers and eight RBIs. If he and Belt can continue to even hit just .280 this San Francisco offense will be a real problem for opposing teams.

4) St. Louis Cardinals (9-5) (5)

The St. Louis Cardinals are to the MLB as Villanova is to men’s college basketball. The Cardinals again have a solid team together and always seem to be in the thick of playoff contention. St. Louis may not be as flashy as they once were, but they are still a solid baseball team this year. The Cardinals took two of three from both Miami and Cincinnati but have a big test early next week against the Mets.

5) Toronto Blue Jays (10-6) (7)

This week was an early test for the Blue Jays and they passed with flying colors. They dispatched the Red Sox and Astros in two of their three matchups respectively. The most impressive thing of the week however was Toronto holding their opponents to just 18 runs over six games. After an abysmal start from their pitching staff, it looks like Toronto could be starting to find their groove on the mound.

6) Colorado Rockies (10-5) (8)

The NL West was already the toughest division in baseball before the Rockies decided to play winning ball as well. Colorado took care of business and won four of six against the Phillies and Tigers this week. C.J. Cron is on fire right now as he has already mashed six homers and driven in 17 runs. It’s an odd formula to success for the Rockies but if Kris Bryant can start hitting some bombs as well, the Rockies may have the biggest turnaround in the MLB this year.

7) New York Yankees (10-6) (13)

As much as I’d love to bump the New York Yankees down a notch for intentionally walking Miguel Cabrera sitting on hit number 2,999 or for their fans throwing objects at Cleveland’s players, their results aren’t letting that happen. New York took two of three from Detroit and swept Cleveland at home. Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes has been an emerging star early on. While he doesn’t have any decisions yet, Cortes does have an ERA of just 1.15 and a K/BB ratio of 8.3 in 15 2/3 innings of work.

8) San Diego Padres (10-7) (14)

The San Diego Padres may be a playoff team this year but they do still, unfortunately, fall in the shadow of San Francisco and Los Angeles so far. After sweeping the lowly Reds, the Padres did well to even take one of three from the Dodgers. If the Padres can produce like this without star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., they should be able to make a real run at the NL Central crown this season and could continue to rise in the MLB Power Rankings.

9) Seattle Mariners (10-6) (18)

While there is still a long way to go before the Seattle Mariners end their 20-year playoff drought, they continued in the right direction this past week. Seattle took two of three from the Rangers before sweeping Kansas City. Ty France may be the hottest player in the MLB right now hitting .356 with four homers and 17 RBIs. If Seattle can improve on their .237 team batting average, they could have a real shot at taking the AL West crown in 2022.

10) Milwaukee Brewers (10-6) (19)

Nothing wakes the Milwaukee Brewers up like playing the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Brewers have feasted on the Pirates for over a decade, at one point beating the Pirates in 17 straight games. This week, they used dominant pitching and just enough offense to sweep the Pirates in their three-game series. Although a late collapse on Friday ended their four-game winning streak, the Crew took the last two games against the Phillies. The Brewers have won six of their last seven and have given up more than three runs just once in their last six games, leading to their jump in the MLB Power Rankings.

11) Los Angeles Angels (9-7) (10)
12) Tampa Bay Rays (9-7) (12)
13) Minnesota Twins (8-8) (23)
14) Oakland Athletics (9-8) (16)
15) Pittsburgh Pirates (8-8) (17)
16) Houston Astros (7-8) (9)
17) Chicago White Sox (6-9) (4)
18) Boston Red Sox (7-9) (6)
19) Miami Marlins (7-8) (24)
20) Cleveland Guardians (7-8) (21)
21) Chicago Cubs (7-9) (11)
22) Atlanta Braves (7-10) (15)
23) Philadelphia Phillies (6-10) (20)
24) Detroit Tigers (6-9) (22)
25) Baltimore Orioles (6-10) (29)
26) Texas Rangers (5-9) (27)
27) Arizona Diamondbacks (6-10) (28)
28) Kansas City Royals (5-9) (26)
29) Washington Nationals (6-12) (25)
30) Cincinnati Reds (3-13) (30)