MLB Power Rankings: July 19, 2017

The All-Star Break is in the rear view mirror and the July 31st trade deadline looms large. All 30 teams will be looking to make some moves within the next couple of weeks. Whether it’s liquidating current assets to build for the future or adding that last piece to make a push for October, 2017 is fixing to have some major player movement.

With that being said, here are this week’s MLB Power Rankings presented by FlurrySports. Making the biggest leap forward this week was the Seattle Mariners as they moved up five spots. On the flip side, the Los Angeles Angels fell five spots. (All records and stats updated through 7/17/2017)

Last week’s rankings (7/11/2017)

Teams 30-11

30.) Philadelphia Phillies (Last Week: 30)(31-61) 29.) San Francisco Giants (29)(35-59) 28.) Cincinnati Reds (25)(39-54) 27.) Chicago White Sox (27)(38-52) 26.) San Diego Padres (28)(40-52) 25.) New York Mets (23)(41-50) 24.) Oakland Athletics (26)(42-51) 23.) Miami Marlins (21)(42-50) 22.) Detroit Tigers (24)(42-49) 21.) Toronto Blue Jays (22)(43-49) 20.) Baltimore Orioles (19)(44-49) 19.) Texas Rangers (15)(45-48) 18.) Los Angeles Angels (13)(46-49) 17.) Pittsburgh Pirates (20)(46-48) 16.) Atlanta Braves (17)(45-46) 15.) Kansas City Royals (12)(45-46) 14.) St. Louis Cardinals (16)(46-47) 13.) Seattle Mariners (18)(47-47) 12.) Chicago Cubs (14)(47-45) 11.) Minnesota Twins (11)(47-45)

The Top Ten

10.) New York Yankees (9)(47-44)

It appears as if the Yankees have cooled off as of late. Aaron Judge, this year’s Homerun Derby champion, has only one hit since the end of the All-Star break, dropping his season batting average by 18 points. Their bullpen has also struggled recently as their workload has increased. New York will want to reverse these trends if they are to stay both in the top ten and in one of the American League Wild Card spots.

9.) Cleveland Indians (8)(48-43)

Despite posting an underwhelming 6-7 record so far in the month of July, the Tribe is still in first place in the AL Central. The defending American League Champions may only have a 1.5 game lead in their division, but that slim margin has been held firm for weeks. Still, Cleveland can ill afford to get complacent as the Twins and Royals are two clubs that can not be slept on.

8.) Tampa Bay Rays (10)(50-44)

The Rays continue to trend upward, starting off the month of July posting an 8-4 record. That’s been good enough to make them the 8th MLB team to reach 50 wins, the 8th team in this ranking, and the current holders of the first AL Wild Card spot. Only trailing Boston by two games, this team has all of the potential to swap spots with the Sox in the AL East.

7.) Arizona Diamondbacks (3)(54-39)

In hindsight, ranking Arizona at number three last week may have been a bit of a leap. At the time, however, they had the winning percentage to justify a top-5 berth. This week is a different story. The D-backs have dropped eight out of their last ten games, putting their hold on second place in the NL West (and the first NL Wild Card spot) in jeopardy of being overtaken by division rival Colorado. Only a half of a game separates the two clubs.

6.) Colorado Rockies (5)(54-41)

The Rockies have hovered around this general area of the rankings for quite some time now. Going 6-4 in their last ten games (winning the last three in a row), Colorado is currently trending upward. This explains why they are ranked ahead of the aforementioned Diamondbacks, as a shift in the standings is surely coming.

5.) Boston Red Sox (6)(52-42)

The Red Sox have managed to post a winning record in each month of the season so far. Currently, they sit at 0.500 in the month of July with a 7-7 record. Boston will face tough opposition in the coming weeks: a four game series at home against Toronto, a six game road trip split by the Angels (now with a healthy Mike Trout) and the Mariners, and games against the Royals and Indians to close out the month of July.

4.) Milwaukee Brewers (7)(52-44)

The NL Central-leading Brewers have cracked the top 5 for the first time this season. The Brewers have been a model of consistency all year, and that success has continued into the month of July. The Brewers have won seven out of their last ten games, so far posting a 9-4 record this month. What’s sweeter still is the 3.5 game lead held over the defending world champions.

3.) Washington Nationals (4)(56-36)

It’s odd that a team as good as the Nationals is essentially being overlooked. It’s not hard to do, considering the eye-popping successes of the Astros and Dodgers. Don’t sleep on Washington: an experienced, talented team that can go toe-to-toe with any opponent in baseball and meet the challenge. The Nationals have won five in a row, but will face some stiff competition in the coming weeks: Arizona, Milwaukee, and Colorado. All three of those teams also appearing in the top ten, mind you.

2.) Houston Astros (2)(62-31)

Houston continues to dominate and prove their worth as the best team in the American League. Behind the power of baseball’s top offense, the Astros have the best road record in the league and have gone 8-4 so far in the month of July. Houston will likely add to those win totals later this month, as they open up a nine-game road trip facing Baltimore (44-49), Philadelphia (31-61), and Detroit (42-49).

1.) Los Angeles Dodgers (1)(64-29)

No one should be surprised here. Not only do they have the league’s best record, the Dodgers have won 10 games in a row, going 30-4 in their last 34 games. The 1977 Kansas City Royals were the last team to have such a winning run. The Dodgers will look to continue their dominance as they close out the month of July with a ten game home stand.