Baseball finds a way to always keep you on your toes. Just when the 2022 MLB season hit a lull, Tommy Pham slapped Joc Pederson during pre-game warmups over a fantasy football dispute. Pham was levied a three-game suspension by the league and Pederson came armed with the receipts of the origins of their beef. Needless to say, this added bit of drama proved once again just how unpredictable baseball can be. With another crazy week of baseball behind us, here are your updated MLB Power Rankings.
Week 8 MLB Power Rankings
1) Los Angeles Dodgers (33-14) | Last Week: 4
Lack of consistency was what had the Los Angeles Dodgers staying out of the top one spot in our baseball power rankings for several weeks. The Dodgers once again took care of business by taking two of three games from the Washington Nationals before then sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks in a four-game weekend set.
While their opponents haven’t been very good lately, the Dodgers are finally starting to make it a habit of beating them up as they should. Add in their absurd +119 run differential, and it’s clear the Dodgers are deserving of the top spot in this week’s MLB Power Rankings.
2) New York Yankees (33-15) | Last Week: 1
All good things must come to an end and that’s what happened to the New York Yankees’ claim of the top spot in our MLB Power Rankings this week. The Yankees weren’t “bad” as they took two of three games from the Baltimore Orioles before splitting a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays. At the same time, with how hot their bats have been, it’s disappointing to see them score more than two runs just once in their past five games.
It’s clear the Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball, but with the Dodgers on a tear, the Yankees will have to settle for second in our power rankings this week.
3) New York Mets (32-17) | Last Week: 2
The week got off to a bit of a rocky start for the New York Mets as they lost two of three games to a San Francisco Giants team that has struggled as of late. A three-game sweep over division rivals this past weekend was just what the doctor ordered for the Metropolitans. A sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies pushed the Mets’ NL East lead up to eight and a half games.
Even with injuries to their top two starting pitchers, the Mets are still rolling. While New York is fortunate to play in a weak division, the team has passed virtually every early-season test with flying colors. As a result, the Mets find themselves third in our MLB Power Rankings.
4) Milwaukee Brewers (30-18) | Last Week: 5
The Milwaukee Brewers looked good this week as they took two of three games from the San Diego Padres before splitting a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals to end the week. It’s even more impressive when you consider the injury issues that plagued the Brewers this past week. With Willy Adames, Hunter Renfroe, Josh Hader, and Brandon Woodruff all hurt or away from the team for at least a few games this week, the past week’s results show a team as resilient as any.
If the Brewers can get some other role players to step up during the absence of some of their key contributors, they could become really dangerous when they finally get fully healthy again.
5) San Diego Padres (30-17) | Last Week: 3
The San Diego Padres had a decent final week of May, but fans will certainly feel as if they missed an opportunity at home against an ailing Brewers team. Coming into the week fresh off of a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants in which they amassed 20 runs, the Padres’ offense fell flat. San Diego only scored more than three runs twice this week with both of those instances coming against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.
It may be the absence of Fernando Tatis Jr. or it may just be bad luck, but the Padres’ offense has been far too inconsistent based on how this lineup looks on paper.
6) Minnesota Twins (29-19) | Last Week: 7
Thanks to an easy schedule and the recent troubles of the Chicago White Sox, the Minnesota Twins hold a five-game lead atop the AL Central. Even so, the Twins have to feel as though they missed an opportunity to stretch their lead even further as they were only able to win two of four games at home against the Kansas City Royals. Although they certainly would’ve preferred the week to go better, this Twins team is still for real.
It’s important to note that Minnesota is without pitchers Randy Dobnak, Kenta Maeda, Chris Paddack and Cody Stashak for the long haul. That doesn’t even include the day-to-day injuries to guys like Royce Lewis, Max Kepler, Sonny Gray and Gary Sanchez. The fact that this team is one win away from 30 at this juncture in the season is truly remarkable. If they can get healthier moving forward, the Twins are capable of making a serious run for one of the top two seeds in the American League.
7) St. Louis Cardinals (26-21) | Last Week: 9
You’d be hard-pressed to find an MLB franchise that is run as well as the St. Louis Cardinals. Seemingly every year, this team is at least a fringe contender, and 2022 looks to be no different. Facing a brutal schedule this past week, the Cardinals managed to split a short two-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays before splitting their four-game weekend set with the Brewers.
While the results weren’t perfect for the Cardinals, they did add to their breathing room in the National League Wild Card race. St. Louis currently holds a half-game lead for the second spot along with a three and a half-game lead for the newly-added third and final spot. Another tough week looms ahead with matchups against the Padres and Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals will need to have another good week to keep pace with the division-leading Brewers and maintain their top-10 status in our MLB power rankings.
8) Houston Astros (30-18) | Last Week: 6
The Houston Astros started the week off well enough against the Cleveland Guardians, but the wheels fell off the wagon in their three-game series with the Seattle Mariners over the weekend. Houston was outscored 13-3 and won just one of three games. It seems that the Astros’ offense has hit a bit of a lull over the past week. As a result, the team blew a golden opportunity to expand upon their AL West division lead.
With the Los Angeles Angels crumbling lately, the Astros may not need to do too much of anything to ultimately win this division. The big question surrounding this ball club right now is whether or not their offense can be relied upon in the postseason?
9) Tampa Bay Rays (28-19) | Last Week: 10
The Tampa Bay Rays looked solid this week and managed to split a four-game series against the division-leading Yankees. The story of the season so far for Tampa Bay has been their hitting and whether or not it will show up when needed at the end of the season. Currently, the Rays are below teams like the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals in total runs scored and only two players have more than four home runs.
If the Rays don’t improve offensively, any injuries to the pitching staff could be catastrophic for their World Series hopes. Thanks to their incredible pitching, however, the Rays slot in at number nine in our MLB Power Rankings this week.
10) Toronto Blue Jays (27-20) | Last Week: 12
If the Toronto Blue Jays have shown us one thing over the last two years, it’s that they are either incredibly hot or cold. There truly is no in between with this star-studded team. This week, nobody could stop the Jays as they swept the Los Angeles Angels on the road in a four-game series.
The Blue Jays are currently holding onto the second AL Wild Card spot and have a critical three-game series against the Chicago White Sox this week. The Southsiders are currently the first team out in the playoff picture. If Toronto can keep the bats hot this week to close out the month of May, they will be able to improve their postseason outlook heading into the summer portion of the long season.
