USA Today’s Weekly MLB Power Rankings

These rankings have been coming out later and later in the week for whatever reason and if you are a fan of them I have to apologize. I can only bring them to you when the USA Today brings them to me unless I start doing my own rankings. I may do that but for now I bring you another week’s worth of MLB Power Rankings from the USA Today. Last week the crew over there at the USA Today were not impressed with the Yankees beating up on the Minnesota Twins but would they be impressed with the team taking three-out-of-four from the first place Cleveland Indians before sending three of their own to the 2016 MLB All Star Game?

In a word, no. The Yankees finished last week’s rankings at the #19 position in the league and that is exactly where they sit this week as well. No movement for the Yankees but that happens a lot the farther you get into a season. The more of a sample size the less you see big jumps and falls and the harder it is to truly gain some ground on your opponents. Opponents like the Baltimore Orioles who finished the week ranked 6^th overall, the Boston Red Sox who finished 7^th, the Toronto Blue Jays who finished 8^th and the Tampa Bay Rays who finished 27^th overall.

The biggest rise of the week went to the Pittsburgh Pirates who are making a run rising four spots to the #14 position. Meanwhile the exact opposite can be said about the Detroit Tigers who got ran all over this week falling four spots to the #15 position overall.

The Top Five teams got a bit of a shake up this week as the Chicago Cubs are no longer atop the list but the San Francisco Giants are. The Cubs finished 2^nd overall followed by the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians. The five worst teams in the rankings are the Oakland Athletics, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Minnesota Twins, the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves. Not what you want if you’re one of the latter five teams.

So let me get this straight. The Indians are 5^th and they lost three-of-four to the Yankees with some of their best pitching on the mound and New York doesn’t move up at all? Not even one slot? Call me bias but I’ll counter by calling “BS” on that one. Oh well, these rankings and a buck get you a Coke these days.