MLB Power Rankings: Tigers remain on top, Pete Alonso powers Mets
Featured in this week's MLB Power Rankings, Pete Alonso climbs the Mets' all-time leaderboard, the Phillies' slide continues, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Christian Encarnacion-Strand are red-hot since coming off the IL, the Rays and Blue Jays are rolling, hope is fading for the Braves, and much more.
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(Please note these power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook)
MLB: Spring Training-Chicago White Sox at San Diego Padres
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Nick Kurtz is back, Kyle Teel is here
Eric Samulski breaks down some of the top waiver wire adds for the upcoming week of fantasy baseball.
Note: Rankings are from the morning of Monday, June 9.
1) Detroit Tigers
Last week: 1
Everything is coming up Tigers right now. Nothing signifies this more than this catch by Zach McKinstry, which left him in a state of disbelief.
2) New York Mets ⬆️
Last week: 3
Fresh off a sweep of the lowly Rockies, the Mets have won 12 out of their last 15 games. Pete Alonso has drive in 18 runs in eight games this month and crushed two homers on Sunday to pass David Wright for second on the Mets' all-time home run list. He's just nine away from catching Darryl Strawberry (252) for the No. 1 spot.
3) Chicago Cubs ⬇️
Last week: 2
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In a possible World Series preview, the Cubs dropped two out of three to the Tigers over the weekend. It was their first series loss in a month.
4) New York Yankees ⬆️
Last week: 6
With his new '70 percent' mindset, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is hitting .381 (8-for-21) with two homers since coming off the injured list. Maybe just stay away from the in-game interviews.
5) Los Angeles Dodgers ⬇️
Last week: 4
It's pretty much history watch every time Clayton Kershaw gets on the mound. The southpaw played the role of stopper on Sunday five innings of one-run ball against the Cardinals and is now just 17 strikeouts away from joining the 3,000 K club.
6) San Diego Padres ⬆️
Last week: 7
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All eyes are on the Padres and Dodgers to start the week, as the divisional foes will meet for the first time this season. The Padres are just one game behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. This week's three-game set will take place in San Diego and they'll meet again next week in Los Angeles for a four-game series.
7) San Francisco Giants ⬆️
Last week: 8
The Giants will carry a five-game winning streak into the week; all of the victories came by the margin of just one run. They have a chance to stay hot as they square off against the Rockies in Coors Field for three games.
8) Philadelphia Phillies ⬇️
Last week: 5
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A stunning fall for the Phillies, who have lost nine out of their last 10 games. Bryce Harper hit the injured list on Saturday as he deals with a recurrence of a right wrist injury from last year. Not great.
9) Houston Astros ⬆️
Last week: 11
Jeremy Pena is quietly enjoying the best season of his career. Even with an 0-fer on Sunday to snap his 12-game hitting streak, he's batting .361 with a .975 OPS over his last 30 games. The Astros have gone 19-11 in that time to climb into first place in the AL West.
10) St. Louis Cardinals ⬇️
Last week: 9
After a bit of a stumble, the Cardinals took two out of three from the Dodgers over the weekend. Sonny Gray got the win on Friday and now owns a 13 1/3-inning scoreless streak.
11) Tampa Bay Rays ⬆️
Last week: 18
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What a turnaround by the Rays, who are 14-4 over their last 18 games. With the exception of Saturday's slugfest against the Marlins, they haven't allowed more than four runs since May 18.
12) Toronto Blue Jays ⬆️
Last week: 15
The Rays aren't the only red-hot team in the AL East, as the Blue Jays have won nine out of their last 11 games. Only the Dodgers, Mets, and the aforementioned Rays have scored more runs over the past two weeks.
13) Minnesota Twins ⬆️
Last week: 14
Big blow to the Twins over the past week, as right-hander Pablo Lopez suffered a Grade 2 teres major muscle strain and is expected to miss 8-to-12 weeks.
14) Milwaukee Brewers ⬇️
Last week: 13
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The wait continues for Brandon Woodruff, who was hit in the elbow by a 108.2 mph comebacker last Tuesday in what was supposed to be his final minor league rehab start. Fortunately, X-rays came back negative, but he'll need some downtime before starting a new rehab assignment.
15) Cleveland Guardians ⬇️
Last week: 12
The key question for the Guardians is if they can get any semblance of consistent offense from someone outside of José Ramírez and Steven Kwan. Ramírez is currently riding a career-best 34-game on-base streak.
16) Seattle Mariners ⬇️
Last week: 10
George Kirby did what aces are supposed to do, stopping a five-game losing streak on Sunday while notching a career-high 14 strikeouts against the Angels.
17) Kansas City Royals ⬇️
Last week: 16
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Any time you can get in the same sentence with Bo Jackson is usually a good thing.
18) Cincinnati Reds ⬆️
Last week: 22
Christian Encarnacion-Strand has provided quite the jolt since coming off the injured list, as he homered in all three games during the Reds' weekend sweep over the Diamondbacks.
19) Boston Red Sox ⬆️
Last week: 20
Hey Red Sox? It's time.
20) Texas Rangers ⬆️
Last week: 21
The Rangers' offense has been a massive disappointment this season, but Marcus Semien is finally waking up. The 34-year-old is hitting .517 (15-for-29) with three homers, three doubles and nine RBI over his last nine games.
21) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬇️
Last week: 19
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With Corbin Burnes needing Tommy John surgery, it's increasingly clear that this isn't going to be the Diamondbacks' year. It will be interesting to see which players end up going on the trade block in the coming weeks. Zac Gallen? Merrill Kelly? Eugenio Suarez?
22) Los Angeles Angels ⬆️
Last week: 24
As someone who is constantly fielding snack requests from my two young children, it's nice to know that it never truly ends. Kudos to Eric Young Sr. as Father's Day approaches this Sunday.
23) Washington Nationals
Last week: 23
As James Wood develops into a star, we're also seeing MacKenzie Gore become one of the game's best left-handed starters. Also acquired in the Juan Soto blockbuster with the Padres, Gore holds a 2.87 ERA through 13 starts and currently leads the NL with 108 strikeouts.
24) Atlanta Braves ⬇️
Last week: 17
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As the kids say, the Braves are crashing out. A seven-game losing streak, including a sweep at the hands of the Giants over the weekend. Spencer Strider is showing diminished stuff with a 5.85 ERA in four starts since coming off the IL last month.
25) Baltimore Orioles ⬆️
Last week: 27
Some recent momentum for the Orioles, who won six straight before dropping two out of three to the lowly Athletics over the weekend.
26) Pittsburgh Pirates ⬆️
Last week: 28
Paul Skenes has one win in his last seven starts despite posting a 1.12 ERA (six ER with a 51/12 K/BB ratio in 48 1/3 innings) during that time.
27) Athletics ⬇️
Last week: 25
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The A's aren't winning many games these days, but Jacob Wilson can't be stopped. He's hitting .461 over his last 19 games and has amassed at least two hits in five straight games.
Also, I'd be remiss to leave out the best catch of the past week.
28) Miami Marlins ⬇️
Last week: 26
The Marlins have lost six out of seven (including a humiliating sweep by the Rockies), but the good news is that stud right-hander Eury Perez is set to make his return from Tommy John surgery on Monday.
29) White Sox
Last week: 29
A former top prospect for the Dodgers, Miguel Vargas is beginning to realize his potential. After getting off to a slow start, he's hitting .289 with nine home runs and a .900 OPS over his last 41 games.
30) Colorado Rockies
Last week: 30
A rollercoaster week for the Rockies, who managed to pull off a three-game sweep of the Marlins on the road before being swept by the Mets at Coors Field over the weekend.
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