The National League is making a statement in the Power Rankings, just two weeks into the new MLB season.
Which of the following? Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants New York MetsThis is the No. This week’s No. 1 spot on our list? At the bottom, did a slow start by the Reds move them down to No. 30?
The 10 votes of our 10-voter panel have combined to rank each team in baseball. We rely on what we’ve seen and what we know going into this 162-game marathon. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield (Brand Doolittle), Joon Lee, Jesse Rogers, and Alden Gonzalez for their early observations of all 30 teams.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 9-3
Previous ranking: 1
Andrew Heaney ditched his breaking ball days before his Dodgers debut, picked up a new, sweeping slider and rode that pitch to remarkable success through his first two starts, allowing only an unearned run in 10⅓ innings while giving up four hits, issuing three walks and striking out 16 batters. The slider is batting at.100/.186/.200 for opposing hitters. The Dodgers’ worst concern heading into the season was the bottom half of their rotation. But Heaney could be a major change in that situation. — Gonzalez
2. New York Mets
Record: 9-4
Previous ranking: 8
Who has the need? Jacob deGrom? Through the Mets’ first 10 games, the Mets’ rotation had a 1.07 ERA — the lowest since 1913 when earned runs were first tabulated. Max ScherzerOn Tuesday, the Mets won the doubleheader against Giants 7 innings without a run. Scherzer won his three first starts and allowed only a.150 average batting and one home run. Carlos Carrasco’s strong start (one run in 10⅓ innings with 13 K’s) is also a good sign after his struggles in 2021.Schoenfield
3. San Francisco Giants
Record: 8-4
Previous ranking: 11
Logan Webb’s incredible streak of 24 consecutive starts without a loss was ended in Tuesday’s doubleheader against Mets. He allowed nine runs and three baserunners before scoring his 12th out. Webb should be okay. Webb’s biggest concern was in the second half of the doubleheader. Alex CobbAdductor strain put Cobb on the injured-list. Cobb had been throwing his sinker into the mid-90s. This was a great team find. — Gonzalez
Record: 7-5
Previous ranking: 3
Rival scouts consider Toronto the most talented team in the AL East. However, there are cracks in the foundation. There are other things. Alek ManoahThe starting rotation has varied so far. Still, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Blue Jays were pleased with his performance, as he has hit five home runs in his first 11 games. — Lee
Record: 6-5
Previous ranking: 4
The White Sox lead the AL Central by a significant margin and are considered heavy favorites to win again as division champions. They’ve managed to do this despite having a slow start collectively from their hitters, which is more reason to be optimistic than anxious. It seems that there is no doubt that a semi-healthy White Sox lineup will produce big offensive numbers. The utility player, who is heavily used, might be a concern. Leury GarciaThis player managed only one hit during his first 23 at-bats. Garcia is in the bottom percentile for several categories such as barrel rate and expected wOBA. — Doolittle
Record: 6-6
Previous ranking: 2
Although Justin Verlander’s injury recovery could not have been better, the Houston rotation has had mixed results so far. Luis GarciaIt has been solid. Framber ValdezHe had control problems, walking 10 batters during his first three starts. And now the bottom of this rotation. Jose Urquidy Jake OdorizziTwo starts were enough for them to struggle. Together, they had a 6.75 ERA (just 3.6 strikeouts in nine innings) Their combined swing and miss percentage was half of the big league average. No qualifying pitcher had allowed a higher strikeout rate than Urquidy. This is an extension of the trend that both pitchers have been experiencing since 2019, which has seen their strikeouts rates drop in every season. — Doolittle
Record: 7-5
Previous ranking: 6
There are some positives, such as strong starts. Luis SeverinoNestor Cortes, on the mound. Aaron HicksDJ LeMahieu Anthony RizzoAt the plate. Three starts into the year, however, and ace Gerrit Cole has struggled, allowing eight earned runs in 11⅓ innings. In a rough outing against the Tigers on Tuesday, he lasted just 1⅔ innings, allowing two runs while walking five batters. — Lee
Record: 9-5
Previous ranking: 9
This was the most certain thing about the Padres going into this season: Fernando Tatis Jr. Expected to be sidelined for at least the first two months, they needed their top-paid position players and their starting pitchers to step up. This has essentially been the case so far. Manny Machado Eric HosmerThey have been the offensive leader of the team. Sean Manaea Joe MusgroveThey have been dominant through their three previous starts. The Padres starters led majors in innings pitched heading into Wednesday. This is encouraging news for a team that had already struggled with its bullpen in 2021. — Gonzalez
Record: 6-8
Previous ranking: 6
Vanderbilt’s fifth overall selection in 2017. Kyle WrightAlthough he reached the majors, he was not able to make any starts or pitch in the majors. The Braves might finally get the year they have been waiting for. After being forced to action in the World Series against the Astros, he had a strong game 4 and carried that momentum into this regular season. He has allowed two runs in eleven innings through just two outings. The key numbers are 15 strikeouts and one walk. His fastball velo has reached 95.0. He mixes his four-seamer and a 94-mph sinker. He has inducing seven of those 15 Ks with his curveball pitch, which he seems to be growing more confident with. Schoenfield
Record: 7-6
Previous ranking: 5
Wander FrancoIf it’s possible, keeps raising the bar. The Ray’s wunderkind shortstop, Rays’ hitter, was hitting.404/.408/.638 in his first dozen games with six doubles and a homer. First baseman Ji-Man ChoiHe has also been raking with a batting average of.423/.571/.769 and two homers in his first 10 games. — Lee
Record: 7-3
Previous ranking: 14
St. Louis is moving along despite some rainouts. Thanks to some important home runs, the Cardinals split a four game road series in Milwaukee. In fact, the Cardinals average the most home runs per match with a lineup which has continued to build on last September’s memorable run to postseason. Albert PujolsThe team is off to a great start, with a huge home run in Brewers’ series. Rogers
Record: 6-6
Previous ranking: 11
The offense — led By Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts Alex VerdugoThe Red Sox won four of five of the last five games and showed signs of life, finishing last week with five wins. However, the pitching staff is still a mystery. Boston will need strong performances from its pitching staff. Michael Wacha, Rich Hill Nick PivettaTo run in October. — Lee
Record: 8-5
Previous ranking: 12
Milwaukee’s record is much better than what the team has seen so far. The offense looks a lot like it did in many of the previous seasons. It’s just okay. The Brewers have only hit six home runs in 11 games. Christian YelichA big help was Monday’s grand slam against Pittsburgh. The best part is that the Brewers had better starts. Corbin Burnes Brandon WoodruffThe second attempt at the rotation, after two failed debuts. Can Milwaukee be carried again by the top of the rotation? It remains to be determined. Rogers
Record: 8-5
Previous ranking: 17
Angels have a constant desire for top-tier pitching. That is why they are beginning to show early signs. Noah SyndergaardI have found it so encouraging. Syndergaard, who signed a one-year, $21 million deal over the offseason, has allowed just two runs in 11⅓ innings in his first two starts. He relies more heavily on his changeup, has struck out five batters, and his fastball is at 95 mph. This is about two to three ticks less than he was before Tommy John surgery. However, that is to be expected given his past two years of very little pitching. — Gonzalez
Record: 7-5
Previous ranking: 15
Two of three Astros home series were won by the Mariners over the weekend, with impressive wins of 11-1 and 7-2 (sandwiched in a Justin Verlander gem). Julio RodriguezAlthough he did get his first RBI, he continues to struggle against a steady diet sliders and slow stuff low (just 32% fastballs). Rodriguez is a strong hitter with long arms. However, he struggles to control his bat against modern pitchers. He has been unable to reach the plate because of his poor bat control. Schoenfield
Record: 8-4
Previous ranking: 21
The Rockies are… great? The Rockies are widely considered to be also-rans heading into 2022. However, they have been one the most pleasant surprises in the sport so far, winning eight out of their first eleven games. As of April 20, the Rockies were the sport’s third-highest OPS. They averaged over five runs per game and received significant contributions from other players. C.J. Cron, Connor JoeThe new guy. Kris Bryant. — Gonzalez
Record: 4-7
Previous ranking: 19
Detroit’s offense has been struggling, with sub.200 averages across the roster. Star free-agent acquisition is one of the few hitters to have produced. Javier Baez, who ended-up on the IL after sustaining a sore thumb. The Tigers and their fans have been able to see the progress Miguel Cabrera has made towards 3,000 career hits. This week has provided them with an exciting glimpse into the future. After some hitless games, Cabrera’s big league debut was uneventful. Spencer TorkelsonBy smashing his first two career homers as well as producing top exit velocities, Torkelson began to display the prodigious power and talent that has made him one the game’s best prospects. Not only is this encouraging, but Torkelson has a chase rate that is almost 10% lower than the big league average. — Doolittle
Record: 6-6
Previous ranking: 20
An aggressive offense has soared to the top as the Cubs set a franchise single series record with 17 doubles in Colorado. This mark is a testament to the team’s progress at the plate. Going forward, it should be a lot of contact. To not bury the lead but, their best hitter has been an early rookie sensation Seiya SuzukiHe started his career by getting on base in every one of the 10 first games for the team.. Rogers
Record: 5-8
Previous ranking: 10
The offense is slowing down, so Joe Girardi felt it was a smart move to create an outfield defense. Kyle Schwarber, Matt Vierling Nick CastellanosCoors Field is the first concern, but it’s also home to Zack Wheeler. Wheeler was slow in spring training due to shoulder soreness. He had the worst start to his Phillies tenure with seven runs in just three innings on Sunday. According to MLB.com last year, he threw one fastball lower than the MLB average at 93.5 mph. He threw 10 pitches below the mark on Sunday, including one at 91.1mph. He has only two hits on his fastball in two starts. Schoenfield
Record: 6-5
Previous ranking: 18
Just as it would be premature to anoint Steven KwanIt would be premature to say that the league has caught up with Roy Hobbs, a younger, more contact-oriented player, after a few sloppy games. Kwan will find his level eventually, but it won’t be long before we know the truth about him. His cooling off allows us to shine a spotlight on a teammate who has a better start. Owen Miller. Miller went on a Kwanlike tear, but with a lot more bases. In six games, he scored five runs more than he did in the previous game. He homered twice in the game without a second-bagger. His average exit velocity is in the top five majors. The pop is real. — Doolittle
Record: 4-7
Previous ranking: 19
Trevor RogersLast season, Jazz Chisholm finished second in the National League Rookies of the Year voting. The good news is that Chisholm has a strong start. He has a higher hard-hit and chase rate, as well as some positive indicators like a better rate of home runs. Rogers, however, has struggled in two outings, including allowing seven runs in just 1⅔ innings in his second start. Rogers struggled with his command, his changeup and his velocity. The Phillies knocked him down early in the second inning after a 40-pitch start. Schoenfield
Record: 4-8
Previous ranking: 16
An offense by the Twins that appeared solid on paper at the beginning of the season has fallen prey to one of the ten worst scoring attacks in baseball. Minnesota has been victim to a terrible combination of events. It has continued to be overly dependent on home runs and walks to score in past seasons, placing 19th in the three-true-outcome percentage as of Tuesday. It hasn’t worked as only four teams had lower home runs rates during the same period. The Twins also had to deal with severe weather conditions in the beginning, particularly in their home games. The weather will warm up, as well as the bats of slow-starting core players, such as Carlos Correa, Jorge Polanco Max KeplerOnce the runs start rolling in, they should be stopped. — Doolittle
Record: 7-6
Previous ranking: 27
Oakland had its roster dismantled, but it was still sitting at the top of the division after just two weeks. The righties have been strong for the A’s Paul Blackburn Daulton JefferiesWhile the lineup has been increased by catcher, Sean MurphyAnd shortstop Elvis Andrus. — Lee
Record: 6-8
Previous ranking: 26
Through the 13 first games of the team, Juan Soto Josh BellCombining them, they gave rise to five home runs and 21 walk. The remainder of the lineup only had two home runs and 22 walk. Soto was credited with just three RBIs. All of them came on solo home runs. While he didn’t have many RBIs with runners on the base, Soto was 0-for-9 and had four strikeouts when there were runners scoring. The only hope was veteran Nelson CruzHe would be a third big bat but he is off to a slow start as is the catcher Keibert RuizHe has displayed the same good contact skills that he had with the minors but at the cost of any form discipline (no walks). Schoenfield
Record: 5-5
Previous ranking: 22
Bobby Witt Jr. While he has had some great moments at the plate in the past, his overall start as a major league hitter has been disappointing. He had struck out 12 times in nine games and not allowed a single walk. He was still looking for his first home run in the big leagues. Witt hasn’t hit any hard stuff, hasn’t hit breaking stuff, and hasn’t hit any soft stuff. He hasn’t been able to hit. Witt has chased 41% of the times, which is 13% more than the average for the big leagues. Witt is known for being a bit slow from the start, even last season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. In other words, Witt is still the same guy you thought you knew. — Doolittle
Record: 2-9
Previous ranking: 25
The Rangers are a standout in a month of parity that began the MLB season. They have one of the lowest ERAs in baseball, and this is despite having a lot of pitching success. Dane Dunning, Martin Perez Taylor HearnAll three struggled their first two rounds of the rotation. Combined, they gave up a whopping 37 hits in 24⅓ innings pitched. This is why the Rangers are last place in the AL West. Rogers
Record: 5-7
Previous ranking: 29
The signing Ke’Bryan HayesWhile a long-term agreement might be the best thing for Pittsburgh this season (but they aren’t falling off the cliff early on), a long-term one is the best. While their record is improving with a win over the Nationals in series, they will be on thin ice throughout the season. However, signing Hayes should give the Pirates some hope for their future. Hayes is off to an excellent start at the plate, and on the field. Rogers
Record: 4-8
Previous ranking: 28
In their first 11 games, the average run rate for D-backs was 0.45. Yes, you read that right. — 0.45! Their combined OPS of.455 was 258 points lower than the league average. These were the five players with the most plate appearances. Ketel Marte, David Peralta, Daulton Varsho, Christian Walker Pavin Smith— combined for a.182/.293/.318 line. Last year, the D-backs lost 110 games. It doesn’t look like they’ll be any better in 2022. — Gonzalez
Record: 2-11
Previous ranking: 24
The Reds are in terrible shape as you can see from the way they have stripped their team of its talent. Cincinnati ranks last in OPS (outfield percentage) and second in ERA (pitching ability). This sums up the situation. They did not do them any favors. The Reds had already played a four-game road series with both the Braves (and Dodgers) plus three more in San Diego. They split with Braves, but got swept in Los Angeles by the Dodgers. This placed them in last place in NL Central. Rogers
Record: 4-8
Previous ranking: 30
The Orioles didn’t have high expectations going into this season, but they lost. John MeansThe 60-day injury list was due to a left elbow strain. However, the team was able to take two out of three games against the Yankees. — Lee