Major League Baseball Power Rankings: Week 17 – Part 1
The fight in the American League for the top spot has become intense as the New York Yankees are pressing hard to overtake the strong Boston Red Sox. With almost all other teams except Texas Rangers out of contention in the American League, it is now vastly
expected that the struggle for glory between the Yankees and Red Sox will go to the wire.
The Red Sox currently are leading the AL with a win-loss record of 63-38. The Yankees are just two games behind Boston with a win-loss record of 61-40 but are superior on run differential by at least nine runs. The Rangers have shown immense improvement
over the past few weeks which included a 12 game winning-streak. This streak was enough to inflate their ranking and place them among the top five teams in Major League Baseball. With a win-loss record of 59-45, the Rangers surely have their eyes on the top
notch in the American League.
The National League, on the other hand, has become more of a one-sided affair. Philadelphia Phillies, aided by their All-Star pitching staff, has ruffled through the teams and has an unmatched league-best win-loss record of 65-37. Where all squads placed
second in the division standings are in a strong position to take the top notch, the Phillies are at a relatively easier position with the second team in their division, the Atlanta Braves, 6.5 games behind them.
With a star-studded pitching staff, the Phillies supposedly boast the best pitching staff in MLB with a team ERA of 3.13 but their competitors form the West Division and reigning World Champions San Francisco Giants are in fact the unsung heroes. The Giants’
pitching’ staff has a league-best team ERA of 3.08 and are a strong challenger for the Phillies. A lapse in concentration by the Phillies may prove to be enough for the Giants to stamp their authority on the circuit once again.
In week 17, the top three teams have held on to their positions authoritatively. The Rangers officially made their mark in the top five teams with the Giants slipping one place to make way for the Rangers and finish the week at Number six.
There were no major gainers or losers this week and the rankings remained quiet similar to what they were last week. The two teams who witnessed a significant jump in their rankings were the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels. The Tigers gained four
positions to cement their place in the top ten and are now placed at the ninth position. The Angels jumped three positions to finish the week at the seventh spot. They are fast improving and are well-placed to enter the top five if they continue with their
persistency.
The Seattle Mariners were the biggest losers this week after their dismal run of form continued. The Mariners are now on a 17 game losing-streak and hence lost seven places this week. Seattle is now ranked 28th in the league out of the total 30
teams. If this run of form continues, they are likely to take over the Houston Astros for the last position in the Majors.
Following are the Major League Baseball Power Rankings for week 17.
1. At the top spot this week are Philadelphia Phillies who have held on to this spot for the past three weeks.
Continued in Part 2
Tags: