Current:Home > FinanceMLB power rankings: Orioles in rare air, knocking Rays out of AL East lead for first time-LoTradeCoin
MLB power rankings: Orioles in rare air, knocking Rays out of AL East lead for first time
View Date:2024-12-24 00:37:06
The Baltimore Orioles are running out of places to stash their talented young players. And running out of peaks to ascend in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.
The Orioles' startling rebuild hit another gear this week as they won three of four games at Tampa Bay to wrest first place in baseball's toughest division – the AL East – away from the Rays. It was just their second four-game series conquest at Tropicana Field and their first since 2006, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
At 61-38, Baltimore has the top record in the AL and is second only to Atlanta. And the Orioles are in first place after the All-Star break for the first time since August 2016.
So, what now?
Baltimore leaves the Gulf Coast with a two-game lead in the East and faces an interesting week: Three games at Philadelphia in a rematch of its last World Series appearance, in 1983, followed by three at home against the enigmatic New York Yankees.
FOLLOW THE MONEY: MLB player salaries and payrolls for every major league team
HALL OF FAME:Fred McGriff, Scott Rolen honor parents in emotional induction
TRADE DEADLINE: Will Angels move Ohtani? 10 questions ahead of Aug. 1
By week's end, all three of those clubs may have a different perspective on how aggressive – or not – to be at the Aug. 1 trade deadline. For now, the Orioles look primed to adopt a buyer's stance – what with a playoff berth more than likely awaiting.
It's just more rarefied air, the sort the Orioles have not been slowed by this season.
A look at this week's rankings:
1. Atlanta Braves (-)
- And now they have this Daysbel Hernández fellow coming out of the bullpen.
2. Baltimore Orioles (+1)
- Only thing that could spoil this party is a bevy of pitchers' odometers roaring past career highs in innings.
3. Tampa Bay Rays (-1)
- Hopefully, squandering Joe Ryan a few Julys back won't make them gun-shy at deadline.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)
- Freddie Freeman: .331 average, .997 OPS. Ronald Acuña Jr.: .332, .986. Just a thought.
5. Texas Rangers (-)
- Not a lot of starters on the market, but they'll be aggressive in finding one.
6. Houston Astros (+1)
- Kyle Tucker making a strong case for NOMVP: Non-Ohtani Most Valuable Player.
7. Toronto Blue Jays (+3)
- Alek Manoah still walking a lot of guys - but now gives his team a chance to win.
8. Milwaukee Brewers (+3)
- Julio Teheran is practically a quality start machine. Like it's 2014.
9. Cincinnati Reds (+3)
- Joey Votto calls Hall of Famer Scott Rolen "the best mentor a young player could have.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks (-4)
- Lost three of last five series.
11. San Francisco Giants (-3)
- Getting swept at DC won't cut it in deep NL wild-card race.
12. New York Yankees (+1)
- When it's a Padres-Yankees World Series, we'll look back on all this and laugh.
13. Philadelphia Phillies (+1)
- Bryce Harper at long last ready to play first base - and a left field vacancy can be filled at the trade deadline.
14. Miami Marlins (-5)
- Finally win first game after break on Sunday, breaking a hex of our making, perhaps.
15. Boston Red Sox (-)
- Trouble ahead: First six batters in lineup have .800 or better OPS.
16. Los Angeles Angels (+1)
- After recent hot streak, it's more like Shohei No-tani for everyone else, right?
17. Minnesota Twins (-1)
- Still cooking: Edouard Julien's hot start now well beyond petit désjeuner stage.
18. Seattle Mariners (-)
- Mike Ford has 11 home runs in 110 at-bats.
19. San Diego Padres (+1)
- Count them out at your own risk.
20. Cleveland Guardians (-1)
- Jose Ramirez heading for eighth consecutive season with at least an .825 OPS.
21. Chicago Cubs (-)
- Cody Bellinger might land a nine-figure contract after a partial season at Wrigley. But it's supposed to be more than a rehab center, right?
22. New York Mets (-1)
- Can see them "selling" at the deadline yet somehow being a better team the final two months.
23. Detroit Tigers (+1)
- Alex Faedo shuts down Padres in just his seventh appearance this season.
24. St. Louis Cardinals (+1)
- They're like the kid who finally started cleaning their room after you burned the amusement park tickets.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates (-2)
- 23-48 since April 29.
26. Washington Nationals (+1)
- Lane Thomas: Key part of future or too good of a trade chip to hold onto?
27. Chicago White Sox (-1)
- How much of their pitching staff will remain after trade deadline?
28. Colorado Rockies (-)
- Randal Grichuk's .302 average, .842 OPS make him rare right-handed commodity on trade market.
29. Kansas City Royals (-)
- Three of Michael Massey's 11 career home runs came this weekend at Yankee Stadium.
30. Oakland Athletics (-)
- The record: 28-74. The run differential: Minus-258. Number of "SELL" shirts president Dave Kaval passed on flight to Vegas: One.
veryGood! (47718)
Related
- 'He's driving the bus': Jim Harbaugh effect paying dividends for Justin Herbert, Chargers
- Second gentleman Doug Emhoff tests positive for COVID
- Rikers Island inmates sue NYC claiming they were trapped in cells during jail fire that injured 20
- Across Maine, judges are deciding when the lack of an attorney becomes a constitutional violation
- Multi-State Offshore Wind Pact Weakened After Connecticut Sits Out First Selection
- The 2025 Toyota Camry SE sprinkles sporty affordability over new all-hybrid lineup
- New U.K. Prime Minister Starmer says controversial Rwanda deportation plan is dead and buried
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, July 7, 2024
- Jennifer Garner and Boyfriend John Miller Are All Smiles In Rare Public Outing
- Florida teen bitten by a shark during a lifeguard training camp
Ranking
- Homes of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce burglarized, per reports
- Hurricane Beryl makes landfall along Texas coast as Category 1 storm | The Excerpt
- Emma Roberts Says She Lost Jobs Because of Her Famous Relatives
- Ford, Toyota, General Motors among 57,000 vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
- Judith Jamison, acclaimed Alvin Ailey American dancer and director, dead at 81
- NASA crew emerges from simulated Mars mission after more than a year in isolation
- Is Mike Tyson still fighting Jake Paul? Here's what to know of rescheduled boxing match
- New U.K. Prime Minister Starmer says controversial Rwanda deportation plan is dead and buried
Recommendation
-
Why Kathy Bates Decided Against Reconstruction Surgery After Double Mastectomy for Breast Cancer
-
Extreme heat in California: Hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries, billions of dollars
-
Biden tells Hill Democrats he ‘declines’ to step aside and says it’s time for party drama ‘to end’
-
Kesha Addresses Body-Shamers in Powerful Message
-
Skai Jackson announces pregnancy with first child: 'My heart is so full!'
-
ACL-related injuries are very common. Here's what causes them, plus how to avoid them.
-
Shaboozey makes history again with 'A Bar Song (Tipsy),' earns first Hot 100 No. 1 spot on Billboard
-
Hamas rejects report that it dropped key demand in possible cease-fire deal