MLB Power Rankings: Astros hold onto top spot

By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports activities MLB Analyst

For a lot of the MLB season, the New York Yankees have been the perfect group in baseball.

The truth is, they’d the Seattle Mariners’ all-time single season report of 116 wins of their sights — then July occurred. Final month, the Yankees went 13-13, which successfully ended their historic pursuit.

Regardless of their July, the Yankees are nonetheless a implausible group and have various different information they’ll break, together with the Yankees’ single season house run report, at present held by Roger Maris (61). Aaron Decide is at 42 to start out August.

Will his torrid tempo be sufficient to bump the Yankees again as much as the highest spot? Let’s check out the place they ended up this week.

MLB Energy Rankings: Astros, Dodgers and Yankees headline checklist

Ben Verlander offers us his new MLB Energy Rankings for Week 17.

10. Minnesota Twins

The AL Central is such a bizarre division. The Twins at present maintain onto the highest spot however have been a really mediocre group of late. It is essential that they add pitching on the deadline. Their group ERA of 4.05 ranks nineteenth within the league.

Offensively they’re the one group within the AL Central with over 300 further base hits with 44.7% of their runs coming through the lengthy ball.

9. Seattle Mariners

Since June 21, the Mariners have been one of many prime groups in baseball. In that span they’ve gone 26-4 in opposition to everybody apart from the Houston Astros, who they went 1-6 in opposition to of their most up-to-date collection.

Julio Rodriguez was positioned on the IL on Sunday, which is a priority for a Mariners group that simply acquired the highest pitcher available on the market on the commerce deadline with the hope of constructing a playoff push.

What the Seattle Mariners will likely be getting with Luis Castillo becoming a member of the group through commerce

Take a look at some season highlights from Luis Castillo after he was acquired by the Seattle Mariners.

8. San Diego Padres

The Padres are in place. They’ve performed good baseball all yr lengthy and at the moment are poised so as to add Fernando Tatis Jr. again to the lineup for the primary time this yr.

Additionally they acquired Josh Hader on the commerce deadline and are nonetheless within the operating for Juan Soto. The Padres’ pitching has the second-most high quality begins of any group in baseball this yr.

7. Milwaukee Brewers

In what’s going to go down as one of many weirder commerce deadline offers, the Brewers despatched their All-star nearer Josh Hader to the Padres for Taylor Rogers, Dinelson Lamet and a few prospects.

Maybe it is a good total commerce and haul for the group, but it surely did not make the present first-place Milwaukee Brewers any higher than they had been earlier than. Pitching is a staple of this Brewers group, and it is going to be attention-grabbing to see what, if something, they add offensively earlier than the deadline. 

6. Toronto Blue Jays

No group has extra wins than the Blue Jays underneath John Schneider.

Because the All-Star Break, the Blue Jays have scored 50 runs of their first 4 video games, changing into simply the second group since 1933 to perform that feat. That they had a seven-game win streak come to an in depth on Wednesday however have nonetheless received 12 of their final 15 video games due to their league-leading offense.

The Blue Jays are rolling.

Are the Toronto Blue Jays darkish horse World Sequence Contenders?

Ben Verlander breaks down the spectacular Toronto Blue Jays and what they should do to maintain their dominant play constant for the playoffs.

5. Atlanta Braves

The NL East is an absolute battle proper now and the Braves are the group trying up within the division. Prior to now week, Atlanta misplaced a tricky street collection to their division foe, the Phillies, and swept the Diamondbacks.

4. New York Mets

Since shedding the primary two video games out of the All-Star break, the Mets have gone on a tear, profitable six in a row together with a two-game sweep of their cross-town rival, the New York Yankees.

This week, the Mets are anticipated to get Jacob DeGrom again into their rotation, which can lastly get them nearer to 100%. The Mets group is excellent and continues to point out itself as one of many elite groups within the sport of baseball. This week, they will get even higher.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

For the final couple of months, there hasn’t been a group hotter than the Dodgers, however they’re coming off an unprecedented week wherein they misplaced a collection to the Washington Nationals and a sport to the struggling Colorado Rockies.

Search for the Dodgers to make an enormous splash on the commerce deadline as they often do.

MLB Commerce Deadline Replace: Mariners, Yankees, Mets and Dodgers’ newest strikes

Ben Verlander dives into the most recent MLB trades as we close to the deadline.

2. New York Yankees

The month of July wasn’t so nice to the New York Yankees. When all was mentioned and completed, they went 13-13 within the month and got here again all the way down to earth a bit of bit. Their weaknesses grew to become reasonably obvious, they usually appeared in direction of the commerce deadline to handle these points.

Monday, after having already acquired Andrew Benintendi within the earlier week, the Yankees addressed all of their remaining points by grabbing Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino from the Athletics. Final week the Yankees obtained swept within the Subway Sequence by the Mets, however they’ve now reloaded.

1. Houston Astros

After per week that wasn’t notably good for the Astros, they countered the Yankees’ deadline strikes by including Trey Mancini.

This yr, the Astros have confirmed that they’re nonetheless the group to beat within the American League, and now they’re on a collision course for a seven-game collection with the New York Yankees within the ALCS.

The Astros had been swept by the final place Athletics this week however then beat the surging Mariners in three out of 4 video games.

Houston Astros & New York Yankees epic collection basic

Ben Verlander dives into why the Houston Astros are nonetheless the group to beat, lead by Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, and their elite pitching.

Here is to a different thrilling week of Main League Baseball!

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports activities and the host of the “Flippin’ Bats” podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Outdated Dominion College earlier than he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round choose of the Tigers in 2013. He spent 5 years within the Tigers group. Observe him on Twitter @BenVerlander.

Get extra from Main League Baseball Observe your favorites to get details about video games, information and extra.