As the Major League Baseball All-Star Break nears, here's a look at the latest MLB Power Rankings from Audacy Sports...
3 National League West Teams Among World Series Contenders
Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Padres are competing in a crowded division.(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Houston Astros
4. San Francisco Giants
5. San Diego Padres
Fernando Tatis Jr. is having an MVP-caliber season, and the the Padres are 14 games above .500 at the time of publication. And yet, the Friars find themselves in third place in their own division.
It's not especially surprising that the Padres are a few games back of the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. However, for both teams to be looking up at the San Francisco Giants - who were No. 21 in our preseason power rankings - is a pretty shocking development.
At 54-32, the Giants have the best record in the National League, and the top winning percentage in the sport. Gabe Kapler's team has benefitted from renaissance seasons from Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford, but also from the Kevin Gasuman - on his fourth team - finally realizing his potential as a frontline starter.
We'd still probably bet on either the Dodgers or Padres winning baseball's most top-heavy division, but it appears increasingly likely that three teams in the National League West will be playing in October.
Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays Primed for Big Second Half
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays are hoping to make a run in the second half of the season.(Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)6. Chicago White Sox
7. Tampa Bay Rays
8. Oakland Athletics
9. Milwaukee Brewers
10. Toronto Blue Jays
Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is likely to win American League MVP if things continue trending in the direction that they are, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is putting together a season that would win the award in pretty much any other year.
Guerrero lost over 40 pounds this past offseason, and has started to look like his Hall of Fame father at the plate. The 22-year-old is slashing .341/.439/.679 with 28 home runs, 73 RBIs and a 1.118 OPS, having put together one of the best offensive halves in recent memory.
The Blue Jays are 44-40, but have played much of the first half of the season without their top offseason signee George Springer, who is now healthy. If Springer heats up and the Blue Jays make another addition to their lineup - Nelson Cruz, anyone? - they could be a dangerous team after the All-Star Break.
Phillies, Yankees Plagued by Poor Fielding
Alec Bohm and the Phillies have struggled mightily in the field.(Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)11. New York Mets
12. Cincinnati Reds
13. New York Yankees
14. Atlanta Braves
15. Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees both have top-5 payrolls in baseball, and if the season ended today, both teams would miss the playoffs.
A major reason why? Both teams didn't invest enough resources into building strong defensive teams.
The Phillies have -29 defensive runs saved as a team, the second-worst mark in baseball. Alec Bohm - probably not long for third base - has a league-worst -12 defensive runs saved. Didi Gregorius has -7 defensive runs saved. Rhys Hoskins has -6 defensive runs saved. Andrew McCutchen has -6 defensive runs saved.
When you factor in that Phillies relievers have produced a -0.5 fWAR - 28th in baseball - they're lucky to still be in an underperforming National League East.
The Yankees haven't been as bad as the Phillies in the field, but when you play in the American League East, the margin for error is slimmer.
Aaron Boone's team is 24th in defensive runs saved in baseball with -18. In what has actually been a slight improvement from a year ago, Gleyber Torres has -6 defensive runs saved. Clint Frazier has -6 defensive runs saved. Rougned Odor has -4 defensive runs saved.
As former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said earlier this week, "if your club cannot play consistent defense, it makes it very tough to be successful." That sounds obvious, but it wasn't to both the Phillies and Yankees when they constructed their teams for 2021, and they're learning the lesson the hard way.
Nolan Arenado Is an All-Star, but Cardinals Have Disappointed
Nolan Arenadois an All-Star in his first seas(Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)16. Washington Nationals
17. Chicago Cubs
18. St. Louis Cardinals
19. Cleveland
20. Seattle Mariners
In his first season in St. Louis, Nolan Arenado is headed to the All-Star Game for a sixth time.
However, while the Cardinals are certainly better than the Colorado Rockies, they currently have a -41 run differential and are two games under .500. At 43-45, the Cardinals have the same record as the division-rival Chicago Cubs, who have lost 12 of their last 13 games.
Arenado wanted out of Colorado to go somewhere that gave him a chance to play in the postseason consistently, but at least in year one, it doesn't appear that St. Louis will be able to do that for him.
Angels Continue To Squander Historically-Dominant Individual Seasons
Shohei Ohtani is the leading candidate to win the American League MVP.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)21. Los Angeles Angels
22. Miami Marlins
23. Detroit Tigers
24. Minnesota Twins
25. Texas Rangers
Over the last five years, the Angels have become synonymous with wasting historically-dominant seasons from Mike Trout.
But while Trout has been limited to just 36 games in 2021, Shohei Ohtani has stepped up and delivered one of the most exciting seasons in baseball history, and the Angels don't have much to show for it from a team perspective.
Ohtani leads baseball with 32 home runs and a .700 slugging percentage, while having posted a 3.49 ERA in 13 starts. And still, the Angels are 44-42, which puts them in fourth place in their own division. The 30 for 30 on why the Angels weren't able to put together teams that consistently reached the postseason during this era will be a must watch.
Things Could Get Even Worse for the Rockies
Trevor Story is likely to be traded before July 30.(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)26. Kansas City Royals
27. Colorado Rockies
28. Pittsburgh Pirates
29. Baltimore Orioles
30. Arizona Diamondbacks
Next week should be fun for the Rockies, as Coors Field hosts the All-Star Game. After that, though, it's back to reality, and an unfortunate one at that.
After trading Arenado this past offseason, the Rockies are 38-50, a distant fourth in the National League West. There's a very real chance that they could post the worst record in baseball in the second half of the season, especially if they, as expected, trade Trevor Story and Jon Gray before the July 30 trade deadline.
The Rockies have the No. 8 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, and there's a very real chance they'll have a top-five pick next year, and perhaps for the foreseeable future.
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