Would this be a good time to remind everyone that Toronto started last season 16-20 and still came two outs away from winning the World Series?
Among the many early surprises this season? The Blue Jays just got swept by the White Sox, the Red Sox have the worst record in MLB, the Marlins are in first place, the Cubs are in last place, the Mariners are under .500 and the Yankees are the only team .500 or better in the AL East.
Surely, this is mostly just the result of early-season small samples. But for this week’s edition of power rankings, we’ll look at more of the surprises around the league.
We’re more than a week into the season, and the Rockies’ have the second-best run differential in the NL West…at minus-four.
We knew the pitching would be bad, and, boy, has it been. The real surprise in Washington is the offense, which ranks third in MLB in scoring while getting a big boost from Joey Wiemer (10-for-21, 2 HR), who was acquired off waivers this offseason.
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Miguel Vargas was always expected to hit at the highest level when he was a Dodgers prospect, and it might finally be coming together for him. He ranks in the top 30 among qualified MLB hitters in OPS, and the White Sox are 3-0 at home for the first time since 2004.
The Twins don’t have a single player hitting above .225. As a team, they have the worst batting average in baseball at .192. On the positive side, Taj Bradley has a 0.87 ERA through two starts.
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It’s not surprising that the A’s have the third-worst ERA in MLB; it is surprising that their high-powered offense ranks 17th in OPS…especially while Shea Langeliers is tied for the MLB lead in home runs with five.
Jo Adell, who was tied with Nick Castellanos and Juan Soto for last among all qualified outfield defenders in outs above average last season, is saving games with his glove. What a display Adell put on Saturday to save a win against the Mariners. He assisted a pitching staff that ranks seventh in MLB in ERA.
The Giants are one of only eight teams who have already played 10 games, and they’re still tied for the fewest runs scored in MLB with the lowest OPS in MLB (.561). They’re averaging 2.6 runs per game; their fewest in a full season since moving to San Francisco is 3.4 runs per game.
They’re a top-10 team in runs scored, slugging and OPS, but their relievers have the worst ERA in MLB (7.96).
Cardinals pitchers have a strikeout rate of 14.9%, which would be the lowest of any team in a full season since the 2009 Nationals (14.3%) and Orioles (14.7%). The could, however, be the Jordan Walker breakout year.
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The Diamondbacks have the third-worst on-base percentage in MLB. Among qualified hitters on the team, Corbin Carroll is the only one hitting above league average.
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The Red Sox offense has scored the fewest runs (30) in the American League, Caleb Durbin and Trevor Story each rank in the bottom three among all qualified MLB hitters in wRC+, and after trading for Sonny Gray and signing Ranger Suarez for $130 million, Boston starters currently have the fourth-highest ERA in MLB (5.19). Combine it all, and the Red Sox have lost seven of their last eight games.
Xavier Edwards is tied for the MLB lead in hits (16), Liam Hicks is tied for the MLB lead in RBI (12), and the Marlins’ offense ranks fourth in MLB in OPS (.793) and fifth in runs per game (5.44).
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Last year, Bobby Witt Jr. never went more than six games without an extra-base hit. The Royals are nine games into their season and still haven’t gotten one from their superstar shortstop yet. Meanwhile, Vinnie Pasquantino only has one.
The best pitcher in the rotation has been Randy Vásquez, who has allowed just one run in 12 innings over his first two starts.
The Orioles have hit the third-fewest home runs in MLB and dropped five of six games to the Rangers and Pirates.
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Joc Pederson is 1-for-17 to start the year and has the same OPS as Wyatt Langford (.425). The two worst ERAs in the rotation belong to Nathan Eovaldi (11.42) and Jacob deGrom (5.79), but Jack Leiter and MacKenzie Gore each rank in the top 10 in MLB in strikeouts.
The Cubs have the fewest hits in the National League and rank 25th in slugging percentage, despite four home runs already from Ian Happ. While the offense is trying to get going, last year’s Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton just left his last start with forearm discomfort.
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It’s not a surprise to see the top pitching duo of Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez thriving; it is a surprise that the team’s two OPS leaders are Colt Keith and Dillon Dingler.
The Reds are on the upswing after sweeping the Rangers despite an offense that ranks last in MLB in OPS with runners in scoring position and is tied for last in runs scored. It says a lot about what young starters Chase Burns (0.82 ERA) and Rhett Lowder (1.64) have done.
The Pirates have won five straight games despite Paul Skenes sporting a 9.53 ERA. Their offense, which ranked last in OPS last season, ranks seventh this year and now has top prospect Konnor Griffin lifting the vibes.
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Top prospect Chase DeLauter is tied for the MLB lead in home runs — and has more than half of the team’s homers. His product has been vital with Kyle Manzardo starting the year 2-for-30, José Ramírez hitting .154 and Steven Kwan hitting .216 to start the year.
The Blue Jays’ offense ranks 23rd in runs scored, most of their rotation is sidelined and their relievers are 1-for-6 in save opportunities. Add all that up, and they stunningly just lost five out of six games to the Rockies and White Sox before getting ready to host the Dodgers in a World Series rematch.
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Julio Rodriguez is 6-for-39 with 13 strikeouts and no extra-base hits. It has been just as bad for Cal Raleigh, who’s 5-for-38 with 20 strikeouts. As a team, the Mariners have the second-most strikeouts in MLB and are one of three teams hitting under .200.
The Phillies rank 16th in starters’ ERA and 20th in relievers’ ERA, and offensively they’re outside the top 10 in OPS. But Zack Wheeler’s return is on the horizon later this month, and Adolis García seems to be doing better with the change of scenery. His .835 OPS is the second-highest mark on the team.
MLB’s OPS leaders? That would be the Houston Astros, who also rank first in hits and runs scored by a wide margin. What a difference a healthy Yordan Alvarez makes.
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Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider and Hurston Waldrep are all on the injured list, and yet the Braves have the lowest ERA in MLB (1.82). They’re first in relievers’ ERA (1.08) and second in starters’ ERA (2.26). Bryce Elder still hasn’t allowed a run after two starts.
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The team leader in OPS? That would be Mark Vientos, who slashed .233/.289/.413 last year. Most of the fresh faces on the offensive side have yet to get going — Bo Bichette (.473 OPS) did, however, show positive signs in San Francisco — but new relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver have yet to allow a run, and Tobias Myers has looked like a multi-inning weapon.
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Here we go again. The Brewers traded away Freddy Peralta, Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins, and yet their offense ranks third in MLB in OPS and their pitching staff ranks eighth in ERA. Former Giants prospect Kyle Harrison appears to be the latest pitcher to find his optimized form in Milwaukee.
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With Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón still on the shelf, the Yankees’ rotation is 5-0 with an MLB-best 1.81 ERA. Cam Schlittler has 15 strikeouts and no walks through two scoreless starts and already looks like one of the most dominant arms in the game, building off last year’s rookie success.
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The Dodgers added Kyle Tucker to a lineup that included Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Will Smith. But the best hitter on the team so far? That would be Andy Pages, who has bounced back from a forgettable postseason by starting 16-for-34 with three home runs.
