WHO HAS MADE BEST
(AND WORST) FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
Eleven days into the regular season, you might not expect
huge changes in our Power Rankings, but you'd be wrong. Teams and players are
already making indelible first impressions on this season, and it's showing in
the standings -- and our first regular-season rankings of 2019.
Whether shoring up their pitching or shaking up the lineup,
these clubs have problems that need solving before their seasons get away from
them.
You can start with how first-place votes were split between
the Dodgers (two), Brewers (two) and Mets (one), but don't sleep on the
Phillies -- they might not have gotten a first-place vote, but they advanced
eight slots to reach the No. 2 perch. The single largest leap between our
initial preseason Power Rankings and this one was achieved by the Mariners, who
jumped 11 spots to crack the top 10. Meanwhile, the Mets' 10-rung move brought
them into the top five. The Padres also advanced 10 spots, suggesting that their
rebuild might be ahead of schedule.
Equally dramatic, the slow starts of the reigning World
Series champion Red Sox and the Cubs sent both clubs spiraling out of the top
10, as Boston fell 10 spots from No. 1 to 11th overall, and the Cubs tumbled 13
spots to No. 19. Will these early season corrections for high expectations get
turned around quickly, or will both of these expected playoff contenders dig
even bigger holes in the week to come?
1. LOS ANGELES
DODGERS
2019 record: 8-2
Preseason ranking: 4
Cody
Bellinger has been playing bam-bam baseball in the early going,
propelling himself into way-too-early MVP chatter. He's slugging better than
.600 against fastballs, off-speed pitches and breaking balls. In other words:
He's mashing everything thrown his way. The only fly in the Dodgers' ointment
to date has been the unsightly performance of new setup reliever Joe Kelly,
whose early ERA sits at 14.40, allowing two home runs and 11 baserunners in
just five innings.
2. PHILADELPHIA
PHILLIES
2019 record: 6-2
Preseason ranking: 10
Has Bryce Harper made
a good first impression with the volatile fans in Philadelphia? Three majestic
home runs and a .556 on-base percentage say yes. That doesn't mean those
passionate fans don't have someone to boo. David
Robertson was tasked with sealing the back of the Philadelphia
bullpen. Instead, he has a 9.82 ERA, with 12 baserunners allowed against 11
total outs.
3. MILWAUKEE
BREWERS
2019 record: 8-2
Preseason ranking: 5
We already knew about Josh Hader,
but the Brewers' beat-up bullpen would be suffering if not for the continued
dominance of one of the game's toughest lefties. Hader allowed just one hit and
one walk in his first five outings, striking out 13 and picking up five saves
while throwing virtually nothing but high fastballs. That kind of focused
approach has extended to a Milwaukee offense that has been long-ball-heavy so
far, but that trend has not included hulking first baseman Jesus Aguilar,
who managed just four singles in his first eight games.
4. NEW YORK METS
2019 record: 6-3
Preseason ranking: 14
You can't be better than Jacob deGrom was
last season -- unless you happen to be Jacob deGrom. The big righty has
continued his 2018 roll with 13 shutout innings and 24 strikeouts to begin the
season. That's 16.6 K/9, if you're keeping track at home. Teammate Brandon Nimmo hasn't
been able to keep his own 2018 magic alive so far. Nimmo has started his
campaign 3-for-29 with 17 strikeouts.
5. TAMPA BAY
RAYS
2019 record: 7-3
Preseason ranking: 13
The Rays stayed away from established sluggers over the
winter, in part hoping the void could be filled by unlocking the power
potential of former Indian Yandy Diaz.
Diaz is slugging .667 with three home runs. That has helped prop up a lineup
that has been dragged down by some slow starts. Particularly distressing has
been the showing of young shortstop Willy Adames.
Instead of taking a second-year leap, Adames is 4-for-34 with 15 strikeouts and
zero extra-base hits or walks to start the campaign.
6. NEW YORK
YANKEES
2019 record: 5-4
Preseason ranking: 3
Imagine where the injury-riddled Yanks would be without
offseason pickup DJ LeMahieu,
who has gone 12-for-28 to start his New York career, mostly while filling in
for Miguel
Andujar at third base. Meanwhile, the first 12 times that Aaron Judge put
the ball in play, the ball failed to leave the yard. For Judge, that qualifies
as a slump. Of course, then he went deep on his next two plate appearances.
7. HOUSTON
ASTROS
2019 record: 5-5
Preseason ranking: 2
After his back problems last season and a neck injury late
in spring training, Carlos Correa has
looked spry in the early going for the Astros, going 6-for-22 with four
extra-base hits in his first six outings. Less encouraging has been the start
for utility player Aledmys Diaz,
acquired as the replacement for super-rover Marwin
Gonzalez. Diaz is 2-for-13 to begin the season and has already
committed a pair of errors.
8. ATLANTA
BRAVES
2019 record: 5-4
Preseason ranking: 8
Lefty Max Fried has
dazzled as both a reliever and a starter in the early going. He has allowed
just one hit among the 26 batters he has faced and looks as if he's going to
fill Atlanta's need for a No. 5 starter for now. The news isn't as cheery for
free-agent acquisition Josh
Donaldson, who is 5-for-30 with a lone extra-base hit to begin the
campaign.
9. CLEVELAND
INDIANS
2019 record: 6-3
Preseason ranking: 7
Trevor Bauer,
baseball's ultimate tinkerer, has emerged from his winter lab with a newfound
appreciation for his changeup, which he has thrown about 10 percent more often
than he did last season. You want results? Opposing hitters are 0-for-11
against Bauer's change so far, even though he doesn't have the luxury of facing
that Cleveland outfield everyone was so worried about entering the season. The consternation
seems well founded for a group that combined to hit .179 with no homers and six
RBIs in the Indians' first nine games.
10. SEATTLE
MARINERS
2019 record: 9-2
Preseason ranking: 21
Seattle has four regulars acquired over the winter who found
themselves in the midst of the Mariners' soft rebuild. Two of them -- Tim Beckham and Domingo
Santana -- rank among the league leaders in runs created.
Beckham has a 1.314 OPS for what has been the game's best offense so far. If
only the thin bullpen could meet that standard. Offseason signee Cory Gearrin has
a 10.80 ERA and began a high-leverage outing in Chicago by throwing 10 straight
balls.
11. BOSTON RED
SOX
2019 record: 3-8
Preseason ranking: 1
On a team that has made a roster-wide poor first impression,
the defending champs still have J.D. Martinez doing
what he has done since his mid-career metamorphosis. Martinez is hitting
.333/.404/.548, and if those were to be his season-end slash stats, would you
really be surprised? The other side of this coin is most starkly exemplified
by Chris Sale,
who has allowed a .885 wOBA with his four-seamer thus far, a pitch averaging
just 90.7 mph.
12. WASHINGTON
NATIONALS
2019 record: 4-4
Preseason ranking: 9
Thus far, free-agent-to-be Anthony
Rendon has been left out of the onslaught of high-dollar
contract extensions. As if the Nationals needed reminding, Rendon has gone out
and hit .433/.528/.967 to start the season. The Nats' infield needs that kind
of production from Rendon, especially now that shortstop Trea Turner has
hit the injured list. New second baseman Brian Dozier began
the campaign in a swoon, going just 2-for-25 with no extra-base hits to start
his Nationals career.
13. SAN DIEGO
PADRES
2019 record: 6-4
Preseason ranking: 23
Fernando
Tatis Jr. has mostly dazzled as baseball's youngest regular thus
far, putting up an .833 OPS in the Padres' first nine games. Just as important:
Tatis has played nine straight errorless games in the field while providing
plenty of fodder for highlight-reel editors. It has been almost entirely good
news for San Diego so far. One sore spot has been setup relief, as the bullpen
has allowed seven of nine inherited runners to score. Robert Stock leads
the club with three high-leverage appearances but allowed five runs of his own,
plus another three of four inherited runners scored.
14. ST. LOUIS
CARDINALS
2019 record: 4-5
Preseason ranking: 11
Kolten Wong
should have won a Gold Glove last season, and perhaps because he did not, he's
taking out his revenge on opposing pitchers. The Cardinals' second baseman has
six extra-base hits, including three homers. Wong and newcomer Paul Goldschmidt
have been bright spots for the so far disappointing Redbirds. What appeared to
be a potentially dynamic, high-leverage relief crew has struggled, with Jordan Hicks, Andrew Miller and
Alex Reyes combining for 13 runs allowed in their first 11⅓ IP.
15. MINNESOTA
TWINS
2019 record: 5-3
Preseason ranking: 17
On a national scale, Jorge Polanco might
not have been the sexiest name on baseball's lengthy list of spring contract
extensions, but he began the season as if he's intent on earning all of those
future riches, slugging .688. On Friday, he hit for the cycle while banging out
five hits. No one in Twins/Senators history had done that since Joe Cronin in
1929. To his right in the infield, Marwin
Gonzalez is off to a slow start as a Twin, going just 4-for-22.
16. OAKLAND
ATHLETICS
2019 record: 6-7
Preseason ranking: 15
How do the A's do it? With an offseason rotation depth chart
populated by a string of questions, Oakland's five some of Marco Estrada, Mike Fiers, Brett
Anderson, Frankie
Montas and Aaron Brooks posted
a collective 2.91 ERA in their first 12 starts. Behind them, the A's turned to
former top Rangers prospect Jurickson
Profar to replace Jed Lowrie at
second base. So far, no good: Profar began the season 5-for-47.
17. COLORADO
ROCKIES
2019 record: 3-7
Preseason ranking: 12
German
Marquez has a contract extension and reinforced status as the
Rockies' ace starter, with just one run allowed in his first two starts. The
Rockies' rotation has been settled since last season, but Colorado had two
lineup holes open over the winter with the departures of DJ LeMahieu and Carlos
Gonzalez. The Rox filled both slots with internal options: Garrett
Hampson and Ian Desmond.
They have combined to go 5-for-59 in the early going.
18. PITTSBURGH
PIRATES
2019 record: 5-3
Preseason ranking: 19
Any run into contention by the Pirates figured to be powered
by pitching, and that's exactly what happened in Pittsburgh's first seven
games. The Bucs used 13 pitchers in those contests, seven of whom did not allow
a run in any outing. That's a lot of 0.00 ERAs, even for this early in the
season. Pittsburgh has needed to be stingy with runs, given a slow start on
offense, exemplified by new shortstop Erik Gonzalez,
who started the season 4-for-24.
19. CHICAGO CUBS
2019 record: 2-7
Preseason ranking: 6
We recently found out that Joe Maddon's forthcoming restaurant
near Wrigley Field will feature renowned Chicago chef Tony Mantuano. That's
about the best development of the Cubs' spring. The worst? The team that
bad-mouthed PECOTA has since gone about proving it to be the most clairvoyant
prognosticator since Edgar Cayce.
20. ARIZONA
DIAMONDBACKS
2019 record: 5-5
Preseason ranking: 20
Christian
Walker has done a pretty good Paul
Goldschmidt impression early in the season, clubbing three homers
already, all against righties. With Jake Lamb hitting
the injured list, Walker has an excellent opportunity to build on that hot
start. On the other hand, 3B Eduardo
Escobar has started the season 7-for-40.
21. LOS ANGELES
ANGELS
2019 record: 4-6
Preseason ranking: 16
Will Mike Trout have
a string of career seasons, or will he actually have one campaign that stands
out in his flawless performance record? Perhaps this is the one: Trout started
the season with a 1.581 OPS, striking out just three times in 10 games. The
Danny DeVito to Trout's Arnold Schwarzenegger has been Zack Cozart,
who started the season 1-for-26 in his bid to bounce back from last season's
injury-plagued campaign.
22. TEXAS RANGERS
2019 record: 5-5
Preseason ranking: 25
The Rangers' offense has propelled a solid start, led by
resurgent veteran Elvis Andrus.
Andrus has 15 hits in 10 games to start the season. Sadly, Texas' run
prevention is shaping up to be as leaky as feared. The Rangers' average game
score from their starters is just 43, the third-worst in baseball. Texas just
lost veteran Edinson
Volquez to an elbow injury, which, if it turns out to be
another UCL tear, has him talking retirement.
23. DETROIT
TIGERS
2019 record: 7-3
Preseason ranking: 27
Jordan
Zimmermann has mostly struggled since he joined the Tigers, but
in his first two starts, he reminded everyone why he was a two-time All-Star
during his days in Washington. Zimmermann has allowed just one run in 13⅔
innings to begin the year. The fountain-of-youth scenario isn't playing out
that way for Miguel
Cabrera; Miggy did not have an extra-base hit in Detroit's first 10
games.
24. TORONTO BLUE
JAYS
2019 record: 3-8
Preseason ranking: 22
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. started 2-for-8 with a double for
High-A Dunedin upon his return from a spring oblique strain. From there, it's
on to Buffalo, then tick, tick, tick. Toronto's placeholder at third base
is Brandon Drury,
who has started 7-for-39 with no homers or RBIs while striking out an AL-high
17 times. In other words, he has done little to quell the cries for the arrival
of Vladi Jr.
25. CHICAGO WHITE
SOX
2019 record: 3-5
Preseason ranking: 24
Early as it is, Yoan Moncada looks
like a player who has taken a leap this season -- not just because he's
averaging an absurd 96 mph in exit velocity but also because so far he has
sliced his strikeout rate in half. On the flipside, phenom Eloy Jimenez has
looked a bit unbalanced at the dish thus far as he adjusts to pitchers throwing
him sliders more frequently than any other player in the majors except
Minnesota's Jonathan
Schoop.
26. SAN FRANCISCO
GIANTS
2019 record: 3-7
Preseason ranking: 26
Has Mad Bum returned to the elite? Madison
Bumgarner has looked like his old self early on, allowing just
two runs while striking out 13 in his first two outings. Oh, he also homered
and leads the Giants in OPS. Other big-name players looking to recover a little
lost glory are still searching: Buster Posey and Evan Longoria are
both trying to climb above the Mendoza line.
27. CINCINNATI
REDS
2019 record: 1-8
Preseason ranking: 18
Armed with one of the game's best changeups, Luis Castillo is
emerging as the No. 1 starter the Reds have been aching for since Johnny Cueto
was traded. Castillo has allowed just three hits while striking out 17 in his
first two starts. Meanwhile, Reds fans waiting on Joey Votto to
recover his power stroke are still waiting. Votto was hunting for his first
homer of the season until Saturday, when he went deep in Pittsburgh.
28. KANSAS CITY
ROYALS
2019 record: 2-6
Preseason ranking: 28
As good as Adalberto
Mondesi has been so far, he isn't leading the Royals in OPS.
That would be Royal emeritus Alex Gordon,
who is off to a .929 start with eight RBIs. Sadly, a bad impression has been
made by anybody who has passed through the Royals' bullpen gate this season, a
problem that has kneecapped what otherwise would be a fun start for rebuilding
Kansas City.
29. MIAMI MARLINS
2019 record: 3-7
Preseason ranking: 29
Young righty Sandy
Alcantara threw eight shutout innings in his season debut, and
that's pretty much the sum total of the good news in Miami. Even that news is
tempered by Alcantara's second outing: a zero-strikeout, five-walk effort on
Saturday. A bad impression? The Marlins are averaging fewer than 10,000 fans at
home so far.
30. BALTIMORE
ORIOLES
2019 record: 4-5
Preseason ranking: 30
The early days of a rebuild often mean the reemergence of
forgotten names, such as minor league journeyman Hanser
Alberto. Used in a bit role thus far, Alberto has seven hits in his
first 14 Oriole at-bats. Unfortunately, another winter's contemplation has done
nothing to coax the reemergence of once-feared slugger Chris Davis,
who began the season 0-for-23 with 13 strikeouts. Davis is now hitless in his
past 44 at-bats dating to last season, two shy of a big league record no one
wants.
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