MLB Power Rankings - April 20: Dodgers grab top spot, listless Brewers fall to No. 26

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Alex Guerrero is emerging as a serious candidate for regular playing time in Los Angeles after hitting .357 with a pair of home runs through his first six games while also delivering a walkoff single Monday night against the Seattle Mariners. Though Yasiel Puig started only one game this week amid hamstring soreness, the Dodgers still lead the majors in isolated power by a considerable margin.

2. St. Louis Cardinals

Maybe baseball's best rotation resides in St. Louis and not in the nation's capital, as per the consensus. All five members of the Cardinals' starting corps possess an ERA below 2.77 thus far, while both Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn have yet to surrender a home run over 32 combined innings.

3. Detroit Tigers

Just when you thought the Tigers were infallible - no team in the majors has a better run differential than Detroit - manager Brad Ausmus told reporters that he intends to give Joe Nathan his ninth-inning job back when he returns from the disabled list. Fortunately, though, the Tigers are winning games by more than four runs, on average, so it might not be that big of an issue.

4. Washington Nationals

No team in baseball has looked worse afield than the Nationals, who rank dead last in the major leagues with -17 defensive runs saved thus far. Between Ian Desmond's league-worst eight errors and Blake Treinen's truly remarkable blunder Tuesday night, the defense hasn't been this bad in Washington since 1812.

5. Los Angeles Angels

Garrett Richards returned to the mound Sunday nearly eight months after he was carted off the field at Fenway Park with a shredded tendon in his knee. His 2015 debut wasn't spectacular, but his return provides a big boost for a rotation that's giving up more home runs than all but three American League squads.

6. San Diego Padres

Quit fawning over Matt Kemp and Justin Upton and Craig Kimbrel for a second. James Shields and Brandon Morrow - both repatriated California natives, incidentally - boast a combined 2.18 ERA through five starts and have helped the Padres fashion the second-best whiff rate in the majors.

7. Toronto Blue Jays

Only two teams are averaging more runs per game than the Blue Jays, but the first two weeks of the season didn't provide the most encouraging glimpse at the club's trio of young starters. Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris have combined for a 6.13 ERA thus far amid serious command issues, while Drew Hutchison has allowed 18 baserunners - and two home runs - over his last nine innings.

8. Pittsburgh Pirates

Because they can't play all of their games against Milwaukee - they've won five of six games against the Brewers already - the Pirates should probably start exercising a little more patience at the plate. Only one team in the National League has drawn fewer walks than the Pirates, who possess an ugly .281 on-base percentage in 2015.

9. Boston Red Sox

Unless they're confident they can continue to produce runs at a ludicrous rate, it'd behoove the Red Sox to intensify their search for a starter. Justin Masterson owns a 7.59 ERA through two starts amid continued command woes, while neither Clay Buchholz nor Wade Miley have done much to inspire confidence thus far.

10. Seattle Mariners

Nelson Cruz doesn't seem to care that virtually every pundit on the planet predicted that his power would regress upon signing in Seattle. The 34-year-old homered in five consecutive games this week - he already has eight round-trippers - and leads the American League in isolated power despite the notable handicap of playing in Safeco Field.

11. Kansas City Royals

Lorenzo Cain clobbered his second round-tripper of the new season Thursday in Minnesota - he didn't tally his second home run of the 2014 campaign until May 30 - and ranks sixth in the American League with a 1.143 OPS through 12 games. Maybe it's not unreasonable to suggest he can replicate the 4.9 WAR he managed last summer.

12. New York Mets

Travis d'Arnaud suffered a broken hand after being hit with a pitch from A.J Ramos on Sunday, a sobering development that soured the Mets' eighth consecutive victory. His absence will hurt (as will that of David Wright), but the Mets haven't been fazed thus far by the loss of Zack Wheeler: only six teams boast a better ERA than the Mets' pitching staff and only two clubs have received a higher percentage of quality starts.

13. Chicago Cubs

Just as it's too early to anoint Kris Bryant as the National League MVP, it would be similarly premature to freak out over Jon Lester's early struggles. Even amid diminished velocity, he boasts a tidy 5.6 percent walk rate and has given up just one homer in 15 2/3 innings, peripherals that suggest good things are coming his way.

14. Cleveland Indians

Carlos Carrasco miraculously avoided a serious injury despite being struck in the jaw by a line drive Tuesday night, thereby keeping intact a young, talented rotation that boasts a 2.68 fielding independent pitching and the best strikeout rate in the majors by a significant margin.

15. Baltimore Orioles

Ubaldo Jimenez was unexpectedly ejected from Friday's game at Fenway Park after 3 2/3 hitless innings despite the fact that no warnings had been issued by home-plate umpire Jordan Baker. His early exit notwithstanding, Jimenez has looked like a different pitcher through his first two starts of 2015, holding opponents to a .031 average while keeping his walks under control over 10 2/3 scoreless frames.

16. Cincinnati Reds

The injuries are already starting to mount for the Reds. Devin Mesoraco expressed concern earlier this week that discomfort in his hip could linger for a while, and Billy Hamilton was removed from Saturday's game amid soreness in his right groin. These developments aren't so encouraging for a team that averaged less than two runs per game over its last five contests.

17. Chicago White Sox

The impending arrival of top prospect Carlos Rodon, the 22-year-old left-hander who fanned 13 batters over 10 innings with Triple-A Charlotte, should provide a boost to a bullpen that owns the fifth-worst ERA in the American League.

18. Oakland Athletics

The Athletics recorded their fifth shutout of the young season Saturday in Kansas City, proving that their pitching staff is less forgiving than Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar, who said he never received Brett Lawrie's apology via text message following an ugly scene Friday at Kauffman Stadium.

19. New York Yankees

You don't have to like him. You don't have to support him. You can actively delight in his failures. Still, Alex Rodriguez is the best hitter on the New York Yankees, compiling a brilliant .316/.447/.711 line (213 wRC+) with four home runs through his first 12 regular-season games since September 2013.

20. Tampa Bay Rays

Jake Odorizzi continues to have success with the newest addition to his repertoire, a splitter taught to him by teammate Alex Cobb, as he wielded a 0.61 ERA with a ridiculous 0.48 WHIP through his first two starts. Odorizzi also boasts a gaudy 37 percent whiff rate with his splitter thus far in 2015 and his continued development could afford Tampa Bay the best rotation in the American League when Cobb and Drew Smyly return from injury.

21. Atlanta Braves

Regression offered some sobering realities for the Braves' bullpen following an improbable first week in which the club's relief corps posted a 0.44 ERA. Only five National League teams endured more meltdowns than the Braves over the last seven days, during which Atlanta's relievers stumbled to 4.50 ERA and allowed four home runs.

22. San Francisco Giants

Madison Bumgarner cemented his place in Giants lore with his performance in October, but he hasn't really resembled in 2015 the guy who singlehandedly led San Francisco to a championship six months ago. The 25-year-old owns a 5.29 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP through his first three starts amid a marked decline in his strikeout rate and a small dip in velocity.

23. Houston Astros

No team in baseball has managed a worse batting average with runners in scoring position than Houston (.143) and, as many predicted, contact issues have factored heavily into their offensive struggles: the Astros' 25.9 percent strikeout rate ranks dead last in the majors.

24. Miami Marlins

Giancarlo Stanton ripped his teammates for a lack of fire after Friday's loss to the Mets, but he should've chided their lack of discipline at the plate. Only seven clubs are chasing pitches outside the strike zone more frequently than the Marlins, who rank among the National League's five worst teams with respect to batting average, isolated power and strikeout rate.

25. Colorado Rockies

Walt Weiss removed LaTroy Hawkins from the closer role this week and installed Adam Ottavino as his replacement for the ninth-inning job. Weiss, however, had no shortage of options to choose from, as the Rockies' bullpen owns a sterling 2.83 ERA (68 ERA-) with a league-best 5.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

26. Milwaukee Brewers

How terribly has the season started in Milwaukee? Let me count* the ways. 1) Carlos Gomez is on the disabled list; 2) Jonathan Lucroy is hitting .167; 3) Kyle Lohse's ERA is in double-digits; 4) Ryan Braun doesn't have an extra-base hit; 5) Aramis Ramirez has a 9:0 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
*Not an exhaustive list

27. Arizona Diamondbacks

Archie Bradley isn't even one month into his MLB career. He's also already the best starter in Arizona. The 22-year-old boasts a 1.42 ERA with a 0.87 WHIP through his first two starts for the Diamondbacks and has thus far managed to mitigate his command issues by routinely throwing first-pitch strikes while keeping the ball in the yard.

28. Texas Rangers

The Rangers' 10-run outburst in Sunday's series finale against the Mariners (albeit in a losing effort) was long overdue. Only one team has had worse fortune on balls in play than Texas (.248 BABIP) through the first two weeks of the season - a factor that has contributed to the club's lowly .630 OPS.

29. Minnesota Twins

It's somewhat astounding that the Twins eked out three straight wins this week as only one member of the club's regular lineup wields a slugging percentage above. 400 while the staff's 4.71 ERA represents the fifth-worst mark in baseball.

30. Philadelphia Phillies

Beset with a pitching staff that owns the worst fielding independent pitching in the National League, the Phillies have won just once in their last eight games and appear determined to secure the first overall pick in the 2016 amateur draft.