MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers, Yankees surge as Rays take No. 1

Welcome to the fourth edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2019 season. Rankings will be published every second Monday throughout the regular season with the next installment coming May 13.

1. Tampa Bay Rays

Have the Rays fleeced every team in recent trades? Tyler Glasnow is an early Cy Young candidate with a 1.75 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over six starts; Austin Meadows posted six home runs and a 1.097 OPS before hitting the IL; Tommy Pham has four home runs, 20 walks, and a .417 OBP; and Yandy Diaz has a team-leading seven home runs to go with 16 RBI and a .985 OPS. Those four players - all acquired in the last year - have been worth 3.7 WAR already this season, and are on the books for a combined $5.78 million in 2019.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

If anyone can wrestle the NL MVP away from Christian Yelich, it seems to be Cody Bellinger who has continued his incredible start by setting the MLB record for total bases in the opening month of the season. Even further, the Dodgers continue to be a behemoth of depth. The first-place club has been dominant largely without the help of Clayton Kershaw or Rich Hill, who both started the season on the IL after being candidates for the Opening Day gig.

3. Houston Astros

While the Astros haven't exactly dominated, they've also given no reason to doubt their ability. Outfielder Josh Reddick has especially provided a nice spark by batting .341 with an .888 OPS in the early going. The Astros are constantly putting players on base, leading the American League with a .348 OBP. For now, they're neck-and-neck with the surprise Mariners in the division, but they should gradually pull ahead in the race.

4. New York Yankees

New York has won 11 of its last 13 games with the majority of the Opening Day lineup on the injured list. Yes, the Yankees appeared dead in the water but they've not only managed to stay afloat, but have actually made up ground against the AL East-leading Rays. The success is thanks in large part to Luke Voit's eight homers and .283/.397/.538 slash line. And while Aaron Judge may be out for an extended period of time, Gary Sanchez is already back, while Miguel Andujar, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Hicks are progressing in their recoveries.

5. St. Louis Cardinals

Over the past 14 days, no team has gotten on base or hit as well as the Cardinals, and it's not particularly close. Their collective .305 average leads second place by 16 points, and their .383 OBP paces the runner-up by 22 points. It's been a true team effort, too, as Marcell Ozuna has brought the primo pop, mashing five home runs over that span, while Paul DeJong, Paul Goldschmidt, Dexter Fowler, and Jose Martinez have all been extremely tough outs of late.

6. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have put a 2-7 start behind them, winning nine of their last 12 games as the offense and pitching staff are firing at their expected levels. Javier Baez is proving to be one of the best shortstops in the majors, hitting .315/.356/.640 with a team-leading nine homers and 22 RBI, but the real key to the team's success has been Jason Heyward. Much maligned for most of his tenure on the North Side, the outfielder has five home runs, 15 RBI, and a .952 OPS in 24 games.

7. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners' run differential took a serious hit over the last two games, getting outscored 29-2 by the Rangers. It's been a sharp decline for Seattle following a 13-2 start, with the club going 5-11 since while getting outscored 95-67. One of the big culprits for the team's slide is an offense that has suddenly cooled dramatically. The Mariners are slashing .217/.323/.408 over the last two weeks.

8. Philadelphia Phillies

Bryce Harper appears to have hit an early wall over the last two weeks, slashing just .220/.361/.420 with two home runs and 17 strikeouts. Harper's slump and Aaron Nola's 5.68 ERA over six starts are not going to be good enough if the Phillies want to win the division. Luckily for the club, Jean Segura returned from the IL. The All-Star shortstop is hitting .347/.405/.514 with 11 RBI in 18 games.

9. Minnesota Twins

It's a shame the Twins lost Willians Astudillo to the IL with a hamstring strain, as he's become a major fan favorite. But Minnesota isn't a one-man show. They have been channeling the home run swing in a big way, blasting five homers in back-to-back games over the weekend for the first time in franchise history. Over the past two weeks, no team has hit more home runs than the Twins and yet Eddie Rosario is the only player on the team with more than four over that span. With a plus-27 run differential, it's no surprise that they've passed Cleveland in the AL Central.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks

Out of absolutely nowhere, the Diamondbacks have been stomping opponents. Dating back to April 14, Arizona is 10-4, outscoring the opposition 76-45. Trading away a franchise face like Paul Goldschmidt is never easy, but at least Luke Weaver has quelled the herd for now, going 2-0 while allowing four runs over 15 2/3 innings in his last three starts.

11. Cleveland Indians

It's early, but the Indians gamble this winter to not address the offense has burned them a month into the season. Cleveland ranks 24th in runs, 26th in homers, and 28th in OPS. The lack of production from Jose Ramirez should start to be a real area of concern for the club. After tailing off significantly to end last season, his struggles have carried over. In 27 games, Ramirez is hitting .188/.284/.287 with two home runs and 17 strikeouts.

12. Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers will hope that Christian Yelich's back injury is minor, as things could get much worse for the slumping club if it loses the reigning NL MVP for any length of time. Milwaukee's offense has struggled to score enough to cover whats been the worst rotation in the majors. Through 29 starts, Brewers' starters rank last in ERA (5.55), WHIP (1.53), and opponent batting average (.282) among NL clubs. This team needs a lot more than just Gio Gonzalez.

13. San Diego Padres

The Padres followed up a six-game losing streak by coming through victorious in the next five. The offense hasn't clicked yet, but rookie right-hander Chris Paddack has been as advertised. He looked extremely sharp in his last outing, striking out nine over seven innings while allowing only one hit and one walk. At one point, the Mariners couldn't even hope to touch him when he retired 19 straight. The team will hold their breath as they await news on star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury.

14. Washington Nationals

The Nationals have been uneven on the whole, but they're in the thick of things. Specifically, Juan Soto hasn't missed a beat in his sophomore season. He has reached base in 13 straight games, blasting four home runs with a .925 OPS in that span. The youth movement has continued, too, with the arrival of Carter Kieboom who has two homers in his first three games. When Trea Turner is healthy, Kieboom might not get jettisoned back to the minors if he keeps this up.

15. Atlanta Braves

The Braves have held a lead in 11 of their 14 losses. That could be taken as a good sign - that the team is scoring early - but they just aren't getting it done. By WAR, only the Orioles bullpen has been worse to start the season as Chad Sobotka, Wes Parsons, and Jesse Biddle all continue to struggle, combining to allow 20 earned runs over 33 2/3 innings. If only there was a seven-time All-Star closer with 333 career saves sitting around in free agency.

16. Colorado Rockies

It's a start. The Rockies have been on an absolute tear after falling on their collective faces out of the gate. Winners of eight of their last 10, the Rockies have finally seen signs of life in the bats of Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, and especially Trevor Story, who has kicked it up a notch. After going 0-for-4 on April 9, he's rattled off a 15-game hitting streak with three home runs, five doubles, one triple, six stolen bases, and a 1.002 OPS.

17. New York Mets

By win-loss record, the Mets have been pretty lucky, because the club actually ranks fourth in run differential in their own division - only better than the Marlins. The entire roster has been lackluster, but the really puzzling development has been reigning NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. Over his previous three starts - with an IL stint in there - the right-hander has posted an abysmal 9.69 ERA and 7.52 FIP, allowing five home runs. He issued just 10 home runs in 217 innings last year.

18. Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox continue to take one step forward, and two steps back. While the rotation has been much improved over the last two weeks (3.55 ERA), the offense continues to be a disaster. Boston ranks 25th in runs scored, 23rd in slugging, and 25th in home runs. To make matters worse, reigning World Series MVP Steve Pearce, and ALCS MVP Jackie Bradley Jr. have combined to go 16-for-119 (.134) with 0 home runs, four doubles, and 43 strikeouts.

19. Toronto Blue Jays

The best prospect in baseball has arrived, and that has been enough to make the Blue Jays not only watchable, but fun. Thanks in part to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is off to a ho-hum 3-for-12 start, Toronto swept the Athletics this weekend on a pair of walk-off victories. Brandon Drury - who could lose playing time to Guerrero - hit the winning home run in the first game and tied Sunday's game in extras on a three-run blast. Also, out of nowhere, Eric Sogard has become Mike Trout, slashing .415/.478/.732 with three home runs and 9 RBI in 10 games. He hit three home runs in 346 at-bats the previous two seasons.

20. Cincinnati Reds

If the Reds start to get even a little more production from their offense they'll be in good shape. Cincinnati - almost unbelievably - owns the best ERA in the NL and has allowed the second-fewest runs in the majors. They're the only team in baseball that sits last in its respective division despite a positive run differential. The Reds have some solid offensive pieces that have under-performed early on - Yasiel Puig owns a .581 OPS - accounting for the fifth-lowest scoring club in the majors.

21. Oakland Athletics

Expectations were high in Oakland coming off of a 97-win season, but this doesn't look close to the same team. Other than Matt Chapman and an early-season breakout from Marcus Semien, the offense just hasn't been there as the club ranks outside the top 15 in each of the three triple-slash categories. After a strong start, Khris Davis has fallen off a cliff, going 6-for-39 (.154) with 0 home runs and 16 strikeouts over his last 11 games.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates have dropped eight straight games as it doesn't matter how good the pitching staff is if the offense can't produce. Over the past two weeks, Pittsburgh is the worst hitting team in baseball, combining for a .212/.264/.339 slash line. Compounding matters, Starling Marte, and Chris Archer both landed on the IL over the last week.

23. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels rotation has been among the worst in baseball with a 5.52 ERA over 130 1/3 innings. Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Heaney have missed time to injury with the latter still sidelined. This has prompted the Halos to pluck their top pitching prospect, Griffin Canning, from Triple-A to start Tuesday. Canning has a 0.56 ERA in three minor-league starts this season, and though his first taste of the majors could be brief, the right-hander may convince Angels brass to keep him around if he starts well.

24. Texas Rangers

The AL West is a tricky animal and while the Rangers seem like the team with the lowest upside of the bunch, back-to-back drubbings of the Mariners over the weekend certainly helped turn around a six-game skid. Joey Gallo seems to have bloomed into the slugger we'd been waiting for, with five homers and a .795 slugging percentage over his past 12 games. The rotation has not been very good, but Mike Minor has looked sharp of late, boasting a 2.05 ERA over his last three starts. He could make a nice trade piece.

25. Detroit Tigers

The power hasn't come back yet, but Miguel Cabrera has looked pretty good at the plate. Miggy is slashing .283/.363/.364 and finally went deep for the first time this week. He also reached 2,700 career hits, a feat only 69 players have ever accomplished. Though not the feared slugger he used to be, he's committed to pursuing 3,000. So that should give Tigers fans something to look forward to as the team continues its rebuild.

26. San Francisco Giants

Things are ugly in San Francisco. The club doesn't have a single qualified hitter batting over .250, while Evan Longoria and Brandon Crawford each own an on-base well under .300. The team ranks 28th in runs, 29th in average, and 30th in OPS. There's an argument to be made that Pablo Sandoval is currently the team's best hitter - that's how bad things have gotten.

27. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox are living through the highs and lows of running out a young team every day, but they have to be encouraged with how some of their arms are coming along. Reynaldo Lopez set a new career high with 14 strikeouts Sunday and owns a 1.50 ERA to go with 27 punchouts over his last three starts. The club did receive some bad news, losing Eloy Jimenez for at least the next two weeks with a sprained ankle.

28. Kansas City Royals

The Royals have a stranglehold on speed with a major-league leading 28 stolen bases. Basically, Kansas City baserunners have the green light at all times with a bottom-third .319 OBP. But it's a pair of sluggers without a stolen base who are propelling the offense so far. Veteran outfielder Alex Gordon found the fountain of youth and is hitting .310 with five home runs while striking out in only 10 percent of his plate appearances. Even more encouraging is Hunter Dozier, who leads the team in home runs (7), batting average (.349), and wRC+ (196).

29. Miami Marlins

There's really no getting around it: the Marlins are going to finish last in the NL East and it's not going to be close. They were the first team to 20 losses and they'll likely be the last team to double-digit wins. The good news is glimpses of the future are already apparent. Caleb Smith has been absolutely dynamite, boasting a 1.50 ERA and 1.80 FIP over his last two starts.

30. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles have to be encouraged with the reemergence of Trey Mancini, who leads the AL in hits, and an offense that's scored more runs than the Red Sox. But it's the pitching staff that has Baltimore back at the bottom of our rankings. The club has allowed 71 home runs in 29 games - the most in baseball by 20 - and owns a 6.06 ERA. For comparison, the Orioles managed a league-worst 5.18 ERA last season.