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Edgar Chaput
MLB Power Rankings: Baltimore Orioles Burst to the Top
As always, we remind readers that performances against the runline (baseball’s spread, if you will) are a considerable factor when determining where all the chips land. As such, certain clubs that don’t look too hot in the standings can earn respectable places in the list. The opposite can be true for squads that are, in fact, winning many of their games.
Of note, the data being utilized for this edition is as of the afternoon of May 11, prior to all current-day games.
As always, don’t forget to check out the American League, National League, interleague odds, and MLB props for all your baseball action.
MLB Power Rankings
| Rank | Team | Runline | Record | World Series Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orioles | 24-13 | 24-13 | +2797 |
| 2 | Rays | 23-15 | 29-9 | +1539 |
| 3 | Rangers | 22-14 | 22-14 | +3497 |
| 4 | Red Sox | 22-16 | 22-16 | +2727 |
| 5 | Dodgers | 23-15 | 20-18 | +350 |
| 6 | Pirates | 21-17 | 21-17 | +10500 |
| 7 | Diamondbacks | 20-17 | 20-17 | +5180 |
| 8 | Padres | 20-17 | 19-18 | +979 |
| 9 | Blue Jays | 19-18 | 21-16 | +699 |
| 10 | Yankees | 19-18 | 21-17 | +699 |
| 11 | Braves | 17-20 | 25-12 | +629 |
| 12 | Twins | 19-18 | 20-17 | +4476 |
| 13 | Cubs | 21-16 | 18-19 | +5180 |
| 14 | Brewers | 17-20 | 20-17 | +1678 |
| 15 | Tigers | 21-15 | 17-19 | +4476 |
| 16 | Reds | 21-15 | 15-21 | +8670 |
| 17 | Nationals | 23-14 | 16-21 | +10500 |
| 18 | Angels | 17-20 | 20-18 | +3497 |
| 19 | Mariners | 19-18 | 18-19 | +1399 |
| 20 | Astros | 18-18 | 19-18 | +385 |
| 21 | Phillies | 15-22 | 18-19 | +1399 |
| 22 | Mets | 15-22 | 18-19 | +629 |
| 23 | Giants | 17-19 | 16-20 | +2797 |
| 24 | Rockies | 18-20 | 16-22 | +6990 |
| 25 | Guardians | 15-22 | 17-20 | +2378 |
| 26 | Marlins | 14-24 | 19-19 | +4476 |
| 27 | White Sox | 16-22 | 13-25 | +2098 |
| 28 | Cardinals | 15-23 | 13-25 | +1678 |
| 29 | Athletics | 15-22 | 8-30 | +10500 |
| 30 | Royals | 14-24 | 11-27 | +6990 |
1. Baltimore Orioles (24-13, runline: 24-13)
We have a new number one! The Orioles had already climbed the list to fourth the last time we did the exercise, but now deserve a seat at the head of the table. They’ve successfully covered more than any other team and just won two out of three games against the Rays. Dean Kremer (4-1) was excellent in Wednesday’s 2-1 win.
2. Tampa Bay Rays (29-9, runline: 23-15)
The club that was number one for a month now sits at number two. Granted, they might not be here for long, but this week’s series in Baltimore was a warning that things won’t always come easy. They still lead the AL East with an excellent 29-9 record and have belted a fantastic 75 home runs so far. Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena both have nine.
3. Texas Rangers (22-14, runline: 22-14)
The AL West-leading Rangers make the jump from ninth to third, so it’s been a great past two weeks for them. They can be trusted on the moneyline and the runline which is what matters here. Adolis Garcia leads MLB with 36 runs batted in.
4. Boston Red Sox (22-16, runline: 22-16)
Boston is another side that experienced an excellent fortnight. They were 15th last time we did this exercise. Like Texas, they’ve been dependable on two key fronts. They’re a top five club in plenty of major offensive categories like hits and batting average, with Alex Verdugo leading the club with a .308 performance – he’s played 37 games to Jarren Duran’s 22 (.372).
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (23-15, runline: 20-18)
The top five definitely look a lot different from two weeks ago. The National League L.A. squad was 14th and now sits fifth. Like many of their rivals that rank this high, the team gets the job done mostly with offensive muscle than defence or pitching. They’re second in home runs with 64. Max Muncy has already crushed 12 so far this season.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates (21-17, runline: 21-17)
Mildly disappointing for Pittsburgh, who placed second last time. Still, a month and a half into the season and the Pirates are playing like a top 10 ball club, which says a lot about their improvements. The bullpen is in a three-way tie for second in saves with 13. David Bednar, who has a visual cameo in the latest Pitch Clock episode, leads the way with nine.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks (20-17, runline: 20-17)
Another team climbs the list, this time from 13th to seventh. Arizona’s win-loss and ATS records are a little tighter than the sides ahead of them, but there are still more positives than negatives to talk about here. As a unit, they have the second-best batting average in MLB at .270. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has the team’s best – .306 – among players that have partaken in at least 30 contests.
8. San Diego Padres (19-18, runline: 20-17)
A significant jump from 21st to eighth for the San Diego Padres. We were wondering when this side would wake from its hibernation. 19-18 in the standings isn’t great but they’ve played better ball lately. The Padres are another team in that three-way tie for saves. Josh Hader has an incredible 11 so far, more than 50 per cent of the team’s victories.
9. Toronto Blue Jays (21-16, runline: 19-18)
It must be said, the Blue Jays have experienced a few bumps in the road since late April. The past two weeks haven’t been terrific, hence the drop from third to ninth. As of this writing, they’re having a rough go in Philly, themselves not a superpower this season. Still, with Matt Chapman, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., anything is possible.
10. New York Yankees (21-17, runline: 19-18)
Of course the Yankees would sneak in at number 10. Keep in mind, the entire AL East has placed already, so the pinstripes are contending in an impressively difficult division. Teams four games above .500 don’t dwell in basements often. New York is third in the majors in strikeouts. No surprise here: Gerrit Cole leads the rotation with 58 and a scintillating 2.09 ERA.
11. Atlanta Braves (25-12, runline: 17-20)
As per usual, things start to get funky once we leave the top 10. The Braves are this high because winning games still count, even if the runline matters here. 25-12 is a great record and they’re cruising in the NL East, but 17-20 ATS is a bit of an issue. The pitching rotation has earned the second most wins in the majors with 25. Both Charlie Morton and Spencer Strider have four.
12. Minnesota Twins (20-17, runline: 19-18)
A slight dip for the Twins, who were eighth the last time we wrote a ranking. Seven weeks into a season, Minnesota appears to be the quintessential “fine” team. Not bad, not great, but “fine.” While no rotation has a collective ERA nearly as good as Tampa Bay’s 2.95, Minnesota is a health second with 3.29. Get this: Sonny Gray has played seven games, pitched 40 innings and has a 1.35 ERA!
13. Chicago Cubs (18-19, runline: 21-16)
We get to our first infamous team with a losing record in the standings but a good enough ATS performance to place somewhat high. 21-16 is rather strong on the runline, and that’s how betters like to make their winnings, so we point to that stat above all others regarding the Cubs. To be fair, they’re third in MLB in hits with 354, 46 of those coming from Nico Hoerner’s bat.
14. Milwaukee Brewers (20-17, runline: 17-20)
The roller coaster ride that is a power ranking continues. Next up is Milwaukee, who is having a better season than the Cubs but struggles against the spread. They’re in a great battle with the Pirates for the NL Central, as they sit only half a game behind as of May 11. Their ace on the mound is Freddy Peralta with a 4-2 record and 3.32 ERA.
15. Detroit Tigers (17-19, runline: 21-15)
No, the Tigers are probably not as 15th at two games under .500, but they can produce positive results against the runline. We mentioned Minnesota’s Sonny Gray’s amazing ERA. Detroit has an ace up its sleeve as well. Eduardo Rodriguez sports a brilliant 1.57 average.
16. Cincinnati Reds (15-21, runline: 21-15)
Cincinnati, the team what won’t back down from placing impressively high despite losing most of their games. This is their third consecutive power ranking inside the top 20 despite that virtually no one even pays attention to this team, but that’s the kind of respect 21-15 ATS will get you at Sports Interaction.
17. Washington Nationals (16-21, runline: 23-14)
Another doozy is the Washington Nationals, at 16-21 in the standings but a phenomenal 23-14 against the spread. They don’t win a lot, but they keep their games close. Designated hitter Joey Meneses is having a solid season. Through 153 at-bats he has .288 average thanks to 44 hits.
18. Los Angeles Angels (20-18, runline: 17-20)
Another side with a decent win-loss tally but who fails at being consistent for betters when it matters most. This club completes the trilogy of the aforementioned three-way tie for saves. Carlos Estevez leads the bullpen with eight of his own. Surprise: Gio Urshela has the best batting average (.302), not Shohei Ohtani (.293).
19. Seattle Mariners (18-19, runline: 19-18)
They can pitch pretty well but they can’t hit. The Mariners are a top five team in several critical pitching categories: quality starts, saves, and earned run average. Yet they sit in fourth place in the AL West. Thankfully for them, it’s a congested division. George Kirby is having a great season with a 2.62 ERA.
20. Houston Astros (19-18, runline: 18-18)
This is our third power ranking article and the defending champions have yet to make a significant climb. We can’t be kind to them indefinitely. Sooner or later they have to play like champions. Pitching continues to be a major strength thanks to the league’s third-best collective earned run average (3.36). Framber Valdez is doing Framber Valdez things with a 2.38 ERA, but his record is only 3-4.
21. Philadelphia Phillies (18-19, runline: 15-22)
Thus commences the lowly decent into the bottom third of the list. At least Philly improved their outright win-loss tally to hover around .500, but spreads are what keep sinking this team. Trea Turner hasn’t got going yet in the City of Brotherly Love, what with a decent but unmemorable .261 average so far.
22. New York Mets (18-19, runline: 15-22)
More NL East mediocrity. The Mets are definitely letting their fanbase down through the first month and a half of the season. While they hover around .500, Atlanta is kicking things into high gear. Then again, it was the flip side of the story a year ago and the Braves ended up winning the division, so who knows?
23. San Francisco Giants (16-20, runline: 17-19)
There isn’t too much to get excited about in the Bay Area at this stage of the season, nor do betters need to hold their breath given the 17-19 showing ATS. That said, baseball fans who love home runs should find this team fun. San Francisco has hit the fourth most in MLB so far with 58. Both J.D. Davis and LaMonte Wade Jr. have sent seven over the fence.
24. Colorado Rockies (16-22, runline: 18-20)
This will sound very mean, but the Rockies are a bit like the Reds. Other than chatter within its fanbase, who talks about this team? They dwell in the basement of the NL West, although they aren’t that much worse than the Giants. They’ve only lost the two additional games they’ve played. Elias Diaz is having a great season at the plate with a .333 batting average.
25. Cleveland Guardians (17-20, runline: 15-22)
There are no two ways about it. Cleveland is very mediocre in 2023. Then again, oftentimes when teams are struggling in the categories that count most (i.e. winning games) they outperform the competition in smaller but pretty cool statistics. Case in point: the Guardians are tied for third in stolen bases with 38.
26. Miami Marlins (19-19, runline: 14-24)
The Marlins earn the dubious honour of being the lowest-ranked club with the best win-loss tally. The standings show them as a .500 ball club, but betters should stay far, far away. On second thought, check out player props, because Luis Arraez sports a stunning .398 batting average. Best in the majors by a country mile.
27. Chicago White Sox (13-25, runline: 16-22)
The Chicago-based MLB franchise most people forget about is also not doing itself any favours this season. Well, they are good at one thing: striking out batters. The pitching staff leads MLB with 374. Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito have already hit the 50 mark, with 54 and 50 respectively.
28. St. Louis Cardinals (13-25, runline: 15-23)
A team that won its division a season ago, St. Louis is having an unimaginably poor start to 2023. They don’t win many games and they don’t cover very many spreads. They’re good hitters though. 338 total puts in fifth in the majors. Problem? Teams like hitting against them even more.
29. Oakland Athletics (8-30, runline: 15-22)
Congratulations, Oakland Athletics. You’ve made it out of last place. You place…next to last. D’oh. Yes, their record in the standings is worse than the team that comes after BUT they’re ever so slightly better at covering the spread. Barely, but statistically accurate.
30. Kansas City Royals (11-27, runline: 14-24)
“Royals” is not a very good name for a team in last place, but if the stats don’t support them, so be it. 11-27 is mildly better than Oakland, but 14-24 ATS is just as awful as Miami. The latter is at least a .500 club. Enjoy the NFL’s Chiefs, Kansas City.
