MLB Power Rankings: Rays Rise in the Ranks

It’s hard to believe that MLB clubs have already played over 10 games, but time flies when you’re having fun playing – or watching – baseball. With a decent amount of contests under everyone’s belt comes something many baseball gurus can’t seem to get enough of: data.

Sports Interaction offers an MLB power ranking for April, but not of the traditional variety. Consider this a spinoff of the Best Bets column, a kind of supersized Best Bets. We take a look at every club in the majors, from wins and losses to their efforts against the runline and provide a ranking from best to worst. Things can change on any given night, and one never knows when a hot team will go cold and vice versa, but we go with what stats we have for now.

As always, don’t forget to seek out our American League, National League, interleague, and MLB props for all your baseball action.

All stats are as of the morning of April 13, 2023.

MLB Power Rankings: April 2023

Rank	Team	Runline	Record	World Series Odds
1	Rays	11-1	12-0	+1539
2	Twins	8-4	8-4	+4476
3	Brewers	7-5	8-4	+1678
4	Yankees	8-4	8-4	+699
5	Diamondbacks	9-4	8-5	+5180
6	Blue Jays	6-6	8-4	+699
7	Orioles	7-5	6-6	+2797
8	Braves	6-7	9-4	+629
9	Pirates	6-6	7-5	+10500
10	Cubs	6-5	6-5	+5180
11	Rangers	6-6	7-5	+3497
12	Reds	8-3	4-7	+8670
13	Mets	8-5	7-6	+629
14	Padres	6-7	7-6	+979
15	Dodgers	7-6	7-6	+350
16	Angels	5-7	7-5	+3497
17	Guardians	5-8	7-6	+2378
18	Astros	7-6	6-7	+385
19	Mariners	7-6	5-8	+1399
20	Red Sox	5-7	5-7	+2727
21	White Sox	6-7	5-8	+2098
22	Cardinals	6-6	5-7	+1678
23	Giants	5-7	5-7	+2797
24	Nationals	7-6	4-9	+10500
25	Marlins	5-8	6-7	+4476
26	Phillies	4-8	4-8	+1399
27	Royals	4-9	4-9	+6900
28	Rockies	3-10	5-8	+6900
29	Athletics	4-8	3-9	+10500
30	Tigers	3-8	2-9	+4476

*Odds as of April 14th

1-Tampa Bay Rays (12-0, runline: 11-1)

No team can claim to be running away with the season in the middle of April, but that doesn’t mean some clubs can’t produce scintillating starts. The numbers speak for themselves: the squad has lost yet and even against the runline, a big concern for us, they’re a stellar 11-1. Sporting the MLB’s fifth-best batting average (.283) and league-leading ERA (1.73) will get you places. Keep your eyes on slugger Wander Franco for some good props.

2-Minnesota Twins (8-4, runline: 8-4)

Yes, the Twins are second in our ranking. Readers will soon notice that a lot of the figures start getting close to .500 both with respect to outright win-loss tallies and against spreads. That’s par for the course when a baseball season is only a couple of weeks old. That said, Minnesota has begun its campaign on the right foot, with a lead in the AL Central at 8-4 and the same record on the runline. Pablo Lopez is third in the majors with 26 strikeouts.

3-Milwaukee Brewers (8-4, run-in: 7-5)

In our Opening Day Best Bets column we highlighted how good the Brewers could be this year. Lo and behold, they land in second place in our power rankings. They have one of the records in the majors at 8-4, lead the NL Central for now and, just as important, have taken care of business against the spread with a 7-5 record. A big series versus the Padres is on the horizon. CF Garrett Mitchell has had a great start to the year at bat.

4-New York Yankees (8-4, runline: 8-4)

Bombs away. Aaron Judge is at it again, having clobbered four home runs already. The only reason they’re behind the Twins is their second place in the AL East (blame the Rays for that). But at 8-4 versus the spread, this New York pinstripe outfit is looking dependable when considering it for bets.

5-Arizona Diamondbacks (8-5, runline: 9-4)

A similar case to the Yankees. Against the spread, Arizona has performed admirably so far at 9-4. Fun stat: the team already has 17 stolen bases this season, good for third in the MLB. Corbin Carroll already has five to himself. They lead the NL West at 8-5 record, so they’ve gotten off on the right foot. Can they keep it up?

6-Toronto Blue Jays (8-4, runline: 6-6)

Why would Toronto place behind the Yankees despite being ahead in the division? Because this is a sportsbook and the Blue Jays are 6-6 ATS to New York’s’ 8-4. Even so, that the Jays have begun 2023 with a top-10 worthy spot is a sign that business is operating as usual for a club that played postseason baseball in two of the three previous seasons. Matt Chapman already has 23 hits to go along with his bonkers .489 batting average.

7-Baltimore Orioles (6-6, runline: 7-5)

With the top five out of the way, we venture into funky territory. Some of these teams are doing well, but more in one category than any other, thus making them still worthy of consideration when placing props. That’s the case with Baltimore, who has begun 2023 with an admirable 6-6 tally ATS. 7-5 isn’t too bad either as far as outright wins and losses go. Who knows how long they’ll be competitive in a ferocious AL East, but it’s a nice start.

8-Atlanta Braves (9-4, runline: 6-7)

A sub .500 record against the runline doesn’t do Atlanta any favours in a fight to be among the very best bets in the MLB, but we can’t ignore the fact that they still lead their division with a strong 9-4 record. Like last season, the Braves are taking care of business with their bats. Matt Olson already has four dingers. They rank fourth in the MLB with 112 total hits. Maybe they aren’t a great spread team, but one can trust them on the moneyline.

9-Pittsburgh Pirates (7-5, runline: 6-6)

Well, well. The Pittsburgh Pirates just sneak into the MLB top 10. To be fair, 6-6 ATS is fine but unspectacular. On the flip side, the club is 7-5 in the standings, fighting with Milwaukee for the lead in the NL Central. A bit like the next unit on this list, who knows if the Pirates can keep the good vibes going, but at least through mid-April they’re an interesting proposition on the moneyline and runline. Closer David Bednar leads the team with four saves to his name.

10-Chicago Cubs (6-5, runline: 6-5)

Slow and steady for the Cubs. At 6-5 with respect to both their performance in standings and against the spread, Cubs faithful and betters don’t have much reason to complain, but nor is there anything to sing and shout about. Chicago looks fine so far, although they’ve benefitted from playing mostly at home. They rank fifth in batting, with 2B Nico Hoerner sporting a splendid .373 average.

11-Texas Rangers (7-5, runline: 6-6)

Another pleasant surprise in the early goings of 2023, the Texas Rangers lead the AL West. In fact, they are the top-ranked AL West club in this list. With a 7-5 record and 6-6 versus the spread, it feels as if they should be higher. However, the knowledge that the defending champs and the Mariners are in this division tempers our excitement. Good start, but let’s see if they can keep it up.

12-Cincinnati Reds (4-7, runline: 8-3)

The Cincinnati Reds are the 12th-best team in the majors?!? Not really, although their 4-7 record is by no means an embarrassment. For we all know, this year’s Reds will be exactly like the editions of years past: patently mediocre. Nevertheless, they have a gorgeous 8-3 record against the spread, so they may lose more often than they win, but betters can still rely on them.

13-New York Mets (7-6, runline: 8-5)

Now that the list is outside the top 10, things can develop in any direction. The Mets are only 7-6 after 13 games in the division but have a better 8-5 record when considering the spread. This is arguably the trickiest team to predict as to where they’ll land. They were so good for so long in 2022 before essentially crashing and burning down the stretch. Are they actually good or actually mediocre? Starter Tylor Megill has been excellent with a 3-0 record and 2.25 ERA.

14-San Diego Padres (7-6, runline: 6-7)

The Padres, who wowed everyone in the postseason last year, are off to a bit of a soft start. 7-6 is good but not great but 6-7 ATS is mildly disappointing. It’s too early to conclude that they can’t be fully trusted just yet. SS Xander Borgaerts has represented most of the offence so far, what with his .327 average and 4 home runes.

15-Los Angeles Dodgers (7-6, runline: 7-6)

Consider this a “benefit of the doubt” ranking. Nobody in their right mind truly believes that LA is the 15^th-best team in the majors, not with Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, and Julio Urias in the rotation. Still, based on the stats at our disposal in 2023, they haven’t been great so far. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. They’re second in the MLB in home runs (21) with and runs batted in (68).

16-Los Angeles Angels (7-5, runline: 5-7)

Both LA clubs are back-to-back, although we insist it wasn’t planned that way. If this seems harsh for a club that’s above .500 in the standings (7-5) and a recoverable 5-7 on the runline, it’s because every baseball fan is waiting for the team with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout to finally kick things into a higher gear. Both are superstars, yet the Angels haven’t been close to making the playoffs recently and have started slowly yet again.

17-Cleveland Guardians (7-6, runline: 5-8)

Let’s be clear: Cleveland is a tough bet on the runline at 4-8. However, they are second in the AL Central with an okay 7-5 win-loss record. Furthermore, we know that the club has been a regular playoff participant for the past few years, so let’s chalk this ranking up to the hope that they can turn things around.

18-Houston Astros (6-7, runline: 7-6)

Welcome to April baseball, the sort that oh so often doesn’t mean much by August and September. Exhibit A: the Houston Astros. Having the defending champs in 18^this akin to insanity, but like the powerhouse Dodgers, they’ve come out of the gate slow. 6-7 in the standings isn’t very good, but don’t be surprised if we laugh off this ranking a couple of months from now. Framber Valdez leads the team with 18 strikeouts.

19-Seattle Mariners (5-8, runline: 7-6)

This is our second “benefit of the doubt” ranking (we’ll not abuse the term). Frankly, Mariners fans are probably a little bit worried with their side’s 5-8 start to the new campaign, especially since, at 2-5, they’ve blown several nice opportunities for wins at home so far. But 7-6 ATS is okay, thus preventing us from frowning too sternly on what has been a mediocre first two weeks. 1B Ty France has a terrific .357 batting average at this stage.

20-Boston Red Sox (5-7, runline: 5-7)

The Red Sox kick off the bottom third of the list. It’s certainly not an enviable position to be in, but 5-7 both in the standings and ATS doesn’t do them any favours. Despite this ranking their run differential is slightly above negative (+6), so there are signs that their fortune can be turned around.

21-Chicago White Sox (5-8, runline: 6-7)

We change sock colours from red to white. Chicago’s other team hasn’t begun 2023 in any fashion that suggests they’ll be a powerhouse. A 6-7 performance against the spread saves them from being completely forgotten, but at 5-8 in the standings, they look a lot like last year: a club that specializes in hovering around .500. That said, the rotation leads the majors with 132 strikeouts (Dylan Cease has truck out 24!).

22-St. Louis Cardinals (5-7, runline: 6-6)

We can only be so generous. Yes, the Cardinals won the NL Central in 2022, but so far in 2023 they don’t look the same. They blew a lot of nice home games to start the season, which has landed them with their 5-7 win-loss record so far. 6-6 ATS hasn’t helped either. The Cardinals have been remarkably consistent for decades, but they can’t rest on their laurels.

23-San Francisco Giants (5-7, runline: 5-7)

The side that was one of the best teams in the MLB two years ago looks to have lost its way. They missed the postseason a year ago and have begun 2023 slowly. Mind you, their 5-7 record has them trail Arizona in the NL West by only 2.5 games, but much like what we wrote about the White Sox, the Giants are going to have to prove that this won’t be a rinse and repeat of 2022.

24-Washington Nationals (4-9, runline: 7-6)

Yes, yes, we’ve placed a team with a slightly better record ATS in a lower position than some teams with worse tallies. True. 7-6 is honestly a decent tally to show off. On the flip side, the 4-9 win-loss record is tough to ignore. The World Series win in 2019 is starting to feel like a long time ago. RF Lane Thomas has had a nice start to the season with a .300 batting average (lower than Victor Robles but he’s had more at bats).

25-Miami Marlins (6-7, runline: 5-8)

The team almost nobody ever talks about has begun its campaign in such a matter that most baseball fans will continue to ignore them. 6-7 is by no means a disastrous start to the season, but what do the Marlins possess that they’ll be anything but a club fighting to not finish last in the NL East? The bright spot is starter Jesus Luzardo: 2-0 and a 1.93 ERA.

26-Philadelphia Phillies (4-8, runline: 4-8)

No, apart from the Braves and Mets, the NL East isn’t very good. Identical 4-8 records for the standings and on the runline won’t impress anyone. What’s worse is that this terrible start follows up a World Series appearance last season. Are we being harsh? Possibly, but Philly hasn’t looked very good at all.

27-Kansas City Royals (4-9, runline: 4-9)

At least this city has the Super Bowl Champions Chiefs because their baseball club is looking at what could be a long summer. Identical 4-9 records in both the win-loss and spread columns are discouraging, to say the least. Two AL Central sides have even worse run differentials, however, but we couldn’t place the Royals any higher than 27^th.

28-Colorado Rockies (5-8, runline: 3-10)

This ranking almost feels unfair. It’s not as though they’ve played outright awful baseball. 5-8 in the standings is a record a decent club can recover from and there are far, far worse run differentials than -17 after only 13 games. But 3-10 against the spread is a no-no in our book. Because we’re a sportsbook. Get it? All right, moving on.

29-Oakland Athletics (3-9, runline: 4-8)

Phew! That was close. Oakland almost finished last, but their 4-8 record ATS saves them. Not that we’re suggesting the Athletics can be trusted on props with that record, but it’s not as bad as the next club on the list. They just halted a string of six defeats at the time of this writing, so ask us again in a couple of days and they could be the worst team.

30-Detroit Tigers (2-9, runline: 3-8)

This is never fun to do, but someone has to rank last. Why Detroit and not Oakland? Frankly, the A’s have one more successful cover at the time of writing, that’s why. Then again, Detroit’s run differential is superior (-42 to Oakland’s -49) but at this point, we’re splitting hairs between two sides that have simply started 2023 on the wrong foot.