2023 Week 17 Power Rankings & Cy Young/MVP Update
Aug 8, 2023 11:18:19 GMT -5
Das (Former Giants GM) and White Sox GM (Caleb) like this
Post by Ken Rosenthal on Aug 8, 2023 11:18:19 GMT -5
Cy Young Race/MVP Race
MVP:
1. UT/SP, Shohei Ohtani (750 pts) - Boston Red Sox
2. OF, Ronald Acuna Jr. (676 pts) - Los Angeles Angels
3. 1B, Freddie Freeman (595 pts) - Washington Nationals
4. OF, Mookie Betts (552 pts) - San Francisco Giants
5. 1B, Matt Olson (547) - Seattle Mariners
Cy Young:
1. SP, Gerrit Cole (403 pts) - Cincinnati Reds
2. SP, Zac Gallen (378 pts) - Baltimore Orioles
3. SP, Logan Webb (374 pts) - Baltimore Orioles
4. SP, Spencer Strider (372 pts) - New York Mets
5. SP, Kevin Gausman (353 pts) - Los Angeles Dodgers
Week 17 Power Rankings
Tier 1: Favorites
1. Mariners 17-0 - The Mariners seemed more concerned about next year at the deadline, trading away starter Cristian Javier to St. Louis for some prospects. They did add Danny Jansen to stabilize the catcher position. Not only are they on track to be the second team to finish with a perfect record in league history... but Seattle would hit dynasty status if they can achieve a third straight World Series victory a little over a month from now.
2. Nationals 17-0 - Mike Clevinger... Craig Kimbrel... Javy Baez... Adam Duvall. Solid names for sure, but maybe not big needle movers for the other team that hasn't lost a game this season. The Nationals are the favorite to come out of the NL. Hottest scoring team right now too. History hasn't been too kind to the favorites, but this team is deep and ready to weather the arduous journey through the post-season.
Tier 2: Contenders
3. White Sox 14-3 - It isn't the Mariners leading the AL in scoring over the past three weeks. Chicago is legit. The Sox traded away Randy Arozarena for a million players from Houston in order to fix their season long depth issues. But will it be enough to beat Seattle? That's the question the whole league has been asking itself for two years.
4a. Blue Jays 13-4 - Maybe I missed it in the long list of trades, but Toronto sat on their hands at the deadline a day before blowing a big lead to San Francisco to drop into a tie with Baltimore for the AL East. It all but assures they will not have a first round bye in the playoffs. Winning the division is important here... you avoid Seattle until the ALCS in that slot. Huge Week 19 matchup with Baltimore for the division crown!
4b. Orioles 13-4 - Kodai, Gleyber, Clay, Sal. The Orioles pushed chips in at the deadline, perhaps sensing a chance to claim their first division title since... 2011?! How is that even possible..? The division probably means more to the O's than Jays. Either way, both of these teams are clear contenders entering the post-season. They'll miss each other in the playoff bracket most likely, so Week 19 is their chance to deliver one more punch.
Tier 3: Playoff Teams
6. Diamondbacks 13-4 - Jose Abreu, Tristan Beck, Zack Littell. All solid moves from perhaps the league's most active dealer at the deadline. The one they might live to regret? Zach Eflin to the Giants. That was a head-scratcher. I get that you have enough depth to not need Eflin... but you also need Eflin to not be pitching for your playoff contender. D'backs are playing well though and certainly have a shot to run through the National League. This week will decide the NL West. If the D'backs win, it's theirs. If the Dodgers win... the Giants will get their third straight NL West title.
7(8). Giants 11-5 - Zach Eflin. Mookie Betts. Dakota Hudson. Joe Musgrove. Chas McCormick. The Giants certainly entered the chat after a quiet transactional season overall. San Francisco got a huge comeback win over Toronto that was important for their playoff seeding and also a statement that this team is still around after taking step back this year. Could it be when we've finally stopped seeing the Giants as the unbeatable "giant" that they finally pull it off in the post-season?
8(9). Dodgers 11-5 - The Dodgers needed a second half of their rotation all season. You can argue whether they're good or not, but they went out and got 4 starters to solidify that glaring weakness heading into the playoffs. While points/record will keep them from winning their first ever division crown most likely, L.A. can play spoiler in a big game against Arizona this week. The Dodgers are a step behind most contenders in points per week recently... and it feels like next year is their year... but it's the playoffs and the Dodgers will finally be there for the first time since 2014.
9. Cardinals 10-6 - Cristian Javier. Tyler O'Neill. A couple controllable pieces for reasonable returns. This Cardinals team has been hard to peg all season... trading away MLB pieces, but also acquiring them. And yet... they're the second highest scoring team in the National League over the past three weeks and have all but locked in a playoff spot. It'd be quite the crazy journey, but the Cardinals might surprise some people in the playoffs.
10(7). Cubs 14-3 - I know the Cubs have an incredible record. But they scored 250 last week and made just marginal deadline moves. The Cubs think they're a year ahead of schedule, but it's disappointing to see a team on their way to 15 or 16 wins not making more of an effort for a championship run. Chicago could be right though and come into 2024 looking like Seattle 2.0. Well... that might be a stretch. Good luck in the playoffs... they'll have to keep proving us all wrong to make this season truly magical.
11. Guardians 11-6 - The Guardians had a somewhat weird deadline. They recognize they're not a favorite by any means heading into the post-season, but... the Guardians still have a playoff game coming up most likely. Cleveland did it's best to put their roster in better position for 2024... perhaps signaling the possible rebuild we thought was coming actually isn't. This is a really interesting team to watch over the next six months.
12. Tigers 13-4 - What a weird 13-4 team. I guess this is the Chicago Cubs of the American League with 400 less points this year. Detroit only scored 272 points last week to notch their 13th win... The Tigers stayed pretty quiet at the deadline and appear content to see how the chips fall in the playoffs. They'll need to beat one of the contenders from the AL East to advance. Crazier things have happened. I like where this team is set up going forward though.
Tier 4: Done... but not by record
13. Reds 10-7 - It looked like Cincinnati was headed for a playoff spot mid-season for the first time since 2017... but the wheels came off and the Reds are all but eliminated. I think this team will be good next year, but better than Chicago and St. Louis? Not sure. That should be a great three-team race for the division in 2024.
14. Astros 10-7 - Houston certainly was active at the deadline. Too many moves and players to keep track of. It'll be weird to not have Mookie on the Astros, but Harper will fill that void. The Astros retool continues to take wild swings as the roster changes. No clue where this team will be heading into 2024. You have to bet Houston will be pushing hard to get back to the post-season though. Seattle is tough.. but the division isn't as hard as it once was after that.
15. Rockies 10-7 - The Rockies finally sold off as the playoffs drifted out of reach. Similar to the Astros, Colorado doesn't appear likely to tank and look like they're trying to make it back to the post-season sooner rather than later. Maybe it cuts off a couple inches from their ceiling in the future... but it doesn't look like they'll be a 2-3 game winner anytime soon. Hard to see them overtaking Arizona, San Francisco, or Los Angeles though next year.
Tier 5: Out
16. Angels 8-9 - Longtime GM Derrick returned in time for the tradeline. He didn't make any moves, but that's been his MO since..... 2019. Hopefully, we see some aggression in the off-season to fill out this roster. They're on the cusp of really making a run for the playoffs with all the upper level talent on this club.
17. Braves 7-10 - Make that eight straight seasons without making the playoffs. Atlanta is ready for a roster shake-up of some kind this off-season.
18. Rangers 7-10 - Texas was certainly active on the deadline putting together a young core. Depth has been an issue so far in roster building for the Rangers current regime. We'll see how they address that this off-season. Probably more of a 2025 team, but they could surprise.
19. Marlins 7-10 - The Marlins will be aiming to make the playoffs in 2024. We all know that.
20. Padres 5-12 - San Diego is a bit stuck in no man's land. A very interesting team to watch this season. They have some major pieces should they choose to deal.
21. Athletics 5-12 - Oakland has a really bright future. Could they make a few win-now moves this off-season to start to form this roster? That would be exciting for a team that has done nothing since 2016.
22. Rays 5-12 - Tampa Bay's rebuild continues for its.... fifth year. This was supposed to be the year we saw progress. Instead, we got five wins.
23. Mets 4-13 - Great farm system. Great young pieces.... probably more of a 2025 team.
24. Brewers 4-13 - Brewers continue to build up a winning roster again. 2025 or later.
25. Royals 4-13 - The Royals are back down near the bottom. Feeling more like 2026.
26. Red Sox 3-14 - Boston is starting to get some good pieces around Ohtani... but I'm going to say 2026 on this one too.
27. Twins 4-13 - It feels like the rebuild is just really getting started... so I'm going to put a 2027 contention window on Minnesota.
28. Pirates 1-16 - Pittsburgh has publicly declared they don't want to win for a long time.... 2027 at the earliest.
29. Phillies 1-16 - Philly is playing the LONG game. No idea.
30. Yankees 0-17 - This Yankees roster has a long way to go. They need to nail this top pick in the draft and get this farm system a jolt. I feel like they could be the top pick in the draft in February of 2025 too.
Current Playoff Picture
National League:
1. Washington Nationals (17-0)
2. Chicago Cubs (14-3)
4. Arizona D'backs (13-4)
3. San Francisco Giants (12-5)
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (12-5)
6. St. Louis Cardinals (11-6)
....Cincinnati Reds (10-7)...Colorado Rockies (10-7)
American League:
1. Seattle Mariners (17-0)
2. Chicago White Sox (14-3)
3. Toronto Blue Jays (13-4)
4. Baltimore Orioles (13-4)
5. Detroit Tigers (13-4)
6. Cleveland Guardians (11-6)
....Houston Astros (10-7)
Week 18 Games To Watch
LAD vs. ARI
DET vs CHW
KR
MVP:
1. UT/SP, Shohei Ohtani (750 pts) - Boston Red Sox
2. OF, Ronald Acuna Jr. (676 pts) - Los Angeles Angels
3. 1B, Freddie Freeman (595 pts) - Washington Nationals
4. OF, Mookie Betts (552 pts) - San Francisco Giants
5. 1B, Matt Olson (547) - Seattle Mariners
Cy Young:
1. SP, Gerrit Cole (403 pts) - Cincinnati Reds
2. SP, Zac Gallen (378 pts) - Baltimore Orioles
3. SP, Logan Webb (374 pts) - Baltimore Orioles
4. SP, Spencer Strider (372 pts) - New York Mets
5. SP, Kevin Gausman (353 pts) - Los Angeles Dodgers
Week 17 Power Rankings
Tier 1: Favorites
1. Mariners 17-0 - The Mariners seemed more concerned about next year at the deadline, trading away starter Cristian Javier to St. Louis for some prospects. They did add Danny Jansen to stabilize the catcher position. Not only are they on track to be the second team to finish with a perfect record in league history... but Seattle would hit dynasty status if they can achieve a third straight World Series victory a little over a month from now.
2. Nationals 17-0 - Mike Clevinger... Craig Kimbrel... Javy Baez... Adam Duvall. Solid names for sure, but maybe not big needle movers for the other team that hasn't lost a game this season. The Nationals are the favorite to come out of the NL. Hottest scoring team right now too. History hasn't been too kind to the favorites, but this team is deep and ready to weather the arduous journey through the post-season.
Tier 2: Contenders
3. White Sox 14-3 - It isn't the Mariners leading the AL in scoring over the past three weeks. Chicago is legit. The Sox traded away Randy Arozarena for a million players from Houston in order to fix their season long depth issues. But will it be enough to beat Seattle? That's the question the whole league has been asking itself for two years.
4a. Blue Jays 13-4 - Maybe I missed it in the long list of trades, but Toronto sat on their hands at the deadline a day before blowing a big lead to San Francisco to drop into a tie with Baltimore for the AL East. It all but assures they will not have a first round bye in the playoffs. Winning the division is important here... you avoid Seattle until the ALCS in that slot. Huge Week 19 matchup with Baltimore for the division crown!
4b. Orioles 13-4 - Kodai, Gleyber, Clay, Sal. The Orioles pushed chips in at the deadline, perhaps sensing a chance to claim their first division title since... 2011?! How is that even possible..? The division probably means more to the O's than Jays. Either way, both of these teams are clear contenders entering the post-season. They'll miss each other in the playoff bracket most likely, so Week 19 is their chance to deliver one more punch.
Tier 3: Playoff Teams
6. Diamondbacks 13-4 - Jose Abreu, Tristan Beck, Zack Littell. All solid moves from perhaps the league's most active dealer at the deadline. The one they might live to regret? Zach Eflin to the Giants. That was a head-scratcher. I get that you have enough depth to not need Eflin... but you also need Eflin to not be pitching for your playoff contender. D'backs are playing well though and certainly have a shot to run through the National League. This week will decide the NL West. If the D'backs win, it's theirs. If the Dodgers win... the Giants will get their third straight NL West title.
7(8). Giants 11-5 - Zach Eflin. Mookie Betts. Dakota Hudson. Joe Musgrove. Chas McCormick. The Giants certainly entered the chat after a quiet transactional season overall. San Francisco got a huge comeback win over Toronto that was important for their playoff seeding and also a statement that this team is still around after taking step back this year. Could it be when we've finally stopped seeing the Giants as the unbeatable "giant" that they finally pull it off in the post-season?
8(9). Dodgers 11-5 - The Dodgers needed a second half of their rotation all season. You can argue whether they're good or not, but they went out and got 4 starters to solidify that glaring weakness heading into the playoffs. While points/record will keep them from winning their first ever division crown most likely, L.A. can play spoiler in a big game against Arizona this week. The Dodgers are a step behind most contenders in points per week recently... and it feels like next year is their year... but it's the playoffs and the Dodgers will finally be there for the first time since 2014.
9. Cardinals 10-6 - Cristian Javier. Tyler O'Neill. A couple controllable pieces for reasonable returns. This Cardinals team has been hard to peg all season... trading away MLB pieces, but also acquiring them. And yet... they're the second highest scoring team in the National League over the past three weeks and have all but locked in a playoff spot. It'd be quite the crazy journey, but the Cardinals might surprise some people in the playoffs.
10(7). Cubs 14-3 - I know the Cubs have an incredible record. But they scored 250 last week and made just marginal deadline moves. The Cubs think they're a year ahead of schedule, but it's disappointing to see a team on their way to 15 or 16 wins not making more of an effort for a championship run. Chicago could be right though and come into 2024 looking like Seattle 2.0. Well... that might be a stretch. Good luck in the playoffs... they'll have to keep proving us all wrong to make this season truly magical.
11. Guardians 11-6 - The Guardians had a somewhat weird deadline. They recognize they're not a favorite by any means heading into the post-season, but... the Guardians still have a playoff game coming up most likely. Cleveland did it's best to put their roster in better position for 2024... perhaps signaling the possible rebuild we thought was coming actually isn't. This is a really interesting team to watch over the next six months.
12. Tigers 13-4 - What a weird 13-4 team. I guess this is the Chicago Cubs of the American League with 400 less points this year. Detroit only scored 272 points last week to notch their 13th win... The Tigers stayed pretty quiet at the deadline and appear content to see how the chips fall in the playoffs. They'll need to beat one of the contenders from the AL East to advance. Crazier things have happened. I like where this team is set up going forward though.
Tier 4: Done... but not by record
13. Reds 10-7 - It looked like Cincinnati was headed for a playoff spot mid-season for the first time since 2017... but the wheels came off and the Reds are all but eliminated. I think this team will be good next year, but better than Chicago and St. Louis? Not sure. That should be a great three-team race for the division in 2024.
14. Astros 10-7 - Houston certainly was active at the deadline. Too many moves and players to keep track of. It'll be weird to not have Mookie on the Astros, but Harper will fill that void. The Astros retool continues to take wild swings as the roster changes. No clue where this team will be heading into 2024. You have to bet Houston will be pushing hard to get back to the post-season though. Seattle is tough.. but the division isn't as hard as it once was after that.
15. Rockies 10-7 - The Rockies finally sold off as the playoffs drifted out of reach. Similar to the Astros, Colorado doesn't appear likely to tank and look like they're trying to make it back to the post-season sooner rather than later. Maybe it cuts off a couple inches from their ceiling in the future... but it doesn't look like they'll be a 2-3 game winner anytime soon. Hard to see them overtaking Arizona, San Francisco, or Los Angeles though next year.
Tier 5: Out
16. Angels 8-9 - Longtime GM Derrick returned in time for the tradeline. He didn't make any moves, but that's been his MO since..... 2019. Hopefully, we see some aggression in the off-season to fill out this roster. They're on the cusp of really making a run for the playoffs with all the upper level talent on this club.
17. Braves 7-10 - Make that eight straight seasons without making the playoffs. Atlanta is ready for a roster shake-up of some kind this off-season.
18. Rangers 7-10 - Texas was certainly active on the deadline putting together a young core. Depth has been an issue so far in roster building for the Rangers current regime. We'll see how they address that this off-season. Probably more of a 2025 team, but they could surprise.
19. Marlins 7-10 - The Marlins will be aiming to make the playoffs in 2024. We all know that.
20. Padres 5-12 - San Diego is a bit stuck in no man's land. A very interesting team to watch this season. They have some major pieces should they choose to deal.
21. Athletics 5-12 - Oakland has a really bright future. Could they make a few win-now moves this off-season to start to form this roster? That would be exciting for a team that has done nothing since 2016.
22. Rays 5-12 - Tampa Bay's rebuild continues for its.... fifth year. This was supposed to be the year we saw progress. Instead, we got five wins.
23. Mets 4-13 - Great farm system. Great young pieces.... probably more of a 2025 team.
24. Brewers 4-13 - Brewers continue to build up a winning roster again. 2025 or later.
25. Royals 4-13 - The Royals are back down near the bottom. Feeling more like 2026.
26. Red Sox 3-14 - Boston is starting to get some good pieces around Ohtani... but I'm going to say 2026 on this one too.
27. Twins 4-13 - It feels like the rebuild is just really getting started... so I'm going to put a 2027 contention window on Minnesota.
28. Pirates 1-16 - Pittsburgh has publicly declared they don't want to win for a long time.... 2027 at the earliest.
29. Phillies 1-16 - Philly is playing the LONG game. No idea.
30. Yankees 0-17 - This Yankees roster has a long way to go. They need to nail this top pick in the draft and get this farm system a jolt. I feel like they could be the top pick in the draft in February of 2025 too.
Current Playoff Picture
National League:
1. Washington Nationals (17-0)
2. Chicago Cubs (14-3)
4. Arizona D'backs (13-4)
3. San Francisco Giants (12-5)
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (12-5)
6. St. Louis Cardinals (11-6)
....Cincinnati Reds (10-7)...Colorado Rockies (10-7)
American League:
1. Seattle Mariners (17-0)
2. Chicago White Sox (14-3)
3. Toronto Blue Jays (13-4)
4. Baltimore Orioles (13-4)
5. Detroit Tigers (13-4)
6. Cleveland Guardians (11-6)
....Houston Astros (10-7)
Week 18 Games To Watch
LAD vs. ARI
DET vs CHW
KR