Finally, we have some stabilization at the top as the Cardinals, Dodgers and Royals hold the Nos. 1-3 spots for the second consecutive week. But as the Blue Jays and Marlins sink, the Cubs and White Sox are starting to make some gains after strong showings last week.
With that comes another week of MLB Power Rankings from CSNChicago.com's Tony Andracki and JJ Stankevitz. Stay tuned for updated rankings every Monday throughout the 2015 campaign. Here's where we're at so far: Preseason rankings | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5
| Rank | Team |
Last Week | Comment |
| 1 | 1 |
Matt Carpenter is on pace for 70 doubles, four triples and 31 homers. What was that about extreme exhaustion? |
|
| 2 | 2 |
They have the highest run differential in the majors and that's with Clayton Kershaw's 4.24 ERA and Yasiel Puig missing more than 20 games. |
|
| 3 | 3 |
Eric Hosmer is hitting ..324/.402/.554 with seven home runs and is still only 25. |
|
| 4 | 4 |
Their six-game lead on the second-place Angels enters the week as the largest in baseball. |
|
| 5 | 7 |
Bryce Harper is on another planet right now. He already has 3.5 bWAR and he leads the league in plate appearances, runs, homers, RBI, walks, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+ and total bases. |
|
| 6 | 8 |
Victor Martinez is owed $68 million over the next four years and has been worth -0.8 WAR so far, tied for third-worst among qualified players. |
|
| 7 | 14 |
Six-game winning streak helps prove to them and the rest of the baseball world that the hot start isn't a fluke: The Cubs are here to stay. |
|
| 8 | 6 |
It's not often a team is swept in a four-game series to the Cubs and yet remains in the Top 10. In fact, that's never happened in CSNChicago.com MLB Power Rankings history. |
|
| 9 | 4 |
While A-Rod's renaissance gets the attention, Jacoby Ellsbury has a .411 OBP and 14 stolen bases after a generally average offensive season in 2014. |
|
| 10 | 21 |
If Brandon Belt keeps hitting like this, the Giants are going to be in real good shape. They need him to finally have a breakout season. |
|
| 11 | 12 |
Get to know Logan Forsythe, a former utilityman with a .670 career OPS, who's hitting .300/.370/.492 through 38 games entering the week. |
|
| 12 | 15 |
Enter the week at 21-17 despite ranking in the bottom 10 in offensive and pitching WAR. |
|
| 13 | 18 |
After an awful April, Erick Aybar is having a positive regression to the mean with a .351/.373/.404 May slash line. |
|
| 14 | 10 |
Wil Myers was a below-average player last year with wrist injuries, so his current wrist issue is awfully concerning given his hot start atop the Padres lineup. |
|
| 15 | 11 |
Still below .500, but they have the 5th best run differential in the NL while Andrew McCutchen and Josh Harrison are starting to regain their form. |
|
| 16 | 24 |
Winners of five in a row and four series in a row entering a seven-game homestand vs. Cleveland and Minnesota this week. |
|
| 17 | 19 |
Need Robinson Cano to be better than his rough .647 OPS. |
|
| 18 | 23 |
After Shelby Miller's near no-no, is it safe to say yet that the Braves won the Jason Heyward trade? They still have Miller under control for a few more years and Heyward is struggling in STL and becomes a free agent in five months. |
|
| 19 | 22 |
They spent all that money on Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez and pitching still looks like it could be their Achilles' heel. |
|
| 20 | 17 |
Chris Davis has eight home runs in 38 games but his .290 OBP isn't pretty. |
|
| 21 | 20 |
Moving Billy Hamilton to 8th in the order doesn't really do much. Maybe they should pull a Maddon and hit the pitcher 8th and Hamilton 9th? |
|
| 22 | 27 | Delino Deshields Jr. has a .397 OBP. Feel old yet? | |
| 23 | 9 |
Entered the week losers of five in a row, though that ended Monday afternoon with a 10-6 win over the Angels. |
|
| 24 | 16 |
How does a 15-21 team have a +4 run differential? |
|
| 25 | 25 |
Corey Kluber's 18 strikeouts were the most by a pitcher since...wait for it...Ben Sheets in 2004. |
|
| 26 | 30 |
Even with a 5-game winning streak, they're still only 16-23 with a -54 run differential. |
|
| 27 | 13 |
Poor Giancarlo Stanton. Sure, he's getting paid, but dude is stuck in the worst situation possible. Marlins run their franchise like a 6-year-old boy playing with those little plastic army guys while making explosion noises with their mouths every three seconds. |
|
| 28 | 29 |
Troy Tulowitzki still has only 2 walks on the season, but Carlos Gonzalez looks to be heating up a bit. |
|
| 29 | 26 |
Were swept by the White Sox at home for the first time since 1997 over the weekend. |
|
| 30 | 28 |
Carlos Gomez the latest Brewer to be plunked in the heard. They're drawing some bad luck in that regard this year. |