Power Rankings
April kicked off the return of baseball in 2021. We have seen some incredible moments in this young season and teams are starting to find their identities; now it’s time for the April Recap Power Rankings! Check out the bottom of the article for our April MVP in the NL and AL!
- Boston Red Sox (+1)
One month in, the Boston Red Sox have returned to their winning ways. Coming into this season, there really wasn’t a lot of optimism about this team, but they are playing all areas of the game extremely well.
- San Francisco Giants (+1)
The NL West continues to be the most intriguing division in baseball. While the Dodgers battled the Padres, the Giants came through and stole the division lead out from them. I like what the Giants are doing, particularly with their starting pitching. Johnny Cueto is making a case to be in the Cy Young talks at this point in this young season.
- Oakland Athletics (+2)
The biggest winning streak of the season goes to Oakland; within a month this team has completely changed their identity.
- Los Angeles Dodgers (-3)
The Padres and Dodgers battled tooth and nail this week, but the Dodgers have taken a few big losses this week. I think a big difference this week has been the poor performance of the Dodgers pitching staff late in games. This could be an easy fix, and I expect the Dodgers to take the #1 spot again shortly.
- Kansas City Royals (+3)
The Royals are a dangerous team that no one is talking about. Brad Keller struggled in his first two starts but has come back to be the ace the Royals need in their rotation. Salvador Perez is having a monster year at the plate, and you have to love his addiction to the long ball.
- San Diego Padres (-2)
The Padres falling this week is a result of how competitive the NL West truly is. I really liked the back and forth between Tatis and Kluber this week; the Padres vs Dodgers is the best rivalry in baseball this year.
- Chicago White Sox (+5)
I think when it comes to teams that are doing exactly what we expected, no one is as accurate on paper as the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox sit in 2nd place in an AL Central–that could be interesting as we continue in this season.
- Seattle Mariners (-1)
- Milwaukee Brewers (-3)
- Anaheim Angels(+1)
- Cleveland Indians (+8)
- Tampa Bay Rays (-2)
- St. Louis Cardinals (+2)
I think the Cardinals are finally getting back to the form we expected at the beginning of the season. May features a lot of divisional games for the Cardinals, and it will prove to be a tough test.
- Arizona Diamondbacks (+14)
- Atlanta Braves (+3)
- Philadelphia Phillies (-7)
- Houston Astros (+10)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (+2)
- Cincinnati Reds (-)
- Baltimore Orioles (-6)
- Texas Rangers (+4)
- New York Yankees (+4)
- Miami Marlins (-)
- New York Mets (-2)
- Chicago Cubs (-11)
- .Toronto Blue Jays (-13)
The Blue Jays have long-term issues. The bats are slowly falling apart and while they have a better record right now than the Yankees and Orioles, I don’t like their long-term issues.
- Colorado Rockies (+2)
- Minnesota Twins (-5)
- Detroit Tigers (-8)
- Washington Nationals (-1)
American League April MVP: Yermin Mercedes
The Chicago White Sox have started off the season just as well as we expected; however a big surprise this season has been Yermin Mercedes. Mercedes leads the AL in batting average and is tied for first with hits. Mercedes is a “Moneyball” player; he gets on base and drives in runs.
National League April MVP: Jacob DeGrom
The Mets are struggling to stay atop of the NL East; but each time that Jacob DeGrom steps onto the mound, the Mets get the win. DeGrom leads the NL in ERA and has been an absolute force to be reckoned with. Veterans have the challenge of using tools no one has seen them use before, but DeGrom has found new life in his fastball this year, and it’s given him new life in his arsenal.
Tell us what you think? Do you agree with our Power Rankings for the month of April? Share your reactions in the comments below!
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