Jun 5, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (25) is congratulated after hitting a two run home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
There was a point while writing the power rankings for last week, I thought to myself that no one in the AL East should make the playoffs this season. This week, the New York Yankees changed my thought process.
The Yankees went a perfect 6-0 for the week and separated themselves a bit from the bottom of the division.
Mark Teixeira has become a bonified MVP candidate, Masahiro Tanaka is back and Alex Rodriguez is now second all-time in RBIs.
The equivalent to the Yankees in the National League right now would be the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pirates have not lost a series since May 20th and are now six games over .500. They have a Cy Young award favorite in Gerrit Cole, Andrew McCutchen is back to his old self and A.J. Burnett has surpassed everyone’s expectations this season.
A few more teams on the rise this week include the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres.
Teams who slid a bit this week include the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels.
Here are this week’s power rankings.
Next: More of the same at number one.