Chicago White Sox: Falling to seventh in our MLB power rankings

Major League Baseball has a lot of really good teams. The Chicago White Sox is one of them. As of right now, some other teams might be ahead in power rankings but they certainly have room to improve.

This current edition of the MLB power rankings puts the Chicago White Sox at 7th.

1. Dodgers – The Dodgers don’t have the best record in baseball but I still think they are the best team for a number of reasons. For one, they are the most star-studded team, with four former MVPs. They also have a lot more playoff experience than any of the other contenders, meaning they are likely a favorite for the NL pennant at least. They also have won 8 straight division titles so they have the track record to back up their performance.
2. Padres – At 32-18 and +80, the Padres have the best record and run differential in baseball. How about Fernando Tatis Jr., eh?
3. Rays – An 11 game winning streak put them atop the American League East, giving them the best record in the AL. Combined with the fact they won the pennant last year, this should make them a favorite to win it this year as well.
4. Red Sox – The Red Sox remains one of baseball’s best teams and could very well win the World Series this year.
5. Giants – The Giants are definitely a good team but their hot start was inflated by a weak schedule, they haven’t proven that they can beat the Dodgers yet. Still, any baseball fan can’t deny how fun a Dodgers-Giants wild card game would be.
6. Yankees – After sweeping the White Sox, it’s hard to argue that they’re not better than them, as both teams stand at 28-20.
7. White Sox – The first edition of the power rankings had the White Sox ranked fourth but that was before Luis Robert’s major injury, several Tony La Russa blunders, and being swept at the hands of the Yankees. They still have the best run differential in the AL.
8. A’s – The A’s started out cold and then got red hot but I think their current record best matches their true abilities. If they rematch against the White Sox in the playoffs this year, I think the White Sox would be favored to beat them which could put the Sox in the ALCS for the first time since 2005.
9. Astros – Talent-wise the Astros should be better than the A’s but we can’t give them credit for passing them up until they actually do it.
10. Cardinals – The Cardinals have struggled to beat both Chicago teams this year but they still have held on to a slim lead in the weak NL Central.
11. Mets – James McCann finally hit his second home run of the season but he has really struggled offensively. Rick Hahn made the right choice picking Yasmani Grandal over him.
12. Indians – The Indians and the Twins are the two teams who are most likely to overtake the Sox in the AL Central. I don’t think Cleveland has the offense to do it.
13. Cubs – The Cubs have really outperformed expectations thus far.
14. Blue Jays – Without the expanded playoffs they won’t be making the playoffs this year, unfortunately.
15. Braves – They’ve finally started to turn things around and still have a good shot at overtaking the Mets for the division title.
16. Brewers – My pick to win the NL Central is not looking so hot right now but they are still only 3 games back.
17. Phillies – Picking Adam Eaton over Bryce Harper worked out for the Nationals but I don’t think it was the right choice for the White Sox.
18. Royals – After their great 16-9 start, many experts believed that the Royals were the real deal. Their current 23-24 record is much more reflective of who they are.
19. Marlins – The Fish have outperformed expectations so far and have a solid run differential.
20. Reds – Tony La Russa really mismanaged the second game of the series against the Reds but the Sox probably wouldn’t have won anyway.
21. Nationals – The division is weak enough for the Nats to stay in contention but I don’t think a team made up of ex-Cubs has the talent to make the playoffs.
22. Mariners – They’re getting better, and I hope the Mariners make a run at Corey Seager this offseason so that the brothers can play together and get the Mariners back to the playoffs in 2022.
23. Angels – After releasing Albert Pujols and putting Mike Trout on the disabled list, the Angels have surprisingly started to play better. Clearly, they had a problem with too many stars overshadowing the rest of the team so they should reconstruct the team around Shohei Ohtani. The logical thing to do then must be to trade Mike Trout to the White Sox for a limited prospect package. C’mon Angels, you know you want to do it.
24. Twins – Having won 4 straight, the Twins are now only 8.5 games back of the Sox. Maybe I’m just paranoid from the last twenty years but I’m still kinda scared that the Twins could close that gap as we’ve seen them do before. Never underestimate the ability of this franchise to go all-in on being try-hards in the second half of the season, only to utterly collapse once October starts.
25. Rangers – Naperville product Nicky Solack is one of the best players on the Rangers and the best player in baseball from the Chicago area.
26. Tigers – By far the worst team in the AL Central, Tigers fans have still gotten to enjoy a no-hitter this year and Miguel Cabrera seems headed to 500 home runs (just 9 to go!).
27. Rockies – After losing Nolan Arenado, one hopes they can at least keep Trevor Story, who’s one of the best shortstops in all of baseball.
28. Diamondbacks – Losing streak of 11 and counting.
29. Orioles – Losing streak of 10 and counting.
30. Pirates – The worst run differential in baseball while also being in last place in a weak division.