MLB Power Rankings Update: Toronto Is Still on Top
Here at numberFire, we like math. We're not about subjectivity. So when we calculate our power rankings, it's not based on what our eyes are telling us or what our feelings say. It's based on straight up math.
For baseball, we use our nERD metric to show how good a team actually is performing. nERD, for those of you who are unaware, tells us how many runs a team should win by against a league-average opponent on a neutral field. A nERD of 1.00, for instance, means that team would beat an ordinary one by a run. If that team was facing a squad with a nERD of -0.5, we'd expect them to win by 1.5 runs.
Take a look at how things are shaping up around Major League Baseball, sorted by nERD.
| Team | Playoffs | Champs | Division | nERD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Blue Jays | 99.90% | 21.60% | 81.90% | 1.21 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 97.70% | 21.00% | 97.10% | 1.02 |
| 3 | Houston Astros | 94.10% | 10.70% | 83.00% | 0.8 |
| 4 | New York Mets | 96.50% | 12.30% | 96.20% | 0.58 |
| 5 | St. Louis Cardinals | 100.00% | 8.20% | 93.50% | 0.55 |
| 6 | Cleveland Indians | 8.50% | 0.30% | 0.00% | 0.55 |
| 7 | San Francisco Giants | 9.30% | 0.70% | 2.90% | 0.52 |
| 8 | New York Yankees | 95.60% | 3.60% | 18.10% | 0.49 |
| 9 | Tampa Bay Rays | 9.90% | 0.20% | 0.00% | 0.47 |
| 10 | Kansas City Royals | 100.00% | 12.70% | 100.00% | 0.47 |
| 11 | Chicago Cubs | 91.40% | 3.20% | 0.10% | 0.38 |
| 12 | Oakland Athletics | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.34 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 99.80% | 4.10% | 6.40% | 0.29 |
| 14 | Washington Nationals | 5.20% | 0.30% | 3.80% | 0.19 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Angels | 15.30% | 0.30% | 2.60% | -0.09 |
| 16 | Baltimore Orioles | 0.90% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.09 |
| 17 | San Diego Padres | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.12 |
| 18 | Seattle Mariners | 0.60% | 0.00% | 0.10% | -0.14 |
| 19 | Cincinnati Reds | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.17 |
| 20 | Detroit Tigers | 0.10% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.2 |
| 21 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.26 |
| 22 | Boston Red Sox | 0.10% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.37 |
| 23 | Miami Marlins | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.47 |
| 24 | Texas Rangers | 49.50% | 0.50% | 14.30% | -0.49 |
| 25 | Milwaukee Brewers | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.63 |
| 26 | Minnesota Twins | 25.40% | 0.30% | 0.00% | -0.71 |
| 27 | Chicago White Sox | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -0.74 |
| 28 | Atlanta Braves | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.27 |
| 29 | Colorado Rockies | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.34 |
| 30 | Philadelphia Phillies | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | -1.38 |
