MLB

MLB Power Rankings: Phillies lose McCutchen, Twins beat Rays and Marlins get out of the basement

We’re through two months of baseball now and the standings are starting to make sense, though there were still plenty of surprises. We’ll break it all down here.

*All stats up to date as of June 4

30. Kansas City Royals, 19-41, last in the AL Central (ranked 27th last week)

The Royals have had a rough couple of weeks. Losers of four straight, Kansas City has only managed to win two of their last 10 games. Their starting pitching has a 7.14 ERA over the last week, as the Royals starters have struggled to give their offense, which is also struggling, a fighting chance. And after a week where KC posted a lowly .707 OPS, they lost their best hitter in 3B Hunter Dozier, who leads the team with a .987 OPS.

Without Dozier and his consistent bat in the lineup, it’s tough to see the rest of the Royals offensive pieces thriving on their own. Royals are in a tough spot and with it getting closer to the deadline, it could be time for Kansas City to evaluate the trade value of a few of their current players.

29. Baltimore Orioles, 19-41, last in the AL East (ranked 30th last week)

The Orioles were owners of the first-overall pick in the MLB Draft this week, taking Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman, a former 2018 College World Series MVP. And while that’s great news for the future of the franchise, the current MLB product is in possibly the worst spot of any of the bottom-feeding teams this season.

With only a few bright spots on the offensive end like catcher Pedro Severino and OF Trey Mancini and even less promise on the mound, the Orioles lack MLB talent and are surrounded by teams that are either contending or are much closer to contending than Baltimore. Rutschman is a chance for the Orioles to build an identity around a potential superstar, similar to the Blue Jays and Vlad Guerrero Jr., and hopefully will speed up their rebuild. But for 2019, Rutschman may be the highlight of an otherwise sad season of baseball in Baltimore.

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