Author: Max Stapleton

MADISON- Major league baseball had a lot of blunders in April. In a month filled with instant replay mistakes, bad umpire decisions, and many players missing games due to COVID restrictions, the show must go on. Thus, I present to you my complete amateur power rankings heading into the second month of the season. 

1. San Diego Padres 
   • Are the Fryers the best team talent-wise in the league? No. But they're close, and they've played lights out so far this season. There doesn't appear to be a sophomore slump in store for Fernando Tatis Jr, and Yu Darvish looks as good as ever. The Padres had big expectations heading into the season, and one month in they have not disappointed. 
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
   • Now this team has the most talent in the league. The only reason they're not my number one team in the league right now is that they've gone 6-10 in their last 16 games. They'll pick it up, but for now, they'll settle for number two. 
3. Oakland Athletics 
   • After a slow start to the season, the A's pulled off a 13 game win streak to pull them into first place in the AL West. First baseman Matt Olson looks like an unstoppable force at the plate, while their bullpen remains one of the best in baseball. 
4. San Francisco Giants
   • Wow. I mean who expected this out of the Giants this year. I'm not a total believer that they'll keep up this pace, but it's hard to keep denying them. With 3 teams in the top 5, the NL West is SCARY. 
5. Boston Red Sox 
   • The Red Sox come in as another surprising team this year. Although they are only three years removed from their last world series campaign, they look like contenders so far this year. This is another team that I'm not a full believer in, but for now, they make it in the top five. 
6. Chicago White Sox 
   • The White Sox came into the season with a lot of hype, and so far they've delivered… for the most part. Yermin Mercedes is a surprising star for them this year, and I'm intrigued to see if he can keep up this pace. With Luis Robert out for at least two months with a torn hip flexor, the White Sox need to continue to get production out of their depth. 
7. Milwaukee Brewers 
   • Pitching has been key for the Brewers this year. Corbin Burnes has looks like a Cy Young candidate through the first month of the season, posting a 1.65 ERA and a sub-1 WHIP. Brandon Woodruff has also looked amazing to start the year and if the team can keep this type of pitching up they can make it to the postseason. Christian Yelich constantly taking trips to the IL doesn't help though. He needs to stay healthy if they want to have a serious chance to make a run this year. 
8. Rays
   • The Rays are a team that has the ability to make it to the top five of this list. Although they haven't looked like the AL champs they were last year, they have some pieces that are working for them. Tyler Glasnow looks like another Cy Young candidate to start the year, and Randy Arazorena is starting to bounce back from a slow start. They play in arguably the toughest division in baseball this year, so I'm not sure how deep of a run they are going to make in the rest of the season. 
9. Houston Astros
   • After a slow start to the season, the Astros look to be heading back in the right direction. They're getting booed at every away stadium they play at, and they should continue to expect that for the rest of the season. They continue an interesting three-game set against the Yankees, who are also bouncing back after a tough start. If the bats for the Astros and Cristian Javier can keep up their pace, they should compete with the A's for the AL West lead. 
10. New York Mets
    • Jacob deGrom is this team. He is the early NL leader for the Cy Young award this year, and he usually scores the only RBI's for his team in games he's starting. He's a future hall of famer whose talents are being wasted in Queens. If Francisco Lindor and the rest of the lineup can give him some run support, they can be real contenders. They haven't done it in years, and they're off to a slow start when it comes to production at the plate this year. 
11. Los Angeles Angels
    • Mike Trout is simply the best baseball player alive. The future hall of famer is batting a startling .405 through the first month of the season, as well as posting a .515 on-base percentage, and a 1.274 OPS. If the pitching can be average and some depth hitters start to stand out for the Halo's, they have the potential to make a deep run in the postseason. 
12. New York Yankees
    • After a struggling start to the season, the Bronx Bombers look to be heading towards the AL championship contender status that we expected of them before the season started. Giancarlo Stanton currently has a ten-game hitting streak, batting above .400 with four home runs in that span. Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and DJ Lemahieu all look like they're bouncing back from atough start to the season. All the while Gio Urshela has looked great for them at third base. Expect them to make big leaps in this list in the upcoming weeks. 
13. Atlanta Braves
    • The Braves are yet another team on this list who are off to a tough start this year. Ronald Acuña Jr. looks like he can be an MVP candidate this season, and if the rest of the team can produce for a while they should be back in the top ten in no time. 
14. Toronto Blue Jays
    • Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are starting to live up to the hype that all Jay's fans were expecting out of the young duo. Guerrero is batting .348/.496/.644 so far this season, while Bichette is batting .266/.314/.514. For Bichette, the numbers should go up as the season continues, and as George Springer comes back, the Jays could crack the top ten next month. 
15. Kansas City Royals
    • I'm not so sure about the Royals. Andrew Benintendi is looking like a good acquisition for them this year, and after giving Salvador Perez the biggest contract in franchise history, the Royals are making waves so far this season. I don't expect them to keep it up, but they're a fun team to watch through a month of the season. 
16. Philadelphia Phillies
    • I'm starting to really doubt Philadelphia this year. The bullpen looks absolutely awful through the first month of the season, and they have a ton of gaps in their lineup. Didi Gregorius looks like he's having a decentstart to the year, but I wouldn't be surprised if Joe Girardi is on the hot seat should the Phillies be below .500 come July. 
17. Cincinnati Reds
    • Nicholas Castellanos has one of the sweetest swings in baseball, and he's showing it off this year. He's batting .330/.366/.660 through the first month of the season, and he's doing it in style. I personally love the flashiness of his game at the plate, and if the Reds keep that same energy throughout the season, they could compete for the division. 
18. Minnesota Twins
    • What happened to the Twins this year? I don't want to doubt the massive potential this team has, but they're blowing close game after close game, and not producing much at the plate. Byron Buxton is one of the only bright spots for this team, and he is performing at a sizzling rate. If the rest of the bats pick up, they have the talent to be higher on this list and compete for the division lead. 
19. St. Louis Cardinals
    • I'm not high on the Cards this season. I just don't see how it'll work out. Sure, Nolan Arenado was a good acquisition for them, but Paul Goldshmidt doesn't look like the same player he used to be. I want this team to pick it up, but in a tough NL Central, I just don't see it happening. 
20. Seattle Mariners
    • Seattle should probably be higher on this list than number 20. I just doubt that they'll keep up this pace in a division with The A's, Astros and Angels. James Paxton landing on the 60 day IL certainly doesn't help their case. But if they can hold the pace until June when some of their top prospects come up, they might actually make a case to be a wild card team. 
21. Chicago Cubs
    • Kris Bryant is starting to look like his old self again, which is a good sign for the Cubbies. The lack of a bullpen, on the other hand, is certainly startling for David Ross and his team. The team as a whole is batting inconsistently. If they can start to get consistency out of some of their stars, they could jump higher on this list. I still think The Brewers and the Reds are the two best teams in the NL Central, and the Cubs would be lucky to earn a wild card spot. 
22. Cleveland Indians
    • After trading Francisco Lindor to The Mets in the offseason, Cleveland entered a rebuilding phase with their franchise. They are going to build around their stars Jose Ramirez and Shane Beiber. Both of them look like they're off to good starts, and James Karinchak looks like he is reaching his full potential coming out of the bullpen. They're another couple of years out, but the Indians have hope for the future. 
23. Arizona Diamondbacks
    • Ketel Marte was off to a sizzling start to the season before he landed on the IL with a hamstring injury. Zac Gallen is a somewhat surprising ace for the team, but don't expect them to go anywhere in a loaded NL West. 
24. Miami Marlins
    • Trevor Rogers is the only starting pitcher on this team who looks capable of being an ace. For a team that prided itself on pitching last year, they need to get more out of starters Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez.Jazz Chisolm Jr. was off to a good start before landing on the IL. Don't expect this team to be the same Cinderella story they were last year. 
25. Washington Nationals
    • Juan Soto is off to an amazing start to the season, as well as their ace Max Scherzer. On the other hand, Patrick Corbin needs to be a reliable number two starter for them if they want any chance at making it to the playoffs this year. This whole division doesn't look good, and I am just doubting the Nationals this year. They have the talent to turn it around, but for whatever reason, my gut is telling me they're not going to. 
26. Baltimore Orioles
    • The O's have signs of hope for the future, but they just aren't there yet. John Means looks like a true ace for this team, while Cedric Mullins looks like a piece to build around for the future. This team is not going to make it out of the last place in the AL East, but at least with some prospects on the horizon, they might be a playoff contender in the next couple of years. 
27. Texas Rangers
    • Even with a stadium full of fans, Texas isn't looking like they're going to be anywhere close to contention this year. Their rotation was off to a hot start to the season, but they looked like humans again over the past couple of weeks. This team doesn't have the talent to take them anywhere for now. 
28. Pittsburgh Pirates
    • Bryan Reynolds is off to a hot start this year, batting .295 through the first month and a couple of days. He could be a good piece to build around, but the rest of the team still looks lost. They'll be towards the bottom of this least all season long. 
29. Detroit Tigers
    • This is another team that has some promising future but just doesn't have the talent to be real contenders for a couple of years. Akil Badoo was off to a sizzling hot start this season and then hit a freezing cold slump. It will be interesting to see what type of player he turns out to be as the season continues. Maybe we'll get to see some of the top prospects in baseball get called up in June, and the Tigers can start to get excited again. 
30. Colorado Rockies
    • The Rockies are my worst team of the year after the first month of the season. General manager Jeff Bridich stepped down after trading away Nolan Arenado, and their old top prospects just don't look like an elite force in the MLB. I'm excited to watch the home run derby in Coors Field this year but other than that there's no real reason to watch this team.