MLB Power Rankings: A's are on fire, but what's wrong with the Twins?

Welcome to the third edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2021 season. Our rankings come out biweekly, so there's been plenty of changes early on:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

So far, so good for a Dodgers team that's lived up to just about every expectation as a juggernaut. The defending champions own MLB's best record and run differential. Five of their seven losses came in the last eight days, including four to the rival Padres, but that's hardly a cause for concern. These Dodgers are phenomenal.

2. San Diego Padres

San Diego has gone toe-to-toe with the Dodgers thus far, taking three of a four-game set at Dodger Stadium and losing a couple of close contests at Petco Park. The Padres also weathered an early storm when Fernando Tatis Jr. suffered a shoulder injury, although Dinelson Lamet's continued arm issues could come back to hurt them. Still, the Padres have shown why they may be the one team that could legitimately challenge L.A.

3. Oakland Athletics

"Moneyball" nearly had its sequel 19 years after the A's won 20 straight games, but the Orioles stopped Oakland’s win streak at 13 on Sunday. The A's outscored opponents 83-36 during the streak, which was the longest in the majors since 2017. It came after Oakland began the season losing seven of its first eight games.

4. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox field the AL's second-highest scoring offense, but that might not be the most exciting development early on. Michael Kopech has been incredible during his return from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander struck out 10 over five innings Sunday, and he now owns a 1.72 ERA and 0.70 WHIP to go with 27 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings.

5. Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox have been one of the early-season surprises, though the AL East leaders have stumbled a bit following a hot start. Boston's pitching ranks 20th in WHIP and 23rd in ERA over the last week. Walks have especially been a problem, with the staff issuing the second-most free passes in the AL.

6. Milwaukee Brewers

Pitching has propelled the Brewers to an early NL Central lead, with Corbin Burnes leading the way while emerging as an ace. In addition to a sparkling 0.37 ERA and 0.33 WHIP, Burnes has yet to walk a batter in four starts. The trio of Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta has allowed just 12 earned runs and three homers in April.

7. San Francisco Giants

The Giants are surprisingly holding on to second place in the NL West. Their 2.94 staff ERA through 21 games is certainly helping as the team's offense struggles (88 wRC+). Although the club's plus-10 run differential suggests things will even out, two of the Giants' next three series are against the struggling Rockies, so they could keep this going for a little longer. We may not get to truly judge this team until it faces the Dodgers in a few weeks.

8. Toronto Blue Jays

Despite myriad concerns about the team's pitching staff entering the season and multiple injuries, the Jays have authored the AL's best ERA, and they only trail the Padres, Dodgers, and Giants in the majors. Offseason acquisition Steven Matz has been instrumental in that while posting a sterling 2.31 ERA and 3.29 FIP over his first four starts. The success of Matz and the rest of the staff might not be sustainable, but the Blue Jays' pitchers are performing well so far.

9. New York Mets

The Mets' pitching has been worth an MLB-best 4.0 fWAR this season, yet New York is only a game over .500. Poor run creation (3.3 runs per game) and lackluster defense (minus-7 DRS) were big contributors to New York's series loss to the Cubs, when the Mets were outscored by 15 runs while committing six errors.

10. Atlanta Braves

The Braves' season isn't going to plan early, but no team is running away with the NL East yet. Atlanta's offense fell flat during a doubleheader Sunday, mustering one hit across the 14 innings. However, Ronald Acuna Jr. has been unbelievable, Freddie Freeman looks great, and the club's front office may have found something in Guillermo Heredia. On the pitching side, the team's 4.00 FIP ranks 20th in the majors with Max Fried sidelined. Charlie Morton has been impressive, but he wasn't expected to be this team's ace, and Ian Anderson has yet to take his game to the next level.

11. Tampa Bay Rays

Injuries have decimated the Rays' pitching staff, and the team ranks in the bottom third in the league in ERA and opponent's batting average. However, those injuries have opened the door for a pair of youngsters. Josh Fleming owns a 1.23 ERA and 0.95 WHIP through 14 2/3 innings, and top pitching prospect Luis Patino tossed 2 2/3 shutout innings in his debut with the team Sunday.

12. Kansas City Royals

The AL-leading Royals have become one of the most exciting teams through the first month. But there are tons of reasons why that doesn't seem sustainable. Entering Sunday, their offense has been middle-of-the-pack, and the only regulars with a wRC+ greater than 120 are Carlos Santana and Salvador Perez. The same can be said of the Royals' pitching, which has been the definition of average, though Brady Singer continues to look like a potential ace. Don't write Kansas City off, but don't buy in fully just yet.

13. Houston Astros

The Astros have come back down to Earth following a strong start when they thumped the opposition. Their offense remains predictably elite, ranking third in the league behind the Red Sox and White Sox in wRC+. But pitching has let them down. Zack Greinke has looked decent and Cristian Javier has been legit over a small sample, but almost everyone else is disappointing. Jake Odorizzi has run into home run trouble, surrendering three over eight innings with a 10.13 ERA.

14. New York Yankees

The Yankees are tied for last in their division, and while they shouldn't be expected to stay there, New York may be experiencing some problems. The team's pitching has been surprisingly decent while leading the AL in WAR. What's really troubling is how terrible the Yankees have been at hitting and defense. Everyone not named Aaron Judge has looked unrecognizable at the plate. Giancarlo Stanton, Clint Frazier, and Aaron Hicks have all posted sub-.300 OBPs. Even DJ LeMahieu and Gary Sanchez are slugging around the .350 mark. It's just not good enough.

15. St. Louis Cardinals

Yadier Molina joined an elite club early this season, becoming just the fifth player to catch 2,000 career games. That's a lot of mileage, but it's not stopping the 38-year-old from leading the Cardinals' offense with five homers and a 1.044 OPS. The Cardinals made a big splash with their trade for Nolan Arenado, but Yadi is keeping them afloat in the early going.

16. Cincinnati Reds

The last-place Reds have lost seven straight. They're also missing Mike Moustakas because of an injury, while key pieces Eugenio Suarez, Luis Castillo, and Amir Garrett have struggled. Despite all that, David Bell's club owns a respectable plus-11 run differential because of its potent offense that's hit 32 home runs. It's far too early to write this team off.

17. Philadelphia Phillies

This is the Bryce Harper the Phillies paid $330 million for in 2019. The 2015 NL MVP is leading the Phillies' offense with a 1.132 OPS while drawing as many walks as strikeouts. He's the main reason why the Phillies are treading water with Andrew McCutchen slumping, Jean Segura on the injured list, and multiple players and coaches away due to COVID-19.

18. Minnesota Twins

Where the heck is the offense? Minnesota ranks 23rd in the majors in home runs, with Byron Buxton and Nelson Cruz accounting for 13 of the team's 21 long balls. It's really been difficult for the Twins to manufacture runs, and they've scored two or fewer times in seven of their last 10 games. Max Kepler has yet to go deep in 47 at-bats, while Miguel Sano is slugging just .244.

19. Seattle Mariners

Are the Mariners for real? Seattle sits one game behind the A's for first place in the AL West thanks to a .636 road-winning percentage, and Kendall Graveman leading a surprisingly good bullpen. Opponents are hitting .038 against the Mariners right-hander, and he's allowed one hit and zero runs to go along with 10 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.

20. Los Angeles Angels

It's hard not to connect Mike Trout's absence to the Astros walloping the Angels. Los Angeles dropped three of four over the weekend, getting outscored 31-12 with their superstar outfielder sidelined. However, while losing Trout would be an issue for any team, pitching is holding the Angels back, as their 5.22 ERA is the league's worst. The saving grace, though, is that their 3.75 FIP is respectable, and Andrew Heaney, Alex Cobb, Dylan Bundy, and others should eventually get better results.

21. Chicago Cubs

In the five days since Joc Pederson sounded off on the sorry state of his team's offense, the Cubs' bats have come alive to the tune of a 141 wRC+. That breakout was sorely needed, as Chicago had owned the league's second-worst offense. The Cubs still need more over a longer period, and Pederson himself could step up after returning from the IL. But it must be comforting for manager David Ross to see even a bit of life at the plate.

22. Cleveland Indians

Without elite pitching, the Indians aren't an especially fearsome team. And their pitching hasn't been elite so far this year. Shane Bieber is still otherworldly, and Aaron Civale may be taking a step forward, though his FIP indicates regression. But no one else has shown an ability to fill Mike Clevinger's spot. Young stud Triston McKenzie is coming off a stinker against the Yankees, and he now owns a 4.32 ERA and 5.97 FIP.

23. Arizona Diamondbacks

Entering Sunday, the Diamondbacks were the only team with a pitching staff worth negative WAR. So, what did Zac Gallen and Madison Bumgarner do? Allow one hit over 14 total innings of a doubleheader against the Braves. When healthy, Gallen has been a great starter, but Bumgarner has looked downright pedestrian prior to his most recent outing. If Bumgarner can be the horse Arizona thought he was when they signed him, then maybe - just maybe - this team can stay in the wild-card mix.

24. Washington Nationals

The Nationals' offense is in a funk. Washington has been shut out five times while scoring just 3.3 runs per game. Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber have combined for two homers, and Trea Turner is striking out in 26% of his at-bats. The return of Juan Soto, who could be back in the lineup before the end of the month, can’t come soon enough.

25. Miami Marlins

Rookie second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. is breaking out as an all-around threat. In addition to his stellar defense, the 23-year-old owns a .904 OPS with four homers and four steals, and he's tied for the second-highest WAR at his position. The Marlins may have found their much-needed offensive spark plug.

26. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are tied for last place in the division, but it hasn't been all bad news in Baltimore. John Means shut down the A's on Sunday, ending their 13-game winning streak in the process. The left-hander owns a 1.50 ERA - the fourth-best mark in the majors - and a 0.87 WHIP across five starts. He's Baltimore's only starter with an ERA under 4.50.

27. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies' offense ranks 19th in WAR, which is quite the feat for a team playing its home games at a high altitude. Charlie Blackmon, who briefly flirted with .400 last year, is hitting .153 with a 45 OPS+. Trevor Story has slugged only two home runs. German Marquez can defy the altitude and pitch like an ace, but if the Rockies aren't hitting, their season might get even uglier than most prognosticators expected.

28. Pittsburgh Pirates

It took Pittsburgh 10 fewer games to collect their 10th win in 2021 compared to last season, so it's already been an encouraging start. Part of that success is due to JT Brubaker. The right-hander has posted a 2.01 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings.

29. Texas Rangers

Texas has actually faired pretty well considering 16 of its 22 games have come against teams with a .500 or better record. Adolis Garcia, acquired from the Cardinals in 2019, has been a nice surprise. He leads the team with a .927 OPS and five home runs. Joey Gallo boasts one of the weirder stat lines in MLB. He's recorded just one extra-base hit and 30 strikeouts over 66 at-bats, but Gallo leads the majors with 21 walks.

30. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers dropped their fourth straight game Sunday and have notched just two series wins. However, Matthew Boyd hasn't been part of Detroit’s inferiority. Opposing hitters are batting just .189 against the left-hander, who ranks fourth in the AL in ERA. This is coming after Boyd tied for the major-league lead in homers allowed last season. Maybe the Tigers can get some value for him if they decide to make a trade.