MLB Power Rankings - April 28

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

A more aggressive approach at the plate has yielded tremendous results thus far for Adrian Gonzalez, whose eight home runs and .340 isolated power rank among the league's leaders. Yasiel Puig, meanwhile, recorded four multi-hit games this week and Clayton Kershaw's return to the rotation appears imminent. So be afraid. Be very afraid.

2. Detroit Tigers

When Rajai Davis signed a two-year, $10-million deal with the Tigers this winter, not even Rajai Davis expected Rajai Davis to have the kind of success he's enjoyed through the first three weeks of the season. Davis, who was expected to serve simply as the right-handed complement of a platoon in left field, leads the club with a 147 wRC+ to go along with two homers and eight stolen bases.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

The absence of a reliable power threat within the Cardinals' lineup became increasingly conspicuous during the first month of the season, as the reigning National League champs managed a .102 isolated power, the third-worst mark in the majors. While this average-over-power approach worked in 2013, the strategy kind of collapses when your players don't, you know, hit for average.

4. Atlanta Braves

It's downright terrifying that you can count on more than one hand the number of Braves pitchers who have been more impressive than Craig Kimbrel this season.

5. San Francisco Giants

The plate discipline is abundant in San Francisco's lineup, as the club's 9.1 percent walk rate represents the best mark in the National League. On-base ability and power -- the Giants rank third among NL clubs with a .163 isolated power -- is a pretty solid combination, and helps compensate for the likes of Tim Lincecum and Ryan Vogelsong, who have combined for -0.8 wins above replacement through nine starts.

6. Oakland Athletics

Who needs an exorbitant payroll when you have unheralded studs like Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie, two veterans who handle premium, up-the-middle positions but aren't completely useless at the plate; they both have more walks than strikeouts this season and rank among the league's top-30 in on-base percentage.

7. Milwaukee Brewers

Somehow, inexplicably, a rotation that features both Yovani Gallardo and Wily Peralta managed a tidy 6.3 percent walk rate through the first month of the season. Turns out this whole don't-put-runners-on-for-free approach, when combined with the league's most efficient defense, is actually a pretty sound strategy, as the Brewers are allowing just 3.16 runs per game.

8. Washington Nationals

A sprained thumb forced Bryce Harper to the disabled list this week -- an injury sustained while sliding into third base for a bases-loaded triple on Friday night. At least he was hustling, though, right, Matt Williams?

9. New York Yankees

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was "embarrassed" by Michael Pineda's decision to slather pine tar on his neck for Wednesday's start against the Red Sox, a stunt that resulted in a 10-game suspension. Interestingly, Cashman has yet to comment on Derek Jeter's defense, as the 39-year-old is third-last among shortstops with -2 defensive runs saved.

10. Texas Rangers

A resurgent Kevin Kouzmanoff was superb in the absence of third baseman Adrian Beltre, who returned from the disabled list Friday. However, the club's sad contingent of catchers have done little to assuage the loss of Geovany Soto, as they've combined for -0.1 wins above replacement while hitting .167/.244/.282 in 25 games.

11. Boston Red Sox

Shane Victorino's return from the disabled list prompted the Red Sox to option struggling outfielder Daniel Nava to the minors this week. Many were surprised by the move -- in Nava's defense, his .167 BABIP represents the fifth-lowest mark in the majors -- but when the reigning World Series champions have a collective .708 OPS through April, drastic decisions happen.

12. Cincinnati Reds

In the absence of closer Aroldis Chapman, resurgent right-hander Jonathan Broxton has thrived, allowing no runs while collecting four saves in as many chances since coming off the disabled list. Johnny Cueto and Tony Cingrani, meanwhile, have compensated nicely for struggling hurler Homer Bailey, who needed a matchup against the Cubs to record his first good start of the year.

13. Pittsburgh Pirates

Francisco Liriano's bloated home run rate is bound to stabilize shortly -- a career-high 14.8 percent of his fly balls are leaving the yard -- but his "struggles" underscore the lack of depth in Pittsburgh's rotation. Gerrit Cole has been solid, Edinson Volquez has been surprisingly effective and the Pirates' rotation still has the fourth-worst FIP in the majors (4.50).

14. Toronto Blue Jays

Despite Mark Buehrle's ongoing quest to secure his first career Cy Young award, the Blue Jays have received just 134 innings from their starters -- the fourth-fewest in the league -- as R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow, and Dustin McGowan were uniformly mediocre in April. It doesn't help that the bullpen, one of Toronto's presumed areas of strength, has been lousy, too.

15. Tampa Bay Rays

Beset by significant injuries to two-fifths of their rotation, the Rays -- a club largely defined by its starting pitching -- is increasingly devoid of an identity. And what they lack in identity they're sadly making up for in Erik Bedard and Cesar Ramos, who have combined for five suspect starts.

16. Baltimore Orioles

Manny Machado is coming. Manny Machado is coming. Manny Machado is coming. 

17. Kansas City Royals

Mike Moustakas' two-homer week thrust him to the top of the club's long-ball leaderboard because, well, only one other player on the Royals has multiple home runs in 2014. Eric Hosmer remains the most enigmatic hitter on the planet while both Billy Butler and Salvador Perez are mired in brutal slumps. Perhaps Kansas City's offense is just confident Jason Vargas will sustain a 1.54 ERA for the entire season.

18. Los Angeles Angels

Albert Pujols wants you to believe that it is, in fact, 2010 again, as the 34-year-old ranks second in the majors with nine home runs to go along with a 168 wRC+ in 24 games. Jered Weaver, however, is doing his part to destroy the illusion, as he's surrendering 1.47 homers per nine innings while his strikeout numbers continue to tumble.

19. Colorado Rockies

No player in baseball enjoyed a more surprising start to the season that Charlie Blackmon, the 27-year-old outfielder who's hitting .402/.454/.667 with five homers and seven stolen bases through his first 25 games. Blackmon's torrid stretch has contributed significantly to Colorado's gaudy average of 5.38 runs per game, the best mark in the National League. Coors Field helps, too.

20. Cleveland Indians

Danny Salazar's unfortunate April destroyed much of the good faith he generated with a strong late-season cameo in 2013, as he's managed a 6.04 ERA across five starts while issuing 11 walks and serving up five homers over 25 1/3 innings. The strikeouts remain abundant, but he can't seem to turn a lineup over, and that, as Fangraphs' Dave Cameron says, "is how you end up in the bullpen."

21. New York Mets

Daisuke Matsuzaka recorded his first career save on Thursday, tossing a perfect ninth inning to close out the Mets' 4-1 victory over the Cardinals. These are the kind of oddities to be relished when Curtis Granderson has a .454 OPS through his first 99 plate appearances.

22. Seattle Mariners

General manager Jack Zduriencik is quickly realizing that a terrible team can't magically transform into a playoff contender simply by adding one 31-year-old superstar. Admittedly, the Mariners' rotation has been plagued by injuries, but this is, fundamentally, a bad baseball team that happens to employ Robinson Cano.

23. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies' offense has been fairly impressive in 2014 -- Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins, and Ryan Howard each possess an wRC+ above 110 -- while the rotation has been comparably effective. And they have a 13-12 record to show for it. And regression is coming.

24. Miami Marlins

Jose Fernandez gets the glory, but Nathan Eovaldi is quickly becoming a central cog in Miami's rotation, as the 24-year-old righty owns a 2.87 ERA with a 7.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over five starts. Since 2013, Eovaldi has crafted a 118 ERA+ while yielding just eight home runs over 137 2/3 innings.

25. Chicago White Sox

Tempting though it is to rhapsodize about Jose Abreu, who's been better than advertised through the first few weeks of his big-league career, it's tough not be concerned about Chris Sale, the lanky southpaw who has no timetable for his return from an elbow strain.

26. San Diego Padres

Josh Johnson's low-rise condominium on The Disabled List will get plenty of use this summer, as the oft-injured 30-year-old is poised to undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. His spot in the rotation will likely be claimed by Robbie Erlin, but it's largely immaterial who's pitching when your offense is scoring 2.65 runs per game.

27. Arizona Diamondbacks

The beleaguered Diamondbacks placed slugger Mark Trumbo -- beset by a stress fracture in his foot -- on the disabled list this week, along with their pride, dignity, and any aspirations of fielding a remotely watchable baseball club.

28. Minnesota Twins

The Twins are committed only to Joe Mauer, Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, and Glen Perkins beyond the 2015 season, but Brian Dozier is quickly carving out a future with the organization. The 26-year-old is tied for sixth in the majors with 1.4 wins above replacement in 2014 while his 25 homers in the last calendar year trump all other second basemen.

29. Chicago Cubs

Eager to usher in a new era on the North Side, the Cubs opted not to invite divisive slugger Sammy Sosa to Wednesday's centennial celebration at Wrigley Field. Now all they have to do is promote Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Albert Almora, Jorge Soler, and C.J. Edwards to replace the scrubs populating their abysmal roster.

30. Houston Astros

The Astros stink and aren't getting better anytime soon. What, you think it's easy writing 30 pithy blurbs that are both informative and vaguely clever every single week? The Astros stink.

For previous installments of the MLB Power Rankings, click here.