The first full week of the 2021 MLB season is in the books, which means it is time for our first Power Rankings of the new MLB season! The reigning champs are still the team to beat, but how is your team positioned after the first week and a half of the new season?
Here’s where all 30 MLB teams stand heading into Week 2 of the 2021 MLB season:
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
World Series Championship Odds: +350
Current Record: 8-2
The reigning champions have kicked off the 2021 MLB season with a league high eight wins heading into Week 2. 33 year old pitcher and former MVP, Clayton Kershaw has silenced any doubters that he had at the mound, allowing just one run over 13 innings, while also collecting 14 strikeouts.
Clayton Kershaw gets his ring at Dodger Stadium pic.twitter.com/O8x6ij3dNN
— Starting 9 (@Starting9) April 9, 2021
Combined with the fact that the Dodgers are currently hitting at the second highest team batting average in the league (.284), they are the odds on favorite to go back to back at the 2021 World Series.
2. San Diego Padres
World Series Championship Odds: +900
Current Record: 7-3
The Padres are hot on the Dodgers tail in the NL West, trialing by just one game with a 7-3 record.
San Diego native Joe Musgrove threw the first no-hitter in Padres history last week, which resulted in a 2-0 win over the Rangers, completing a sweep of their three game sets.
3. Houston Astros
World Series Championship Odds: +1500
Current Record: 6-3
Houston kicked off their 2021 MLB season with a four game sweep over the A’s in Oakland, which saw them outscore the Athletic 35-9. After splitting a two game set against the Angels, the Astros added another two wins to their tally against the A’s, with an aggregate 13-5 score over the two victories.
Houston have had a solid start to their season as they prepare for a stretch of games against the struggling Tigers, Mariners and Rockies.
4. New York Yankees
World Series Championship Odds: +550
Current Record: 4-5
A 3-3 return from their first full week of games isn’t the most ideal start for the Yankees, who currently sit one game below .500. New York’s lineup has admittedly been their downfall so far this season, having been held scoreless in their second game against Tampa Bay on Saturday night.
However their bullpen has been one of the most dominant in the league, pitching at an ERA of 2.93 (fifth best in the league).
5. Minnesota Twins
World Series Championship Odds: +1800
Current Record: 5-4
Headlined by the ageless Nelson Cruz and an MVP candidate in Byron Buxton, the Minnesota Twins undeniably have one of the most damaging lineups in MLB. Although the Twins managed just a 3-3 week after their 2-1 start to the season, Cruz’s four homeruns are the equal second most in the league, while Buxton is one of four players with five homers to start the season.
Buxton is also hitting at the second highest batting average in the league (.481), which also leading the league in on plate percentage (1.734)
6. Philadelphia Phillies
World Series Championship Odds: +3000
Current Record: 6-3
Philadelphia caught a lucky break from their Sunday Night Baseball victory over the Braves, as Alec Bohm appeared not to touch the plate on replay review after a sacrifice fly ball in the ninth.
However, with a 4-2 record over the Braves and a 2-1 record over the Mets, the Phillies have had a hot start to the 2021 season.
7. Los Angeles Angels
World Series Championship Odds: +3500
Current Record: 6-3
Off the back of strong performances from Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon, the Angels are a top 10 batting team in the league, and will enter Week 2 having hit the seventh most runs in Major League Baseball (48) and with the eighth best batting average (.248).
However, with an ERA of 5.27, Los Angeles are currently the 25th best team at the mound, largely due to José Quintana allowing nine earned runs in his two starts.
8. Boston Red Sox
World Series Championship Odds: +5000
Current Record: 6-3
After kicking off their season with a 0-3 record against the Orioles in Boston, the Red Sox have won six consecutive games and sit on top of the AL East division heading into Week 2. The Red Sox swept the Rays in Boston, before avenging their early season form by sweeping the Orioles in Baltimore.
J.D Martinez is an early season MVP candidate, batting at .427 (fourth in the league) with five home runs (equal first in the league), 16 RBIs (first in the league) and 17 hits (equal first in the league).
9. Atlanta Braves
World Series Championship Odds: +1200
Current Record: 4-5
Since starting the season with an 0-4 record, the Braves have settled nicely into the 2021 season with four wins from their past five games.
He never touched the plate.
The @Braves were robbed.
The sad part is no one is surprised. pic.twitter.com/6Bmtd7IC47
— Brad Logan (@BradLoganCOTE) April 12, 2021
Although it has reflected in their record, Atlanta’s ability to flip the script on their early season form has been nothing shy of remarkable. The Braves scored just eight runs from the opening four losses, before adding 28 runs in their most recent five outings.
10. Tampa Bay Rays
World Series Championship Odds: +3000
Current Record: 4-5
The Rays haven’t had the most confident start to their American League Pennant defense, winning just four of their first nine games.
The offseason losses of Blake Snell and Charlie Morton, combined with Chris Archer’s forearm injury that landed him on the IL, has resulted in Tampa Bay having the 24th ranked ERA in the league heading into Week 2 (5.18). On a positive note, Randy Arozarena doesn’t look to have missed a beat after his big 2020 postseason.
11. Cincinnati Reds
World Series Championship Odds: +3500
Current Record: 6-3
A 4-2 week for Cincinnati has left the Reds on top of the NL Central division heading into Week 2. Cincinnati have flipped the script on their disastrous 2020 offense, currently hitting at a league leading team batting average of .289.
Admittedly, the Reds did score 30 runs in their three games against the lowly Pirates, making their upcoming games against the Giants and Indians an interesting test.
12. New York Mets
World Series Championship Odds: +1000
Current Record: 2-3
Although they have played just five games this season, the Mets 2-3 record could be looking worse, if not for a controversial walk-off victory over Miami on Thursday. With the bases loaded and one out remaining in a tied game, Michael Conforto was hit by a pitch to force the game-winning run, however Conforto appeared to lean his elbow into the pitch.
On a positive note, Jacob DeGrom is still at the top of his game, allowing just one earned run across his two starts this season.
13. Milwaukee Brewers
World Series Championship Odds: +4000
Current Record: 5-4
A 5-4 record for the Brewers has left Milwauklee just one game behind Cincinnati for top spot in the NL Central. Corbin Burnes headlines a star studded pitching rotation that currently has the seventh best ERA in the league, 3.22.
Burnes has allowed two hits in just over 12 innings and his 20 strikeouts are the equal fifth most in the league, while Brandon Woodruff took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Cubs in Chicago.
14. Toronto Blue Jays
World Series Championship Odds: +2200
Current Record: 4-5
After starting the season with a 2-1 record from their set against the Yankees, the Blue Jays have slipped below .500 after a 2-4 week against the Rangers and Angels.
Toronto’s young dugout has already shown a lot of talent and resilience early in the season, snapping a four game losing streak with a 15-1 victory over the Angels on Saturday. Steven Matz has been a solid contributor at the mound this season, pitching at an ERA of 1.46 from two starts.
15. Chicago White Sox
World Series Championship Odds: +1100
Current Record: 4-5
Despite pitching a pair of shutouts last week, the Chicago White Sox are sitting one game below .500 and in fourth place in the AL Central division. As they have done in each of their five losses, Chicago coughed up leads last week.
Yermin Mercedes just hit a ball 485ft @barstoolchicago pic.twitter.com/HayBZsLQKh
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 8, 2021
Yermin Mercedes has continued his dominant start to the season, hitting a long homer in the Sox home opener and batting at a league leading average of .536.
16. San Francisco Giants
World Series Championship Odds: +12000
Current Record: 6-3
A 6-3 record for the Giants sees them just one game behind the Padres and two games behind the Dodgers for the top two spots in the NL West.
As it stands San Francisco are the second best pitching team in the league, with an ERA of .270. However, their offense on the other hand is the 26th best in the league, batting at an average of just .204.
17. St Louis Cardinals
World Series Championship Odds: +2200
Current Record: 5-4
The Nolan Arenado trade couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for the Cardinals, as St. Louis’ new third baseman has a hit in all nine of the Cardinals’ games this season, including a game-winning home run in the Cardinals home opener.
Unfortunately for St. Louis, their rotation has the 27th ranked ERA heading into Week 2 (5.35) and they’re just 2-4 in games not played against the Marlins.
18. Cleveland Indians
World Series Championship Odds: +4000
Current Record: 5-3
Having only played the Tigers and the Royals so far this season, it is tough to get a read on how well Clevelands 5-3 record stacks up against quality opposition. The Indians have gotten a good indication of their rotation, currently pitching at the third best ERA in the league, 2.83.
However even against Detroit and Kansas City, Cleveland have scored the 19th most in the league. Upcoming series against Boston and Cincinnati will be a much better test for the Indians going forward.
19. Kansas City Royals
World Series Championship Odds: +10000
Current Record: 4-3
A less intense early season schedule and multiple rainouts has resulted in Kansas City playing just seven games so far this season, with the Royals just one game above .500. Kansas City’s pitching rotation has struggled so far this year, however Whit Merrifield has led KC to the ninth best team batting record in the league when looking at batting average.
Merrifield is leading the team in batting average (.393), home runs (3), RBIs (10), on base percentage (.424) and hits (11).
20. Oakland Athletics
World Series Championship Odds: +3500
Current Record: 3-7
After being swept by Houston in their opening four game set of the season, things were looking bleak for the A’s heading into games against the Dodgers and the Astros. However, Oakland split their six games last week for a 3-3 record against two quality opponents.
Although their rotation has been comprehensively beaten to start the year (ERA of 6.20, last in the league), the A’s will welcome games against the Diamondbacks and Tigers in Week 2, looking to continue their surprisingly solid form.
21. Chicago Cubs
World Series Championship Odds: +4000
Current Record: 4-5
Despite starting the 2021 season with six of their first nine games against the Pirates, Chicago are just 4-5 heading into Week 2. After a solid first five starts, recently acquired pitchers Zach Davies and Trevor Williams were dismantled by a struggling Pittsburgh lineup, losing their two most recent games by an aggregate score of 15-3.
As well as that, Javier Baez batting at .242 isn’t going to cut it for the Cubs this season.
22. Washington Nationals
World Series Championship Odds: +3500
Current Record: 1-5
Given that the Nationals have had a number of key players sidelined due to a COVID-19 outbreak it is tough to pass judgement on Washington’s early season form.
The Nats have welcomed back Patrick Corbin and Brad Hand back but are still without newcomers Kyle Schwarber, Josh Bell and Jon Lester among others. A 1-5 start to the season against the Braves and Dodgers is not a terrible result given their roster limitations.
23. Texas Rangers
World Series Championship Odds: +15000
Current Record: 3-6
The Rangers were recently swept by an in-form Padres team in Texas, resulting in a 3-6 record for the season. To their credit, Texas’ rotation has responded positively after allowing 38 runs in their opening five games.
However, the Rangers offense has gone missing in recent games, after scoring 21 runs in their opening three game set against the Royals.
24. Seattle Mariners
World Series Championship Odds: +12000
Current Record: 5-4
Seattle won three of their six games against the Twins and White Sox last week, leaving them just one game behind the Angels and Astros in the AL West. The Mariners pitching rotation is the reason for their lower ranking this week, currently the 25th team in the league when looking at ERA (5.27).
James Paxton had to be removed from the game during the second inning of his first outing this season
Hoping for the best for our old friend 🙏 pic.twitter.com/xf33OEMCoq
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 7, 2021
It has not been the worst start to the season for Seattle, however Tommy John surgery has been recommended for left-hander James Paxton, which is not the news that Mariners fans wanted to hear.
25. Arizona Diamondbacks
World Series Championship Odds: +15000
Current Record: 4-6
Arizona finished off their week with a pair of wins over Cincinnati, bringing their record to a more respectable 4-6. The Diamondbacks outscored the Reds 15-3 in the final two games of their set.
Despite being shutout by the Rockies last week, Arizona’s lineup has scored the ninth most runs in the league so far this season, and will be looking to continue their good hitting in their upcoming six games against the A’s and the Nationals.
26. Baltimore Orioles
World Series Championship Odds: +15000
Current Record: 4-5
Since sweeping the Red Sox in their opening set of the season, Baltimore received a reality check, losing two of their three games against the Yankees and all three of the games from their second set against Boston, resulting in a 4-5 record.
Although they have come back down to earth, Baltimore may be the setting for the baseball feel good story of the year, as Trey Mancini hit two home runs over the weekend in his return to the diamond after a bout with colon cancer.
27. Colorado Rockies
World Series Championship Odds: +15000
Current Record: 3-7
Colorado closed out their week by being swept by the Giants in San Francisco, which leaves them on the bottom of the NL West division.
Although the Rockies have hit the seventh most runs in the league this season (48), their pitching rotation is letting them down. Colorado have given up the third most hits in the league and allowed the ninth most earned runs.
28. Miami Marlins
World Series Championship Odds: +10000
Current Record: 2-6
Although they were unfortunately on the wrong side of the Mets controversial walk off victory, the Marlins managed to secure their second win of the season last week, finishing with a 1-4 record from their five games.
With only 24 runs to their name this season, only the Nationals and Mets have scored fewer times than the Marlins this season (both of whom have only played just six games).
29. Pittsburgh Pirates
World Series Championship Odds: +25000
Current Record: 3-6
The Pirates salvaged their start to the season with a pair of victories over the Cubs in their two most recent outings, snapping their six game losing streak.
Pittsburgh’s three wins this season have come against Chicago, which may be more of an indication of how the Cubs are going. However, the Pirates have been far from competitive against quality opposition, having been outscored 30-8 in their three games against Cincinnati.
30. Detroit Tigers
World Series Championship Odds: +15000
Current Record: 3-6
Since kicking off the season with a 2-1 record from their opening set of games against the Indians, Detroit have managed just one win from their next six games.
The Tigers will enter Week 2 as the 28th ranked team in the league in terms of batting average and the 29th ranked pitching team in the league when looking at ERA. Quite simply, that is not going to cut it.
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
