It was famous musician Ray Charles who said that if it wasn’t for bad luck, he’d have no luck at all. But in trying to get this Orioles rebuild moving in the right direction, GM Mike Elias certainly has had his share of bad luck, the latest being the loss of lefty starter John Means to Tommy John surgery.
This comes after the situations involving Trey Mancini (colon cancer) and 2020 No. 1 pick Heston Kjerstad (myocarditis), who is now out with a hamstring ailment.
And then with it being almost certain that the No. 1 pick from the 2019 draft, catcher Adley Rutschman, would open the season on the big league roster, he came down with a strained right triceps. Rutschman is about to take the field to begin his rehab assignment with High-A Aberdeen.
Aberdeen opens a 12-game homestand on Tuesday, April 26. While it’s doubtful that Rutschman will spend 12 days at Aberdeen, it’s likely he’ll last the six-game series against Jersey Shore. Rutschman will probably then be sent to play for Triple-A Norfolk before possibly debuting with Baltimore the week of May 16.
Also at Aberdeen this week will be lefty D.L. Hall, who is on the mend from an elbow injury.
Without further ado, here are my MLB Power Rankings.
1. New Mets (12-5, No. 2 last week): Buck Showalter is a difference-maker of the highest order. It didn’t hurt that owner Steve Cohen is the wealthiest owner in all of baseball. Long-suffering Mets fans are going to enjoy the combination of Showalter’s know-how and Cohen’s wallet.
2. San Francisco Giants (11-5, No. 1): The Giants lost three out of four to the Mets at Citi Field but got to regroup against bad Nationals team to finish above .500 for the week.
3. Toronto Blue Jays (10-6, No. 4): Imagine how good the Blue Jays would be if Jose Berrios didn’t have an ERA over 6.00 and a WHIP over 2.00?
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (11-4, No. 3): The most consequential happenings so far for the Dodgers? Starting pitchers Andrew Heaney and Tony Gonsolin have given up one earned run between them in 23.1 innings, and Cody Bellinger is suddenly back to being Cody Bellinger.
5. New York Yankees (10-6, No. 8): Maybe it was the sun and warmth in the air at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Whatever it was, the Yankees got a lifeline delivered to them by Gerrit Cole, who tossed 6.2 innings of shutout baseball. The key thing an ace starter does on the day he pitches is imbues his teammates with the belief they can win on that day. Before Sunday and late last season, Cole had not vibed that he could be counted on for a great performance.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (10-6, No. 13): I got to see the Brewers up close here in Baltimore the first three games of the O’s home season and immediately realized that they were primed for a real serious run at their division. Watching them duke it out with the Cardinals will be the story of the NL Central in 2022.
7. St. Louis Cardinals (9-5, No. 11): Nolan Arenado is off to an MVP-type start, batting .364 with five homers, 14 RBIs and a 1.154 OPS. It doesn’t hurt that Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright are pitching very well.
8. Seattle Mariners (10-6, No. 12): There’s a lot to like about the club Jerry Dipoto has put together. They spent big for Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, but it’s Logan Gilbert giving them their first ace starter since King Felix ruled the roost. Gilbert is 2-0 through three starts and 16-plus innings. His ERA is 0.54 and his WHIP is 0.84. Ty France is a beast in the early going, batting .375 with five homers and 19 RBIs.
9. San Diego Padres (10-7, No. 14): Bob Melvin’s impact will be felt. Give it time.
10. Tampa Bay Rays (9-7, No. 10): What’s the over-under on how many relief arms Kevin Cash will go through? It’s not even May 1 and he’s at 17 and counting.
11. Houston Astros (7-8, No. 5)
12. Chicago White Sox (6-9, No. 6)
13. Atlanta Braves (7-10, No. 7)
14. Boston Red Sox (7-9, No. 9)
15. Minnesota Twins (8-8, No. 22)
16. Miami Marlins (7-8, No. 17)
17. Cleveland Guardians (7-8, No. 15)
18. Colorado Rockies (10-5, No. 23)
19. Los Angeles Angels (9-7, No. 19)
20. Detroit Tigers (6-9, No. 16)
21. Oakland Athletics (9-8, No. 21)
22. Philadelphia Phillies (6-10, No. 20)
23. Chicago Cubs (7-9, No. 18)
24. Pittsburgh Pirates (8-8, No. 25)
25. Kansas City Royals (5-9, No. 24)
26. Texas Rangers (5-10, No. 28)
27. Arizona Diamondbacks (6-10, No. 29)
28. Washington Nationals (6-12, No. 26)
29. Baltimore Orioles (6-10, No. 30)
30. Cincinnati Reds (3-13, No. 27)