MLB Team Power Rankings Update: Not Much Love for the Orioles
It seems like the Baltimore Orioles thrive off of other people doubting their capabilities as a team, which isn't anything new. What's also not new is watching them outperform those low expectations.
If we're looking at a team by how high their current playoff odds are, the Orioles' 34.7% chance of making the playoffs is the 11th-highest mark in the game. However -- as we've seen rather consistently this season -- they've settled in at 22nd in this week's power rankings.
Having an offense with bats like Adam Jones, Manny Machado and Chris Davis always helps, along with a bullpen that's been one of the best in recent years. The big problem with Baltimore, though, is their starting pitching.
Dylan Bundy and Wade Miley have been rather productive (as has Chris Tillman over his first three starts), but Kevin Gausman has been an overall disappointment, and Ubaldo Jimenez has been exactly what we thought he'd be -- not good. Manager Buck Showalter has also had to use guys like Alec Asher, Jayson Aquino and Tyler Wilson periodically to fill in some holes, which also hasn't produced the best results.
The Orioles showed us last year that they could reach the playoffs with a lackluster rotation, but unless a couple of their hurlers get going and sustain some level of success, they'll have to prove it again.
Who else has seen their stock rise or fall over the last week?
Unlike some other power rankings around the interwebs, ours here at numberFire aren't influenced by hype or the latest narratives. We put faith into our algorithms and use nERD to see which team is the best, which is a metric that represents runs scored above or below a league-average team per game.
Our rankings will include each team's nERD, their current record and playoff odds, along with how much their spot has changed over the past seven days.
