- 91
- 14
- 8
Thirty teams enter. One team leaves victorious. It’s how every MLB season goes. Twenty-nine ball clubs will fall short. This week’s MLB Power Rankings takes a direct look at why each club will fail.
How are they ranked? It’s based on how big of a problem they have on their hands. The lower the number the teams received, the more of a roadblock they have on their way to becoming a champion.
30) MLB Power Rankings: Texas Rangers need to suffer a little more first
The idea that a team needs to sip from the playoff cup of coffee before getting a championship caffeine hit is very true. Teams don’t suddenly break a playoff drought and win a championship.This way of thinking could have the Texas Rangers falling short. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2016. Even the 2005 Chicago White Sox had a shorter drought before winning it all. The Los Angeles Angels managed to pull it off with a 2002 World Series after missing the postseason every year from 1986 onward. The Rangers need to be outside the norm.
29) MLB Power Rankings: Tampa Bay Rays will outsmart themselves
The Tampa Bay Rays can outsmart everyone, even themselves. What will stop them from winning a World Series is how intelligent they believe they are. By not making some more traditional moves at the trade deadline, they can catch themselves without enough firepower to get them through the final weeks and the playoffs. They’ve been smart in the past about at least trying to find appropriate short-term rentals even if guys like Nelson Cruz haven’t performed.Stick with it. Stay smart but rely a bit more on your brawn than your brain.