By Grant Brisbee, Kaitlyn McGrath, and Stephen J. Nesbitt
Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.
We’re approaching the business end of the season. With six weeks remaining, the postseason races are coming into focus as are the finalists for the annual awards.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Aaron Judge are each making a strong case for the American League MVP, while Shohei Ohtani is proving that even when he’s held to only hitting, he can be the heavy favorite to win his first National League MVP and third overall. Corbin Burnes and Tarik Skubal are the leading candidates for the AL Cy Young Award, while in the NL, Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler are favored for the honor.
We can all name plenty of players having standout seasons and getting deserved recognition — but what about those players flying just under the radar? In this week’s power rankings, we set out to identify those players having sneaky good seasons for their respective ball clubs.
Record: 74-52Last Power Ranking: 3
Sneaky-good season: RHP Gavin Stone
The Dodgers would be absolutely hosed without Stone. Bobby Miller and Walker Buehler have combined for 17 erratic and ineffective starts this season, and Clayton Kershaw rejoined the team only recently. Tyler Glasnow is on the 15-day IL, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the 60-day IL with shoulder issues and River Ryan needed Tommy John surgery right as he was starting to impress.
Without Stone and his modestly successful 22 starts (3.63 ERA, 4.04 FIP), there would be a lot more panic surrounding the Dodgers. They probably weren’t expecting an NL West race this close, and they definitely weren’t expecting to need 17 different starting pitchers (and counting) this season. The peripheral stats suggest that Stone won’t be dominant until he returns to missing bats like he did in the minors. The Dodgers needed one of their gaggle of young starters to be sneaky good this season, and they needed it in the worst way. — Grant Brisbee
Record: 73-52Last Power Ranking: 1
Sneaky-good season: RHP Michael Tonkin
After the opening month he had, who would have thought the 34-year-old Tonkin would have a 2.73 ERA with the Yankees? After signing a split contract with the Mets and breaking camp with them, the journeyman reliever was DFA’d then traded to the Twins only to be DFA’d by them and picked up again by the Mets, who subsequently DFA’d him once more after which he was claimed by the Yankees — all before the end of April. But after a blown save in his Yankees debut, Tonkin has found a home in the Bronx and earned his way into Aaron Boone’s circle of trust. Upping the usage of his two-seam fastball along with some runway to get comfortable seems to be the recipe Tonkin needed to put together a sneaky good season after a chaotic start. — Kaitlyn McGrath
Record: 73-51Last Power Ranking: 4
Sneaky-good season: RHP Orion Kerkering
Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm have been the standouts from the Phillies bullpen — and both received well-earned All-Star nods because of it. But behind them, having a season just as good, though perhaps more under the radar have been rookie Orion Kerkering, who has a 2.51 ERA in 47 appearances with 53 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. He’s succeeded especially by limiting hard contact, holding the opposition to a 31.4 percent hard-hit rate that ranks in the 92nd percentile in the majors. Kerkering shot through the Phillies system last year, and made his MLB debut last September. Expectations were high for Kerkering this season, and he has lived up to them. — McGrath
Record: 73-53Last Power Ranking: 2
Sneaky-good season: 1B/OF/DH Ryan O’Hearn
O’Hearn had five unremarkable years with the Kansas City Royals, compiling a .683 OPS, before he was DFA’d and landed with the Orioles in 2023 in a make-or-break year for his career. The first baseman broke out and he’s carried that success into this season, too. The left-handed hitter has a .801 OPS in 107 games and has been particularly effective against right-handed pitching, with an .818 OPS and all 12 of his home runs coming in situations where he has the platoon advantage. On a team with many big hitters, O’Hearn is making the most of his part-time role and for that reason, he’s authoring one of the best sneaky good seasons. — McGrath
Record: 72-52Last Power Ranking: 6
Sneaky-good season: 3B Joey Ortiz
The seriously good Brewers have had no shortage of sneaky good seasons — we’ve previously noted Jackson Chourio and Bryan Hudson and Brice Turang — so we’re going with a guy who’s mostly flown under the radar. After going to Milwaukee in the Corbin Burnes trade last offseason, Ortiz has played plus defense at third base and been a steady contributor at the plate: .248/.345/.401, eight homers, seven steals. There’s more power in the bat than he’s shown so far this season, but in the meantime, he’s getting on base and displaying exceptional plate discipline to help lengthen the Brewers lineup. A 3 WAR rookie season won’t win hardware, given the competition, but it’s still sneaky good. — Stephen Nesbitt
Record: 72-52Last Power Ranking: 5
Sneaky-good season: RHP Hunter Gaddis
Sorry Cade Smith, but once you get the Ken Rosenthal notebook treatment you’re not sneaking by anyone anymore. So let’s go with the Guardians’ other set-up guy. Gaddis entered this season with a 6.57 ERA in almost 50 innings in the majors. That stinks! So when he started the season with 13 consecutive scoreless relief outings, that was a surprise. Then when he served up six runs across his next three outings, that was not a surprise. And yet, entering this week, Gaddis has allowed only four earned runs since the start of May. That’s an 0.84 ERA in 42 2/3 innings, cutting his season ERA to 1.40. Good luck staying sneaky good at that rate. Just look at this stuff! — Nesbitt
Hunter Gaddis, Filth. 😷 pic.twitter.com/FAjIRzAjOw
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 25, 2024
Record: 71-55Last Power Ranking: 8
Sneaky-good season: C Kyle Higashioka
Sometimes you have the kind of season where almost nothing goes right. Like, say, most of the seasons in Padres franchise history. But sometimes you have the kind of season where even the backup catcher is contributing. Higashioka’s on-base skills still leave a lot to be desired, but he’s hit 14 home runs in just 189 plate appearances, which is more than anyone in the Yankees’ infield this season.
The Padres were just looking for a catcher who wouldn’t mess things up, but they stumbled onto an accidental dinger machine, which is just how this team is rolling right now. — Brisbee
Record: 70-55Last Power Ranking: 9
Sneaky-good season: 1B Carlos Santana
None of the other first basemen who were free agents last offseason have come close to matching the 38-year-old Santana’s value this season. Not Cody Bellinger. Not Rhys Hoskins. Not Rowdy Tellez or Joey Gallo or Matt Carpenter. The Twins signed Santana for $5 million, and he’s delivered a .241/.330/.432 slash line (112 OPS+) with 18 homers while playing outrageously good defense. He has accrued 13 outs above average, which is No. 1 among first basemen and twice as many as any first baseman not named Christian Walker (11 OAA). Pairing that defense with an excellent eye and solid switch-hitting pop, I don’t see why Santana wouldn’t keep finding one-year deals and play into his 40s. — Nesbitt
Record: 70-56Last Power Ranking: 7
Sneaky-good season: Justin Martínez
Martínez has a National League Championship ring from his time with the Diamondbacks last season, but that doesn’t mean that he actually contributed. He walked 11 batters in 10 major-league innings, which was only slightly worse than the 48 batters he walked in 49 1/3 innings in Triple A. It would have been possible to make a list of “The 50 players who are likely to contribute to the 2024 Diamondbacks” without including Martínez.
Stuff is stuff, though, and Martínez has stuff. He’s one of the only pitchers who averages 100 mph on his fastball, and his Baseball Savant page is dripping with red ink (the good kind). If the Diamondbacks are going to get back to the World Series, they’ll need relievers. Here’s a sneaky good one. — Brisbee
Record: 65-59Last Power Ranking: 14
Sneaky-good season: RF Wilyer Abreu
When former Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom dealt Christian Vázquez to the Astros at the 2022 trade deadline for prospects Enmanuel Valdez and Abreu, there was consternation from the fanbase for moving on from the fan-favorite catcher. Two years later, however, the deal looks like a win for Boston, thanks in part to the play of Abreu. (Although apologies to Bloom will have to be forwarded to St. Louis, where he is now an advisor after being fired by the Red Sox.) The right-fielder had a .836 OPS through 96 games with 14 home runs, including a pair of emotional ones earlier this month. As the Red Sox try to desperately stay in the mix for a wild-card spot this year, Abreu at least looks like he’ll be a part of the solution in Boston for years to come. — McGrath
Record: 64-62Last Power Ranking: 18
Sneaky-good season: LHP Garrett Cleavinger
This is what the Rays do. They take a relatively unknown pitcher, perhaps a guy who bounced around, and make him into one of the game’s most feared arms out of the bullpen. Enter this year’s example, Cleavinger, who previously pitched for the Phillies and Dodgers before finding a home in Tampa Bay. In 54 appearances, the left-hander has a 2.81 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 48 innings. His 29 percent strikeout rate ranks in the top 20 of qualified AL relievers and his average exit velocity of 86.5 mph ranks in the top 10 percent of the majors, making him one of the toughest relievers to square up. Thanks to advice from fellow Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen, Cleavinger has found success splitting his breaking ball into two pitches — his previous slider and a new sweeper that’s held batters to a .275 slugging percentage. Cleavinger is yet another reminder of the Tampa Bay Way. — McGrath
Record: 68-56Last Power Ranking: 11
Sneaky-good season: C Victor Caratini
Boy, did Astros fans deserve this one after suffering through three straight miserable offensive seasons from Martín Maldonado. The former Astros catcher had 1,212 plate appearances over the last three seasons, with a .183/.260/.333 slash line. He was under the Mendoza Line in all three. You might be thinking that he made up for all this with his speed, but that’s a common misconception. He actually wasn’t very fast at all.
The Astros found their primary catcher of the future last season, Yainer Diaz, and he’s having another excellent season. But when it’s time to rest him and keep him fresh, the Astros can turn to Caratini without losing too much offense. That’s the dream for every team. They all want a backup catcher who can hit a little, but that’s incredibly difficult to find. Here’s a fan base that appreciates it even more than others might. — Brisbee
Record: 70-55Last Power Ranking: 10
Sneaky-good season: The starting rotation
When The Athletic’s Jim Bowden ranked every starting rotation before the season, the Royals were 23rd. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince didn’t even give them an honorable mention in his preseason top 10, either. Both writers were dead on about the Mariners and Phillies, who rank first and second, respectively, in rotation ERA this season. But third? That’s the Royals, at 3.56.
The current rotation stacks up like this:
Seth Lugo: 3.04 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, 159 2/3 IPCole Ragans: 3.18 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 147 1/3 IPBrady Singer: 3.18 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 141 2/3 IPMichael Wacha: 3.33 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 127 IPMichael Lorenzen: 2.87 ERA, 4.76 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 15 2/3 IP
Ragans-Lugo-Singer isn’t the most intimidating starting three for a wild-card series, but, boy, they’re going to give the Royals a good chance to win. — Nesbitt
Record: 66-58Last Power Ranking: 13
Sneaky-good season: RHP Jesse Chavez
We know what you’re thinking. Is Jesse Chavez still pitching? Is he pitching well? For the Atlanta Braves? The answer to those three questions is a resounding yes! The 40-year-old continues to be a reliable arm out of the bullpen for Atlanta, where he’s cultivated a legend status and earned the nickname “coach” in the clubhouse. In his 17th (!) season pitching in the majors — a career that includes stops with nine teams — Chavez has a 2.85 ERA in 39 appearances with 47 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings. The veteran has been particularly effective with runners in scoring position, holding the opposition to a .127 batting average in those situations. — McGrath
Record: 65-59Last Power Ranking: 15
Sneaky-good season: LHP Sean Manaea
In the crowded NL wild-card race, we don’t know yet whether the Mets can make a late charge for the last spot. But what we do know is that starter Manaea has likely pitched his way into a neat multi-year deal this winter. The left-hander has a 3.46 ERA in 24 starts. According to ERA+, this has been his best season since 2018, when he had a 3.59 ERA in 27 starts for the Oakland Athletics. A free agent in the winter, Manaea has made the most of his platform year, while also helping the Mets at least remain competitive down the stretch. As one of the top left-handed starters available, Manaea’s sneaky good season could pay off big in the offseason. — McGrath
Record: 62-62Last Power Ranking: 19
Sneaky-good season: LHP Garrett Cleavinger
This is what the Rays do. They take a relatively unknown pitcher, perhaps a guy who bounced around, and make him into one of the game’s most feared arms out of the bullpen. Enter this year’s example, Cleavinger, who previously pitched for the Phillies and Dodgers before finding a home in Tampa Bay. In 54 appearances, the left-hander has a 2.81 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 48 innings. His 29 percent strikeout rate ranks in the top 20 of qualified AL relievers and his average exit velocity of 86.5 mph ranks in the top 10 percent of the majors, making him one of the toughest relievers to square up. Thanks to advice from fellow Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen, Cleavinger has found success splitting his breaking ball into two pitches — his previous slider and a new sweeper that’s held batters to a .275 slugging percentage. Cleavinger is yet another reminder of the Tampa Bay Way. — McGrath
Record: 64-63Last Power Ranking: 16
Sneaky-good season: LHP Erik Miller
Miller is a left-handed reliever who’s built like a power forward or tight end and throws 100 mph with occasionally nasty secondary pitches. The Giants got him from the Phillies for Yunior Marte, and it’s looking like a steal so far.
Don’t blame the Phillies (too much) for giving up on Miller. His stuff was obvious, but his command and control were dreadful, and he had a career 5.8 BB/9 in the minors. Something clicked for him, though, and since the beginning of May, he’s had a 2.90 ERA, with 47 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings. The walks still need to come way, way down, but he’s been a large part of a Giants bullpen that’s gotten more reliable as the season has progressed. — Brisbee
Record: 61-64Last Power Ranking: 18
Sneaky-good season: 1B Michael Busch
We’ve really rankled Cubs fans lately by not mentioning Busch among the top NL Rookie of the Year candidates. “If he were a Yankee,” one reader wrote, “the clarion call from the Bronx would be deafening.” Consider this your clarion call, Chicago! After arriving in a trade from Los Angeles, Bus
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