MLB Top 10: Dodgers cementing their place at No. 1
By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst
Every Monday of MLB season, we'll bring you an updated version of the MLB Top 10 to highlight the best teams in the sport.
We’re a couple of weeks into the season now, and the best of the best are starting to show it, the worst of the bunch are struggling, and some surprise teams are still hanging around.
Let's get to it.
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Hear where the Astros, Dodgers, Mariners, Padres, Brewers, Blue Jays, Yankees and the rest fall on Ben Verlander's list for Week 3.
Watch "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander" on YouTube, or subscribe on podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts.
10. Houston Astros
The Astros have gone from first in the power rankings just two weeks ago to hanging on by a thread. They are struggling, especially on offense, but this team is talented, and some of their best hitters are bound to break out of their slumps soon.
Thanks to rookie sensation Jeremy Peña and his walk-off home run, this team pulled off a much-needed win Sunday against the Blue Jays, and it might have been the only thing keeping them in the top 10 this week.
In more than a season's worth of my power rankings, this is the first appearance for the Mariners. This team is the complete package. They hit well — according to Fangraphs, they have the best offense in baseball in terms of WAR and wRC+ — they pitch well, and they are exciting to watch.
This Seattle team is the real deal and has a great chance of finally ending the playoff drought.
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Ben Verlander talks about the Seattle Mariners and their new and improved team, with the help of offseason additions Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez and top prospect Julio Rodriguez.
We knew the Brew Crew would pitch well, but to start the season, their offense was nowhere to be found. They appear to be swinging the bats better these days and have won seven of their past 10 games.
If the Brewers put any runs on the board, they’re typically going to win ball games.
The Padres have been holding their own without superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. in the lineup. Manny Machado has stepped up and been one of the best hitters in baseball, and the San Diego pitching staff has shown flashes of greatness.
Coming off a tough series against the Dodgers, this team is one of only nine squads that have reached the 10-win mark already this season.
The Cardinals are off to a fantastic start thanks to their All-Star third baseman, Nolan Arenado. The pitching staff, even without Jack Flaherty, is top-five in baseball in ERA.
The Brewers are the favorites in the NL Central, but currently the Cardinals sit atop the standings.
The Yankees came out over the weekend and swept the Cleveland Guardians, who had been playing good baseball. New York has won seven of its past 10, and the pitching staff has statistically been the best in the American League, despite a rough start to the season for ace Gerrit Cole.
This team appears to be getting hot, and if that's true, watch out. The Yankees are very talented.
The Giants just don’t stop winning. Led by Logan Webb and an elite pitching staff, they are one of only three teams with 11 or more wins so far.
San Francisco keeps being counted out, but the numbers speak for themselves: These Giants are the real deal.
The Blue Jays are a blast to watch and can win in so many ways. Toronto's weekend series with the Astros certainly looked as if it could be a playoff preview.
The Jays' offense ensures they are never out of a game, their rotation is competitive, and their closer, Jordan Romano, is one of the best in the business. The Blue Jays are a force to be reckoned with in the American League.
Believe it or not, this team is fantastic. Steve Cohen went out and spent the money, and it's paying off already. The pitching staff, even without Jacob DeGrom, has been awesome, and the new additions have been exactly what the Mets needed.
Starling Marte, Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar and Chris Bassitt have all had huge impacts thus far, and Francisco Lindor is back to being one of the best shortstops in baseball. The Mets are elite.
The cream of the crop in MLB is once against the L.A. Dodgers. Their roster is the best in baseball on paper, and they've been playing like it. Cody Bellinger had eight multihit games last season and already has seven in 2022. If he can find his form, that would add a whole new dynamic to this team that would almost be unfair. Also, Clayton Kershaw looks like he has set the clock back to his Cy Young days.
This team is dangerous and sporting the best winning percentage in the league just a couple of weeks in. Look for them to be No. 1 in the rankings quite a bit this season.
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Chris Myers, Dontrelle Willis and Frank Thomas break down why they’re taking the Los Angeles Dodgers over the field in the National League.
Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter at @BenVerlander.