MLB Top 10: Yankees, Dodgers, Mets looking like baseball's best
By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst
We’re about a month into the MLB regular season, and the best of the best are starting to separate themselves from the rest.
Let's dive into my latest MLB Top 10 after an exciting week of baseball.
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Ben Verlander gives us his latest MLB Power Rankings, beginning with some big names in the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels.
Watch "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander" on YouTube, or subscribe on podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts.
10. San Diego Padres
The Padres have won seven of their past 10 games and are riding high right now. Even without superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., this team is incredibly talented and has the right guy leading the charge. New manager Bob Melvin has been huge for this squad.
The Twins got a scare this week when Carlos Correa, who was just starting to heat up, got hit on the finger. But fortunately, it's not broken, and he should be back sooner than later. Minnesota's pitching staff has the fourth-best team ERA in baseball. This team is for real.
The Rays have gotten hot. Their timely hitting has allowed them to rattle off seven wins in their past 10 games. They currently sit in second in the top-heavy AL East.
The Brewers are clicking at the plate, and when that happens, they can be virtually unbeatable. Their entire pitching staff is lights-out, from the big three in the rotation to the eighth and ninth inning guys in the bullpen. If the Brewers can put up numbers on the offensive side, they are extremely dangerous.
After a slow start, the Astros are back. They won every game they played last week in what turned out to be their best home stand since 2003. Their pitching and hitting both looked elite, and the Astros appear to be back to being one of the best teams in baseball.
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Ben Verlander reveals why he believes the Houston Astros are still the titans of the American League West, with Jeremy Peña playing a big role.
This week showed that this Angels team is different than in years past. They went into Fenway Park and won some games, then hosted the Nationals and won Sunday courtesy of a two-out, two-RBI double from Shohei Ohtani to tie it in the ninth before he scored off the bat of Anthony Rendon. This team is fun.
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Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels walked it off Sunday night against the Nationals, and Ben Verlander reacted live.
The Blue Jays haven’t exactly been firing on all cylinders of late and have fallen behind the surging Yankees in the AL East. Don’t get it twisted, though: This team is one of the best in baseball. I still see the Blue Jays as a top-five team.
The Mets were the first team in baseball to 20 wins this season. I have been amazed so far this season by how good the Mets look in every facet of the game. Their pitching staff, even without Jacob DeGrom, has been lights-out, and the energy in Queens is different that it has been in a long time.
The Dodgers are dominant, and that's due in large part to just how deep their roster is. This team isn’t even clicking on all cylinders yet, with Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy and Justin Turner all struggling at the plate. But the beauty of this team's roster is that it doesn’t really matter if a few guys are struggling because there are other All-Stars and MVPs ready to pick them up.
The Yankees rattled off an 11-game win streak with their stars playing like stars. After slower starts from Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole, both have turned it around and been absolutely incredible lately. The Yankees are at the top of the talented AL East and are the cream of the crop in MLB right now.
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Ben Verlander talks about whether the Yankees can keep up their dominant play so far this season and wonders if the Yankees made a mistake by not extending Aaron Judge.
Here's to another exciting week of baseball!
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.