Picking up where we left off on CBS Local last season, this is the debut of our weekly MLB Power Rankings. We wanted to wait until each team had played enough games to truly evaluate and rank them, so here we are four weeks or so into the 2019 regular season.

Note: Current records through Sunday, April 28, are included, as well as the previous ranking from last season’s final column.

  1. Houston Astros (17-11, 1): After a 1-3 start in March, the Astros are 16-8 in the month of April. What is worrisome right now for Houston is that 7-8 road record, which will have to improve if the Astros want to win the World Series again.
  2. Los Angeles Dodgers (19-11, 7): The 9-0 record against Cincinnati, Colorado, and Pittsburgh masks the 1-6 record against Chicago (NL) and St. Louis. The Dodgers are still the favorites to win the NL pennant again, however.
  3. St. Louis Cardinals (17-10, 12): The Cards have played the Brewers ten times already this season, splitting the games evenly. Meanwhile, the Cubs and the Cards have not played each other once yet. That is poor scheduling right there.
  4. Tampa Bay Rays (18-9, 9): The Rays are 9-2 on the road, and the only team Tampa Bay has a losing record against right now is Boston. Go figure. The Rays are also 0-3 in extra innings and 1-4 in one-run games. Expect those numbers to change soon.
  5. Chicago Cubs (14-12, 6): The Cubbies are just 7-8 on the road right now, and dropping three games to the Braves by a combined 23-8 score has put a dent in the Chicago team ranking, overall. That 1-6 start is in the rearview mirror now, though.
  6. New York Yankees (17-11, 3): With a 12-3 record in the last 15 games, the Yankees have learned how to overcome injuries in 2019. Imagine where this team could be with a healthy roster.
  7. Arizona Diamondbacks (16-13, 16): The team was on a 10-2 stretch until hosting the Cubs this weekend. An 11-6 road record is masking the 5-7 record at home. It’s hard to find the playoffs with that formula.
  8. Milwaukee Brewers (15-14, 8): The Brewers have cooled off after a 7-1 start to the season. Milwaukee also is 15-11 against NL teams, but that 0-3 against the Angels looks bad on the overall record right now.
  9. Minnesota Twins (16-9, 20): Why are we not giving the Twins more credit? Because they are 10-0 against the Orioles, the Royals, and the Tigers. Our choice should be self explanatory now. Wins are wins, but these are power rankings.
  10. Texas Rangers (14-13, 23): With a 10-4 record at home and a 4-9 record on the road, the Rangers are hovering just above the .500 mark. Losing five straight on the road against division foes last week did not help the situation.
  11. Atlanta Braves (13-14, 11): After a solid 7-4 start to the season, the pathway has gotten a little rougher for the Braves. Atlanta is a combined 0-6 against Arizona and Philadelphia this season.
  12. Cincinnati Reds (11-16, 24): With a 3-7 record already in one-run games, the Reds have taken it on the chin from bad luck. Overall, they have outscored their opponents 101-91 this season so far. That bodes well for future results.
  13. Seattle Mariners (18-13, 13): The 13-2 start is far behind the Mariners now. Their only five wins since April have come against the Angels and the Rangers. The next 12 games are against teams that made the postseason in 2018.
  14. Cleveland Indians (15-12, 5): How is this team 7-0 against the Blue Jays and the Mariners yet 0-3 against the Royals? It’s early, of course, and all teams have inconsistencies to straighten out right now. Right?
  15. Toronto Blue Jays (14-14, 21): Speaking of the Blue Jays, they are 6-0 against Oakland and 0-2 against San Francisco. No one cares, though, as Vlad Jr. has joined the team. Hang on for the ride, folks.
  16. Washington Nationals (12-14, 14): There is nothing interesting to say about the Nationals right now. They do have losing records in both March (1-2) and April (11-12), however.
  17. Philadelphia Phillies (16-12, 19): No, we don’t hate Bryce Harper. But five of Philly’s wins have come against the Marlins. That makes the overall record a little less impressive when it comes to power rankings.
  18. Los Angeles Angels (12-17, 15): Poor Mike Trout. The Angels are just 1-7 in one-run games this year, which is a terrible way to start off the Brad Ausmus era. Is Trout doomed to never win a single playoff game in his career? Possibly.
  19. Oakland Athletics (14-16, 4): With a combined 0-8 record against Seattle and Toronto, the A’s seem to play fine against every other team on their schedule so far. Even with a great bullpen, Oakland is 0-2 in extra innings this season right now.
  20. San Diego Padres (16-12, 25): The Padres are 9-4 away from Petco Park in 2019. They also are 7-3 in one-run ball games this year. This is a team that no one wants to see come to town currently.
  21. New York Mets (14-13, 18): The Mets are the lowest-ranked team with a winning record, but three of those wins came against Miami. See a pattern here? The Marlins are the only team the Mets have a winning record against this season.
  22. Pittsburgh Pirates (12-14, 17): Perfect symmetry for the Pirates right now with identical 6-7 records both at home and on the road. Pittsburgh is 4-2 in extra innings but just 3-6 in one-run games. Go figure.
  23. Colorado Rockies (13-15, 10): If the Rox want to make the postseason for the third year in a row, they will have to figure out how to beat NL West foes. Colorado is just 1-6 against the Dodgers and the Giants, combined.
  24. Boston Red Sox (11-17, 2): The defending champs are giving up a lot of runs, especially on the road, where Boston has a 6-10 mark while allowing 97 runs. Imagine where the Red Sox would be without that road sweep in Tampa Bay.
  25. San Francisco Giants (11-17, 22): This team has played just .420 ball since blowing Game 4 at home to the Cubs in the 2016 NL Division Series. The bright spot is a 5-2 record in one-run games, thanks to that bullpen.
  26. Kansas City Royals (9-19, 29): Losing one-run games kills your season—and your spirit. The Royals are just 2-7 already in close contests this year, and when you are trying to rebuild, that’s the worst possible scenario.
  27. Chicago White Sox (11-14, 27): There is nothing interesting about the White Sox, again. This team has made the postseason just six times since the 1919 Black Sox threw the World Series. That’s 100 years ago now. Think about it.
  28. Detroit Tigers (12-14, 26): Since the 8-4 start, it’s gotten a bit bumpier for the Tigers. Losers of four straight now, Detroit is also 0-3 in games decided by five-plus runs this season.
  29. Baltimore Orioles (10-19, 30): Three times already this year, the Orioles have lost four straight games. It’s not even May yet. However, Baltimore does have a 4-2 record in one-run contests. That is optimistically impressive.
  30. Miami Marlins (8-20, 28): CEO Derek Jeter managed just one World Series title in his 14 years of “captaining” the New York Yankees and their high-payroll roster. His gig as CEO of the Marlins is going much worse, of course.

Come back every Monday to check out our MLB power rankings!