They Love the Phillies, with One Small Caveat (a Power Rankings Roundup)

1. Philadelphia Phillies (34-14)

In a lineup loaded with high-profile veterans and a rotation stacked with high-priced arms, it’s Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Ranger Suárez who have been arguably the three best players on the Phillies roster this year. The emergence of that trio alongside all the team’s established star power is a big reason why they sport the best record in baseball more than a quarter of the way into the season.

The Phils get the #1 spot on most of these lists, but they’re also as low as three on some of them. Why? Because the national media likes the Dodgers and Yankees and they are seemingly going for the “weak schedule” narrative. Maybe it’s fair, maybe not. The Phillies do have the defending champs coming into Citizens Bank Park this week, and then a stretch about a month from now against the Brewers, Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles, four straight series, in that order.

Here’s a sampling that I think summarizes how some of the national folks feel, from an ESPN story asking who the team to beat in the NL is:

Jeff Passan: The last time Philadelphia played a team that is currently over .500 was March 31. So as fantastic as its MLB-best record is, the nod here goes to the Dodgers, who have scored more runs and allowed fewer than the Phillies. Los Angeles’ offense is wondrous, leading MLB in most categories of consequence, and its pitching is pretty fantastic too, with Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto playing co-aces nicely. And L.A.’s relief pitching as a potential weakness? The Dodgers’ 2.99 bullpen ERA is the best in the NL. 

Buster Olney: The Phillies have played a relatively easy schedule, but they have dominated — with their starting rotation, bullpen and deep lineup. The Braves’ offense has obviously been a problem, and the Dodgers will need more from the bottom half of their batting order. But Philadelphia is the best all-around team so far. It will be interesting to see how the Phillies fare as their schedule toughens and they begin playing postseason contenders with star-studded rotations. As one of the Braves said to me Saturday: “It feels like we are seeing a lot of aces so far.”

No matter. You play the teams in front of you. They’ll be tested eventually, and it it’s not in that mid-June stretch, there’s a Braves/Dodgers run in early July and a Twins/Guardians/Yanks run later in the month.

For now, we enjoy.