Consider this Easter edition of Heavy's MLB power rankings part of your Easter basket, and it's only full of the good kind of candy. The first two weeks of the baseball season have proven results can vary greatly from one week to the next. Teams like the Twins and Diamondbacks have cooled off a bit since their red-hot starts. Meanwhile, a pair of New York teams are moving up the standings after slow starts for both clubs. The Yankees enter this week as the hottest team in the MLB with a six-game win streak. Other teams have not been as fortunate and continue to stay at the bottom of the standings. The Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants are all last in their divisions despite high preseason expectations. The Baltimore Orioles continue to stay steady as they sit in front in the AL East. No team has emerged as far and away the best team in baseball over the first two weeks of the season. Most divisions feature a number of teams bunched together at the six to eight win mark as the third week of the season begins.
What players are off to hot starts? The A's Kris Davis, Astros' George Springer and the Mets' Yoenis Cespedes are in a three-way tie with a league-leading six home runs. The Marlins' Marcell Ozuna leads the league in RBI with 16. Twins pitcher Ervin Santana has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season as he is tied with the Giants' Johnny Cueto with three wins. Sanatana pitched a one-hit complete game in his last game proving his first two outings were no fluke. The Red Sox's Chris Sale has a league best 29 strikeouts in his first three starts. Madison Bumgarner and Carlos Martinez are next in line with 24 K's. A couple notes about the power rankings. All statistics listed are based on the first two weeks of the season. The standings are as of Saturday, April 15. Click the arrow on the right side of the middle of the page to see Heavy's MLB power rankings for Week 2. (Getty)
No. 10 New York Mets
Standings: 7-5 (1st in NL East)
Last Week's Ranking: Not Ranked
Outlook: After losing three of their first five games, the Mets rattled off a five-game winning streak. They avoided a sweep from the Marlins then traveled to Philadelphia where they swept the Phillies in a three-game series. The Mets' hot streak has been fueled by some powerful bats. Yoenis Cespedes has hit six home runs while Lucas Duda and Jay Bruce both chipped in four homers. The trio have combined for 25 RBI. Noah Syndergaard has been lights out with 20 strikeouts and a 0.95 ERA. Mets fans received a scare from Matt Harvey, but it appears to be a minor injury that will not force him to miss time. The Mets will try to keep their hot streak going this week with a week-long homestand against the Phillies and Nationals. (Getty)
No. 9 Minnesota Twins
Standings: 7-4 (T-1st in AL Central)
Last Week's Ranking: 3rd
Outlook: Minnesota has cooled off since winning their first four games. The Twins went 3-3 last week losing two of three games at Detroit. Minnesota recovered by splitting their first two games against the White Sox. One of the stories of the beginning of the MLB season has been Ervin Santana. Santana has won his first three starts and has only allowed one Earned Run while pitching 15 strikeouts. He threw a one-hit complete game in his last outing against the White Sox. While pitching is keeping the Twins in games, their hitting has not been as fortunate. Minnesota has just one player on their roster hitting over .300. The Twins stay at home this week hosting a four-game series against the Indians then battle the Tigers in a three-game series. (Getty)
No. 8 Colorado Rockies
Standings: 8-5 (2nd in NL West)
Last Week's Ranking: 5th
Outlook: It was the best of times then the worst of times. Now, it appears the Rockies may be back to smooth sailing again. Colorado won five of their first six games then lost three of four games. After losing a series to the Padres, the Rockies recovered by taking two out of the three games in San Francisco. Greg Holland continues to be a stellar closer with six saves over the first two weeks. The real strength of the Rockies has been their hitting. Colorado has three full-time players hitting over .300. Mark Reynolds is hitting .311 with 14 hits, 11 RBI and four homers. This week, they continue to battle the state of California with a two-game series at the Dodgers then are back home to host the Giants. (Getty)
No. 7 Arizona Diamondbacks
Standings: 7-4 (1st in NL West)
Last Week's Ranking: 1st
Outlook: After getting the top spot in last week's power rankings, the Diamondbacks only managed to win one game last week. It was a bad week of hitting for Arizona with three games resulting in two runs or less. Arizona lost two of three against San Francisco and got rocked 7-1 in the opening game of their series against the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks will have to find their footing on the road as they finish up in Los Angeles then head down to San Diego to take on the Padres. Arizona finishes up the week by hosting a three-game series against the Dodgers. Third baseman Jake Lamb has had a strong start to the season hitting .342 with two homers and 10 RBI through two weeks. (Getty)
No. 6 Chicago Cubs
Standings: 6-5 (2nd in NL Central)
Last Week's Ranking: 4th
Outlook: The Cubs' record may not look as impressive as some other teams in the league but Chicago won their first three series. Last week, the Cubs were able to take two of three games against the Dodgers. Jake Arrieta won his first two starts with a 2.08 ERA and 16 strikeouts. John Lackey and Jon Lester have also started well with a combined 31 strikeouts over the first two weeks of the season. This week, the Cubs host the Brewers then travel to Cincinnati to take on the Reds. While the Cubs hitting continues to come along, Jason Heyward has had a strong start hitting .294 with 10 hits. (Getty)
No. 5 Houston Astros
Standings: 8-4 (1st in AL West)
Last Week's Ranking: 10th
Outlook: Seattle fans are tired of seeing the Astros. Houston won five of their first seven games against the Mariners. They took two of three games in their latest series against the Mariners. As expected, the Astros have been led by Jose Altuve who is hitting .326 with 14 hits. Houston also has strong pitching with three pitchers with 15 or more strikeouts over the first two weeks of the season. Dallas Keuchel has two wins in his first three starts and has a 0.86 ERA. This week, the Astros host the Angels for a four-game series then travel to Tampa to take on the Rays. (Getty)
No. 4 Detroit Tigers
Standings: 7-4 (T-1st in AL Central)
Last Week's Ranking: 7th
Outlook: Detroit went 7-3 in their first ten games which has pushed them up to a first place tie with the Twins in the AL Central. The Tigers started the week by finishing up a series against Boston where they took three of four games. They finished out the week by taking two of three games against a red-hot Twins team. They will spend next week on the road with trips to Tampa Bay and Minnesota. How they play the Twins for the second time in a week will be the matchup to watch. Overall, Detroit's bats have been slow coming out of the gate, but the team has been carried by strong pitching. Not only has Justin Verlander been his usual self, but Detroit has also received strong outings from their other starters. Francisco Rodriquez has been a consistent closer with four saves over the first two weeks. (Getty)
No. 3 Cincinnati Reds
Standings: 8-4 (1st in NL Central)
Last Week's Ranking: 9th
Outlook: Cincinnati was able to go on the road and sweep the Pirates. The Reds struggled against the Brewers at the start of the four-game series. They will look to rebound this week with two difficult series at home against the Orioles and Cubs. Zack Cozart is hitting an incredible .467 with 14 hits. Cincinnati has received strong outings from their pitchers including Amir Garrett who won his first two starts and had a 1.42 ERA. Brandon Finnegan is also off to a good start with 13 strikeouts. (Getty)
No. 2 New York Yankees
Standings: 7-4 (2nd in AL East)
Last Week's Ranking: Not Ranked
Outlook: After losing four of their first five games, the Yankees bounced back with five straight wins. They avoided getting swept by Baltimore then swept the Rays. New York has received strong pitching from Michael Pineda and Luis Severino. Both pitchers have 17 strikeouts in their first two starts. Chase Headley and Starlin Castro lead the way in hitting. Headley is hitting .400 while Castro sits at .350. They have combined for 28 hits through two weeks. After finishing up a series with the Cardinals, the Yankees host the White Sox then head to Pittsburgh to square off with the Pirates. (Getty)
No. 1 Baltimore Orioles
Standings: 7-3 (1st in AL East)
Last Week's Ranking: 2nd
Outlook: Aside from back-to-back losses to the Yankees and Red Sox, the Orioles have been flawless. Baltimore won the first two games of a four-game series against Toronto. It has been a balanced effort for the Orioles. First baseman Chris Davis leads the way with a .364 batting average along with 12 hits and three home runs. Baltimore has had strong pitching with four pitchers with double-digits strikeouts. Next week, the Orioles travel to face the Reds then host the Red Sox at home as they look to stay atop the AL East. (Getty)
MLB Power Rankings: Week 2