clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

This week in power rankings: Where do the Orioles rate?

The national writers (and the computers) seem split on O’s this week. A mediocre week has some lifting the O’s slightly, and some dinging them slightly, and others leaving them right where they were. In the immortal words of Mitch Hedberg discussing his death metal band, “People loved us or they hated us -- or they thought we were OK."

By Bad Pseudonym

If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

No amount of explanation can make sense of this week's polls.
No amount of explanation can make sense of this week's polls.
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

MLB.com Power Rankings (N/A)
MLB has revamped their presentation of the Power Rankings, and now only go to 20 places. The O's were 20th in the Experts poll (75% weight) but didn't appear in the top 20 of the Fans' Poll, so there were nowhere to be found in the final Top 20. Ouch.

ESPN.com Power Poll (20th)
A bad week means the O's plummet in most power rankings, and sure enough, the team drops four places. "Bud Norris (bronchitis) and Chris Tillman (back spasms) recently had their starts pushed back. So rookie Mike Wright stepped up and threw 7 1/3 shutout innings in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Angels in his major league debut. -- Matt Kremnitzer (@mattkremnitzer), Camden Depot"

SI.com: Power Rankings (17th)
The Orioles rose one spot in the SI.com poll. Yes, you read that correctly. The Orioles went up one spot. No, I have no idea how, either.

FoxSports.com Power Rankings (19th)
FoxSports does their rankings solely on Baseball Prospectus' playoff odds, yet they are right in line with the human-written opinions. No change from last week. "The Orioles are transitioning Kevin Gausman to starter as he makes his way back from the DL, which indicates they too have seen Bud Norris' starts this season."

CBS Sports Power Rankings (20th)
Up one from last week, and the writer makes a great point - the AL East is up for grabs, because none of the teams are really that good. Also, this: "Buck Showalter works his magic on someone every season (such as Steve Pearce last year). It would appear this time around it's Jimmy Paredes. Entering the season, Paredes had five homers and 39 RBI in 461 plate appearances. So far in 2015: 6 HR, 22 RBI, 109 PA."

USA Today Power Rankings (19th)
The Orioles rose one spot here, too. To quote the great Will Ferrell, "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!" And they do like Mike Wright: "Wright stuff: Mike Wright earns first MLB strikeout by firing a 98-mph fastball past Mike Trout."

Grantland.com The 30 (17th)
Jonah Keri remains the voice of reason, moving the Orioles down, but just two spots.

Bleacher Report Power Rankings (18th)
I want to make fun of Bleacher Report and their ridiculous slideshows (which I have deslide-ified for you, and yes, that's a word I just made), but they leave the O's at 18, right where they were last week. Darn you, BR, and your new-found reasonable analysis!

More From Camden Chat