Cubs See Big Jump in Latest MLB Power Rankings Amid Winning Streak

The Chicago Cubs have been red hot.

Craig Counsell | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, winning eight in a row headed into Thursday afternoon, and folks around the league are starting to take notice.

A fresh batch of power rankings has now dropped nearly a month into the season, and after previously sitting at No. 10, they have already climbed their way up to the top five and sit now behind just four teams.

To the shock of no one, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who Chicago faces in its next series, sit in the top spot with a surprise Atlanta Braves team at No. 2, the New York Yankees at No. 3, and the San Diego Padres at No. 4, who are also looming on the schedule right after the Dodgers.

Cubs Now Top-Five in Power Rankings

Chicago Cubs celebrate victory over Philadelphia Phillies | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Interestingly, Jesse Rogers pointed out how much success Craig Counsell has had with pinch hitters and called it a huge reason for the jump Chicago has made as related to what they were thought of at the start of the year.

"Manager Craig Counsell has so much faith in his bench that he can find favorable platoon matchups whenever he desires," Rogers wrote, pointing to Carson Kelly's home run this weekend and Michael Conforto's RBI double to beat the Mets as evidence of a very deep lineup.

Perhaps more impressive than the lineup -- which was always expected to be deep and strong this year -- has been the way starting pitchers have performed, especially following several injuries that threatened to derail the season early.

Cubs Pitching Has Kept Things Afloat During Winning Streak

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

After losing Cade Horton for the season, fans across Chicago were ready to press the panic button and mail in the year, but this staff has done an incredible job without the ace of the staff and offered a ton of hope.

Shota Imanaga has been the best example, pitching to a 0.95 ERA and 0.47 WHIP over his last three starts to allow an opposing batting average of .094, absolutely carving up the competition right now.

Beyond Imanaga, Colin Rea has been an unsung hero as well and has proven himself to be steady and solid. It's performances like this that have brought the Cubs their recent fortune as well as driving them up the power rankings, and if they can keep it up, the next batch may see them even higher.