Rays Wrongfully Drop in MLB Power Rankings Despite Sweeping Yankees

The Tampa Bay Rays were able to have their best week of the young season, and their first winning week as well. However, despite being in first place in the American League East now, they aren’t getting the proper respect.

After a bit of a rocky start to the season, the Rays were finally able to build some momentum this week. Even though things might not have started out well against the Chicago Cubs, with the team losing the series at home, they were able to make a statement against the New York Yankees over the weekend.

With things not going great for Tampa Bay heading into the weekend series, it was easy to be pessimistic about their outlook against a team of the caliber of New York. However, the team was able to match the Yankees in terms of their pitching, which is a hard thing to do. Furthermore, with five runs scored in each of the games, the offense has been doing much better than expected.

Even though the team is over .500 and in first place, they didn’t receive the recognition recently that they should have. Will Leitch of MLB recently released his power rankings following the week, and for the Rays, they shockingly dropped despite sweeping the Yankees over the weekend from 24th to 26th.

Tampa Bay Wrongly Dropped

Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson celebrating — Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

It was very shocking to see the Rays get dropped two spots in the power rankings despite a 4-2 week and now being in first place in the AL East. Considering the Yankees are ranked second in the league.

While they might not be getting the respect they deserve, the Rays should be feeling really good about their weekend series. In the rotation, Steven Matz has proven to be an excellent addition for the team with a perfect 3-0 record so far. Furthermore, Drew Rasmussen is picking up right where he left off last year and looks like he will be heading toward another All-Star appearance.

As the rotation appears to be a strength, the lineup has exceeded expectations so far as well. Outfielder Chandler Simpson has taken a massive step forward from his rookie season and looks to be a foundational piece for the team long-term. Also, Yandy Diaz is having an excellent start to the campaign as one of the best hitters in baseball.

Overall, the sweep of the Yankees has changed the early trajectory of the Rays, and the team should have moved up significantly in the power rankings.