The 2020 Major League Baseball (MLB) season was a turbulent one that was cut short due to COVID-19. However, the good news is that we’re finally back to a full 162-game campaign in 2021. Fans had been eagerly awaiting the new MLB season to start at the beginning of April, and now, we’re a fair way in having made it 3 months down the line without COVID-19 having another negative impact on the sport like it did last year.
This means that things are finally starting to take shape. We’ve got players and teams on fire, and then there are others who would probably like to set fire to their current form. But how is it all looking this week after another exciting round of fixtures? Well, let’s take a look.
Social Media Trends
You can guarantee that if you want to catch up on the best or worst plays of the week, you’ll find them shared by someone on social media. Whether it be by the official MLB channel, official team and player channels, or even independent bloggers who like to talk stats; you’ll find everything you could want to see or know and more on the likes of Twitter nowadays. And here are some of the hottest trending posts right now:
One of our personal favorites that we’ve seen this week took place not that long ago, and it has a nice family vibe to it. That’s because the Detroit Tigers outfielder, Daz Cameron, stole a base off the St. Louis Cardinals catcher, Yadier Molina. But that wasn’t the special part, it was the fact that Daz’s father also managed this feat some time ago, making them the first-ever father-son duo to steal bases off Molina.
Earlier today, Daz Cameron stole a base off Yadier Molina, making him and his father, Mike Cameron, the first father-son duo to steal bases off Molina (via @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/vDnXA2SBaM
— MLB (@MLB) June 23, 2021
Whilst that last tweet may have been bittersweet, or at least bitter for Molina and sweet for the Camerons, this mention on the MLB official channel is as sweet as they come. That’s because Trevor Story, the Colorado Rockies shortstop, was hitting every ball sweetly and racking up the home runs as he smashed the ball multiple times into the crowd in the stands.
.@Tstory2 is hitting homers all over the park today. pic.twitter.com/rbLX3bxkyT
— MLB (@MLB) June 23, 2021
Power Rankings
Going into the current season, top online Michigan sportsbooks as well as many others, all had the LA Dodgers as favorites to win the season, and be the first team in 20 years to win back-to-back titles. And whilst their form did start well, they hit a rough patch which they’re recovering from now, but it does mean that the San Francisco Giants sit nicely above them in the National League West. But where do they sit in the Power Rankings?
- Houston Astros
Record: 44-28
Previous Ranking: 8
Movement: Up 7 places - San Francisco Giants
Record: 46-26
Previous Ranking: 2
Movement: No movement - Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 44-28
Previous Ranking: 6
Movement: Up 3 places - Oakland Athletics
Record: 44-30
Previous Ranking: 7
Movement: Up 3 places - Boston Red Sox
Record: 43-29
Previous Ranking: 4
Movement: Down 1 place - Chicago White Sox
Record: 43-29
Previous Ranking: 3
Movement: Down 3 places - San Diego Padres
Record: 43-32
Previous Ranking: 5
Movement: Down 2 places - Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 43-30
Previous Ranking: 1
Movement: Down 7 places - Chicago Cubs
Record: 40-33
Previous Ranking: 10
Movement: Up 1 place - Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 40-33
Previous Ranking: 9
Movement: Down 1 place - Cleveland Indians
Record: 40-30
Previous Ranking: 13
Movement: Up 2 places - New York Mets
Record: 37-30
Previous Ranking: 11
Movement: Down 1 place - New York Yankees
Record: 38-33
Previous Ranking: 14
Movement: Up 1 place - Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 35-35
Previous Ranking: 12
Movement: Down 2 places - Atlanta Braves
Record: 34-37
Previous Ranking: 16
Movement: Up 1 place - Seattle Mariners
Record: 38-36
Previous Ranking: 20
Movement: Up 4 places - St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 36-36
Previous Ranking: 15
Movement: Down 2 places - Los Angeles Angels
Record: 36-36
Previous Ranking: 21
Movement: Up 3 places - Cincinnati Reds
Record: 35-36
Previous Ranking: 16
Movement: Down 2 places - Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 34-35
Previous Ranking: 18
Movement: Down 2 places - Washington Nationals
Record: 33-36
Previous Ranking: 24
Movement: Up 3 places - Kansas City Royals
Record: 32-38
Previous Ranking: 19
Movement: Down 3 places - Miami Marlins
Record: 31-40
Previous Ranking: 22
Movement: Down 1 place - Minnesota Twins
Record: 31-41
Previous Ranking: 25
Movement: Up 1 place - Colorado Rockies
Record: 30-43
Previous Ranking: 28
Movement: Up 3 places - Detroit Tigers
Record: 30-42
Previous Ranking: 23
Movement: Down 3 places - Texas Rangers
Record: 26-46
Previous Ranking: 29
Movement: Up 2 places - Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 25-45
Previous Ranking: 27
Movement: Down 1 place - Baltimore Orioles
Record: 23-49
Previous Ranking: 26
Movement: Down 3 places - Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 21-53
Previous Ranking: 30
Movement: No movement
It makes no surprise then that the two teams we mentioned are sitting nicely near the top of the Power Rankings for most people this week. However, there is one team that people have placed above them. The Houston Astros, who for many were sitting mid-table of the Power Rankings for much of the season so far, however, they surge to the top for some this week after winning 9 of their last 10 games, including an impressive victory over the Chicago White Sox in a four-game sweep.
Whilst they leapfrogged their way to the top though, it was the Tampa Bay Rays, last week’s top team in the Power Rankings who slid down the pecking order the most. In fact, they did an exact swap with the Astros as they now sit in 8th place, following a week they would like to forget losing Tyler Glasnow to an elbow injury, which led them to drop six games in a row.
It’ll definitely be interesting to see how things continue through the rest of the regular season, with teams everywhere picking up and dropping from all over the place. One thing is for certain though, it’s great to have a full season of Baseball back and it’s planning out to be one of the closest competitions we’ve had in years.
