MLB Power Rankings 2017: Week 4 Movers And Shakers Include Yankees, Nationals; White Sox, Rockies Surprise

The first month of the MLB baseball season is in the books, yet heading into Week 5, the MLB power rankings are not looking the way many experts predicted they would after the first month of play.

Sure, some of the early MLB World Series favorites look strong, especially the Washington Nationals and the, well, that’s it. So far, the month of April has seen slow starts by the defending champion Chicago Cubs, AL champion Cleveland Indians, and several other teams that were predicted to make a run at the fall classic, including the L.A. Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and New York Mets.

The Chicago Cubs look like they have a bit of a World Series hangover, while the high payroll Boston Red Sox and New York Mets have been lucky to tread water through the first three weeks of the season. Don’t be fooled though; you can bet that once the weather begins to heat up, so will these powerful lineups as well.

On the other hand, there have been many surprising MLB teams in April, with the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox leading the way. While one month doesn’t make a season, fans for these two teams have plenty to be optimistic about as we start the May MLB schedule.

According to the Denver Post, a big reason the Colorado Rockies have gotten off to such a great start is their stellar defensive play.

Defense was far from the Rockies’ forte last season as their.982 fielding percentage ranked 28th in the majors, and their 110 errors tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for third most bobbles in the entire league. So far in 2017, they have seemed to shake that problem, as they are among the best field teams in MLB as of today. The Rockies currently rank 11th in baseball with a.987 fielding percentage and are quietly one of the best road teams in the MLB heading into May.

“We feel like we want to make every single play,” said shortstop Trevor Story. “We work hard at that in pregame. We practice it. We practice hard, even now, during the season, and I think it’s paying off. “We want our pitchers to know we will make plays. We want them to have confidence so they don’t try to pitch too fine.”

With a 9-4 record on the road, and always being known as a team that strikes fear in opponents at home, the Rockies may be hanging around first or second place for a while longer in the National League West.

Now, how about those Chicago White Sox?

For a team that was left for dead before spring training even began, they have shown that they are more than capable of competing in the American League Central division through the first month of play. The White Sox are currently in second place in the AL Central, just percentage points behind the first place Cleveland Indians. Yes, it may only be May 2, but when the whole world believes that you are one of the worst teams in MLB baseball, and you begin the season strong, it can have a lasting positive effect that could very well carry out through the season.

Losing Chris Sale and Adam Eaton were huge blows for the White Sox, but things haven’t been that bad so far on the south side.

Here is a look at my current MLB Power Rankings heading into the fifth week of play.

MLB Power Rankings Week 5

1. Washington Nationals
2. New York Yankees
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Houston Astros
5. Baltimore Orioles
6. Chicago Cubs
7. Boston Red Sox
8. Cleveland Indians
9. New York Mets
10. Arizona Diamondbacks
11. Cincinnati Reds
12. Detroit Tigers
13. Los Angeles Dodgers
14. Chicago White Sox
15. Texas Rangers
16. Miami Marlins
17. Minnesota Twins
18. Oakland Athletics
19. Philadelphia Phillies
20. Los Angeles Angels
21. Milwaukee Brewers
22. St. Louis Cardinals
23. Tampa Bay Rays
24. Atlanta Braves
25. Seattle Mariners
26. San Francisco Giants
27. Toronto Blue Jays
28. Pittsburgh Pirates
29. San Diego Padres
30. Kansas City Royals

[Featured Image by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]