MLB Power Rankings: Diamondbacks Move Up to 16

Aug 17, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (44) fields a ground ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Arizona won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

MLB.com’s weekly Power Rankings came out yesterday and the Arizona Diamondbacks are moving ever so closely to the upper tier of Major League Baseball.  They have landed in the 16th spot, one notch above last week’s showing. The bump up is nice and it comes on the heels of the team having a .500 week at 3-3. With a record of 58-59 after last night’s victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, it seems the D’backs will remain connected on either side of the .500 number for the rest of this season.

More from Venom Strikes

The teams the Snakes faced last week, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves did not make the cut. MLB only ranks the top 20 teams using a formula of experts (75%) and fans (25%). The National League East, based on these metrics would have to be considered the worst division as a third team, the Miami Marlins, also falls outside of being on the list. The NL East is the lone division with only two teams represented, the New York Mets at ten and the Washington Nationals at 13. Conversely, the NL West is the strongest division (along with the AL East) with four teams ranked. In addition to Arizona, the Los Angeles Dodgers check in at four, the San Francisco Giants land at nine and the San Diego Padres appear at 19.

This week, the D-backs face the opposite ends of the spectrum. They are in the midst of a series with the third-ranked Pirates. Beginning Thursday, they spend four games in Cincinnati vs. the unranked Reds. Next week is a mirror image of the current one with games against the #1 St. Louis Cardinals and the outside-looking-in Oakland A’s.

Schedule