Royals take No. 1 in MLB Power Rankings

After a suprising power drain in 2014, 1B Eric Hosmer is slugging .540, with a .940 OPS, to lead the Royals offence and the bullpen remains ridiculous, posting a collective 1.08 ERA in 83 2/3 innings.

Key Injuries: RF Alex Rios (hand).

RHP Shane Greene allowed one earned run in 23 innings (0.39 ERA) over his first three starts of the season. In the next three? 20 earned runs in 11 innings (16.36 ERA).

Key Injuries: RHP Justin Verlander (triceps), RHP Joe Nathan (elbow).

No Adam Wainwright, no problem, apparently. The rest of the Cardinals starting pitchers this season have combined for a 3.35 ERA in 22 non-Wainwright starts.

Key Injuries: LHP Jaime Garcia (shoulder), RHP Adam Wainwright (Achilles).

Won 10 straight prior to back-to-back losses against Texas, and 24-year-old CF Jake Marisnick has made a quantum leap offensively.
Key Injuries: SS Jed Lowrie (thumb).

Lots of injuries for the Dodgers, but it's nice to be able to get regular playing time for Alex Guerrero, who has a 1.165 OPS in 36 at-bats.
Key Injuries: RHP Kenley Jansen (foot), LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder), RF Yasiel Puig (hamstring), LF Carl Crawford (oblique), RHP Brandon McCarthy (elbow).

The Mets are leaning a lot on their pitching. With David Wright and Travis d'Arnaud hurt, 1B Lucas Duda is the only active Met with an OPS over .700 this season.
Key Injuries: RHP Zack Wheeler (elbow), RHP Jenrry Mejia (suspension), 3B David Wright (hamstring), C Travis d'Arnaud (hand).

1B Joey Votto has been great, but that's to be expected. What's more compelling about the Reds is that SS Zack Cozart has gone from being an easy out to making more solid contact. Mets 2B Daniel Murphy is the only hitter to swing at a higher rate of strikes, while making more frequent contact than Cozart.
Key Injuries: RHP Homer Bailey (elbow), .

Just when critics are ready to feast on LF Bryce Harper during a five-game slump in which he goes 1-for-17 (.059), he goes out and blasts three home runs against the Phillies Wednesday to lift his season OPS to .922, which is not bad at all for a 22-year-old.
Key Injuries: 3B Anthony Rendon (knee).

The Marlins rotation has been helped by the addition of David Phelps, who has a 1.88 ERA in four starts, which is nice while the Marlins are gradually getting better starts from expected staff ace Mat Latos.
Key Injuries: RHP Jose Fernandez (elbow), RHP Henderson Alvarez (shoulder).

The Orioles are slugging their way to respectability because too many Orioles pitchers are getting rocked, with Bud Norris (9.75 ERA) and Chris Tillman (6.23 ERA) both notable concerns in the rotation.
Key Injuries: C Matt Wieters (elbow), SS J.J. Hardy (shoulder), 2B Jonathan Schoop (knee), 2B Ryan Flaherty (groin).

In a shocking development, RHP Brandon Morrow had five good starts (2.73 ERA, 1.09 WHIP) before hitting the DL. 
Key Injuries: LHP Cory Luebke (elbow), RHP Ian Kennedy (hamstring).

The A's have a potent offence, which is a little bit surprising , and it's been led by C Stephen Vogt (1.145 OPS) and RF Josh Reddick (1.047 OPS), which counts as a little more surprising.

Key Injuries: RHP A.J. Griffin (elbow), RHP Jarrod Parker (elbow), LF Ben Zobrist (knee), RHP Sean Doolittle (shoulder).
 

Afforded a real opportunity for regular playing time, considering how the Josh Hamilton situation played out, LF Matt Joyce has not taken advantage, hitting .148 with a .418 OPS in 81 at-bats.
Key Injuries: RHP Tyler Skaggs (elbow).

When I had the Pirates at No. 1 in the preseason, rest assured that I was not expecting CF Andrew McCutchen to be sporting a .574 OPS through the first month of the season.

Key Injuries: RHP Charlie Morton (hip).

The Blue Jays have scored more runs than any other team, even more than their shaky pitching staff has allowed, but are on the wrong side of break-even. It's one thing to see LHP Daniel Norris sent to the minors after a 3.86 ERA in five starts, but what do the Jays do with LHP Mark Buehrle and RHP Drew Hutchinson, who have combined for a 7.13 ERA in 11 starts?
Key Injuries: RHP Marcus Stroman (knee), 2B Maicer Izturis (groin), SS Jose Reyes (rib), DH Dioner Navarro (hamstring).

The Red Sox pitching is nealry as bad as Toronto's, with the starters posting a 5.46 ERA (just ahead of the Jays' 5.52 ERA) and Rick Porcello is effectively the ace with a 4.38 ERA.

Key Injuries: C Christian Vazquez (elbow), RF Shane Victorino (hamstring), C Ryan Hanigan (hand), LF Hanley Ramirez (shoulder).

Diamondbacks "closer" Addison Reed recorded a save in the second game of the season, and no Arizona pitcher has recorded one since, a span of 22 games!
Key Injuries: LHP Patrick Corbin (elbow), RHP Bronson Arroyo (elbow), 3B Jake Lamb (foot), RHP Archie Bradley (face).

What's happened to Corey Kluber? A year after a Cy Young, he has a 4.62 ERA and is winless through his first six starts.
Key Injuries: 1B Nick Swisher (knee), RHP Gavin Floyd (elbow), C Yan Gomes (knee).

As White Sox starters have struggled their way to a 5.36 ERA, none better than Jeff Samardzija's 4.38, it seems be only a matter of time before top prospect LHP Carlos Rodon gets moved from the bullpen into the rotation.
Key Injuries: None.

New manager Craig Counsell seems poised to benefit from inevitable improvement -- the Brewers's results were so bad under Ron Roenicke that they were due to get better no matter who took the reigns.
Key Injuries: C Jonathan Lucroy (toe).