The adjacent world of sports talk also has fatigue, but it is mental. We are tired of talking about the same thing. That’s why it’s traditionally harder to win the second MVP in a row than the first, and even harder to win a three-peat. We have human voters, after all, and sometimes our minds will lead us either way but back to the same player. The same can be true of teams, especially in subjective polls like these power rankings. It’s easy to let the Yankees sit there on top without much thought. It’s also incredibly boring. Yes, I totally agree that it’s boring, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. However, in recent weeks, I’ve noticed a rise in fans pushing the Yankees back to the top. Someone even tried to explain to me what “power ratings are supposed to be” which was hilarious. I was going to ask a hypothetical of the type “you would walk into someone else’s house and tell them where everything is supposed to be”, but I know very well that a good number of people would definitely have the nerve to do that. Keeping in mind that these are subjective power rankings, that they are mine, and that they are the only Official Power Rankings on the internet, I will humor the thought that the Yankees should no longer be number one. I’ll go in with an open mind. Let’s take a quick look at the three elite teams. (Sorry, Mets.) They are 56-29 and the last team in the NL with fewer than 30 losses. They are on pace to win 107 games, which looks like it should be the best record in baseball. Their +151 differential is more than double that of anyone else in the NL. In terms of the ‘hot’ factor, they have now won 11 of their last 12 games. They are also 18-13 against teams .500 or better. The Astros are also 56-29, meaning they too are on pace to win 107 games. The +102 differential is second best in the AL and third in the majors. They had a rough patch in April, but since June 13 they are 19-5, the best record in baseball at the time. (The Yankees are 18-8 while the Dodgers are 19-6.) They have recently won 13 of 15 with the only two losses being those late Yankee comebacks in the Bronx. Houston is 19-14 against teams .500 or better.

Yankees

The Yankees are 61-25, which means they are still on pace for 115 wins. The +177 run differential is the best in baseball by a decent margin, and that suggests the record is no fluke. They are 23-14 against teams .500 or better and play in easily the best division in baseball. The only issue here is the “hot” factor. The Yankees have lost four of seven and are “only” 5-4 in July. If we were trying to find an exact spot a little further back, we could go to the day before the Astros beat them twice in a row. Since June 23, the Yankees are 9-7. Is it really what we pin everything down to, though? A 9-7 record in baseball isn’t bad at all. The Yankees are still 4 1/2 games better than the other two teams, have a much better run differential and are playing better against tough competition. Even if it’s close, the Yankees still have the top resume. If you want to say going forward that the Dodgers and/or Astros will be better, that’s a whole different argument. Larger Movers
Rk Team’s Chg Rcrd 1 Yankees I will say this, though: I don’t think it will be long before there is a new number one. It is headed in that direction. It’s just not there yet. — 61-25 2 Dodgers Man, that’s a quiet seven-game winning streak, isn’t it? 1 56-29 3 Astros As for the Astros winning three of five from the Yankees, that’s great. They did. They also completely dominated that four-game series in the Bronx, but not being able to put them away twice mattered. Should I really put so much weight on a 3-2 head-to-head record when the Astros are 1-2 against the Marlins, 2-4 against the Blue Jays and 6-6 against the Mariners? I’m not going to cherry pick. 1 56-29 4 Braves Youngster William Contreras is set to start the All-Star Game at DH for the NL due to Bryce Harper’s injury. That makes the Contreras the first set of brothers to start together in the All-Star Game since the Alomars did in 1992. That’s all kinds of fun. I have a question: Will the Braves be in first place when it happens? 1 52-35 5 Mets Well, the lead is down to 1 1/2 games. I guess the good news is they’ll be playing the Braves themselves to start this week? 1 53-33 6 Red Sox They had lost eight of their last 11 before the two comebacks over the Yankees on Saturday and Sunday. Given how bad so many teams competing for the top six have been in recent weeks, these two wins were enough. 4 47-39 7 Brewers Just dropped series to both the Cubs and Pirates in the same week, but extended their division lead. — 48-39 8 Twins Byron Buxton is finally an All-Star. This is great news for all of us. I guarantee it does something cool in the game. 5 48-40 9 Phillies I buried them after Bryce Harper got hurt, but the pitching and Kyle Schwarber really took it. Schwarber has hit 28 homers, on pace for 53 this season. Only one Phillies player has gone for at least 50 (Ryan Howard hit 58 in 2006). 5 46-40 10 Padres Swept Diamondbacks in three games June 20-22. Since then, the Padres are winless and have gone 5-11 with a minus-33 run differential overall. 4 49-38 11 Rays Won five of six heading to Cincinnati to face the lowly Reds … and got swept. Baseball! 3 45-40 12 Mariners They have now won 16 of their last 19 games. They are real again. How long will it last this time? I’m holding out hope that it will stick. 5 45-42 13 Blue Jays The Jays have lost nine of their last 10 and that includes losing two of three in Oakland. The A’s were 8-28 at home before that streak. …