Brewers Getting Disrespected in Latest MLB.com Power Rankings
Few teams have looked as impressive as the Milwaukee Brewers in the first week and a half of the 2023 regular season. It's been the sort of performance that's hard not to notice.
The Brewers sit at 7-2 on the young season, a mark that leads the National League and is the second best record in all of MLB. Only the undefeated Tampa Bay Rays have a better record than the Crew going into Monday's slate of games.
Milwaukee has won all three of their series to start the season, and against some good competition too. They already have three shutout wins in their first nine games, have the best bullpen in the league by ERA, and are top five in MLB in batting average, on base percentage, and OPS.
So then why didn't they get the appropriate love from MLB.com in their latest power rankings on Monday, a piece that ranked the Brewers as the 8th best MLB team after their most recent series win?
The Brewers are still being disrespected in MLB.com's latest power rankings.
Now sure, it is still very early in the season. Should the Brewers continue something close to their current pace, they will surely continue their climb up the rankings. But can't we still give credit where credit is due to a team that was expected to be competitive in 2023?
The Brewers three series wins have come against the Chicago Cubs, not expected by most to do much this season but still always tough to play on the road in April, the New York Mets, a predicted juggernaut who the Crew swept, and the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee's expected rivals to take the NL Central this season.
Now compare that to the Rays, whose wins have come against the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and Oakland A's. Nine straight wins to start a season is impressive no matter how you slice it, but that's not exactly a murderer's row of competition.
Ahead of the Brewers in MLB.com's power rankings are two teams with records of .500 or less, the 5-5 Los Angeles Dodgers and the 4-6 Houston Astros, both teams predicted to win their divisions. But like everyone except for the Rays, they currently have worse records than the Brewers.
Now rightfully so, the Brewers are getting a little more respect elsewhere across the internet. At our very own FanSided, Milwaukee is ranked as the second best team in MLB, a rating that seems much more in line with their year to date performance.
The Brewers now head out to the west coast for a long road trip that includes series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Mariners. Pick up some more series wins, and maybe Milwaukee finally gets some respect put on their name.