Welcome to Sneaker Reporter Power Rankings for MLB 2020.

Major League Baseball is continuing their quest to prolong the 2020 season, despite numerous COVID-19 outbreaks across the league. There is a looming threat that the next serious outbreak could force the league to end the season just two weeks into it.

Rob Manfred, baseball’s commissioner, has warned the players and partners of the league (TV stations, writers, advertisers) that the season could end soon. He blames players for not following protocol and basically deflected all accountability for the worsening situation.

The top teams of the league are as expected, but there is some rumble in the top 10. Here  are your power rankings. All records and statistics are through Aug. 6.

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1. Los Angeles Dodgers (9-4)

Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy and Justin Turner are all off to a slow start. They are all batting below .200. But, that has not stopped the Dodgers from dominating.They have outscored opponents by 33 runs. A.J. Pollock has stepped up, as well as Corey Seager. Both started hot and continued to hit. Mookie Betts is doing well and starting to heat up. Their defense has been outstanding and some say it is one of the best in a long time.

Besides a surprisingly slow start by Walker Buehler, LA’s pitchers have been impressive. Rookie Dustin May has done well in his three starts, but has yet to show he can go deep into the game.

Julio Urias and Ross Stripling have hung in there and proven they can help a winning team. Clayton Kershaw is healthy again and has impressed in lone start this season. He is getting hot and could become a dominant force.

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2. New York Yankees (9-3)

A fully healthy Aaron Judge has returned to his MVP-caliber self. He has been absolutely dominant. Through 12 games, he has seven home runs and 17 runs batted in. DJ LeMahieu is back in the lineup and has picked up where he left off last season, now hitting .429. Gio Urshela is hitting consistently and is play insane defense and third.

Gerrit Cole has been Gerrit Cole, and is the ace the Yankees’ have needs for a very long time. However, all starters besides Cole have combined for a 7.11 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, and are averaging 3.1 innings per start, allowing 40 hits, 25 earned runs, and 16 walks in 31.2 innings.

Their bullpen has been elite and has picked up the slack for most of their starters. Aroldis Chapman’s return is going to help their depth greatly.

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3. Minnesota Twins (10-3)

The Minnesota Twins are flourishing because of their explosive lineup and phenomenal pitching. They have outscored opponents by 29 runs.

Their pitching has been a pleasant surprise. After their starting pitchers posted a 4.19 ERA in 2019, their pitching staff has had a 2.71 ERA through 13 starts.

Their bullpen has allowed just just two runs in 27.1 innings. Their team ERA is 2.97, the second-best in the American League.

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4.Chicago Cubs (10-3)

Despite a brutal loss to the Kanas City Royals on Thursday, the Chicago Cubs have been playing very well. Ian Happ has been playing better than he ever has before, perhaps playing everyday due to the new DH rule in the National League has helped.

Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, and Yu Darvish have carried their weight and posted an impressive rotation ERA for the Cubs. Tyler Chatwood was impressive until his explosion on Thursday.

Their offense has been powered by Happ, Anthony Rizzo and Wilson Contreras. They have steady control of the division.

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5. Oakland A’s (9-4)

The Oakland A’s have been doing superbly well because of their elite defense and consistent bullpen.

Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Ramon Laureano have all been great assets in the field and at the plate. Marcus Semien is not what he was last year at the plate, but that could change quickly. He is still great defensively.

In 55 innings through 13 games, their bullpen has an ERA of 1.80, which is insane. They keep winning close games and can be a disturbance in the postseason.

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6. Atlanta Braves (9-5)

Despite the absolutely brutal loss of ace and All-Star Mike Soroka to a torn Achilles tendon, the Atlanta Braves have been the best team in the NL East.

Marcell Ozuna has been a fantastic addition and is slugging well for Atlanta. Dansby Swanson is playing the best he ever has and is driving in a lot of runs. All-Stars Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna are off to slow starts, but could quickly turn the corner, which would make this team even more dangerous.

Max Fried and other young starters need step up to make this team a real threat in the playoffs. Losing Soroka was a big blow to their already thin pitching staff.

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7. Cleveland Indians (8-6)

Besides being ace material, Shane Bieber has been a front-runner for the AL Cy Young Award this season. He is a strikeout machine and has been a doing fantastic for Cleveland. Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger have been contributing greatly for the club.

Jose Ramirez has looked like his younger self as of recently. He is slugging and moving well. Francisco Lindor has been slugging as well. Ceasar Hernandez has turned out to be a great signing, hitting above .300 and playing decent in the field.

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8. Colorado Rockies (9-3)

Colorado has finally found a pitcher worthy of calling an ace. German Marquez has been outstanding through the first fifth of the season. Through three starts, he has a 1.89 ERA and 23 strikeouts through 19 innings, while only walking five batters. If he keeps this up, he will make the Rockies a serious contender to make the playoffs.

Nolan Arenado already had three home run, but is not hitting as well he usually does. Despite that, his defense has been as good as ever. He is on-pace to win another Gold Glove. Trevor Story has been carrying their offense. Charlie Blackmon, Daniel Murphy, and Matt Kemp have all been contributing to their offense.

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9. Chicago White Sox (7-6)

Perhaps one of the more disappointing teams of this season, the Chicago White Sox are doing well, but not great.

Leury Garcia has been a surprising slugger for the team on the Southside. He and Eloy Jimenez lead the team in home runs. Yasmani Grandal has yet to go deep. Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert have been doing great at the plate.

Alex Colome, Evan Marshall, Ross Detwiler and Matt Foster have pitched a combined 23.1  innings of relief without allowing a run, truly impeccable. They have made up for a sloppy starting rotation. Dallas Keuchel has been stellar, but Lucas Giolito has been fairly disappointing, same with Gio Gonzalez and Carlos Rodon.

This team is doing alright for now, but could either excel or implode.

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10. Houston Astros (6-6)

Houston’s offense has been explosive yet again, even under the new regime of veteran skipper Dusty Baker. They lead the American League in runs scored. Carlos Correa has been hitting .386 thus far. George Spring, Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve have not been consistent, but have slugged for the Astros.

Justin Verlander has one good start, but is back to battling injury. Houston has had nine pitchers make their debut in the teams first 11 games of the year.The team’s pitching is weaker than it has been in a while and basically has not depth. Zack Greinke needs to step up as the veteran in this rotation and put together the impressive season everybody knows he is capable of.

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