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Oakland A’s getting some love in the power rankings

By David Hill

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 16: Chad Pinder #18 of the Oakland Athletics is congratulated by Sean Murphy #12 after Pinder hit a two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the fifth inning at Oracle Park on August 16, 2020 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 16: Chad Pinder #18 of the Oakland Athletics is congratulated by Sean Murphy #12 after Pinder hit a two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the fifth inning at Oracle Park on August 16, 2020 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The Oakland A’s hot start has been recognized around the game, as they are getting plenty of love in the power rankings.

The Oakland A’s entered Monday with the best record in baseball. At 16-6, they were the top overall seed in the American League, their 3-4 start a thing of the past. The offense, which had been missing in action at the start of the season, has been on fire lately. Stephen Piscotty has become Mr. Clutch, his ninth inning grand slams helping to propel the A’s to victory.

As such, it is not a surprise that the A’s are starting to get attention around the league. They have become a force to be reckoned with, and are getting the national attention that they deserve. This is reflecting in the power rankings around the game.

ESPN, a network known for its east coast bias and tendency to ignore anything in baseball that does not involve the Yankees or Red Sox, has been paying attention. They have the A’s ranked third in their most recent power ranking, although they are concerned about Marcus Semien‘s lack of production this season.

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Like ESPN, Bleacher Report also had the A’s ranked third, again trailing the Dodgers and Yankees. They also have their concerns about Oakland, particularly in the starting rotation. Given the struggles of Sean Manaea and Mike Fiers thus far, those concerns are understandable.

MLB.com did ESPN and Bleacher Report one better. They have the A’s listed as the second best team in baseball right now, trailing only the Dodgers, and noted that this may be the highest the organization has been in their own rankings. MLB.com was particularly impressed with the A’s comeback ability, noting that their 48 runs scored after the seventh inning are the second most in the majors, behind only the Diamondbacks.

Finally, we come to CBSSports.com. They had no questions about the A’s at all, giving them the top spot in their rankings this week. To them, the A’s ninth inning against the Giants on Friday, when they were trailing by five runs only to win in extra innings, essentially sums up their season to this point.

Next. There is something special happening in Oakland. dark

The Oakland A’s are winning games and serving notice that they are a team to beat this year. That is being reflected in the power rankings around the game.