Cleveland Indians remain atop ESPN’s MLB power rankings

The Cleveland Indians are the hottest team in baseball and as a result maintain their stop at the top of ESPN’s MLB power rankings.

The Cleveland Indians finally lost a game last week, but responded by winning their next two.

The Indians have a much-needed day off today as they head out west to take on the Los Angeles Angels. Heading into today, the team is just 3.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball, while holding a 1.5-game lead over the Houston Astros in the American League.

The Indians took over the top spot in ESPN’s MLB power rankings a week ago, and remain at the top even though they remain behind the Dodgers in the standings.

From the article:

"With 74 extra-base hits this season, Francisco Lindor has a shot at becoming the first shortstop with 80 or more in a season since Jimmy Rollins and Hanley Ramirez both did it in 2007. Lindor is already the first shortstop to hit 30 or more homers since Ramirez in 2008. Given that Lindor is still just 23 years old, the even better news is that there’s a whole lot more of what he’s going to do to look forward to. — Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com"

The Indians may not have the best record in baseball, yet, but the 22-game winning streak shows they are the hottest team heading into October. And not just that, but the one loss didn’t lead to a losing streak. The team bounced back right away and were able to celebrate a division title at home as a result.

Jason Kipnis is getting time in center field, Danny Salazar is in the bullpen and Michael Brantley still can’t run, but the team continues to win. Players of all ages and experience are stepping up and helping this team fight for the best record in baseball.

Next: Indians are champs once again

Winning a World Series is the ultimate goal, but it is important to appreciate this team’s dominance right now. The winning streak will go down in history and may never be done again, unless this team decides to top it in 2018. It’s unlikely, but this team has shown that anything is possible. Let’s just hope all this September success does indeed carry over into October.