Guardians back inside Top-3 of latest MLB Power Ranking

The latest MLB Power Rankings are out, and surprise surprise, the 56-32 Cleveland Guardians remain near the top of the list.

Coming in at number three in Joel Reuter's MLB Power Rankings 2024: Where All 30 Teams Stand 1 Week Until All-Star Break appearing on Bleacher Report are the Guardians. This is a slight improvement over last week's ranking of four, and it is hard to argue with that assessment. Cleveland went 4-2 over the last week, with series wins over the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants. While they are not the most significant accomplishments, winning a series, no matter the opponent, is something that good teams do, and that applies to the Guardians.

Reuter would take note of Cleveland's five All-Star selections as major contributors to the Guardians' success this season. It is hard. to imagine where this team would be without the performances they have received from Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan, Emmanuel Clase, Josh Naylor, and David Fry.

It's nice to see a smaller market club send five players to the All-Star Game, with both José Ramírez (.854 OPS, 42 XBH, 23 HR, 76 RBI) and Steven Kwan (.957 OPS, .364 BA, 24 XBH) voted to start. Josh Naylor and Emmanuel Clase (43 G, 27/30 SV, 0.85 ERA, 8.3 K/9) were easy picks for reserve spots, while utility man David Fry (.920 OPS, 22 XBH, 8 HR, 33 RBI) is far and away the unlikeliest 2024 All-Star, but also a deserving choice.

When taking into consideration that the only two teams ahead of the Guardians currently are the Philadelphia Phillies (2) and Baltimore Orioles (3), it is pretty obvious that Cleveland is in some pretty good company. It may be tough for the Guardians to surpass either club for a spot in the Top Two, but all it takes is a good week from Cleveland and an off week from Philadelphia or Baltimore for that to come to fruition.

Looking big picture, the Guardians are far from a final product, and the expectation is that at least one trade of significance will be made before the deadline. This should help their playoff push and solidify their status as a true contender if they haven't done so already.