The playoffs are winding down and summer is almost here folks. Memorial Day is just around the corner, which means we are shifting gears into baseball season. We are almost through the second month of the marathon season. Certainly there have been a few surprises, some of which I talked about on the last episode of the Shooting the Moon Podcast. It’s long overdue but lets update my MLB power rankings as we head into the dog days of summer.

(1) Houston Astros – 31-16, 1^st in the AL West

Aside from the NL West, one of the biggest surprises during the early portion of the season has been the rise of the Houston Astros. After narrowly missing the postseason a year ago, there was a lot of intrigue surrounding this club. Houston has one of the most talented teams, with a tremendous farm system to back it up.

Before the season, there was a concern whether the starting rotation could hold up its end of the bargain. The batting order is loaded with potential All Stars but the pitching was a big factor in last season’s disappointing finish. Two months into the season, this is one concern that has been alleviated for now.

Dallas Keuchel has been incredible so far this season posting a 7-0 record with a 1.84 ERA over nine starts. Despite a minor neck injury that held him out for a couple weeks, he looks to be good to go for a return this weekend. If he can continue his early success, Keuchel could be right back in the AL Cy Young discussion as the season progresses.

Lance McCullers Jr. has also been a solid part of this rotation, going 5-1 with a 2.43 ERA in his ten starts this season. He’ll slide into the second slot in the rotation with Keuchel’s return, but has shown he is a legit top of the rotation guy this year. With no timetable for Colin McHugh’s return, the Keuchel-McCullers one-two punch will be leaned on heavily for a while.

The other concern with the Astros was the bullpen. Last season was an adventure late in games, however things look more stable this season. Ken Giles is now locked in as the closer having converted 12 out of 13 save opportunities. He looks a lot better than he did last season while adjusting to the American League. Houston also has a solid reliever in Chris Devenski, who has been a bridge to Giles but can fill in as the closer on occasion.

It was always a question of when, not if, Houston would make the jump, but so far this looks like this is the year the Astros become contenders.

(2) New York Yankees – 27-17, 1^st in the AL East

With a surprising start to the season, it’s time to start thinking of a nickname for these Yankees. Photo Credit: New York Post

This isn’t your father’s Evil Empire, it isn’t your grandfather’s Murderer’s Row either. The new-look Yankees are certainly ahead of schedule with some of the young studs like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez playing incredible baseball so far. It has been a true team effort in the Bronx as the Yankees have seemingly come out of nowhere to sport one of the best records in baseball through the first two months. The young studs are meshing well with the wily veterans to propel this team back into contention for the first time in the post-Jeter era.

There is a lot to like about this team, the lineup can put up runs in bunches and the rotation has been solid enough to back it up. It’s a concern though when all five starters in the rotation have an ERA above 3.00 led by the “ace” who’s ERA is well above 6.00 (Masahiro Tanaka). Luis Severino has been the star of the rotation this season, thriving at the back end of this rotation.

It also helps that the Yankees have a great bullpen to hold down leads late in games. Aroldis Chapman had been holding things down pretty well until he went down with an injury a couple of weeks ago. No need to hit the panic button though because the Yanks have a set-up man who could easily be a closer on just about any team in the majors. Dellin Betances has been his usual untouchable self and is a true asset to this team whether they want to admit it or not.

All told, this has been a great start for the league’s most decorated franchise. They certainly have some areas to improve, but so far so good for at least one of the New York franchises.

(3) Colorado Rockies – 31-17, 1^st in the NL West

Charlie Blackmon’s incredible start is one of the main reasons Colorado has been THE surprise team to start 2017. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Let’s get this one out of the way. The Rockies might be the single biggest (positive) surprise in all of baseball so far this year. Colorado, normally a great home team, is currently the best road team in the league. This lineup has gotten production from just about everyone they have put out there despite the injury bug nipping at them.

Is there another shoe that is waiting to drop though? That is a tough question to definitively answer. If there were another shoe to drop, you would have to look at the pitching, with one exception. That exception is closer Greg Holland, who is back to being the Greg Holland we saw anchor the Royals bullpen during their two-year run at the top of the majors. If the Rockies have a late lead, just turn out the lights in the ninth because the party is likely over.

Colorado has a great lineup that produces runs, but the pitching is leaving something to be desired. The Rockies are tied for tenth in the majors in earned runs, but are also tenth in opponent’s batting average. This could mean that their pitchers are giving up a lot of homeruns (they are). The starting rotation also lacks the presence of a true ace.

This brings up a second question. Is this a formula for sustained success or will this team fall apart by August? That can’t quite be answered yet, but for now you can’t discredit what the Rockies have done so far this season.

(4) Washington Nationals – 28-18, 1^st in the NL East

Locking down Bryce Harper for another year was important for extending the championship window, but locking down games could be the difference for a championship in 2017. Photo Credit: Getty Images

This should come as no surprise, but the Nationals are in a position to run away with the NL East crown. Washington has built a 7.5 game lead heading into Memorial Day weekend and are a legitimate contender for the NL Pennant. There are a few areas for improvement that need to be addressed over the summer though because a division title is not good enough in Washington.

The biggest area of concern for Washington lies in the back end of the bullpen. Closing out ballgames has been quite the chore for the Nationals this season. No matter who has come in to shut the door in the ninth inning, there seems to be an issue. Dusty Baker has been forced to use a “closer-by-committee” which can only work for so long. No pitcher has more than three saves, each has blown at least one save, and no one has better than a hold percentage better than 75 percent.

As we get closer to the July trade deadline, look for the Nationals to be on the prowl for someone who can anchor this bullpen. If there is one area that can hold this team back from reaching its full potential, it’s the closer-setup situation.

Another spot where you would want to see the Nationals improve is the starting rotation. They have been good, but not great. With Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer leading the rotation, one would wish that they would be Cy Young contenders. There is still plenty of time for that to change, but you have to be a bit concerned that Gio Gonzalez has the best ERA out of the five starters in the rotation.

(5) Arizona Diamondbacks – 29-19, 2^nd in the NL West

A mix of hitting, pitching, and home cooking has Arizona in good position early on, but a long road trip could be the real test for this team. Photo Credit: Associated Press

This was a tough call, but for this round of power rankings the Diamondbacks take the final spot in the top five. Arizona went through a litany of injuries a year ago, but this season this is the team we were all expecting to see. A solid mix of hitting and pitching has Arizona in a great spot heading into the summer.

Arizona’s lineup has been solid so far this year, ranking third in the majors in runs scored and OPS. Paul Goldschmidt gets the top billing for the Diamondbacks, but this is far from a one-man show. Jake Lamb has been a pleasant surprise, leading the team in home runs (13) and RBIs (41). Not even the injury to A.J. Pollack has slowed this team down.

A lot of this list has been spent harping on team’s pitching but this is a rare occurrence where there isn’t an obvious flaw. The starting rotation has been great with Zack Grienke leading the way, clearly having moved on from his struggles a year ago. Another Zack has also emerged as a reliable option at the back end of the rotation as well. Zack Godley stepped in for an injured Shelby Miller, and pitched well enough to remain in the rotation for the time being.

It could be time to add the “ageless wonder” moniker to closer Fernando Rodney. Despite his 7.13 ERA, Rodney has converted 12 of 14 save opportunities and has provided stability at the back of the bullpen.

The one concern for the Diamondbacks is their performance on the road. Arizona is an impressive 21-8 at home this season, but only 8-11 away from Chase Field. Such a disparate difference in home/road splits is a major issue heading into the summer. A true test of this will start tonight as the Diamondbacks hit the road for 11 straight games.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a new episode of the Shooting the Moon Podcast. I’ll be reacting to Ottawa-Pittsburgh Game 7 and looking at some non-playoff NBA topics. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney, go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook, and subscribe to the Shooting the Moon Podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud.