San Diego Padres: Week #18 power rankings update

Where do the San Diego Padres stand in the power rankings at the conclusion of the opening week of August? We take a look at the most credible lists.

It wasn’t the best of weeks for the San Diego Padres, but the club did hold their own despite being faced with difficult tasks of going toe to toe with the Twins and Pirates. After splitting two with Minnesota at Petco Park, San Diego dropped two of three in Pittsburgh to begin their current stretch of games in the eastern time zone.

With two off days this past week and a 2-3 record, it would make sense that not a whole lot would change as far as the power rankings are concerned. Let’s find out if that is indeed the case.

ESPN: 27th

Thanks to the Giants, White Sox, and Phillies, the Friars find themselves comfortably removed from baseball’s cellar. Quite simply, their strong play since the beginning of July is responsible for this. ESPN also recognizes that the Padres are doing this with the face of their franchise, Wil Myers, struggling as of late.

"In the first three months of the season, the Padres had the third-worst record in the NL. But since the calendar flipped to July, they’re actually over .500. The offense is in the top 10 in runs scored since then, and that’s with their best offensive player, Wil Myers, hitting below .200 in that time."

USA Today: 26th

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• Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr. trade rumors, Seth Lugo chase, Manny Machado
• Padres barely missed out on high-end veteran starting pitcher
• This veteran DH target seems ideal for contending Padres roster

Young talent may be the main reason for San Diego’s recent success, but the bullpen shouldn’t be overlooked. The USA Today points this out and ranks the club a notch higher than ESPN.

"LHP Brad Hand hasn’t given up a run since June 10."

Bleacher Report: 25th

The Padres fell in these rankings, dropping from 23rd to 25th. While this is disheartening considering how generous Bleacher Report normally is to the Friars with their rankings, the club most likely hasn’t gotten much worse in the eyes of the rankers. They have just been moved down due to the influence of other teams. Generally, there seems to be a consensus with this week’s rankings being so similar.

Next: Solving the Wil Myers puzzle

Can the Padres improve on what was a very average week and begin their upward movement once again on the power rankings lists? They have tough road tests with the Reds and Dodgers this week. Stay tuned for next week’s update.