San Diego Padres: Week #23 power rankings update

Where do the San Diego Padres stand with three weeks remaining in the regular season? We take a look at the most credible lists.

As 2017 has gone on, it has become more and more fun to be a Padres fan. The young team is beginning to hit their stride, and the direct result is more victories.

This week specifically was more of a mixed bag, as the Friars dropped three of four to the Cardinals at home before surprising everyone with a series victory in Arizona against the red hot Diamondbacks. Despite the in consistency, the club still sits a whole lot prettier in the power rankings now than they did at the beginning of this campaign.

ESPN: 24th

Wil Myers is certainly not the sole reason for San Diego’s recent success, but ESPN does give the club a relatively fair ranking and explanation.

"The Padres are over .500 so far this month, and Wil Myers has finally started to hit. His OPS is over 1.000 in September, which is good, but unless he really goes on a tear he’s likely to become the first Padres player ever to hit 30 home runs in a single season with an OPS lower than .800."

Bleacher Report: 20th

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San Diego has gotten so close to creeping up into the teens on this list, but they remain stuck at 20th for the second consecutive week. Still, Bleacher Report has been very generous to the club and ranks the 56-79 Padres ahead of the Blue Jays, Pirates, and Marlins, who all have better records.

Sports Illustrated: 26th

This ranking is a bit of a head scratcher, as it proves to be the lowest on our list. It is common knowledge that the White Sox, Giants, Reds, and Phillies are terrible, but do the Padres fall in the same category? Obviously not, even with their minus 144 run differential. It has been difficult all season to get Sports Illustrated to give San Diego a generous ranking, to say the least.

Next: Playing the role of spoiler

Can the Padres continue their upward movement in the rankings? This week they have two difficult road tasks against the Twins and Rockies. Stay tuned for next week’s update!