MLB Power Rankings, April 14: Can Yankees catch the stupid good Rays?

MLB fans entered 2023 expecting parity at the top, power throughout the league, and a massive gulf between the game's supreme winners and unmitigated losers.

So far, many of the "haves" have begun the season as expected -- except for the teams that reside in the NL East, as well as the select few rich teams that have opted out of using their money/being successful.

The "have nots"? Yeah, they were by far the easiest teams to place on this updated power rankings and have, in fact, not even earned the dignity of a blurb. No blurb for you.

Where do our New York Yankees fit in so far? They've won their first four series of the season, all against teams that finished .500 or better in 2022. Two of those series came on the road, and one was an AL East battle. The Yankees dropped the opening game of both road series in frustrating fashion, only to rebound and get the last two laughs both times. That's "No. 1 in the Power Rankings" stuff, except for ... well ... you know.

The Yankees have earned plaudits so far for surviving without the top-tier rotation they expected to have, but there's only one king, at this point in time.

MLB Power Rankings: Yankees Deserve Love, But ... The Freaking Rays, Man.

The Absolute Wastes of Space Tier:

30. Detroit Tigers
29. Oakland A's
28. Washington Nationals
27. Kansas City Royals

There are fewer teams here than some might've expected entering the season, and the Royals still have a chance to rise from the ashes and prosper; without bumbling pitching coach Cal Eldred, and with big bats like Vinny Pasquantino, Bobby Witt Jr. and MJ Melendez, they could become middling by midseason.

These other squads? They've proven to be the absolute dregs. The Tigers haven't found a lead they haven't liked blowing thus far this season, coming up short time and again in Toronto this week (though, somehow, their only two wins have come against the Astros in Houston). They're singlehandedly responsible for keeping the Red Sox relevant, allowing a moribund Boston team to sweep them at home last week.

Despite both Ken Waldichuk and JP Sears coming up small for the A's so far -- and despite Oakland's top slugger Seth Brown now missing in action with an oblique injury -- Detroit retains bottom-of-the-barrel status for now.