MLB Power Rankings: Yankees, Astros on 2019 ALCS collision course, Nationals better without Bryce Harper?

DJ LeMahieu is a big reason the Yankees are No. 1 in the latest MLB Power Rankings. Pic credit: MLB/YouTube

In the Bronx, they are chanting “Let’s go Yankees!” louder than ever. Down in Houston, the weather is hot, and the Astros are even hotter. New York and Houston head into September with the best records in baseball. And oh, by the way, they are scoring runs like it is child’s play. Are these two destined to meet in the 2019 ALCS?

Yankees, Astros battle for No. 1

Now that the calendar has officially flipped to September, a few teams are clearly head and shoulders above everyone else. The New York Yankees and Houston Astros are arguably the best teams in baseball. However, don’t look past the Atlanta Braves and LA Dodgers either.

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New York became the first team to get to 90 wins on the season when they defeated Oakland on Sunday afternoon. The Bombers lineup is as good as anyone’s in the game, and they are scoring runs by the bunches, however, the unsung hero in 2019 for the Yankees has to be DJ LeMahieu.

When LeMahieu signed a 2-year deal with the Yankees back in January, fans were just hoping for steady play from the former Rockies star. They got a lot more than that. LeMahieu is hitting .335 with 24 home runs on the season. DJ has been a huge part of New York’s success this season.

Another squad with that World Series look is the Houston Astros. On the heels of Justin Verlander’s third career no-hitter on September 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Astros are playing great ball.

Houston is 8-2 in their last 10 games and they built a 10.5 game lead in the AL West over the Oakland A’s. Their heads won’t get big when they clinch the West because that has become routine for this team. They have their eyes set on another World Series ring.

Nationals better without Harper?

When Bryce Harper left DC for Philadelphia, many experts predicted the beginning of the end for Washington. So far, year one without Harper hasn’t been so bad. In fact, Washington is heating up at the right time as they begin their push towards the postseason.

As of today, September 3, The Nationals have a 3.5 game lead in the Wild Card standings. If the season ended today, Washington would face the Chicago Cubs in the one game-winner take all Wild Card round.

While no team wants to lose a player with Harper’s talents, it seems like the Nationals are playing looser and have a bit less pressure on them in 2019. Who knows, maybe that is what they need to shock MLB experts in the postseason.

Here is a look at the September 3 MLB power rankings.