Cleveland Indians Open at No. 3 in SI MLB Power Rankings

The first SI MLB power rankings have been released and the Cleveland Indians come in as the No. 3 team in all of baseball.

Cleveland Indians fans likely view the Indians as the top team in the American League, and MLB writer Jonah Keri agreed in his first MLB power rankings of 2017, shared on SI.com.

The Indians come in at No. 3 overall on the list, but are the highest ranked AL team, two spots ahead of the Boston Red Sox, who come in at No. 5. The Chicago Cubs hold the top spot, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Here is part of what Keri had to say about the Indians:

"Edwin Encarnacion should provide a solid numbers upgrade over departed team leader Mike Napoli. Andrew Miller will anchor the bullpen all year long, rather than just from the end of July and on. Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Yan Gomes—all key players who missed major chunks of last season—look healthy in spring camp. Michael Brantley’s shoulder remains a concern, but Brandon Guyer and newly acquired Austin Jackson offer outfield depth."

He also talks about how this Indians squad is the most talented its been since the late 1990s, which is true, at least on paper.

Adding Edwin Encarnacion to a team that went to the World Series should only mean the team is destined to make it back, but fans know just to take things one day at a time.

The next closest team in the AL Central was the Detroit Tigers, ranked No. 14, followed by the Kansas City Royals who came in at No. 18.

Power rankings obviously fluctuate as the year goes on, but the Indians should easily remain at the top en route to winning the AL Central in 2017. A team like the Royals could find some of that 2015 magic, but the Indians are the clear favorites and the most talented.

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Preseason power rankings ultimately don’t mean much, but it is nice to see this Indians team get the national recognition it deserves.