2019 NPB Power Rankings: June Edition

This scoreboard speaks for itself between the top and bottom of our power rankings.

We're officially two months through the 2019 NPB Season and for some, separation has started among the packs. With a few teams rising, parity is also showing elsewhere.

Here's how our power rankings look after May:

Reminder: Power rankings are not solely based on win-loss record. That's what standings are for. 

1. [^] (7) Hiroshima Carp (32-19-1), 20-4 in May

There's no doubt who the hottest team in NPB has been for the month. An 11-game win streak despite a cold Kosuke Tanaka will put the team on top of these rankings. A slow start to 2019 has been flipped around with Xavier Batista finding more ichi-gun time with home runs. Hiroki Tokoda is also flying under the radar.

===

2. [^] (9) Hanshin Tigers (28-23-2), 15-9-1 in May

The Hanshin Tigers take a leap after having four consecutive wins against the Yomiuri Giants. While Randy Messenger could be getting hit by father-time, Minoru Iwata is having a revival season. The highly-touted Yusuke Oyama is also coming off a great month and leads the team in home runs. Could he be turning the corner? Lots of fun wins have kept this team interesting as skipper Akihiro Yano has this group fighting.

===

3. [^] (4) Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (26-24-2), 14-12 in May

The Fighters record isn't the best of the Pacific, but their pitching is near the top. Kohei Arihara is being looked at by MLB scouts while Ryo Akiyoshi is having a revival season as the team's closer. Their short start "opener" strategy has been a mixed bag, but it's possible they can adjust. Power numbers are obviously down from last year without Brandon Laird, but there's a lot to like about the defense and ability to hit for average from several players.

===

4. [^] (6) Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (27-23-1), 14-12 in May

The Eagles take a leap as they're currently tied for the top of the Pacific League pennant. Reigning PL rookie of the year Kazuki Tanaka is having a sophomore slump, but the development of first round draft pick Ryosuke Tatsunami should remain interesting. Jabari Blash is looking like a home run import signing to boost their offense, something this group is dependent on. It's unsure if the starting pitching is sustainable, but the bullpen is looking solid.

===

5. [=] Saitama Seibu Lions (26-23-1), 14-11 in May

The Lions have made a nice run in terms of wins for May, but the pitching staff is still a concern from the rotation. Shinsaburo Tawata appears to be off somewhere and has been sent to ni-gun. Tatsuya Imai and Kona Takahashi continue to develop while Daiki Enokida is back. Ken Togame has prevented any losing record this month as he is on pace to have a good year, continuing his trend of doing well in odd-numbered years compared to even-numbered years. 

Offensively, Shuta Tonosaki has also been red hot in addition to the already powerful Hotaka Yamakawa.

===

6. [v] (1) Fukuoka Softbank Hawks (27-23-2), 12-13 in May

The defending Japan Series champions are feeling the pain without Yuki Yanagita in the lineup, but the other players stepping in are getting valuable playing time. Starting pitching has been up and down, though Kotaro Otake looks to be another great pickup among former ikusei players and is an unsung hero through two months. Relying on Kenta Imamiya is not exactly the best thing for the Hawks offense.

===

7. [v] (2) Yomiuri Giants (25-23-1), 9-13-1 in May

Tomoyuki Sugano is having a slow season as the Giants take a big fall from being near the top. Bullpen is the other issue where guys are being thrown in and out, but the offense is still above average with Yoshihiro Maru living up to the hype. They're going to need more consistency if they think they can win the CL pennant.

===

8. [^] (10) Chiba Lotte Marines (23-26-1), 12-13 in May

The Marines are hanging in there, but the starting pitching is nowhere near enough to be an A-class team. Naoya Masuda is likely happy this month is over, as it was a nightmare month for him as the team's closer. Daiki Iwashita has been decent and Kuan-Yu Chen should arguably be a starter with the season he's having in relief.

Offensively, the home runs are there while Laird continues to hit for average to a pleasant surprise, but that HR terrace appears to hurt the pitching more than it helps the team's hitting through two months. They're going to need Shogo Nakamura to step it up if they want to make a run in interleague play.

===

9. [^] (12) Yokohama DeNA Baystars (22-28), 12-11 in May

The Baystars get a winning record in May and even escaped the Central League cellar through two months. For a team that is HR dependent offensively, the pitching from Shota Imanaga has single-handily carried them through May.

Their pitching staff is adequate, but the defense and offense on the field isn't there. If anything, they're not dead and have the best chance to make a run challenging for A-class. 

===

10. [v] (8) Chunichi Dragons (23-27), 10-14 in May

The Dragons can hit on occasion while the starting pitching has been average. Their biggest weakness has been in the bullpen, where young closer Hiroshi Suzuki is either up or down. Tsuyoshi Yoda is trusting the process on this while Shuhei Takahashi is rewarding the team with a possible breakout season. On paper, there's too much to overcome, but they're not out yet.

===

11. [=] Orix Buffaloes (19-29-3), 10-15 in May

Orix is wasting some outstandings performances from rotation pitchers Taisuke Yamaoka, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tsubasa Sakakibara. Bullpen has underachieved, defense is full of mental mistakes lacking attention to detail, but the hitting is offensive for the wrong reasons. It's mostly invisible if Koji Oshiro has the best batting average in the group. Their offensive black hole could be their downfall of the season as they're the only team with two straight months of having records five-games under .500.  No one in the Pacific League comes close to how far down Orix is.

===

12. [v] Tokyo Yakult Swallows (21-31-2), 5-20-1 in May

To sum this up, everything has gone wrong for the Swallows in May with a 15-game losing streak to end the month. Defense in the field is one of the largest culprits in this, but the pitching is also bottom of the barrel. Hitting has also been unclutch this month with 12 games resulting losses by two runs or fewer.

This could be a long year for the Swallows, who came off a surprise 2018 season.

===

Overall, this shuffle appears to be extreme in the Central League while the Pacific has been tight-knit. With Interleague play coming up, we could see some changes again as it will be telling which side is better, or worse.

===

Follow us on Twitter @GraveyardBall