Rangers pitching staff takes massive leap in latest power rankings

Granted, these rankings were released prior to the disappointing three-game sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals over the past weekend, but nevertheless, the overall body of work by the Texas Rangers' starting rotation and solid relief corps is getting noticed league-wide.

The new Bleacher Report has the Rangers as the #2 pitching staff in baseball

The Rangers have vaulted up the Bleacher Report rankings to the number two overall staff as of June 19 which is up seven spots from where they sat a month ago in the May rankings.

It is a combination of strong starting pitching and a community effort by a no-name bullpen that has lifted the Rangers behind only the New York Mets.

The numbers support such a massive leap in the rankings. In the last 30 days, the team ERA is a minuscule 3.03. The staff's 12-13 mark over the past month is due to the fact that the Rangers are still not clicking offensively.

Jacob deGrom has been the anchor for the staff as they have climbed the rankings

From May 20 to June 20, Rangers' ace Jacob deGrom is 3-1 with an impressive ERA of just 2.08, a WHIP of .098, and a team average against below the Mendoza Line at a paltry .198.

As Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle have gone down with injuries, the Rangers have gotten good long relief from Jacob Latz, who has allowed just 5 earned runs in 19 innings of work for an ERA of 2.37. Opponents are hitting just .194 against him since the last rankings were posted 30 days ago.

Shawn Armstrong and Hoby Milner have been effective as well, allowing a combined 5 earned runs in 26.2 innings, good for a sparkling 1.68 ERA. With all of the injuries to the starters, the Rangers' relievers have really stepped up to fill the void, pitching well in "bullpen games" in which they have combined to pitch all nine innings.

There is little debate that the Rangers belong this high in the rankings, and a strong argument could be made that they should be in the top spot.