MLB Power Rankings: Yankees Still No. 1, Mariners Making Noise and A's Bottom Out
We are three months into the 2022 MLB season, and with the trade deadline now just a few short weeks away, it's make-or-break time for teams toeing the line between contender and pretender.
The top dozen teams in this week's MLB power rankings can all safely be classified as buyers at the deadline, but for the next 10 or so teams, the current stretch of games leading up to the All-Star break will be huge.
As always, if a team keeps winning, it will keep climbing these rankings. If a team is losing, a slide is inevitable. The beauty of this exercise is that it's a fluid process and things will continue to change.
Note: Statistics and analysis reflect games through Sunday. Team records have been updated to include Monday's results.
Nos. 30-26
1 of 10
30. Oakland Athletics (27-55)
Previous Rank: 29
The Athletics went 5-21 with a minus-70 run differential in June, and when the calendar flipped to July, they were 28.5 games out in the AL West standings. Will Frankie Montas stick around long enough to be the team's All-Star representative, or will he be traded in the coming days?
29. Detroit Tigers (32-47)
Previous Rank: 28
The Tigers went 5-5 over their final 10 games in June, but a weekend series loss to the Kansas City Royals to kick off July quickly extinguished any potential momentum. Rookie Riley Greene hit his first career home run on Saturday, and he's batting .292 with a .414 on-base percentage and 143 OPS+ in his first 58 plate appearances.
28. Kansas City Royals (29-49)
Previous Rank: 30
A series win over the Detroit Tigers was enough to pull the Royals out of the No. 30 spot, but it's still shaping up to be a long season for a young team trying to transition from rebuilding to contending. The decision to trade veteran Carlos Santana to Seattle has opened the door for Vinnie Pasquantino, and he hit his first career home run on Friday in a 3-1 victory.
27. Cincinnati Reds (27-52)
Previous Rank: 27
The Reds managed to avoid getting swept by the Atlanta Braves with a walk-off win on Sunday, with Albert Almora Jr. delivering an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth off lefty A.J. Minter. However, with two more series losses last week, they remain in the bottom tier of teams.
26. Washington Nationals (29-53)
Previous Rank: 26
First baseman Josh Bell hit .358/.447/.695 with 16 extra-base hits in 114 plate appearances last month, and his trade value has been steadily climbing over the past few weeks. The Nationals are clear sellers, and he's shaping up to be one of the most impactful rental bats on the market this summer.
Nos. 25-21
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25. Pittsburgh Pirates (32-47)
Previous Rank: 24
In 2020, the Atlanta Braves became the first team in MLB history to have a player hit three home runs in consecutive games. The Pirates are the second team to join that list after catcher Michael Perez homered three times on Thursday, one day after Bryan Reynolds had his own three-homer game. They may not be ready to contend, but this is the most watchable Pirates team in years.
24. Arizona Diamondbacks (36-44)
Previous Rank: 19
Over the last two weeks, the D-backs have gone 3-8 with three series losses and a two-game series split against the San Diego Padres last week. They have some nice pieces to build around in the coming years, including ace Zac Gallen, who turned in his eighth quality start of the season on Sunday.
23. Chicago Cubs (32-48)
Previous Rank: 25
The Cubs have three straight series wins, two of which have come against contenders in the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. They now head off on a difficult road trip that features three games against the Milwaukee Brewers and four against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
22. Colorado Rockies (35-45)
Previous Rank: 23
The Rockies improved to 23-21 at Coors Field after taking two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks last week. Second baseman Brendan Rodgers is swinging as hot a bat as any player in baseball right now with a .378/.442/.730 line and eight extra-base hits in his last 10 games.
21. Chicago White Sox (38-40)
Previous Rank: 21
The White Sox have played better on the road this season, and that trend continued over the weekend when they swept a good San Francisco Giants team. Right-hander Lucas Giolito had one of his best starts of the season on Sunday, allowing three hits and one earned run over six innings, and getting him back to pitching at a front-line level would go a long way.
Nos. 20-16
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20. Los Angeles Angels (37-44)
Previous Rank: 22
The Angels fell to 3-7 against the Houston Astros this season when they were swept and outscored 21-4 in a three-game series over the weekend. Veteran Jonathan Villar was plucked from the scrapheap after being released by the Chicago Cubs, and he could see regular action at third base.
19. Texas Rangers (37-41)
Previous Rank: 20
The Rangers continue to hover around the .500 mark, and it will be interesting to see how they approach the trade deadline after their aggressive offseason as buyers. Slugger Adolis Garcia hit .314/.348/.581 with seven home runs in June, and he has a solid case to be an All-Star for the second year in a row.
18. Baltimore Orioles (37-44)
Previous Rank: 17
Standout closer Jorge Lopez blew consecutive saves on Friday and Saturday against the Minnesota Twins, but the Orioles managed to avoid a sweep behind a quality start from Tyler Wells on Sunday. The 27-year-old is now 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 75.2 innings in his first season in the rotation.
17. Miami Marlins (38-40)
Previous Rank: 18
The Marlins pushed their winning streak to four games with a 10th-inning victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday, and they are once again flirting with a winning record. Ace Sandy Alcantara threw his second complete game of the year on Wednesday, and he remains the front-runner to get the starting nod for the NL in the All-Star Game.
16. Cleveland Guardians (40-38)
Previous Rank: 14
The Guardians won three of five against the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins last week, including walk-off wins on Wednesday and Thursday. They also managed to avoid getting swept by the New York Yankees with a 2-0 shutout on Sunday, behind seven strong innings from Triston McKenzie.
Nos. 15-11
4 of 10
15. Philadelphia Phillies (42-38)
Previous Rank: 15
The Phillies went 15-2 to begin the month of June, but they've gone just 6-7 since that hot streak, and they remain stuck in third place in the NL East standings. After posting an .894 OPS with 20 home runs in 72 games at Triple-A, Darick Hall made his MLB debut on June 29, and he already has three home runs in his first 18 plate appearances.
14. San Francisco Giants (40-38)
Previous Rank: 12
The Giants have gone 3-9 in their last four series, including three series losses and a two-game split with the Detroit Tigers at home. They were outscored 19-7 in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox over the weekend, and the offense ranked 26th in average (.233) and 20th in OPS (.702) in June.
13. Seattle Mariners (40-42)
Previous Rank: 16
The Mariners improved to 10-3 in their last 13 games with a weekend series win over the Oakland Athletics, and their win on Sunday moved them into second place in the AL West standings for the first time since early May. Left-hander Robbie Ray has a 0.80 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 33.2 innings over his last five starts.
12. Minnesota Twins (46-37)
Previous Rank: 11
The Twins became the first team in American League history to follow up consecutive walk-off losses with consecutive walk-off wins last week, according to STATS. Their lead in the AL Central race shrunk to just one game after they dropped three of five against the Cleveland Guardians, but they rebounded with a series win over the Baltimore Orioles.
11. Tampa Bay Rays (43-37)
Previous Rank: 13
The Rays are the best fourth-place team in baseball, and they closed the gap with the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East standings by taking three of five at Rogers Centre last week. Outfielder Harold Ramirez has been an excellent under-the-radar addition, hitting .323/.372/.444 for a 142 OPS+ in 218 plate appearances.
Nos. 10-6
5 of 10
10. St. Louis Cardinals (44-38)
Previous Rank: 10
The Cardinals have not won or lost more than two games in a row since June 14, and that multiweek stretch of treading water has allowed the Milwaukee Brewers to climb ahead of them in the division standings. There were 10 rookies on the 26-man active roster entering play on Monday.
9. Boston Red Sox (45-35)
Previous Rank: 4
The Red Sox were four games under .500 when June began, and they came out the other side 10 games over .500. Series losses to the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs on the road last week knocked them down a few spots, but they have battled their way back to relevance in a relatively short window of time.
8. Toronto Blue Jays (44-37)
Previous Rank: 9
The Blue Jays had six players among the finalists to start the All-Star Game following Phase 1 of the voting, including Alejandro Kirk, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and George Springer all projected to start. With a favorable stretch of games to close out the first half, including series with the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals, now is the time for Toronto to make a push.
7. San Diego Padres (47-35)
Previous Rank: 7
The Padres squandered a golden opportunity to move up these rankings and the standings last week by losing three of four to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they remain comfortably inside the top 10. There's a chance we could see Fernando Tatis Jr. return as a center fielder rather than a shortstop once he's back in action later this summer.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (47-35)
Previous Rank: 8
With a 4-2 showing last week and a roster that is slowly but surely returning to full strength, the Brewers look poised to make a run. After missing nearly a month with Raynaud's syndrome, right-hander Brandon Woodruff returned strong on Tuesday (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 10 K) and followed that up with an even better start on Sunday (6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 8 K).
Nos. 5-1
6 of 10
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (50-29)
Previous Rank: 5
The Dodgers went 14-12 during an inconsistent June, wrapping up the month with a series loss to the Colorado Rockies. However, they took three of four from the San Diego Padres over the weekend while welcoming Mookie Betts back on Sunday after he missed 15 games with a cracked rib, so things are looking up.
4. Atlanta Braves (47-34)
Previous Rank: 6
After going 21-6 in June, the Braves went from a sub-.500 record and a 10.5-game deficit in the NL East standings to more than 10 games above .500 and within striking distance of the New York Mets. The defending champs began a 10-game homestand on Monday, and it will conclude with a huge three-game series against the Mets next week.
3. New York Mets (50-30)
Previous Rank: 3
The Mets are still the top-ranked NL team, but the gap between them and the rest of the field has narrowed considerably after they went 13-12 with a minus-15 run differential in June. The good news, of course, is that they're doing it all without Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, whose eventual return will be as big as any outside additions other contenders can make.
2. Houston Astros (52-27)
Previous Rank: 2
With a 6-0 showing last week, the Astros improved to 14-3 in their last 17 games, and they're playing as well as any team in baseball heading into the summer months. The one-two punch of Justin Verlander (10-3, 2.03 ERA, 90 K, 97.1 IP) and Framber Valdez (8-3, 2.67 ERA, 93 K, 101.0 IP) might be the best in baseball right now.
1. New York Yankees (58-22)
Previous Rank: 1
Everyone is still chasing the Yankees after they steamrolled their way to a 22-6 record and plus-71 run differential in June. They rank among the MLB leaders in runs scored (403, No. 1), home runs (133, No. 1), ERA (2.90, No. 2) and WHIP (1.07, No. 1), and they've outscored the opposition by 162 runs on the year.
Complete Rankings
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Complete Rankings
1. New York Yankees
2. Houston Astros
3. New York Mets
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
6. Milwaukee Brewers
7. San Diego Padres
8. Toronto Blue Jays
9. Boston Red Sox
10. St. Louis Cardinals
11. Tampa Bay Rays
12. Minnesota Twins
13. Seattle Mariners
14. San Francisco Giants
15. Philadelphia Phillies
16. Cleveland Guardians
17. Miami Marlins
18. Baltimore Orioles
19. Texas Rangers
20. Los Angeles Angels
21. Chicago White Sox
22. Colorado Rockies
23. Chicago Cubs
24. Arizona Diamondbacks
25. Pittsburgh Pirates
26. Washington Nationals
27. Cincinnati Reds
28. Kansas City Royals
29. Detroit Tigers
30. Oakland Athletics
Highlight of the Week: Astros Strike Out 20
8 of 10
Just eight days after Cristian Javier, Hector Neris and Ryan Pressly combined for a no-hitter against the New York Yankees, the Houston Astros pitching staff made history once again on Sunday.
Left-hander Framber Valdez racked up 13 strikeouts in six innings before turning things over to the bullpen, and the strikeouts kept piling up with Neris and Rafael Montero fanning two each before Pressly struck out the side in the ninth.
That was enough to tie the MLB record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game, a feat that Roger Clemens (twice), Kerry Wood and Max Scherzer each accomplished individually.
The Angels also set an MLB record for strikeouts in a three-game series with 48, according to STATS (via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com), including nine from Mike Trout, who was 0-for-11 in the series.
Despite the record-tying strikeout total, it was rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena who ended up stealing the headlines with a walk-off home run in the ninth.
Team of the Week
9 of 10
C Michael Perez, PIT
(6-for-18, 3 HR, 5 RBI)
1B Rhys Hoskins, PHI
(8-for-19, 2 2B, 4 HR, 5 RBI)
2B Brendan Rodgers, COL
(8-for-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI)
3B Austin Riley, ATL
(10-for-23, 3 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI)
SS Amed Rosario, CLE
(12-for-29, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI)
OF Christopher Morel, CHC
(10-for-26, 2 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI)
OF Julio Rodriguez, SEA
(9-for-25, 2 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBI)
OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr., TOR
(10-for-26, 4 2B, HR, 2 RBI)
DH Harold Ramirez, TB
(12-for-29, 3 2B, HR, 5 RBI)
SP Robbie Ray, SEA
(2 GS, W, ND, 13.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 20 K)
SP Luis Castillo, CIN
(2 GS, W, ND, 13.0 IP, 11 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 17 K)
SP Brandon Woodruff, MIL
(2 GS, 2 W, 11.0 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 18 K)
SP Justin Verlander, HOU
(1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K)
SP Framber Valdez, HOU
(2 GS, W, ND, 14.0 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 7 BB, 18 K)
RP Clay Holmes, NYY
(3 G, 3/3 SV, 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)
Award Rankings
10 of 10
AL MVP
1. Aaron Judge, NYY
2. Jose Ramirez, CLE
3. Yordan Alvarez, HOU
4. Rafael Devers, BOS
5. Mike Trout, LAA
NL MVP
1. Paul Goldschmidt, STL
2. Manny Machado, SD
3. Pete Alonso, NYM
4. Mookie Betts, LAD
5. Dansby Swanson, ATL
AL Cy Young
1. Shane McClanahan, TB
2. Justin Verlander, HOU
3. Alek Manoah, TOR
4. Martin Perez, TEX
5. Nestor Cortes, NYY
NL Cy Young
1. Sandy Alcantara, MIA
2. Joe Musgrove, SD
3. Tony Gonsolin, LAD
4. Corbin Burnes, MIL
5. Carlos Rodon, SF
AL Rookie of the Year
1. Jeremy Pena, HOU
2. Julio Rodriguez, SEA
3. Joe Ryan, MIN
NL Rookie of the Year
1. Spencer Strider, ATL
2. Michael Harris II, ATL
3. Brendan Donovan, STL
Stats courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.
