MLB Power Rankings: Blue Jays and Orioles Soar as Cardinals, Mariners Sink
The first month of the 2023 MLB season is in the books, and the Tampa Bay Rays have separated themselves from the pack as baseball's best team while leading the majors in a number of crucial categories.
Behind them, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles have been two of baseball's biggest early surprises, earning a spot inside the top five in the rankings after entering the year with modest expectations at best.
On the other end of the spectrum, the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox have been wildly disappointing, while the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Guardians continued their slide down the rankings this past week.
Keep in mind, these rankings are a fluid process, with teams rising and falling based on their recent performance relative to where they landed in the previous week's rankings.
Note: Statistics and analysis reflect games through Sunday. Team records have been updated to include Monday's results.
Nos. 30-26
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30. Oakland Athletics (6-23)
Previous Rank: 30
How bad has the Oakland starting rotation been?
All told, Athletics starters went a combined 0-15 with an 8.51 ERA in April, which was more than two runs higher than the second-worst team in baseball. Unless that changes drastically in the coming months, this team might be headed for all-time-bad territory.
29. Kansas City Royals (7-22)
Previous Rank: 29
The Royals have dropped six straight series since taking two of three from the San Francisco Giants during the first week of April. With a .220 batting average and a .624 OPS that ranks dead last in the majors, the offense has been the glaring issue. Slow starts from Bobby Witt Jr. and MJ Melendez have been especially troubling for their long-term outlook.
28. Chicago White Sox (8-21)
Previous Rank: 27
The White Sox snapped a 10-game losing streak on Sunday with a walk-off win over the Tampa Bay Rays, but that was one of the few bright spots in April. There is plenty of blame to go around, but the bullpen has been perhaps the biggest issue, logging an MLB-worst 6.86 ERA with nine losses and five blown saves.
27. Colorado Rockies (9-20)
Previous Rank: 28
The Rockies closed out April with a 4-14 record over their final 18 games after starting the year 5-6, and all signs point to it being another long season in Colorado. The starting rotation ranks 28th in the majors and last in the NL with a 6.04 ERA, and the offense has been nowhere near potent enough to make up for those shortcomings on the mound.
26. St. Louis Cardinals (10-19)
Previous Rank: 22
The Cardinals were No. 12 in our Opening Day rankings but have steadily slid to the bottom tier of teams while suffering four straight series losses, including a 1-6 showing against the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers last week. The early struggles of Nolan Arenado (121 PA, 67 OPS+, .239/.281/.319) and Miles Mikolas (6 GS, 5.97 ERA, 31.2 IP) have been a major issue.
Nos. 25-21
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25. Washington Nationals (10-18)
Previous Rank: 26
The Nationals have slightly exceeded the rock-bottom expectations they had to start the year; they picked up a series win over the New York Mets last week to move out of the bottom five in these rankings. Josiah Gray (6 GS, 2.67 ERA, 31 K, 33.2 IP) and MacKenzie Gore (5 GS, 3.00 ERA, 35 K, 27.0 IP) were the Nats' bright spots in April.
24. San Francisco Giants (11-17)
Previous Rank: 24
The Giants took three of four from the floundering Cardinals before dropping both games of their Mexico City series with the San Diego Padres. The offense has exceeded expectations with a .759 OPS (ninth in MLB) and 46 home runs (third in MLB), but the starting rotation has been hit-and-miss, and the bullpen is an absolute dumpster fire with a 6.15 ERA and six blown saves in 11 chances.
23. Detroit Tigers (10-17)
Previous Rank: 23
After starting the year with a 2-9 record, the Tigers went 8-8 in their next 16 games to close out the month of April with some momentum. They have already logged series wins over the Houston Astros, Cleveland Guardians and Milwaukee Brewers, and they could be a thorn in the side of contenders all season. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (6 GS, 2.21 ERA, 30 K, 36.2 IP) has been an early standout.
22. Seattle Mariners (12-16)
Previous Rank: 19
The Mariners have fallen 13 spots since starting the year No. 9 in our Opening Day power rankings, and series losses against the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays last week did nothing to help their cause. With a pitching staff that ranks eighth in the majors with a 3.60 ERA, it's the offense that has been holding them back; their .219 team batting average is the worst in the majors.
21. Cleveland Guardians (14-15)
Previous Rank: 17
The Guardians have slid down the rankings right alongside the Mariners, also dropping 13 places from their No. 8 spot in our Opening Day rankings. They too suffered a pair of series losses last week, dropping two of three against the Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox. They have had to navigate some early injuries to the pitching staff, but strong debuts from pitching prospects Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee are worth noting.
Nos. 20-16
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20. Cincinnati Reds (12-17)
Previous Rank: 25
The Reds entered last week riding a six-game losing streak, but they promptly swept the Texas Rangers before taking two of three from the Oakland A's to climb back into the top 20 in the rankings. The early success of Hunter Greene (6 GS, 2.89 ERA, 40 K, 28.0 IP) and Graham Ashcraft (5 GS, 2.10 ERA, 24 K, 30.0 IP) has given the club something to build around.
19. Los Angeles Angels (15-14)
Previous Rank: 20
Offseason signing Brandon Drury caught fire at the plate last week, which could go a long way for an Angels team that has gotten little production offensively aside from the trio of Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Hunter Renfroe. The Angels went 5-2 with a plus-27 run differential against Oakland and 10-12 with a minus-nine differential against everyone else in April.
18. Boston Red Sox (16-14)
Previous Rank: 15
With a 6.05 ERA from the starting rotation, which ranks 29th in the majors, it's a small miracle that the Red Sox managed to post a winning record in April, but this team is going nowhere fast if that doesn't improve. Young center fielder Jarren Duran is hitting .396/.415/.646 with 10 extra-base hits in 53 plate appearances since he was recalled from the minors.
17. San Diego Padres (16-14)
Previous Rank: 21
Perhaps hanging 22 runs on the San Francisco Giants in two games in Mexico City will help what has been a largely disappointing Padres offense hit their stride. They have yet to post a winning streak or losing streak of more than three games, but they did close out April with a 7-3 record in their final 10 games, so they have some momentum as they look to climb from the middle of the pack.
16. Chicago Cubs (15-13)
Previous Rank: 14
The Cubs took two of three from the San Diego Padres to begin last week, but they were swept by the Miami Marlins over the weekend. The starting rotation has been a pleasant surprise with a 3.41 ERA that ranks fifth in the majors, and Cody Bellinger is enjoying a nice bounce-back season, hitting .297/.371/.604 with seven home runs and 18 RBI in 24 games.
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Nos. 15-11
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15. Miami Marlins (16-13)
Previous Rank: 12
The offseason move to acquire Luis Arraez from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for right-hander Pablo López is shaping up to be a rare win-win deal.
The Miami offense is still lacking in balance and consistency, but having the MLB batting average leader has helped provide some much-needed support to the pitching staff.
14. Los Angeles Dodgers (17-13)
Previous Rank: 13
After dropping two of three to the upstart Pittsburgh Pirates, the Dodgers returned home and swept a weekend series from the St. Louis Cardinals. They are now 9-6 with a plus-28 run differential at home, compared to 7-7 with a minus-11 differential on the road, so finding success away from Chavez Ravine will be important if they hope to climb back into the top 10. Veteran Max Muncy leads the majors with 11 home runs entering May.
13. New York Yankees (15-15)
Previous Rank: 10
With series losses to the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers last week, the Yankees closed out April by going 3-7 in their last 10 games. Despite all of the injuries to their starting rotation, the offense has been a bigger issue in the early going, and they rank near the bottom of the league in batting average (.226, 26th), OPS (.677, 24th) and runs per game (4.00, 23rd).
12. Philadelphia Phillies (15-15)
Previous Rank: 18
Since getting shut out 13-0 by the Cincinnati Reds on April 15, the Phillies have gone 10-4 with four straight series wins to steadily climb back toward a spot inside the top 10. A solid bounce-back from Nick Castellanos and breakout performances from Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott have helped the offense weather the losses of Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins, while the starting rotation again looks like one of baseball's best.
11. New York Mets (16-13)
Previous Rank: 2
With a 1-5 record over the final six games in April, the Mets are trending in the wrong direction and in danger of slipping behind the Philadelphia Phillies in these rankings. Justin Verlander is finally expected to make his Mets debut on Thursday, and it took less than a month for top prospect Francisco Álvarez and Brett Baty to both be recalled from the minors and step into starting roles.
Nos. 10-6
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10. Arizona Diamondbacks (16-13)
Previous Rank: 11
The D-backs tallied five series wins during April while never losing more than two consecutive games, and they took care of business against some lesser opposition last week with series wins over the Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies. Zac Gallen enters his Tuesday start riding a 28-inning scoreless streak as he looks like a serious NL Cy Young contender.
9. Minnesota Twins (17-12)
Previous Rank: 16
With a 3.28 ERA (third in MLB) and 1.08 WHIP (first in MLB) from the starting rotation, the Twins sit atop the AL Central standings on the strength of their stellar pitching. Meanwhile, a healthy Byron Buxton and a resurgent Joey Gallo have led the way offensively, and Jorge Polanco has made an immediate impact since returning from the injured list with a .333/.333/.590 line in 39 plate appearances.
8. Milwaukee Brewers (18-10)
Previous Rank: 5
A lackluster 4-5 homestand against the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels to close out the month of April knocked the Brewers out of the top five for the first time in four weeks. Second base and third base have both been holes offensively, while the back end of the starting rotation is also hit-and-miss with Brandon Woodruff and Adrian Houser both on the injured list, yet they still have a plus-28 run differential.
7. Houston Astros (16-13)
Previous Rank: 8
After a 7-9 start to the year, the Astros logged three straight series wins over the Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays before dropping two of three to the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend. This team still looks like a legitimate title threat despite their middling overall record, and their upcoming stretch against the Giants, Mariners, Angels and White Sox should give them a great chance to rejoin the top five.
6. Texas Rangers (17-11)
Previous Rank: 4
With an offense that ranks inside the top 10 in batting average (.259, seventh), OPS (.783, fifth) and home runs (38, t-sixth), and a new-look pitching staff that checks in fourth in starters' ERA (3.40, fourth), relievers' ERA (3.46, 10th) and team ERA (3.43, fourth), the Rangers have a well-rounded roster. They fell two spots after getting swept by the Cincinnati Reds last week, but they rebounded to take three of four from the New York Yankees.
Nos. 5-1
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5. Toronto Blue Jays (18-11)
Previous Rank: 9
Behind an MVP-caliber first month from Matt Chapman, more of the same from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, and a starting rotation that is rounding into form with a 3.97 ERA that ranks 10th in the majors, the Blue Jays had a terrific first month. They went 5-1 last week against the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners.
4. Baltimore Orioles (19-9)
Previous Rank: 6
The Orioles added two more series wins to their ledger with a 5-2 week against the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, closing April with a 15-4 stretch of games following a sub-.500 start. They still need to sort out a starting rotation that ranks 24th in the majors with a 5.28 ERA, but the bullpen has been lights out with 10 wins, nine saves and an MLB-best 2.86 ERA in 110 innings of work.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates (20-9)
Previous Rank: 7
With series wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals last week, the Pirates became the second team to reach 20 wins during the 2023 season. With an NL-leading plus-48 run differential and a better-than-expected pitching staff that ranks seventh in the majors with a 3.55 ERA they look like the real deal, and there is more young talent knocking on the door in the minors.
2. Atlanta Braves (19-10)
Previous Rank: 3
The Braves went 11-2 with a plus-44 run differential on the road in April while playing .500 baseball at home, picking up just their second home series win of the year last week when they took three of four from the Miami Marlins. Ronald Acuña Jr. is having an MVP-caliber season, hitting .352/.440/.546 with 13 extra-base hits, 13 steals and 1.7 WAR in 27 games.
1. Tampa Bay Rays (23-6)
Previous Rank: 1
Despite losing a series to the Houston Astros last week, the Rays remain in the top spot following a truly dominant month of April. They lead the majors in run differential (+103), batting average (.281), OPS (.875), home runs (61), runs per game (6.72), team ERA (3.10) and opponents' batting average (.209), and have staked their claim to the No. 1 rankings for the time being.
Complete Rankings
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Complete Rankings
1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays
6. Texas Rangers
7. Houston Astros
8. Milwaukee Brewers
9. Minnesota Twins
10. Arizona Diamondbacks
11. New York Mets
12. Philadelphia Phillies
13. New York Yankees
14. Los Angeles Dodgers
15. Miami Marlins
16. Chicago Cubs
17. San Diego Padres
18. Boston Red Sox
19. Los Angeles Angels
20. Cincinnati Reds
21. Cleveland Guardians
22. Seattle Mariners
23. Detroit Tigers
24. San Francisco Giants
25. Washington Nationals
26. St. Louis Cardinals
27. Colorado Rockies
28. Chicago White Sox
29. Kansas City Royals
30. Oakland Athletics
Highlight of the Week: an Offensive Slugfest in Mexico City
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The San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants squared off for a two-game series in Mexico City over the weekend as part of the MLB World Tour, and the opening game featured plenty of fireworks.
The Padres ended up winning the game 16-11, with 11 total home runs hit between the two teams. Manny Machado hit two, which is why the total number of players with a home run was 10.
Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium, which is where the games were played in Mexico City, sits at an altitude of 7,349 feet above sea level. To put that into perspective, Coors Field is 5,200 feet above sea level, which is roughly 4,000 feet of elevation higher than any other MLB stadium.
Will we ever see an expansion team in Mexico City?
It's not completely out of the realm of possibility, and that would make for some interesting home/road splits on that hypothetical roster.
Team of the Week
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C Cal Raleigh, SEA
(5-for-19, 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBI)
1B Paul Goldschmidt, STL (11-for-29, 4 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI)
2B Brandon Drury, LAA
(10-for-27, 2 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 12 RBI)
3B Nick Senzel, CIN
(10-for-21, 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI)
SS Jeremy Peña, HOU
(8-for-24, 2B, 3 HR, 4 RBI)
OF Brent Rooker, OAK
(10-for-24, 2B, 5 HR, 11 RBI)
OF Edward Olivares, KC
(10-for-24, 5 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI)
OF Randy Arozarena, TB
(8-for-28, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI)
DH Byron Buxton, MIN
(7-for-23, 3 2B, 4 HR, 10 RBI)
SP Spencer Strider, ATL
(1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 13 K)
SP Sonny Gray, MIN
(2 GS, 2 W, 13.0 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 15 K)
SP Josiah Gray, WAS
(2 GS, 2 W, 12.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 15 K)
SP Kevin Gausman, TOR
(1 GS, ND, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 13 K)
SP Clayton Kershaw, LAD
(1 GS, W, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K)
RP Carlos Estevez, LAA
(3 G, 3/3 SV, 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)
Way-Too-Early Award Rankings
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AL MVP
1. Shohei Ohtani, LAA
2. Matt Chapman, TOR
3. Randy Arozarena, TB
4. Mike Trout, LAA
5. Jorge Mateo, BAL
6. Jonah Heim, TEX
7. Wander Franco, TB
8. Yandy Diaz, TB
9. Jarred Kelenic, SEA
10. Brent Rooker, OAK
NL MVP
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL
2. Max Muncy, LAD
3. Brandon Marsh, PHI
4. Luis Arraez, MIA
5. Xander Bogaerts, SD
6. Brandon Nimmo, NYM
7. Jack Suwinski, PIT
8. James Outman, LAD
9. Paul Goldschmidt, STL
10. Thairo Estrada, SF
AL Cy Young
1. Sonny Gray, MIN
2. Gerrit Cole, NYY
3. Shohei Ohtani, LAA
4. Luis Castillo, SEA
5. Jacob deGrom, TEX
NL Cy Young
1. Zac Gallen, ARI
2. Spencer Strider, ATL
3. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
4. Justin Steele, CHC
5. Marcus Stroman, CHC
AL Rookie of the Year
1. Hunter Brown, HOU
2. Masataka Yoshida, BOS
3. Josh Jung, TEX
NL Rookie of the Year
1. James Outman, LAD
2. Corbin Carroll, ARI
3. Jose Hernandez, PIT
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