MLB Power Rankings: Red Sox, Dodgers Climb Into Top 10 While Mets Tumble
In a week where several of the top teams in our power rankings struggled, the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves continued to cruise, and at this point those two clubs are in a tier of their own at the top.
Behind them, the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies all plummeted down the rankings, while the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers seized the opportunity and moved into the top 10.
All told, only four teams in our previous top 10 had a winning record in last week's games.
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. Kansas City Royals (10-26)
Previous Rank: 29
The Royals fall to the "worst team in baseball" spot in the rankings after losing two of three to the Oakland Athletics at home over the weekend. Aside from the offensive contributions of catcher Salvador Perez and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, it's tough to find any positives in Kansas City right now.
29. Oakland Athletics (8-28)
Previous Rank: 30
After opening the season with 10 straight series losses, the Athletics finally picked up their first series win of the year when they took two of three in Kansas City. They scored a season-high 12 runs on Friday, and slugger Brent Rooker (216 OPS+, 10 HR, 26 RBI) continues to be one of the biggest breakout stars of 2023.
28. St. Louis Cardinals (12-24)
Previous Rank: 26
Is this rock bottom for the Cardinals? They lost eight in a row before finally picking up a win against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday behind a three-homer game from Paul Goldschmidt who has been one of the few standouts. They have decided to move Willson Contreras into the primary DH role and out from behind the plate, and while he's had his struggles with pitch-framing, it feels like lazy scapegoating to blame him for the rotation's struggles.
27. Cincinnati Reds (14-20)
Previous Rank: 20
Series losses to the San Diego Padres and a previously floundering Chicago White Sox team dropped the Reds back to the bottom five in these rankings after they made a brief climb last week. The one-two punch of Jonathan India (146 PA, .306/.397/.460) and TJ Friedl (127 PA, .319/.366/.478) atop the batting order has been quietly excellent. If only they had someone to consistently drive them in.
26. Chicago White Sox (12-24)
Previous Rank: 28
The White Sox finally showed some signs of life last week with series wins over the Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Reds, and they are now 5-2 since snapping a 10-game losing streak at the end of April. Right-hander Lucas Giolito (7 GS, 3.67 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 9 BB, 41 K, 41.2) is slowly but surely rounding back into front-line form.
Nos. 25-21
2 of 10
25. Washington Nationals (15-20)
Previous Rank: 25
The Nationals picked up their first series win at home last week when they took three of four from the Chicago Cubs, and while they are well out of contention in the NL East, they have still been better than expected in the early going. Young starters Josiah Gray (7 GS, 3.03 ERA, 38.2 IP) and MacKenzie Gore (7 GS, 3.65 ERA, 37.0 IP) look like potential long-term building blocks.
24. Colorado Rockies (14-22)
Previous Rank: 27
The Rockies entered last week riding an ugly 4-14 stretch, but they finished 5-1 against the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets for far and away their most successful stretch of the 2023 season. Hyped rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar got off to a slow start at the plate, but he has turned a corner and is hitting .361/.378/.722 with eight extra-base hits in his last 10 games.
23. San Francisco Giants (15-19)
Previous Rank: 24
A 4-2 week against the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers has the Giants trending in the right direction, and they have a chance to continue building momentum with a three-game series against the Washington Nationals to kick off the week. Veterans Alex Cobb (7 GS, 2.01 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 40.1 IP) and Anthony DeSclafani (6 GS, 2.13 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 38.0) have been one of the best starting pitching tandems in baseball.
22. Detroit Tigers (16-18)
Previous Rank: 23
The Tigers kicked off last week with a sweep of the New York Mets and ran their winning streak to five games before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Eduardo Rodriguez has a 0.52 ERA and 0.63 WHIP in 34.2 innings over his last five starts after tossing eight shutout innings of two-hit ball against the Mets last time out, and the five-year, $77 million deal he signed prior to last season has quickly gone from disaster to bargain.
21. Cleveland Guardians (16-19)
Previous Rank: 21
Entering Monday, the Guardians had not strung together a winning streak of more than two games since starting the year 4-1, and they continue to hover around the .500 mark after a series loss to the New York Yankees and a series win over the Minnesota Twins last week. Rookie starters Logan Allen (3 GS, 2.70 ERA, 16.2 IP) and Tanner Bibee (2 GS, 2.45 ERA, 11.0 IP) have made an immediate impact.
Nos. 20-16
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20. Miami Marlins (17-19)
Previous Rank: 15
The Marlins were swept by the Atlanta Braves before dropping two of three to the Chicago Cubs in a 1-5 week, and they fell out of the top half of the rankings as a result. With a 5-4 victory over the Cubs on Sunday, they improved to an MLB-best 11-0 in one-run games as they have shown a knack for grinding out close wins.
19. Chicago Cubs (17-18)
Previous Rank: 16
If the Cubs are going to make a legitimate run at playoff contention, they have to sort out the back end of their bullpen. Their relief corps is tied for the MLB lead with 10 losses, including all four of their defeats last week, and they have converted just 5-of-9 save chances. They did manage to salvage a series win over the Miami Marlins last week after dropping three of four to the Washington Nationals.
18. Philadelphia Phillies (16-19)
Previous Rank: 12
The Phillies were outscored 49-24 during an ugly 1-5 week, largely overshadowing a successful return to action for slugger Bryce Harper. With that, much of the work they did to climb out of the 1-5 hole they dug to start the year was undone as they tumbled back down to the middle of the pack.
17. Seattle Mariners (17-18)
Previous Rank: 22
With a 6-1 record in their last seven games entering play on Monday, it feels like the Mariners have some legitimate momentum for the first time this season. They took two of three from the Houston Astros in their first head-to-head meeting over the weekend, with rookie Bryce Miller tossing his second straight quality start on Sunday to kick off his MLB career with a bang.
16. New York Mets (17-18)
Previous Rank: 11
The Mets have suffered four straight series losses and have a 3-11 record in their last 14 games, so a slide down the rankings was inevitable. Prized offseason addition Justin Verlander allowed five hits and two earned runs in five innings to take the loss in his Mets debut on Thursday, and he'll take the ball next on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds.
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Nos. 15-11
4 of 10
15. San Diego Padres (18-17)
Previous Rank: 17
The Padres climbed two spots more as a result of teams ahead of them dropping than their own performance, as they went 3-3 last week with a series win over the Cincinnati Reds and a series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Closer Josh Hader blew his first save of the season on Sunday after starting 11-of-11 on save chances.
14. New York Yankees (19-17)
Previous Rank: 13
With a loss to the Cleveland Guardians last Monday, the Yankees dropped to last place in the AL East standings for the first time since April 26, 2021, and after losing two of three to the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend they began the new week 10 games out of first place. Offensive firepower has been a big issue, as they rank 26th in batting average (.230) and 24th in OPS (.684).
13. Los Angeles Angels (20-16)
Previous Rank: 19
The Angels won five in a row before dropping back-to-back games to the Texas Rangers over the weekend, and they entered play on Monday just two games back in a surprisingly wide-open AL West race. Things are starting to click at the plate for Anthony Rendon, who is batting .375/.510/.500 with six multi-hit performances in his last 11 games.
12. Milwaukee Brewers (20-15)
Previous Rank: 8
A six-game losing streak prior to Sunday's 7-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants was enough to knock the Brewers out of the top 10, and things won't get any easier this week when they welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to town. An inconsistent offense has undermined a pitching staff that ranks seventh in the majors with a 3.60 ERA.
11. Minnesota Twins (19-16)
Previous Rank: 9
The Twins have gone 6-1 against the Kansas City Royals and 13-15 against everyone else this year, and they dropped two of three to the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians on the road last week. Where would this team be without a starting rotation that ranks second in the majors with a 3.19 ERA?
Nos. 10-6
5 of 10
10. Houston Astros (17-18)
Previous Rank: 7
The Astros mustered just one win each against the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners last week, and they also lost starter Luis Garcia for the remainder of the season after it was announced he needs Tommy John surgery. Right-hander J.P. France, who was a 14th-round pick in 2018, made his MLB debut on Saturday and tossed five scoreless innings.
9. Arizona Diamondbacks (20-15)
Previous Rank: 10
The D-backs split two games with the Texas Rangers and picked up a series win over the Washington Nationals last week to hang onto their spot inside the top 10. Ketel Marte, Christian Walker and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are all swinging a hot bat right now, while Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are once again an under-the-radar dynamic duo atop the rotation.
8. Pittsburgh Pirates (21-15)
Previous Rank: 3
The Pirates crashed back to earth in a big way last week, going 0-6 while getting outscored 37-7 in three-game sweeps at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays. Is it the beginning of the end for their unexpected rise to contention, or just a bump in the road? The Colorado Rockies and Baltimore Orioles await this week as they try to get back on track.
7. Toronto Blue Jays (21-14)
Previous Rank: 5
The Blue Jays were swept in a four-game series on the road against the Boston Red Sox last week, and while they rebounded to pull off their own sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was still enough for them to fall out of the top five. Outfielder Daulton Varsho had five multi-hit games last week, raising his OPS nearly 150 points in the process following a slow start with his new team.
6. Boston Red Sox (21-15)
Previous Rank: 18
The Red Sox vault from the bottom of the middle-of-the-pack teams up into the top 10 following a 6-1 week against the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, which shows just how cluttered things are in the middle right now that a hot streak can send one of those teams soaring more than 10 spots up the rankings. They won eight straight before Sunday's loss to the Phillies and are now knocking on the door for a top-five ranking.
Nos. 5-1
6 of 10
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (21-15)
Previous Rank: 14
With an 11-3 record in their last 14 games following Sunday's extra-inning victory over the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers are starting to once again look like they are part of the cream of the crop in the National League. The pitching staff limited the opposition to three or fewer runs seven times during that 14-game stretch, while the offense averaged 6.1 runs per game.
4. Texas Rangers (21-13)
Previous Rank: 6
The Rangers have a plus-85 run differential, which is far and away the best of any team outside of the Tampa Bay Rays. They went 3-2 last week, splitting two games with the Arizona Diamondbacks and picking up a series win over the Los Angeles Angels. With Jacob deGrom sidelined with elbow inflammation, Dane Dunning moved into the starting rotation and threw five shutout innings on Friday.
3. Baltimore Orioles (22-13)
Previous Rank: 4
A split week with a series win over the Kansas City Royals and a series loss to the Atlanta Braves was enough to move the Orioles into the No. 3 spot as a number of top-tier teams struggled through down weeks. Slugger Anthony Santander is hitting .366/.391/.732 with four home runs and 13 RBI in his last 10 games to lead the way offensively.
2. Atlanta Braves (24-11)
Previous Rank: 2
The Braves kept the top spot among National League teams with a 5-1 week, and their plus-56 run differential is tops among NL squads. New catcher Sean Murphy had three home runs and 12 RBI last week, and he is now hitting .282/.426/.621 for a 180 OPS+ with nine home runs and 28 RBI in 31 games.
1. Tampa Bay Rays (29-7)
Previous Rank: 1
The Rays are 8-2 since getting shut out in back-to-back games by the Houston Astros at the end of April, weathering the first real hiccup they've had this season to solidify their standing as baseball's best team. Newcomer Zach Eflin had his best start in a Rays uniform on Thursday, allowing just three hits over seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Complete Rankings
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Complete Rankings
1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. Texas Rangers
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
6. Boston Red Sox
7. Toronto Blue Jays
8. Pittsburgh Pirates
9. Arizona Diamondbacks
10. Houston Astros
11. Minnesota Twins
12. Milwaukee Brewers
13. Los Angeles Angels
14. New York Yankees
15. San Diego Padres
16. New York Mets
17. Seattle Mariners
18. Philadelphia Phillies
19. Chicago Cubs
20. Miami Marlins
21. Cleveland Guardians
22. Detroit Tigers
23. San Francisco Giants
24. Colorado Rockies
25. Washington Nationals
26. Chicago White Sox
27. Cincinnati Reds
28. St. Louis Cardinals
29. Oakland Athletics
30. Kansas City Royals
Highlight of the Week: Alex Verdugo Walks It Off Again for the Red Sox
8 of 10
Alex Verdugo is having a fantastic season for the Boston Red Sox.
The 26-year-old is hitting .307/.379/.504 for a 137 OPS+ with 10 doubles, five home runs, 18 RBI, 27 runs scored and 1.2 WAR through 35 games—surpassing the 1.1 WAR he logged in 152 games last season.
Beyond those impressive surface-level stats, he has also been one of baseball's best clutch hitters, going 11-for-33 with 13 RBI in 40 plate appearances with runners in scoring position.
Last Monday, he delivered his third walk-off hit of the young season, joining a short list of players to pile up that many game-winning knocks through his team's first 30 games.
The former top prospect is having an All-Star-caliber season and appears to finally be fully realizing the vast potential he showed during his time as a prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers system.
Team of the Week
9 of 10
C Sean Murphy, ATL
(9-for-25, 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI)
1B Paul Goldschmidt, STL
(10-for-26, 4 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI)
2B Ozzie Albies, ATL
(13-for-35, 5 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI)
3B Rafael Devers, BOS
(9-for-28, 2 2B, HR, 7 RBI)
SS Ezequiel Tovar, COL
(8-for-22, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI)
OF Anthony Santander, BAL
(12-for-27, 2 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI)
OF Masataka Yoshida, BOS
(12-for-25, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI)
OF Daulton Varsho, TOR
(11-for-28, 3 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI)
DH Bryce Harper, PHI
(7-for-19, 2B, HR, RBI)
SP Bryce Miller, SEA
(2 GS, W, ND, 12.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 15 K)
SP Bryce Elder, ATL
(2 GS, W, ND, 12.1 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 10 K)
SP Eduardo Rodriguez, DET
(1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K)
SP Anthony DeSclafani, SF
(1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K)
SP Nathan Eovaldi, TEX
(1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)
RP Camilo Doval, SF
(4 G, 4/4 SV, 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 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. Bo Bichette, TOR
6. Jonah Heim, TEX
7. Wander Franco, TB
8. Jorge Mateo, BAL
9. Jarred Kelenic, SEA
10. Brent Rooker, OAK
NL MVP
1. Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL
2. Sean Murphy ATL
3. Max Muncy, LAD
4. Luis Arraez, MIA
5. Paul Goldschmidt, STL
6. Brandon Marsh, PHI
7. Brandon Nimmo, NYM
8. James Outman, LAD
9. Cody Bellinger, CHC
10. Thairo Estrada, SF
AL Cy Young
1. Eduardo Rodriguez, DET
2. Sonny Gray, MIN
3. Gerrit Cole, NYY
4. Shohei Ohtani, LAA
5. Luis Castillo, SEA
NL Cy Young
1. Justin Steele, CHC
2. Zac Gallen, ARI
3. Spencer Strider, ATL
4. Anthony DeSclafani, SF
5. Bryce Elder, ATL
AL Rookie of the Year
1. Masataka Yoshida, BOS
2. Hunter Brown, HOU
3. Yennier Cano, BAL
NL Rookie of the Year
1. James Outman, LAD
2. Corbin Carroll, ARI
3. Kodai Senga, NYM
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