MLB Power Rankings as Yankees, Tigers Get Back on Track and Phillies, Giants Tumble
The MLB playoff picture is starting to take shape here in the middle of August, though there is always the potential for a major shakeup if one of the teams on the fringe of contention gets hot.
Just ask the 2024 Detroit Tigers.
For now, no team outside of the 12 clubs that would make up the playoff field if the season ended today has better than a 20 percent chance of making the postseason, according to the latest odds from FanGraphs.
Regardless, it feels like everyone is chasing the Milwaukee Brewers. The NL Central leaders had their 14-game winning streak snapped on Sunday, but they still have the best record in baseball by a sizable margin and have simply been on another level since the All-Star break.
Where does your favorite team fall in this week's MLB power rankings?
Nos. 30-20: Running Out the Clock
1 of 10
30. Chicago White Sox (44-80)
29. Colorado Rockies (35-89)
28. Pittsburgh Pirates (52-73)
27. Washington Nationals (50-74)
26. Minnesota Twins (58-66)
25. Miami Marlins (59-65)
24. Baltimore Orioles (57-67)
23. Atlanta Braves (56-68)
22. Los Angeles Angels (60-64)
21. Athletics (56-70)
20. San Francisco Giants (60-64)
The Colorado Rockies are 5-1 since the end of an eight-game losing streak earlier this month, and they have trimmed their 162-game pace from 121 to 116 losses, which would be five fewer than the 2024 White Sox.
After clawing their way back to a .500 record on Aug. 3, which left them six games back in the NL wild-card standings, the Miami Marlins have stumbled to a 4-10 record in their last 14 games and fallen out of potential playoff contention.
The San Francisco Giants are newcomers to this bottom-tier group following a 1-5 week against the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays, but their 9-21 record over their last 30 games is the worst in baseball and dropping them a tier was overdue.
Nos. 19-15: A Faint Pulse
2 of 10
19. Arizona Diamondbacks (60-65)
18. St. Louis Cardinals (61-64)
17. Texas Rangers (62-63)
16. Tampa Bay Rays (61-64)
15. Kansas City Royals (63-61)
After selling at the trade deadline, it was only a matter of time before the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals started to slip out of wild-card contention, though they are still capable of playing spoiler.
On the other hand, the Texas Rangers were buyers at the deadline, most notably adding starting pitcher Merrill Kelly from the D-backs and relief pitcher Phil Maton from the Cardinals. They are struggling to pull away from those sellers, and in fact dropped two of three to the D-backs last week.
The Kansas City Royals went 5-1 at home against the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox, while the Tampa Bay Rays took two of three on the road against the Athletics and San Francisco Giants, putting both teams on the cusp of a potential move up to the next tier of teams with another strong week.
Nos. 14-11: Four Teams, Two Spots
3 of 10
14. New York Mets (66-58)
Previous Rank: 14
Last Week: 1-2 vs. ATL, 2-1 vs. SEA
The Mets have been in freefall since getting swept by the Padres to close out July, suffering five straight series losses before finally taking two of three from the Mariners over the weekend. They now have a mere 1.5-game lead over the Reds for the final NL wild-card spot, after spending the back end of July atop the NL East standings.
13. Cleveland Guardians (63-60)
Previous Rank: 11
Last Week: 2-1 vs. MIA, 0-3 vs. ATL
After five straight weeks of climbing in our weekly power rankings, the Guardians fell two spots after an ugly weekend series with the Braves where they were outscored 17-5 and swept for the first time since dropping three in a row to the Tigers on Fourth of July weekend. Cade Smith has tossed nine scoreless innings with three saves and three wins in August, helping to ease the loss of closer Emmanuel Clase to suspension.
12. Cincinnati Reds (65-60)
Previous Rank: 12
Last Week: 2-1 vs. PHI, 1-2 vs. MIL
All things considered, it was a successful week for the Reds, as they picked up a series win against a good Phillies team and then avoided getting swept by the Brewers, which has been easier said than done the last few weeks. Slugger Miguel Andújar has been a sneaky-good deadline pickup, posting a 1.073 OPS with three home runs and nine RBI in 13 games.
11. New York Yankees (67-57)
Previous Rank: 13
Last Week: 2-1 vs. MIN, 3-0 @ STL
With an 8-4 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday, the Yankees completed their first series sweep since July 10 when they took three in a row from the Mariners, and after three straight series losses to begin August they now appear to be back on track. They enter play on Monday with a 3.5-game lead over the Guardians for the final AL wild-card spot.
Nos. 10-9
4 of 10
10. Boston Red Sox (68-57)
Previous Rank: 8
Last Week: 1-2 @ HOU, 2-1 vs. MIA
After series losses to the Padres and Astros on the road, the Red Sox got back on track by taking two of three from the Marlins at Fenway Park over the weekend. They have a quick two-game series with the Orioles and an off-day on Wednesday before a huge four-game series at Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox swept the Yankees at home back in mid-June the last time they faced off, and they lead the season series 5-1.
9. Houston Astros (69-55)
Previous Rank: 10
Last Week: 2-1 vs. BOS, 1-2 vs. BAL
A third straight quality start from Jason Alexander on Saturday (6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER) has the former waiver claim tracking to potentially be Houston's No. 3 starter in the playoffs, though Cristian Javier and Spencer Arrighetti still have a chance to make a statement as they continue to shake off the rust from long stints on the injured list. A three-game series in Detroit is up next, and Tuesday's game will be must-see TV with AL Cy Young candidates Hunter Brown and Tarik Skubal going head-to-head.
Nos. 8-7
5 of 10
8. San Diego Padres (69-55)
Previous Rank: 7
Last Week: 3-0 @ SF, 0-3 @ LAD
The Padres have one of the more drastic home/road splits in baseball with a 38-20 record at Petco Park and a 31-34 record on the road, but that could work in their favor this week as they are set to play host to the Giants and Dodgers. Left fielder Ramón Laureano has been one of the most impactful pickups of the deadline so far, hitting .339/.403/.679 with three doubles, two triples, four home runs and 12 RBI in 15 games.
7. Chicago Cubs (70-53)
Previous Rank: 5
Last Week: 1-2 @ TOR, 2-1 vs. PIT
The Cubs won back-to-back games for the first time in August with victories over the Pirates on Saturday and Sunday, and the pitching staff now quietly leads the majors with a 2.75 ERA in August, picking up the slack for an offense that has cooled off a bit after ranking among the best in baseball most of the year. How they fare in five games against the Brewers this week could determine whether they are in the hunt for the NL Central title or playing for a wild-card berth down the stretch.
Nos. 6-5
6 of 10
6. Seattle Mariners (68-57)
Previous Rank: 4
Last Week: 1-2 @ BAL, 1-2 @ NYM
A pair of series losses on the road last week halted what had been some excellent momentum for a Mariners team that reached its highest point of the year in these rankings at No. 4 last week. Once the M's get past their three-game series against the Phillies in Philadelphia, they have one of the easier remaining schedules among AL contenders, and that should give them a chance to reclaim some momentum.
5. Philadelphia Phillies (71-53)
Previous Rank: 2
Last Week: 1-2 @ CIN, 2-2 @ WAS
The Phillies were dealt a major blow over the weekend when ace Zack Wheeler was placed on the injured list with a blood clot in his right arm, and there is no clear timetable for his return. That makes Aaron Nola an even bigger X-factor as he looks to put an injury-plagued season in the rearview, but he allowed 12 hits and nine earned runs in his most recent start against the Cardinals on Thursday. The Phillies went 8-2 over their first 10 games in August before stumbling last week.
Nos. 4-3
7 of 10
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (71-53)
Previous Rank: 3
Last Week: 0-3 @ LAA, 3-0 vs. SD
Swept by the Angels to begin last week, the Dodgers rallied with a three-game sweep of the rival Padres, with Mookie Betts breaking out of a slump with the game-winning home run on Sunday. A healthy Blake Snell threw another gem on Saturday, and he now has 11 scoreless innings and 13 strikeouts in his last two starts as he gears up to potentially anchor the staff in October.
3. Detroit Tigers (73-53)
Previous Rank: 9
Last Week: 2-1 @ CWS, 3-1 @ MIN
The Tigers made the most of an easy stretch in their schedule, going 7-3 against the Angels, White Sox and Twins to build some much-needed momentum after struggling a bit coming out of the All-Star break. Rookie Troy Melton continues to impress, as he allowed just one hit over five shutout innings on Wednesday, and he could pitch his way into a significant October role if Jack Flaherty and Chris Paddack continue to struggle.
Nos. 2-1
8 of 10
2. Toronto Blue Jays (73-52)
Previous Rank: 6
Last Week: 2-1 vs. CHC, 2-1 vs. TEX
The Blue Jays slugged 11 home runs in six games last week, and they are now averaging 6.33 runs per game in August, a mark that trails only the red-hot Brewers. Daulton Varsho (1.188 OPS, 5 HR, 14 RBI) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1.118 OPS, 6 HR, 11 RBI) have been as potent a one-two punch as any in baseball this month, while Max Scherzer has quietly strung together four straight quality starts as he is rounding into frontline form for the playoff push.
1. Milwaukee Brewers (78-45)
Previous Rank: 1
Last Week: 3-0 vs. PIT, 2-1 @ CIN
The Brewers finally lost a game, dropping Sunday's contest with the Reds in extra innings to halt the longest winning streak of the 2025 season at 14 games. They were just one game up on the Cubs in the NL Central standings when that streak began, but their lead has now swelled to eight games. Those two NL pennant hopefuls will face off for five games in four days at Wrigley Field starting on Monday afternoon.
Complete Rankings
9 of 10
Complete Rankings
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. Toronto Blue Jays
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Philadelphia Phillies
6. Seattle Mariners
7. Chicago Cubs
8. San Diego Padres
9. Houston Astros
10. Boston Red Sox
11. New York Yankees
12. Cincinnati Reds
13. Cleveland Guardians
14. New York Mets
15. Kansas City Royals
16. Tampa Bay Rays
17. Texas Rangers
18. St. Louis Cardinals
19. Arizona Diamondbacks
20. San Francisco Giants
21. Athletics
22. Los Angeles Angels
23. Atlanta Braves
24. Baltimore Orioles
25. Miami Marlins
26. Minnesota Twins
27. Washington Nationals
28. Pittsburgh Pirates
29. Colorado Rockies
30. Chicago White Sox
Stars of the Week
10 of 10
Hitter of the Week: DH Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
Stats: 6 G, 11-for-25, 2B, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 6 R
Yelich is having one of the best seasons no one is talking about, and he did a nice job padding his stats last week while continuing to be a driving force in the middle of a scorching-hot Milwaukee lineup. The former NL MVP is now batting .267/.345/.457 on the year while leading the Brewers in home runs (25) and RBI (86).
Pitcher of the Week: SP Jacob Lopez, Athletics
Stats: 1 GS, W, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
Over his past four starts, Lopez has tossed 24 scoreless innings, allowing just 14 hits and six walks while piling up 28 strikeouts, and he is throwing the ball as well as anyone in baseball right now. The 27-year-old technically still holds rookie eligibility, despite seeing some MLB action with the Rays in 2023 and 2024, and with a 3.30 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 103 strikeouts in 84.2 innings he could pitch his way onto some AL Rookie of the Year ballots.
Rookie of the Week: SP Brandon Young, Baltimore Orioles
Stats: 1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Lopez technically could have been the Pitcher of the Week and Rookie of the Week selection, but this gives us an opportunity to talk about another standout pitching performance. Young, 26, has made 11 starts for the Orioles this season plugging a hole in the starting rotation, and he was nearly perfect on Friday when he used 93 pitches to blank the Astros over eight innings of one-hit ball.
