MLB Report Card Grades for All 30 Teams Entering July
As the calendar nudges toward July, it's time to deliver a fresh batch of MLB report card grades.
As ever, these are more progress reports than binding marks, aimed at assessing where clubs stand now rather than where they'll be come October. That said, with the heat of summer upon us, we can start drawing conclusions.
Oh, also: We're grading on a curve. Wins and losses matter, but it's far worse for an assumed contender to be under .500 than it is for a rebuilding franchise.
American League West
1 of 6
Houston Astros (53-26)
The Houston Astros have the best record in baseball, boosted by a plus-120 run differential and an impressive 29-9 mark on the road. Ace Dallas Keuchel (neck) remains on the shelf but is eyeing a post-All-Star break return, per MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
Assuming he comes back healthy, he'll boost a club that looks increasingly like the class of the American League.
Grade: A
Los Angeles Angels (42-40)
The Los Angeles Angels have gone 16-13 since losing superstar Mike Trout to a thumb injury, thanks in part to a stout bullpen that ranks fourth in the AL with a 3.63 ERA. Trout is hitting off a tee and should be back for the stretch run, per Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. The Halos aren't a powerhouse, but they should be commended for staying in the postseason picture in his absence.
As manager Mike Scioscia put it, per Teaford, "I mean, .500 baseball is nothing to throw a parade about, but it's a start."
Grade: B-
Texas Rangers (39-39)
Speaking of .500, that's where the Texas Rangers are hovering, even as their Lone Star State rivals run away with the division. As the trade deadline looms, Texas will need to decide whether to move veteran pieces such as right-hander Yu Darvish and catcher Jonathan Lucroy or to load up for a playoff push.
At the moment, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram noted, "the Rangers are in a holding pattern. They aren't buyers or sellers, but rather are observers to see what will happen to a team that is nearing full health in the rotation and is at full health offensively."
Grade: C
Seattle Mariners (39-41)
Speaking of injury-bitten teams on the buy/sell bubble, the Seattle Mariners have lost four straight to dip below .500. They rank fifth in the AL in runs scored, and ace Felix Hernandez has shown some positive progress in two starts since coming off the disabled list.
The Mariners' rotten DL luck and continued mediocre play, however, have sent the ship off course.
Grade: C-
Oakland Athletics (35-43)
Considering they have the worst run differential in the Junior Circuit at minus-73, it's actually impressive the Oakland A's are "only" eight games under .500.
The story in the East Bay this summer, however, will be where key trade pieces such as right-hander Sonny Gray and first baseman Yonder Alonso end up. Let the sell-off commence.
Grade: D+
American League Central
2 of 6
Cleveland Indians (41-36)
On one hand, the Cleveland Indians are in first place in the AL Central with a comfortable plus-52 run differential. On the other hand, they're just five games over .500 and locked in a surprisingly tight race with the upstart Minnesota Twins.
The Tribe should pull away at some point, especially if Corey Kluber keeps throwing like a true ace and the offense clicks behind surprise leader Jose Ramirez (.322 average, .934 OPS). For now, the defending AL champs are awaiting liftoff.
Grade: B
Minnesota Twins (40-36)
Tip your cap to the Twinkies, who are nipping at Cleveland's heels despite a minus-45 run differential—the worst figure in the division.
Math and logic say it can't last, but Minnesota keeps spitting on both. In fact, while they're not about to blow up the farm system, the Twins could be buyers at the deadline.
Here's how general manager Thad Levine spelled out his strategy, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand: "We're probably not going to be inclined to spend lavishly on short-term assets, but we would be very open to spending aggressively on assets that we could use to propel our team forward this year and for years to come."
Grade: A-
Kansas City Royals (38-38)
The Kansas City Royals have big decisions to make. They're at .500 and within striking distance of a playoff spot. They've also got a bushel of impending free agents, including outfielder Lorenzo Cain, third baseman Mike Moustakas and first baseman Eric Hosmer.
Will K.C. sell its championship core and shift into rebuild mode, or make one more run? The fact they've been neither good nor terrible through June makes that an excruciating choice.
Grade: C
Detroit Tigers (34-43)
The Detroit Tigers eschewed a sell-off last winter, opting to keep their veteran pieces and see what happened.
Here's what's happened: Detroit is mired under .500 and has lost eight of its last 10. The time to shed payroll and restock a moribund farm system is now.
Grade: D
Chicago White Sox (33-44)
The Chicago White Sox have the worst record in the American League. Unlike other recent losing seasons, however, this one is laced with hope. Chicago is in the midst of a true rebuild, and South Side fans should exercise patience.
The next big move will be calling up top prospect Yoan Moncada, who is slashing .280/.377/.455 at Triple-A. The Sox may wait until after the deadline, when they will presumably move some veterans, including third baseman Todd Frazier.
Grade: C
American League East
3 of 6
New York Yankees (42-34)
The New York Yankees have lost 11 of their last 15 games and slipped into a tie with the rival Boston Red Sox for AL East supremacy. The bullpen, long an unmitigated strength, has wavered. There are questions in the rotation.
The offense remains solid behind Rookie of the Year and MVP contender Aaron Judge, but it has suffered injuries to key contributors such as outfielder Aaron Hicks.
The Yanks are still a postseason factor, but they'll need trade-deadline reinforcements.
Grade: B
Boston Red Sox (43-35)
The Red Sox have failed to capitalize on the Yankees' recent tailspin, as they've gone just 6-7 since June 15.
Still, the Sox own a share of first place. They've got the AL Cy Young Award front-runner in Chris Sale, a stout bullpen and an enviable young offensive core.
Adding a starter and third baseman at the trade deadline would help move them from contender to clear division favorite.
Grade: B
Tampa Bay Rays (41-39)
For all the attention heaped on the Yankees and Red Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays have quietly hung around in the crowded AL East behind a powerful offense led by the suddenly potent Corey Dickerson (.955 OPS).
There will be trade rumblings around key pieces such as ace Chris Archer, but right now the Rays are more likely to add MLB talent before July 31 than they are to subtract.
Grade: B+
Baltimore Orioles (38-39)
At just one game below .500, the Baltimore Orioles are technically in the postseason picture. Their minus-67 run differential tells a different story, however.
Baltimore is dead last in the AL with a 5.08 ERA. The offense is 20th with a .739 OPS. The O's should be buried much deeper than they are, which is sort of a compliment but more a word of caution.
Grade: C-
Toronto Blue Jays (37-40)
The Toronto Blue Jays have gone 5-5 in their last 10, which pretty much encapsulates a frustratingly mediocre season north of the border.
Justin Smoak (.957 OPS) has been a revelation, but the offense overall ranks second-to-last in the AL in runs scored. The Jays may not tear the roster down by late July, but they should at least listen to offers on everyone up to and including franchise cornerstone Josh Donaldson.
Grade: D+
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National League West
4 of 6
Los Angeles Dodgers (52-28)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have won eight of their last 10. They've got the best run differential in baseball at plus-137. Powerful Cody Bellinger is running away with the National League Rookie of the Year race. Clayton Kershaw might no longer be the best pitcher in baseball, as Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer argued, but he's pretty darn good.
The Dodgers may target a starting pitcher or outfield help at the deadline as they look to stave off the pesky Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies in a surprisingly competitive NL West. As constructed, however, they're one of the game's top teams.
Grade: A
Arizona Diamondbacks (50-29)
After a disastrous 2016 season, the Arizona Diamondbacks have slithered back to relevance.
Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray front a rotation that leads MLB with a 3.46 ERA, while first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is putting together a convincing MVP case.
Keep your eyes out west this summer, as Arizona mounts a legitimate challenge to L.A.'s run of four straight division titles.
Grade: A
Colorado Rockies (47-34)
The Rockies are in this thing, too, despite dropping eight of their last 10.
They'll have to correct course if they want to hang with the Dodgers and D-Backs, but Colorado has an offense that's sixth in baseball in runs scored and a pitching staff that's tied with Los Angeles for the third-best road ERA in the game.
Recent struggles aside, the Rockies have enough talent to stick around.
Grade: B+
San Diego Padres (32-46)
The San Diego Padres are what they are: a rebuilding franchise that's going to lose a lot of games and look frequently hapless doing it.
The biggest feather in the Friars' frock? They might not finish in last place despite a minus-114 run differential.
Grade: C-
San Francisco Giants (30-51)
Yes, the San Francisco Giants just swept the Rockies. With that, they moved within 21 games of .500.
Ouch.
Almost nothing has gone right this season for San Francisco, which lost ace Madison Bumgarner to a dirt bike accident and has seen its offense and pitching staff crumble. The club may not go into full rebuild mode, but catcher Buster Posey, shortstop Brandon Crawford and Bumgarner are the only untouchable pieces on the roster, per MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi.
Grade: D-
National League Central
5 of 6
Milwaukee Brewers (41-39)
It's officially time to admit it: The Milwaukee Brewers are much better than we thought.
Will they win the division? Maybe not. But they're in first place as June draws to a close, and essentially no one saw that coming.
Their pitching staff took a major blow when right-hander Chase Anderson landed on the disabled list with an oblique injury Wednesday, per Dayn Perry of CBS Sports.
Maybe that'll finally stop the Crew's improbable roll. Then again, maybe not.
Grade: A
Chicago Cubs (39-39)
It's officially time to admit it: The Chicago Cubs are less great than we thought.
The defending champions rolled into 2017 with a head of steam, but regression by key players on offense and trouble in the starting rotation have them at .500 looking up in bewilderment at Milwaukee.
There are still budding stars littered across the depth chart and enough chips in the minors to swing some deals at the deadline. Chicago is the division favorite, warts and all.
Those warts, however, are uglier than expected.
Grade: C-
St. Louis Cardinals (36-41)
Mired below .500 with a minus-seven run differential, the St. Louis Cardinals are in an unfamiliar spot.
This club is accustomed to annual contention. And with the Cubs stumbling, the NL Central is winnable. That said, there are tradable veterans on the roster, including closer Seung-hwan Oh and first baseman Matt Carpenter, who could net a solid return.
It's a tough pill for Cards fans to swallow, but no team keeps winning forever.
Grade: D+
Pittsburgh Pirates (36-42)
Like the Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates can look at the middling leaders in the Central and dream of a summer surge.
Also like St. Louis, Pittsburgh should swallow hard and look to unload veteran assets, including outfielder Andrew McCutchen, assuming a market develops for the 2013 NL MVP.
Grade: D+
Cincinnati Reds (33-44)
After a strong start, the Cincinnati Reds have dropped into the division basement.
Unlike the Cardinals and Pirates, Cincinnati shouldn't even blink before trading veterans such as shortstop and impending free agent Zack Cozart and accelerating the rebuild.
Grade: C
National League East
6 of 6
Washington Nationals (47-31)
The Nationals have gone 14-12 in June. Fortunately for them, they're the only team in the NL East with a winning record.
They've got a potent offense led by Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and a reborn Ryan Zimmerman. They've got a rotation topped by NL Cy Young Award favorite Max Scherzer. They could use an experienced closer, but that's what the trade deadline is for.
If there's such a thing as wrapping up a division before the All-Star break, the Nats have done it.
Grade: A
Atlanta Braves (37-40)
The Braves have gone 21-19 since losing MVP candidate Freddie Freeman to a broken wrist on May 17. They're now within three games of .500 and in second place.
They won't catch the Nationals even if Freeman comes back strong, but credit this club with resilience and consider them a rising factor in the NL.
Grade: B+
Miami Marlins (35-41)
The Marlins will be well represented when they host the All-Star weekend festivities. Marcell Ozuna is on track to start in the outfield, and Giancarlo Stanton will defend his Home Run Derby crown.
A starting rotation that ranks 21st in baseball in ERA has kept the Fish floating below .500, however, and the long-impending sale of the team by polarizing owner Jeffrey Loria remains a distraction.
Grade: C-
New York Mets (35-42)
Things are deteriorating fast in Queens. The New York Mets, undone by injuries to the starting rotation, are seven games under .500 with a minus-32 run differential. Any dreams of making a run at the Nationals, or at least a wild-card berth, are virtually over.
Now, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, the Mets are "open for business" on their veteran pieces, including outfielders Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and reliever Addison Reed.
Grade: D
Philadelphia Phillies (26-51)
No one expected the Philadelphia Phillies to make the playoffs. But after they won 71 games in 2016, a modest step forward seemed possible.
Instead, the Phils own the worst record in baseball behind a pitching staff that has the third-worst ERA in the NL and an offense that has outscored only the punchless Padres.
Rebuilds always hurt a little, but they don't have to hurt this much.
Grade: D
All statistics and standings accurate heading into games played Thursday and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.
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