Tigers power up at ballot box -- and in Power Rankings

As you’d probably expect, the announcement of the All-Star rosters on Sunday night was packed with players you’ll see among the teams atop these Power Rankings. It still must be shouted out how well Tigers fans -- who, as we’ve seen from some of their fanbase travels to road games this year, are really enjoying this breakthrough season -- showed up in the All-Star voting this year. How many people would have ever predicted two Tigers outfielders getting voted in? There will be so many Tigers in Atlanta. And very deservingly so.

These rankings, as always, are compiled from MLB.com contributors whose names you can find at the bottom of this (and every) piece, but the words are mine. If you dislike the rankings, yell at all of us. But if you dislike the words, feel free to yell at me.

1. Tigers (previously: 1)
The Tigers ended up with four All-Stars, including their three starters -- Riley, Greene, Javier Báez and Gleyber Torres, plus Tarik Skubal -- the most since 2015, when Miguel Cabrera, Jose Iglesias (his one ASG appearance), J.D. Martinez and David Price all made the team. If there are any replacements, you wonder if there’s potentially space for Zach McKinstry, Spencer Torkelson or Casey Mize, all of whom are clearly deserving.

2. Dodgers (previously 2)
It’s not very often that you learn a key player is out six weeks and it’s good news, but considering how bad Max Muncy’s knee injury looked in the moment, six weeks is the best case scenario. As always, the Dodgers injury list is extensive, but if all goes well, look at all the players who will be back for them as they start rolling into the playoffs: Muncy, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol. And remember: They’re already really good right now.

3. Astros (previously: 4)
The Astros simply will not stop winning. Their lineup losses from last year (including Yordan Alvarez, whose return continues to not be imminent) are well-documented, but they keep on trucking, even ruining the Shohei Ohtani pitching parade on Saturday. (After he left, of course.) They’ve got the best record in baseball since May 24, despite Alvarez playing exactly zero (0) of those games.

4. Cubs (previously: 3)
Seiya Suzuki drew a lot of headlines for leading MLB in RBIs and still not (for now) making the All-Star Game, but you can make an argument that Michael Busch is the bigger snub. His three-homer game on Friday against the Cardinals was just the culmination of a fantastic season for the former Dodger. Here’s something you probably didn’t realize: Out of all those Cubs stars, from Kyle Tucker to Pete Crow-Armstrong to Suzuki, it’s Busch who is leading in two of the three slash categories -- BA (.297) and slugging (.566) -- and barely second behind Tucker in OBP (.384 vs. .387)

5. Phillies (previously: 5)
The Phillies have gotten outstanding starting pitching for a month-plus now, but they’re not really taking advantage of it; they’re essentially a .500 team during that time. Sad to say, but Bryce Harper is part of the problem: He’s 4-for-28 since the beginning of June (accounting for this three weeks on the IL, of course), and, damningly, he hasn’t driven in a batter other than himself since … May 24?

6. Blue Jays (previously: 13)
So! Good week! When these Power Rankings last left you, the Jays were in third place, three games behind the Yankees and had been outscored by their opponents on the season. (And they had just lost 15-1 to the Red Sox.) Seven wins later, they’re three games up on the Yankees and Rays and in first place for the first time after July 1 since September 2016.

7. Mets (previously: 8)
Brandon Nimmo, who hit two grand slams this week and is the first Met to hit three in a season since Carlos Beltrán in 2006, has gone through so many permutations with the Mets that it’s often forgotten how long he has been in Flushing. He’s actually 11^th all time in games played as a Met, already. Considering he’s signed through 2030, there is a very real possibility he is ultimately considered one of the top five Mets of all time?

8. Brewers (previously: 9)
Whatever your expectations were for Brandon Woodruff in his first start since 2023, he surely exceeded them. He looked like he didn’t miss a step during all that time rehabbing from injury, throwing six innings (but only 70 pitches), striking out eight and giving up two hits, no walks, and just one earned run. The Brewers were already well-positioned to make a second-half run. Now it sure looks like they have their ace back.

9. Rays (previously: 7)
After a stretch in which they were essentially hitting like the 1927 Yankees, the Rays have fallen back to earth, losing three straight series. The major culprit has been their bullpen, which as an ERA over 9.00 during this brutal stretch.

10. Yankees (previously: 6)
Uh-oh. Those of us who were skeptical of the Yankees pitching coming into the year are being vindicated, though, to be fair, injuries are doing much of the work. The Clarke Schmidt injury is particularly devastating, particularly now that Carlos Rodón is struggling -- the Yankees have lost five of his last six starts. The series sweep against the Blue Jays was a nightmare. But that nightmare, even with Sunday’s win over the Mets, is not yet over.

11. Padres (previously: 10)
Jake Cronenworth’s walk-off single on Saturday night wasn’t particularly surprising; even after falling short earlier in the game in a similar situation, he’s well-known as one of the Padres’ most clutch players. The walk-off was his fifth as a Padre, which is second all-time in Petco Park history. The man he’s behind? White Sox manager Will Venable.

12. Mariners (previously: 14)
Cal Raleigh tied Ken Griffey Jr.’s team record for home runs before the All-Star break over the weekend, but if the two have a rivalry, it’s an extremely friendly one. The two reportedly talk regularly on the phone and have developed a friendship, as icons often do. “To be mentioned with that name, with somebody who's just iconic, is a legend, is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, I'm just blessed,” Raleigh said. “I'm just trying to do the right thing and trying to keep it rolling. If I can try to be like that guy, it's a good guy to look up to.”

13. Cardinals (previously: 11)
The Cardinals looked like they might be crashing and burning this week after going scoreless in a series against the Pirates, giving up eight homers at Wrigley Field on Friday and then blowing a lead to fall behind 5-3 in the eighth inning on Saturday. But then they put together a five-run rally, culminating in a monster homer from backup catcher Yohel Pozo, that stopped the bleeding at a moment the Cardinals desperately needed it stopped. Pozo has been a very pleasant surprise for the Cardinals this year: He hadn’t played a big league game since 2021 before this year, but he was hitting .313 and slugging .482 for the Cardinals in 2025.

14. Giants (previously: 12)
For the first time, the Giants have Matt Chapman in the lineup alongside Rafael Devers, two big hitters and franchise cornerstones for years to come. This is the team they’ve been waiting to have, and considering how poorly they’ve played over the last month (8-12 since June 14, a date they were tied with the Dodgers), the time to make a run is right now.

15. Reds (previously: 15)
The Reds have been one of the better teams in baseball over the last month, and they got some key reinforcements back this week in Noelvi Marte and Graham Ashcraft. Marte, in particular, helps the Reds look like they’re supposed to look; he was excellent before going down with a left oblique injury two months ago. “I love it. I always say it’s fluid, but it’s nice," manager Terry Francona said. "The kid [Marte] worked hard. He had to be patient for a long while, but once he was able to take off the shackles, he got after it.”

16. Red Sox (previously: 18)
Congratulations to the Red Sox for becoming the fifth franchise in MLB history with 10,000 wins with their Saturday win over the Nationals. (The Dodgers, Yankees, Giants and Cardinals are the other ones.) More immediately, the win got the Sox back to .500 for the first time in two weeks. This looks like a team on the come up: The young players, particularly Roman Anthony (who made a fantastic defensive play over the weekend and is starting to finally hit), are coming around, and just in time.

17. Rangers (previously: 16)
It was yet another setback for Josh Jung, the former All-Star who was sent down by the Rangers, who is hitting .237, not getting on base and not smashing the ball with much authority. He would seem to reaching a pivot moment in his career: He’s not so young anymore (27), and the Rangers desperately need offense and may have run out of time to wait on him. One wonders if he is reaching the “change of scenery” stage of his career.

18. Diamondbacks (previously: 17)
Corbin Carroll made a surprisingly quick return from a chip fracture in his hand back on June 18, and while he went 0-for-5 in his first game back, the Diamondbacks still won -- something that has been a rarity lately. Getting the D-backs back into playoff contention may be too heavy a lift for Carroll, but the next week will be critical; if it goes sideways, you may see some trades coming, and soon.

19. Twins (previously: 22)
The Twins’ best two players this season, according to Fangraphs WAR, have been Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton. Do you know who is third? Would you believe Harrison Bader? The veteran outfielder, who hit two homers on Friday, including a walk-off, has been as splendid as ever in the outfield (he’s a former Gold Glove winner) and has put up his best offensive numbers in about seven seasons.

20. Royals (previously: 23)
Remember when Jac Caglianone was going to be the kickstarter for this offense? It sure hasn’t worked out that way: In his first 27 games (and 108 plate appearances), he is hitting .148 with just two homers. He also has a downright motley 26-5 strikeout to walk ratio. If he can get going, though … he can still be that kickstarter. They still need one.

21. Angels (previously: 21)
It would be nice to get Mike Trout going -- he’s healthy but has put up the lowest slugging percentage of his career, by a rather large margin -- but it should be said that the Angels have more solid hitters in their lineup than they have had in many a moon. Jo Adell, Zach Neto, Taylor Ward and Nolan Schanuel are all above-average hitters on the season. When’s the last time this Angels lineup was this scary?

22. Guardians (previously: 20)
On June 5, the Guardians held the second Wild Card spot in the American League. They have the worst record in baseball since. It’s not José Ramírez’s fault, but it should be said that he is not really helping either: He is in the midst of a miserable .187 stretch over his previous 20 games.

23. Marlins (previously: 25)
The Marlins seem to have fallen back to earth a little after their eight-game win streak -- the Brewers will do that to you right now -- but they will always have that 18-game stretch from June 11 to July 3 in which they were the best team in baseball.

24. Orioles (previously: 24)
Charlie Morton’s baffling season has put the Orioles in a bit of a pickle. It wasn’t long ago that the 40-something Morton was essentially unpitchable. But now? In his last nine starts -- a stretch he came into with a 9.38 ERA -- he has a 2.97 ERA in 36 1/3 innings. The question now is: Is he good enough to make a run with in the rotation … or is he good enough to trade?

25. Braves (previously: 19)
It’s falling apart fast for the Braves, who sure look like they may be sellers (for what they would have to sell, anyway) as we head into their big moment in the sun for the All-Star Game. The Spencer Schwellenbach injury looks particularly destructive. The Braves are six games over .500 (19-13) when Schwellenbach and Chris Sale (who is of course also hurt) start … and 17 games under .500 (20-37) when anyone else starts.

26. Pirates (previously: 28)
If you like shutouts -- and do people like shutouts? -- the Pirates are definitely your team. The Pirates have been shut out an MLB-worst 12 times this year … and have thrown 10 shutouts, second-most in baseball. Nearly a quarter of their games have ended in shutouts.

27. Nationals (previously: 27)
The Nationals made a seismic move on Sunday night, firing both manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo. Those two gentlemen will, obviously, be forever etched in granite in Washington Nationals history: They are the men who guided the franchise to its only World Series title, back in 2019. But it should be said: Since that World Series title, the Nationals have put together a 325-473 record, a .407 winning percentage, which comes out to a 96-loss season every year. Only one team in all of baseball, the Rockies, has been worse over that span. Martinez and Rizzo won a World Series for these fans. But these fans haven’t gotten much since.

28. A’s (previously: 26)
It is rather remarkable that out of Fernando Tatis Jr., Bobby Witt Jr., Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Elly De La Cruz, Jacob Wilson and Bo Bichette … it’s Wilson who got enough votes for start in the All-Star Game. He’s the first A’s shortstop to start in the All-Star Game since Bert Campaneris in 1975.

29. White Sox (previously: 29)
Colson Montgomery, the White Sox No. 5 prospect (and No. 95 overall by MLB Pipeline) made his debut in memorable fashion on Friday. He made an amazing diving play at shortstop, not long after becoming the first player in the Expansion Era to reach base in his first MLB at-bat on a catcher's interference. You never forget your first game, but he’ll definitely never forget that one.

30. Rockies (previously: 30)
Let’s look at the future of the Rockies, rather than focus on the somewhat unpleasant present. Remember when last year’s first-round pick Charlie Condon was struggling? That’s over. Now at Double-A Hartford, you’ll be able to see him in the Futures Game next weekend. He sure looks like he has recovered from the wrist injury that set him back. “He’s taking what they’re giving him,” said Chris Forbes, the Rockies’ player development director. “He was still showing that he’s got it, the power. His home runs were going to center. And you want to see that.”

Voters: Nathalie Alonso, Doug Gausepohl, Will Leitch, Travis Miller, Brian Murphy, Arturo Pardavila, Andrew Simon, David Venn.