The Tigers and Cubs played an exciting series in Detroit this weekend, but you know a label I didn’t hear a lot of people giving it? A potential World Series matchup. The two classic MLB teams have met four times in the World Series, with the Tigers winning the championship in 1935 and 1945, and the Cubs winning it in 1907 and 1908 (that was the last one the Cubs won until, uh, fairly recently, you may remember hearing something about that). But this week: Those two teams are Nos. 1 and 2 in our Power Rankings. It sure looks like we’ll be seeing both deep into October.
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)
A whole bunch of teams in the AL Central have been losing enough games lately that the Tigers may well put this division away here in the next couple of weeks. They are now all the way up to a seven-game lead, which is actually already more games than the Guardians won this division by last year. They have the largest division lead in baseball, by a wide margin.
2. Cubs (previously: 3)
This feels like one of those posters you had on the wall as a kid waiting to happen: Seiya Suzuki, who is battling Pete Crow-Armstrong for the team lead in homers, says PCA is “like a little kid.” Quoth the Seiya: Everything that Pete does is like a little kid,” Suzuki said in Japanese. “I feel like Pete is like my little brother.” They both look like they will be among the many Cubs All-Stars next month.
3. Mets (previously: 5)
You’re starting to see some real push for Francisco Lindor as a potential MVP candidate again -- he’s having a better year than he did last year, for a better team -- and you wonder, if the Mets win the NL East, if this stat will become a data point: The Mets have won all 12 games he has homered in, and they’re 21-4 when he drives in a run.
4. Yankees (previously: 6)
Before Aaron Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Saturday, he had reached a level only Rogers Hornsby had met before: The two men are the only players in MLB history to have a .395 batting average or higher and 20 or more homers over their team’s first 62 games. Fun Judge fact: He’s fifth in the Majors in singles.
5. Dodgers (previously: 2)
The Dodgers scored just one run total in their first two games at Busch Stadium this weekend, but you can’t say they didn’t have opportunities. They just kept missing them. The Dodgers had 19 hits in the two games but were a stunning 1-for-25 with runners in scoring position. That’s how you score one run in two games despite putting up 19 hits. It started out the same way on Sunday, when Shohei Ohtani led off the game with a double and the next three Dodgers went 0-for-3. But they had two big RISP hits in the very next inning, salvaging the third game of the set.
6. Phillies (previously: 4)
Many advanced stats folks -- and those who look at Clay Davenport’s third-order standings, who actually have the Phillies below the Braves still -- tried to warn Phillies fans that a dip may be coming, despite their run to first place. That dip happened this week, with the Phillies losing nine of 10 and putting Bryce Harper on the injured list. The Harper business is particularly worrisome considering it’s the same wrist injury he had last year. But the Phillies are remaining optimistic: "I would think that it's going to take less time since he's here and can get treatment," manager Rob Thomson said. "So I'm hoping that it's real quick."
7. Padres (previously: 7)
It’s remarkable how easy it is to forget how great of a player Manny Machado is. The six-time All-Star -- who hasn’t made an ASG since 2022 -- has been smoking hot lately, with seven homers and 13 RBIs in his last 16 games, including a homer Sunday that was the only run scored in a 1-0 victory over the Brewers. He better make the All-Star team this year.
8. Astros (previously: 13)
If the Astros end up winning their eighth straight full-season AL West title, this stretch -- in which they are missing three-fifths of their Opening Day starting rotation and of course Yordan Alvarez, their best hitter -- will be the reason why. They have now won 10 of 15 and built a lead in the division, with some cushion, at the exact moment when the rest of the division would have liked to, but didn’t, make a move.
9. Giants (previously: 10)
The Giants are nothing if not exciting: They already have seven walk-off wins, particularly impressive considering they’ve played only 32 home games. But that’s not just luck; it’s a result of a bullpen that has a 2.38 ERA, which is the best in baseball.
10. Cardinals (previously: 8)
Two frustrating series losses to the Rangers and the Royals had some wondering if their recent boomlet may have been an illusion, but then they followed up with a deeply fun, downright inspiring series win at home against the Dodgers, with a pinch-hit walk-off single from Nolan Arenado on Saturday providing the biggest emotional boost. The Cardinals have had difficulty drawing crowds from a somewhat skeptical fanbase this year, but the stands were booming this weekend; do fans believe in this team yet? Because they probably should.
11. Twins (previously: 12)
The Twins had a rough week, losing three in a row for the first time in more than a month, but there is some good news in the awakening of Royce Lewis. After an 0-for-28 stretch and a very key day off, he went 5-for-11 over his next four games. There is no successful path forward for the Twins that doesn’t involve a healthy and excellent Royce Lewis.
12. Brewers (previously: 14)
The Brewers, man, they just always seem to find a way. A rough stretch in May might have made people forget this is a two-time defending division champion, but they’ve been as hot as any team in the sport of late, thanks largely to those Brewers standbys: starting pitching and clutch hitting. “We’re survivors,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after a walk-off win Saturday. “We know we’re underdogs, and we’re survivors. It’s a great feeling. That crowd tonight was incredible and made a difference. Our guys hung in there and beat a good ballclub.”
13. Blue Jays (previously: 17)
How many of you saw George Springer returning to All-Star status this year? His game-winning two-run homer against the Twins on Saturday night was the culmination of a torrid streak for him, a run of five home runs and nine RBIs over nine games, pushing his OPS up to .854, his highest since 2021.
14. Rays (previously: 16)
Evan Longoria signed a one-day contract with the Rays on Saturday so he could retire with the team, and it’s worth noting that no player of recent vintage, including even Mike Trout, dominates his team’s record books more than Longoria dominates the Rays’. He leads the Rays all-time in WAR (51.7), games played (1,435), HR (261), RBI (892), runs (780), extra-base hits (618) and walks (569).
15. Guardians (previously: 11)
You would have liked Shane Bieber’s first rehab start after Tommy John surgery last Saturday -- one in which he left early -- and his subsequent bullpen this week to have gone better, but Bieber says that taking it slow is a good thing, both in the short and long term. “I had what I tagged as some normal soreness, kind of with the uptick in intensity in the game action and the bullpen following a couple days later,” Bieber said Saturday. “It just turned into something where I was like, ‘I'm not sure I should throw through this.’” He’ll shut it down for a week but should be back on the hill soon.
16. Mariners (previously: 12)
Cal Raleigh is certainly doing his part, with 11 homers in his last 17 games, and you’d love to make the case for him to be a potential non-Judge alternative at MVP. But if he’s gonna have a chance, the Mariners are going to have to start winning some games. Their five-game losing streak this week knocked them out of first place in the AL West and is yet another frustrating example of just how streaky this team infamously is.
17. Royals (previously: 15)
Part of the idea of calling up Jac Caglianone was to provide help for a team that was starting to stumble. It hasn’t helped all that much. Caglianone is hitting .240 after a 4-hit game Sunday, but the Royals are plummeting. Since the start of play on May 10, the Royals are tied with the Marlins and Braves for third-worst record in baseball.
18. Reds (previously: 19)
The Reds swept the D-backs over the weekend, getting them back to .500. They are very familiar with that spot. They’ve never been higher than three games over .500 this year and never lower than four games under. They’ve also been at the .500 mark 15 different times this season.
19. Diamondbacks (previously: 18)
It’s a good thing the D-backs snuck in a little four-game win streak this week, because otherwise, you’d be wondering if maybe this all was falling apart. The injury to Corbin Burnes -- it sure looks like the first two years of his six-year, $210 million contract are going to total 64 1/3 innings -- is a devastating one, but it doesn’t have to be a fatal one: The D-backs had a decent rotation without him and still have a decent one now. But everything the D-backs wanted to accomplish, this year and in 2026, just got a lot harder. And the Reds just swept them.
20. Red Sox (previously: 21)
Heading into Sunday night’s game, since April 30, Red Sox starting pitchers not named Garrett Crochet have a 1-8, 6.02 ERA. This is a rather serious problem considering there is in fact only one Red Sox starter named Garrett Crochet, and a primary reason the Red Sox have fallen so far behind the Yankees -- and some other teams -- in the AL East.
21. Rangers (previously: 22)
If the Rangers can start hitting -- and that has to start happening soon, right? -- they could end up being the fantastic team many thought they would be coming into the year. Their starters have the best ERA in the American League and are 22-4 when scoring at least four runs. Leading the way is Jacob deGrom, who has now allowed two runs or fewer in 10 consecutive starts.
22. Braves (previously: 20)
Maybe the Braves will be able to turn their season around. Maybe. But right now, this is an absolute nightmare of a season, with no better season-in-miniature moment than when they blew that 10-4 lead at home to the Diamondbacks on Thursday … and then lost consecutive walk-offs to the Giants, including an absolutely brutal one on a two-run homer by Matt Chapman on Saturday. This is as bad as it has gotten in Atlanta in a long, long time.
23. Nationals (previously: 23)
Don’t forget about Josiah Gray. The former All-Star, who pitched just 8 1/3 innings last year before undergoing Tommy John surgery, was back in DC this week for a National Youth Baseball Academy event. And he thinks he can be back this year. “Being able to come up here and do whatever I can for this team this year in 2025 would be a blessing,” he said.
24. Orioles (previously: 27)
It remains to be seen if the Orioles can crawl their way back to contention -- or even respectability -- after their miserable start. But no matter what happens, it sure looks like Jackson Holliday has fully arrived. Since being put in the leadoff spot, Holliday is slashing .287/.316/.511 and starting to look like like the All-Star the Orioles have been waiting on him to become. A reminder: He won’t turn 22 until December. Still, about that crawling-back-into-the-race business: Losing two of three to the A’s is not helpful.
25. Angels (previously: 24)
Eventually it’s fair to assume Mike Trout, if just to keep him healthier, will shift to DH full time, and he has been playing there since returning from the injured list. But in the short term, getting him back in the outfield is a major priority, and it looks like it’ll happen as early as this week. He’s also hitting much, much better than he was before he went on the IL in the first place.
26. Marlins (previously: 26)
The Marlins have gone through some dark periods in their history, so they’ll eventually be able to shrug off being the team that ended the longest consecutive series losing streak in MLB history when the Rockies swept them this week. But it’s fair to say it might sting for a little bit. For what it’s worth, they scored 13 runs during a five-game losing streak ... and then scored 11 in a win over the Rays to snap it.
27. Pirates (previously: 28)
The Pirates played six games this week, two of which were started by Paul Skenes. The Pirates won three of the four he didn’t start, and split the two he did, though he still couldn’t get the win. Check out the week he had, by the way: 15 2/3 innings pitched, 15 strikeouts, five hits, one earned run. He now has a 1.88 ERA … and a 4-6 record.
28. A’s (previously: 25)
The A’s pitching has pretty much imploded what had been a promising season there for a while, which has obscured the fact this team is starting to put together the building blocks of a lineup that has serious potential. There isn’t a team in baseball that wouldn’t love to build around Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker and rookie Jacob Wilson, who has a real chance to put up the best batting average by a rookie in AL history. (Ichiro holds the record at .350.)
29. White Sox (previously: 29)
When’s the last time the White Sox had as good of a week as they just had? They just split a series at home against a team (the Tigers) that came in with the best record in baseball. And then they won a series against the Royals, another playoff team from last year. They notched their 22nd win in their 64th game. Last year, it took them 83 games to make it that far. Progress!
30. Rockies (previously: 30)
Considering how famously friendly to triples his home field is, you might not have expected rookie Ryan Ritter to be the first player in Rockies history to hit a triple in his first big league at-bat. But that just made it that much more exciting when he did it. He’s the sort of young player the Rockies need: Someone who isn’t too distressed with the state of the team right now. “We're all optimistic,” Ritter said. “We’ve got a lot of good things going on up here and down there. So we’ve got to keep going every day, and one day, something's going to click.” Here is your reminder that the Rockies actually pulled off a sweep this week!
Voters: Jason Catania, Mark Feinsand, Daniel Feldman, Doug Gausepohl, Will Leitch, Travis Miller, Brian Murphy, Arturo Pardavila, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Zac Vierra.