I’ve been writing these Power Rankings for a couple of years now, and I can say with considerable certainty: The Tigers have never been as high as No. 3. Until their loss on Sunday against Texas, Detroit had a .650 winning percentage, which would have been their second highest for a season since 1934 (.656). The Tigers have been around for an awfully long time!
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. Dodgers (previously: 1)
Remember when all everyone cared about was RBIs? RBIs are still kind of cool, all told, but it’s quite a sign of the times that Shohei Ohtani had 11 homers but just 16 RBIs in 36 games this season. Per OptaSTATS, that makes him the first player to rank in the top 5 in MLB in homers, extra-base hits and total bases, but outside the top 90 in RBIs in May or later since RBIs were first tracked in 1920.
2. Padres (previously: 4)
Look out: Manny Machado is starting to warm up. Heading into Sunday, he was slashing .474/.535/.658 with a homer and 11 runs scored during a 10-game hitting streak.
3. Tigers (previously: 5)
With their (dominant) doubleheader sweep of the Rockies on Thursday, the Tigers tied the Dodgers for the best record in baseball. Via the great Sarah Langs, that marked the first time Detroit had at least a share of the best record in baseball in May or later (excluding 2020) since the end of play on May 23, 2014. Pretty wild.
4. Mets (previously: 2)
It is kind of hilarious that anyone was ever doubting Juan Soto after his slow(ish) start (for him) with the Mets. That (not really all that slow) start is now over. Heading into May, he was slashing .241/.368/.384 in 31 games. In May? .282/.383/.718 with five homers in 10 games.
5. Cubs (previously: 3)
Much has been made about how difficult the Cubs’ schedule has been so far, all the way up to their series at Citi Field this weekend. But the schedule is letting up right ... now. Starting this week, 12 of their next 15 games come against the Marlins, White Sox and Rockies.
6. Phillies (previously: 9)
Is Kyle Schwarber having the best year of his career? He’s tied for the MLB lead in homers, he’s more than halfway to Ted Williams’ record of 84 straight games reaching base, and he’s top 10 in the majors in OBP. Pretty good way to head into free agency, all told.
7. Yankees (previously: 6)
Aaron Judge’s homecoming to Sacramento -- he grew up not far from there and surely never imagined he’d play a big league series there -- went magnificently. He homered twice on Saturday, adding to a crazy career stat. Check out his lifetime stats against Northern California teams: .333/.446/.721, 20 homers and 51 RBIs in 50 career games against the A’s and Giants.
8. Giants (previously: 8)
There are certain people -- likely on the East Coast -- who will always associate Wilmer Flores with the moment when he burst into tears on the field thinking he had been traded by the Mets (even though he had not, in fact, been traded by the Mets). But those people are missing out, big time. He’s one of the best hitters in baseball these days; would you believe he’s fourth in the Majors in RBIs?
9. Mariners (previously: 7)
I wrote myself about the Mariners this week, how this year’s team might just be the one Mariners fans can finally believe in. I think you’ll find my argument persuasive, though I guess I would think that, wouldn’t I?
10. Royals (previously: 15)
The Royals’ seven-game win streak ended on Saturday, but their recent resurgence has been about more than just that streak: Heading into Sunday, they were 16-3 since April 20, the best record in baseball. Their ERA during that time? 2.25. And they’re averaging 4.2 runs a game during that time, which is how you go 16-3.
11. Diamondbacks (previously: 11)
Eugenio Suárez has been a surprising name atop the home run leaderboards this year, and while his turnaround year has been helpful for the D-backs, it’s worth noting: He has more homers (12) than singles (11) so far this year.
12. Guardians (previously: 10)
The Guardians were awfully relieved to have a day off last Thursday. That day off ended a stretch in which the Guardians played 22 games in 23 days, including two doubleheaders.
“It was a long stretch of games. I think a lot of us are pretty worn out,” Guardians utility man Daniel Schneemann said.
That stretch may well have saved the Guardians’ season: They went 14-8 over that stretch, saving them during a time when the rest of the division would not stop winning.
13. Red Sox (previously: 12)
There was all sorts of drama with Rafael Devers this week, as there has tended to be of late with the ever-shifting question of what position he’s going to play. But the question still remains: Who is going to end up playing first base for the Red Sox this year? If Devers isn’t going to play there, they have to make some sort of move at some point, yes?
14. Braves (previously: 18)
The Braves missed out on a golden opportunity to finally get themselves back to .500 on Sunday for the first time this season, losing the game (and the series) to the Pirates. This is the problem of beginning the year 0-7; it can take months to dig yourself out of that hole. The Braves, despite playing better, are still digging.
15. Astros (previously: 13)
Is there any hitter more important to his team’s lineup than Yordan Alvarez? The Astros have wilted without Alvarez, who’s on the injured list with a muscle strain in his right hand. Heading into Sunday, they had lost five of the eight games Yordan wasn’t in the lineup. It turns out that not having Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker in your lineup, like the Astros did this time last year, takes a toll!
16. A’s (previously: 17)
Another example of how fun baseball can be? The two players atop the batting average leaderboard heading into a weekend series between the Yankees and Athletics were Aaron Judge and A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson. How different are these two players? Take it away, MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos: “One is a lanky 6-foot-2, 190-pounder, while the other towers at 6-foot-7 and 282 pounds. One has a total of three career home runs, the other holds the American League record for most homers in a season (62).”
17. Cardinals (previously: 23)
Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman have, once again, been disappointing young players for the Cardinals, but maybe an even bigger story has been the emergence of Victor Scott II. The Cardinals everyday center fielder, who stole 94 bases in the Minors two years ago, is getting on base at a .357 clip, has 11 stolen bases and currently has an 11-game hitting streak. And he’s playing a brilliant center field. His mad dash to home last week to score from first on a single is already one of the Cardinals’ signature highlights of the season. He’s a primary reason the Cardinals have won eight in a row.
18. Twins (previously: 25)
Remember the fundamental rule of the Twins: When Byron Buxton is healthy, they are good. He is healthy right now, and the Twins are in the process of trying to turn around their season because of it: Over his last 19 games coming into Sunday (when he went 0-for-4), Buxton is slugging .680 with six homers and 17 RBIs. Not coincidentally: The Twins are red-hot and riding an eight-game win streak.
19. Reds (previously: 14)
After some encouraging early signs, the Reds have had a miserable fortnight. They fell back under .500, manager Terry Francona got ejected from a very demoralizing walk-off loss to the Braves on Thursday, and they lost two of three to the Astros over the weekend. Then, of course, there are all those injuries. Jeimer Candelario (back), Tyler Callihan (forearm), Noelvi Marte (oblique), and Hunter Greene (groin) have all hit the injured list in the past few weeks. (At least they just got Austin Hays back.)
20. Brewers (previously: 16)
We may have finally gotten an explanation for William Contreras’ struggles, both offensively and defensively: He has a broken finger! Ouch! He’s going to play through it, which sounds difficult. “They’re doing all sorts of things to put things in his glove, and he had the finger injected, so that should calm down,” manager Pat Murphy said. “Now we have to do something, [because] when he swings the bat, it’s just so painful for him. We’re working that out.” I’m not sure how one does work that out?
21. Rangers (previously: 19)
Marcus Semien has always been a somewhat streaky player, but by the end of the season, his numbers generally all even out, and he ends up having a sterling year. There’s a lot of evening out left to go: His .510 OPS is the fourth-worst among all MLB qualifiers.
22. Blue Jays (previously: 20)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still isn’t hitting a ton of home runs -- those will surely come -- but it should be noted that he’s become a truly splendid contact hitter: His 11-game hit streak ended on Saturday, but during that span he slashed .349/.420/.512 (and added a couple of homers in there too).
23. Rays (previously: 21)
Now that the repairs for the roof of Tropicana Field have been approved, the Rays get to return home for the 2026 season. They are surely most relieved by that: Their new home has not been treating them well. They had endured a seven-game home losing streak before winning back-to-back games against the Brewers on Friday and Saturday, and they are now 12-16 at George M. Steinbrenner Field. (It’s still a very lovely field.)
24. Orioles (previously: 22)
It has been extremely dark in Baltimore of late, so let’s try to focus on something positive, if possible: Jackson Holliday is starting to slowly come along. Over his past 15 games coming into Sunday, when he took an 0-fer, he slashed .356/.442/.511 with two homers. The Orioles will take all the positives they can get right now.
25. Nationals (previously: 24)
This was supposed to be a slingshot year for the Nationals, a year where their young talent started to emerge and gave everybody a glimpse of the future. The problem is that the bullpen won’t get out of the way to let it happen. The Nats keep blowing leads and games because of a bullpen that is the worst in baseball with a stunning 7.13 ERA.
26. Angels (previously: 26)
Have we already reached the point of the season when the only Angels news anyone’s looking for is Mike Trout injury updates? Well, Trout will end up on the IL longer than the 10-day minimum, but he says it won’t be that much longer. “I feel good,” Trout said. “It’s been a very positive last few days. I’m not running, but I’ve been swinging the last three days. I’m up to 40 swings with no pain. Off the tee and flips in the cage. But the biggest thing will be running.”
27. Marlins (previously: 27)
Ryan Ignoffo is not a Marlins prospect many have been watching all that closely. He was picked in the 20th round in 2023, he’s not on the MLB Pipeline Marlins Top 30, and he’s all the way down at High A at the age of 24. But Ignoffo, a graduate of Eastern Illinois University (Go Panthers!), hit two grand slams in the same game this week for Beloit, something that has only happened 13 times in MLB history, and not since 2009. They were the first two grand slams of Ignoffo’s career.
28. Pirates (previously: 28)
The Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton this week, largely because of their miserable start, but it should be noted that the team did (until this year, anyway) improve under his watch. They lost 101 games in his first full season, and 100 the next. They haven’t lost 100 games since. (Until perhaps this year.)
29. White Sox (previously: 29)
Sure, we could talk to you about baseball and the Sox, but honestly, the biggest news story, by far, to come out of the South Side this week was that the new Pope is a White Sox fan. I would like you to appreciate the greatness of journalism: Within just a few hours of the white smoke coming out of the Vatican conclave, the Chicago Sun-Times had found a photo of the new Pope at a White Sox World Series game in 2005. And of course, by now: We’ve all seen the video of him at Game 1.
30. Rockies (previously: 30)
The longest-tenured Rockie is Kyle Freeland, who holds the franchise record for career starts with 208. The home doubleheader sweep they suffered last Thursday, in which they were outscored a combined 21-3 by the Tigers, was a nadir for the team, and even he knew it. “What we’re doing is wrong. We’re not winning baseball games. It’s as clear as day.” Colorado went on to lose to San Diego on Saturday by a football final score of 21-0, and manager Bud Black was let go after Sunday’s victory.
Voters: Nathalie Alonso, Mark Feinsand, Daniel Feldman, Doug Gausepohl, Will Leitch, Travis Miller, Brian Murphy, Arturo Pardavila, Andrew Simon, David Venn.