Six weeks into the Major League Baseball season, the kings have finally been dethroned. The Atlanta Braves stood strong in the top spot of the MLB power rankings for the entire month of April, but thanks to their weekend sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's Shohei Ohtani and L.A. who claim the top spot.
And not only did Atlanta fall from the top spot, but they slid all the way to fourth thanks to continued excellence from the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies, who suddenly have the best records in each of their respective leagues. The New York Yankees, who have remained in the top five all regular season, hung on to that streak by locking down number five.
Where did your team end up in this week's MLB power rankings? Read on to find out…
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (+1)
It had to feel good for the Dodgers to lay a beatdown on the Braves after Atlanta came into Chavez Ravine last September and took three out of four. Shohei Ohtani continues to prove he's a baseball cyborg, hitting a trio of home runs in the series to tie for the MLB lead with 10. Meanwhile, Mookie Betts still leads in just about every other offensive category and Tyler Glasnow has a sizeable advantage on the whole league in strikeouts. The Dodgers are turning into the frightening baseball powerhouse we all knew they could become.
2. Baltimore Orioles (+2)
It was a banner week for Baltimore, as the Orioles went 6-1 against the Yankees and Reds, taking over sole possession of the American League's best record. Grayson Rodriguez's injury is a brutal loss for the starting rotation, but it makes the pain much easier that Kyle Bradish and John Means both came back in the same week. With seven more home runs than any other team in the league, the O's are proving they're the class of the AL.
3. Philadelphia Phillies (+2)
We can't yet say the Phillies have swept the San Francisco Giants in their weekend series, since the two teams play one more time on Monday. But winning the first three games of the set did give them the best record in baseball at 24-11, and the good vibes match the play on the field. Brandon Marsh is doing hilarious interviews midgame, Bryce Harper is belting clutch home runs and the pitching staff keeps quietly dominating. The Phils have won 16 of their last 19 and it's going to be a challenge for anyone to stop that momentum.
4. Atlanta Braves (-3)
It's not necessarily a punishment for the Braves to drop three spots after being in pole position all year, but an acknowledgment that right now, the teams above them are simply playing better baseball. Atlanta dropped to second place for the first time all season with their third straight loss in L.A. on Sunday and in the battle of the two odds-on NLCS favorites, the Braves didn't have the firepower to keep up. They'll regroup and get ready to take on the Red Sox and Mets this week and one can assume when the Dodgers come to Atlanta in September, they'll be motivated to get some revenge.
5. New York Yankees (-2)
While the fifth spot is the lowest ranking for the Yankees on this list since the preseason, they did well to stop any negative momentum by sweeping the Tigers in the Bronx this weekend. Aaron Judge followed up his first career ejection with a monster opposite-field home run in the first inning Sunday, while Nestor Cortes turned in one of his best outings of the season. Though the Yanks appear a clear half-tier behind the O's in the AL East, they're definitely back to being a force in this league.
6. Chicago Cubs (+2)
The Cubs achieved their highest spot of the season in the MLB power rankings by outdueling their bitter division foes from up I-41. Christopher Morel and Dansby Swanson stayed hot at the plate, Javier Assad looks incredible on the mound and the cavalry is about to fully arrive, as Justin Steele makes his season debut Monday. The start of the year has gone better than most Cubs fans anticipated, but it's all about maintaining that momentum now.
7. Cleveland Guardians (-1)
It was only a 3-3 week for the Guardians, but they did well to take the series from the Angels over the weekend after an ugly loss Friday night. Losing Steven Kwan to the 10-day IL hurts, and it's clearly up to José Ramirez and Josh Naylor to carry the offense in his absence. Ramirez and Naylor both hit two-run home runs in a 4-1 win Sunday, so that mission is off to a mighty fine start. And top prospect Kyle Manzardo just earned his first call-up, so perhaps more help is on the way.
8. Milwaukee Brewers (-1)
While the Brewers threw the first punch in the Craig Counsell Bowl this weekend, the Cubs ended up with the last laugh, as Milwaukee now only remains in first place in the NL Central thanks to percentage points. Freddy Peralta took his first loss of the season as well, but the real highlight of the week was the insane brawl between the Brew Crew and Rays on Tuesday. Guess it's not a bad thing to play with some intensity early in the season, but that was certainly one for the memory bank.
9. Minnesota Twins (+7)
Winning streaks have to end eventually, and the Twins ran theirs all the way to 12 before losing to the Red Sox Sunday, their longest hot stretch as a franchise since 1991. Chris Paddack, Pablo Lopez, and Joe Ryan all looked great on the mound this week and Ryan Jeffers continues to be one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball. The rally sausage may indeed have some magical powers.
10. Seattle Mariners (-1)
The Mariners took care of business in Houston this weekend, rebounding from an emotional loss Friday night to win the final two games and maintain a half-game lead on the Rangers for first place in the AL West. Cal Raleigh's right-handed home run against Josh Hader was a sure sign the Big Dumper is ready to lead all catchers in dingers once again, while the starting pitching has continued to be stellar. The Mariners will look to maintain their upward trajectory in an exciting series with the surging Twins beginning Monday.
11. Texas Rangers (-1)
Jonah Heim hit the biggest home run of the Rangers' season Sunday, clanking one off the right field foul pole in the top of the ninth to force extras with the Royals. The Rangers eventually won the game in the tenth, getting themselves back to three games over .500 for the first time since they were 6-3. That's all well and good, but Corey Seager needs to escape his slump soon because it's beginning to get worrisome. He's slugging just .291 with no extra-base hits in his past seven games.
12. Kansas City Royals (-1)
The Royals are still five games above .500, but they did drop their series against the defending World Series champion Rangers over the weekend, falling into third place in the AL Central behind the white-hot Twins. The early-season momentum hasn't fully faded yet, but the rubber is about to meet the road in Kansas City and we'll soon find out if this team is destined to stay in the playoff hunt or revert to their losing ways of the past half-decade.
13. Boston Red Sox (+2)
It seems like the Red Sox are back to their usual tricks, building a bit of positive momentum by winning four straight only to lose their next three. The bats came alive a bit on Sunday and Rafael Devers has looked like the best version of himself ever since returning to the lineup from his knee injury scare. But it's all about finding some consistency for Boston to have any chance at a Wild Card spot this year.
14. Tampa Bay Rays (+8)
The Rays were looking to use their City Connect uniform release to get some good vibes back at Tropicana Field and holy heck, did they deliver. A weekend sweep of the Mets, featuring Sunday's game-tying two-out homer from Randy Arozarena and walk-off winner from Jonny DeLuca, is enough to make anyone in the Tampa-St. Pete area want to hop on their skateboard. And the Rays reminded us that whatever they may be wearing, they're still a threat to spoil the party in the AL.
15. San Diego Padres (+8)
While the Padres may have already been flush with middle infielders, adding a two-time defending batting champ to the lineups is never a bad idea. And Luis Arraez swept into town with a four-hit performance as San Diego won their divisional battle with the Diamondbacks over the weekend. They remain one game under .500, but with the way the rest of the division is playing, the Pads look like the clear-cut number two in the NL West moving into the second quarter of the season.
16. Detroit Tigers (-4)
It doesn't feel good to get swept in this league and the Tigers suffered a painful one at Yankee Stadium, choking game one in the ninth inning on Friday night and playing from behind the rest of the weekend. For as exciting as the pitching staff has been, the Tigers' offense has been abysmal once again. They're 22nd in scoring and 25th in OPS, and you simply can't turn stats like those into a long-awaited playoff berth.
17. New York Mets (-3)
It was an eventful week for the Mets, featuring a no-hit bid from Luis Severino, a hugely controversial final out at home plate, a Francisco Lindor walk-off and a brutal weekend sweep. Many a team has gone down to Tropicana Field and had their ego smashed, so we won't write off the Mets just yet. But they did fall to fourth place for the first time since the third week of the season, so they need to pick it up ASAP.
18. Washington Nationals (+3)
Don't look now, but the Nationals are hanging in there at the .500 mark and just took over third place in the NL East. Luis García Jr. launched his first career pinch-hit home run Friday to propel the Nats to a comeback win, then Eddie Rosario finally broke out of his season-long slump with a big home run in the win on Sunday. It's too early to start thinking playoffs, but it's clear the Nats are no longer anyone's doormat and have a bright future on their hands once more top prospects join the party.
19. Oakland Athletics (+7)
The six-game winning streak may be over, but the Athletics still have plenty of cause for celebration. They swept the Pirates, took two of three from the Marlins, and hung 20 runs on Miami Saturday, the first time any team has scored 20 in a game all season. And perhaps most importantly, they made their biggest jump up the MLB power rankings of the season thus far. JJ Bleday, Brent Rooker, and Brett Harris all got in on the home run party this week, while the bullpen continues to earn well-deserved recognition as one of the league's best.
20. Toronto Blue Jays (-1)
After dropping a series against Kansas City early in the week, the Blue Jays not only lost two of three in D.C. this weekend but fell back into last place in the AL East. Alek Manoah's return to big league baseball was ugly, as Jesse Winker ended his outing with a three-run bomb in the fourth to make it 7-6 Nationals. Last place is a realistic place for Toronto to stay if they don't get their act together on both sides of the ball.
21. San Francisco Giants (-4)
It's time to stop waiting around. The Giants dropped to 15-20 with their three losses in Philadelphia this weekend, while Logan Webb had his Cy Young campaign momentarily derailed with two rough outings this week. Even after signing a bevy of star talent this winter, the Giants' offense is borderline bottom ten and that's an outcome that could cost Farhan Zaidi his job if things don't change sometime this year.
22. Arizona Diamondbacks (-4)
It's almost hard to remember how amazing the vibes were in the desert when the Diamondbacks were upsetting their way through the NL playoffs because this team is stunningly underperforming through 35 games. Corbin Carroll is a shell of his Rookie of the Year self, the pitching staff is banged up and ineffective and the most newsworthy thing that happened to the team this week was a swarm of bees delaying one of their games.
23. Cincinnati Reds (-10)
Rock bottom came out of nowhere for the Reds, who lost all but one of their games this week and came within a meaningless ninth-inning rally of scoring just one run in a three-game set for the first time since 1932. If the bats don't wake up soon, this promising young team won't come close to achieving the season they hoped for.
24. St. Louis Cardinals (-4)
You lose a series to the White Sox, you drop at least four spots in the MLB power rankings. Those are the rules and we're just here to enforce them. Thank goodness for Sonny Gray and his sub-one ERA, or the Cards might already be out of playoff contention for the second year in a row.
25. Houston Astros (no change)
Apparently, Josh Hader just can't be trusted anymore. The Astros were building some momentum before losing the last two games of their series against the Mariners and once again, Hader blew a one-run lead in the ninth. It was the eighth blown save for the Astros in 11 opportunities, giving them by far the worst conversion rate in the league. Chances to win a series can't be blown when you're trying to dig yourself out of a massive hole to remain in contention for October.
26. Pittsburgh Pirates (-2)
If you want good news, Pirates fans, perhaps it's no longer an embarrassing thing to be swept by the Oakland A's! Then again, it still doesn't feel great to be looking up at those A's in the MLB power rankings after starting the season 11-5. Oneil Cruz did hit a pair of home runs this weekend, so if that's a sign of a larger trend, perhaps this offense can wake up a bit.
27. Los Angeles Angels (no change)
The Angels did look great Friday night when they pummeled the Guardians at Progressive Field, but then they appeared to sleepwalk through the rest of the series. Now 12-22, the Halos are tied in last place with the Astros in the AL West cellar and it seems like they could remain there for the duration of the year. With Mike Trout injured, there's little to be excited about if you're an Angels fan considering turning the television set on to catch some baseball this May.
28. Miami Marlins (+1)
Trading Luis Arraez was the right move, based on where the Marlins are now. He wasn't going to re-sign with a team heading in the wrong direction and now the Fish can focus on a full-on rebuild. But wow, is it disappointing to see a team that scratched and clawed its way to a postseason berth do absolutely nothing in the offseason to give themselves a chance to get back. Something fundamental needs to change within the organization to make postseason baseball the expectation, rather than a once-in-a-decade miracle.
29. Chicago White Sox (+1)
There's nothing all that positive to say about the White Sox, but they did win one more game than the Rockies this week, so they're out of the cellar for now. There are no players worth mentioning, so a brief shoutout to C.B. Bucknor for helping the Sox to a win Saturday with an abysmal game-ending strike-three call. If Chicago can hoodwink a few more umpires as the season goes along, perhaps they can lose 100 games instead of 120.
30. Colorado Rockies (-2)
Being swept by the 2024 Miami Marlins is a new low for the Rockies, who seem to redefine how bad their franchise can be by the week. They finally managed to break their MLB record 31-game streak of trailing in every game to start the season on Friday, but promptly lost their next two. The Rox are now tied with the White Sox for the worst record in baseball and it feels like those two could jockey back and forth for the bottom spot in these rankings all summer long.
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