Holy cow, did June really go by that fast? The 2024 Major League Baseball season has officially reached its halfway point and in a show of impeccable timing, it's once again time for a new edition of the MLB power rankings.
This week's biggest risers were the San Francisco Giants, who won back-to-back home series to creep slightly closer to the .500 mark. The Washington Nationals had the biggest drop, a fitting end to a week full of losses, both on the scoreboard and on the baseball internet.
Where did your team land in this week's MLB power rankings? Read on to find out!
1. Philadelphia Phillies (no change)
There was potential for this week to be a real downer in Philadelphia, with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber's injuries coinciding with a tough series against the last-place Marlins. But the Phillies showed some moxie, rallying from a 6-3 deficit to take Sunday's game and salvage a four-game split. With an eight-game lead over second-place Atlanta, Philly just needs to tread water for a couple of weeks until it gets Harper and Schwarber back.
2. Baltimore Orioles (no change)
For a moment there, the Orioles had us all worried. They dropped five in a row to the Astros and Guardians and the starting pitching was in tatters. But as he so often has this season, Gunnar Henderson set the tone offensively to win the finale of the Cleveland series, and the rest of the team quickly fell in line. Baltimore won their next four before Sunday night's no-show, and they now have first place in the American League East on percentage points.
3. Cleveland Guardians (+1)
We were all geared up to put the Guardians at the top of the MLB power rankings after they took down the Orioles in Baltimore earlier this week. But then Cleveland walked into Kauffman Stadium and had a reality check this weekend, dropping three of four to the third-place team in their division. It's clear this lineup has the talent to hang with the other top teams in the American League, but as Triston McKenzie's minor league demotion shows, this rotation is far from a finished product.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (+1)
The Dodgers finally dropped a series against the Giants this weekend, a team they've treated like their annoying little brother the past few seasons. The seven-run top of the 11th inning they had on Saturday, though, shows everything they can be at their best. They've got enough talented hitters beyond the “big three” to sustain long rallies, and everyone gets great pitches to hit because opposing teams live in constant fear of Shohei Ohtani.
5. New York Yankees (-2)
Sunday's 8-1 win over the Blue Jays should at least settle some of the panic in the Bronx. Aaron Judge took the lead in all three triple-crown categories, while Gerrit Cole bounced back from his disastrous Tuesday outing with a Gerrit Cole-like performance Sunday. But although the Yanks still have a good enough record to coast into the postseason, they'd better figure out who beyond Judge and Juan Soto can hit for them between now and the trade deadline.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (+1)
There's a real case to be made that the Brewers should be in the top five of these MLB power rankings. They're 50-34, the third-fastest ascent to the 50-win mark in franchise history. They've somehow hit five grand slams in their last 8 games. And they're 6.5 games up on the Cardinals, who are also surging. This could be the Central Division team that finally makes a World Series for the first time since 2016.
7. Atlanta Braves (-1)
The Braves aren't in danger of missing the playoffs, but it's clear they need some help on offense. Atlanta has 24 games of two or fewer runs scored this season, tying their mark from all of 2023. We know the talent is there, even without Ronald Acuña Jr. or Michael Harris II, but some of the stars in the lineup simply need to get themselves in gear.
8. Minnesota Twins (+1)
Lots of Twins are having good seasons, but can we stop for a moment and give some love to Willi Castro? The super-utilityman has now played in 20 games at five different positions this season, which is insanely valuable to a club that frequently deals with injuries to star players. But not only is he playing everywhere; Castro is raking right now. His .355 average in the last 15 games has helped raise his season OPS to .809.
9. Seattle Mariners (-1)
It's been said all season, but Julio Rodríguez is absolutely brutal right now. He has a .299 slugging percentage in his last 30 games and is currently mired in a 2-for-29 stretch. Not only will we not see Julio in the All-Star game this season, but we might not see him in the playoffs if he can't get his act together. It would be nice if the Mariners acquired a big bat at this season's trade deadline, but if they can't acquire the 2023 second-half version of Rodríguez, nothing else will matter.
10. Kansas City Royals (+1)
Trust me, other 29 teams. You do NOT want to see the Kansas City Royals in Kauffman Stadium. The Royals took down first-place Cleveland in a four-game gentleman's sweep this week and are now 30-16 at home, the second-best mark in the American League. They're also back in control of the third Wild Card spot, which is a silly thing to track at this point in the season but is good to see nonetheless.
11. San Diego Padres (+2)
It sure is nice to see a National League Wild Card team playing like they deserve to be in the playoffs. The Padres won five straight this week before Sunday's loss in Boston, bumping them to 46-42. Jackson Merrill has been incredible for the past month, and so has Jurickson Profar for the entire season. If the Padres can keep winning and get a healthy Fernando Tatis Jr. back by the All-Star break, they'll be set up for a big second half.
12. Boston Red Sox (-2)
If you didn't know about the Sunday Sox, you're about to. The Red Sox have somehow gone 13-1 on the Lord's Day this season, helping them avoid any three-game sweeps since April 11. The starting pitching has cooled off in a major way of late, highlighted by ace Tanner Houck's eight-run clunker on Saturday. But baseball is all about weathering the storm, and the Sox have shown a propensity for that all season with their Sunday successes.
13. Houston Astros (+1)
Forget being over .500. Forget being back in the Wild Card picture. The Astros are coming for the AL West title. They've gained five games on first-place Seattle in the past 10 days, now sitting just 4.5 back. Houston officially ended the month with MLB's best record in June, and if that trend continues, Alex Bregman might have to prepare himself for another locker room speech on the season's final day.
14. St. Louis Cardinals (-2)
Maybe this Cardinals team isn't the most intimidating bunch, but they've been consistently good for six weeks now. Since dropping to 20-26 on May 19, the Cardinals have won at a .622 clip. Anyone hoping for Paul Goldschmidt or Ryan Helsley to be traded to their team this summer can forget about it because this St. Louis team is going to be in the hunt for the long haul.
15. Tampa Bay Rays (+4)
Like it or not, here come the Rays. Tampa Bay has won eight of their last 11, vaulting themselves back to .500. The names on the lineup card look much better of late as well, with Josh Lowe, Brandon Lowe, and Taylor Walls all healthy and contributing. At the same time, there are a lot of players on this roster making more money than the Rays are comfortable with, and it will be fascinating to see how they navigate the trade deadline as they try to rise even further up the 2024 MLB Power Rankings.
16. New York Mets (+1)
Some of the shine wore off the Grimace Mets over the weekend, but what a month it truly was. From the winning streak to the sweep of the Yankees to the debut of smash hit “OMG,” the Mets had the kind of month that fans talk about for years thereafter. But it will only become the stuff of legend if New York can keep the momentum going and get themselves to October.
17. Arizona Diamondbacks (+1)
Thursday already feels like a long time ago, but Jordan Montgomery slamming his glove against the wall after his latest clunker was a fair summary of Arizona's season thus far. They've got more talent than the team that won the NLCS last season, but those talented players just aren't showing up when it counts. But as is the case with most of the underperforming NL teams, the D-Backs still have plenty of time to turn it around.
18. San Francisco Giants (+6)
It's so tempting to believe in this Giants team figuring it out. Heliot Ramos is emerging as a legitimate star in center field. Matt Chapman has started hitting rockets again. The pitching staff is going to get two lefty Cy Young winners back at some point. But every time it looked like this team was going to hit the gas pedal this season, something has held them back. Let's see if two series wins this past week can start some real momentum for once and make this climb up the MLB Power Rankings legit.
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (+1)
Paul Skenes is single-handedly making the Pirates exciting this season. Sure, Bryan Reynolds is hot and Oneil Cruz occasionally hits a ball at warp speed, but Skenes is giving the Buccos a shutdown performance every five games, and in doing so, is also keeping them in the Wild Card hunt. Not that there's much reason to believe it will happen, but it really would be interesting to see them buy at the trade deadline.
20. Texas Rangers (-5)
Wyatt Langford hitting for the cycle on Sunday Night Baseball was undoubtedly very cool. But Sunday Night Baseball was also the only game the Rangers won all week, dropping them to 38-46 and eight games out of the playoff picture. I don't know if the defending world champions can be convinced to sell with so many veteran players on this club, but if they have more weeks like this one, they might not have much of a choice.
21. Cincinnati Reds (no change)
When the Reds win, they can make you think they're on track to becoming one of the league's best teams. They hit for power, run amok on the basepaths and generally look awesome on the diamond. But then you realize this team had one winning streak early in June and has hardly won a series the entire year otherwise. They're young, inconsistent, and overly prone to errors, both mental and physical.
22. Toronto Blue Jays (+3)
Welcome back, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Before Sunday, Vladito had five home runs in a six-game stretch, finally looking like the 2021 version of himself once again. Unfortunately, though the Blue Jays seem to have leveled out a bit, there just might not be enough time to get back into the playoff picture. Guerrero and Bo Bichette probably aren't getting traded, but several of their veteran teammates might be headed elsewhere.
23. Washington Nationals (-7)
It was an ugly week for Washington, but is that really a bad thing at this point? There can't be 12 playoff teams in the NL, and the Nationals are set up better than most to sell this season. Meanwhile, top prospect James Wood is making his MLB debut on Monday, allowing fans to fully start looking toward the future as their team tumbles down the 2024 power rankings.
24. Detroit Tigers (-2)
That 5-0 start to the season feels like it was approximately 700 years ago for Tigers fans. This team has devolved into a surefire seller, struggling to bat above their weight while the pitching crumbles outside of Tarik Skubal. The good news is that the Tigers have a lot of intriguing players, which should make the trade deadline a lot more interesting. If you're going to miss the playoffs anyway, might as well fall apart now so you can take advantage of this lopsided trade market.
25. Chicago Cubs (-2)
These Cubs just keep reaching new lows. They're 22-37 since May 8 and on Sunday, they gave up seven runs in the fourth inning, prompting a pitching change. In that moment Craig Counsell had to face the crowd in Milwaukee, enduring a round of jeers that could make anyone feel two feet shorter. It was less about the Brewers fans hating Counsell for what he did and much more about taunting him for making the wrong decision.
26. Los Angeles Angels (no change)
Sure, the Angels are still a bottom-five team. But they're starting to play like a fun bottom-five team rather than a miserable one. Their six-game winning streak ended on Sunday and even so, they scored five in the bottom of the ninth to lose by just one. And if you put Zach Neto on the Yankees, we'd be talking about him just as glowingly as we are Anthony Volpe, if not even more so.
27. Miami Marlins (+1)
Would you believe me if I told you the Marlins lead MLB with eight walk-off wins this season? Well, that's probably a side effect of Miami trailing in nearly all their home games, but it's true nonetheless. And though it was a diminished version of the Phillies they saw this weekend, the Marlins stood their ground in Citizens Bank Park this weekend, too.
28. Oakland Athletics (-1)
Remember when the Athletics got to 17-17 and everyone was surprised that they weren't as bad as we thought? Well, the A's have won just two series since, and now have the third-worst record in baseball. When you fail to invest in a roster, a facility, or a player development system, you can hardly be surprised when the team falls on its face.
29. Colorado Rockies (no change)
There's nothing redeemable about a series loss to the White Sox, but Brenton Doyle's diving catch in extra innings on Sunday was the closest thing Colorado has had to a heroic moment this season. With Doyle and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, there's a rough outline of a core starting to form for these Rockies, especially if Nolan Jones can ever reclaim his 2023 form.
30. Chicago White Sox (no change)
If the White Sox had finished off the three-game sweep over the Rockies this weekend, they might have finally had a case for moving out of the basement in these MLB power rankings. However, they dropped their extra-innings duel on Sunday and instead dropped their 62nd game of the season, meaning one more loss will sadly kill the dream of a 100-win White Sox season. And it sounds as if Garrett Crochet is likely going to be traded, too.
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