We are six weeks and a day away from the start of the 2024 MLB playoffs and there is so much to play for during the remainder of the regular season. The most wins of any team right now is 73 with eight total teams sitting on at least 70. No team is on pace to win 100 games, which would be the first time in a decade that happens in Major League Baseball.
Four division races find two teams within at least four games of each other while the Wild Card race gets its name for a reason. There are sure to be plenty more surprises and fireworks as another MLB regular season nears its conclusion. Will one of the division leaders emerge as the team to beat before October? Or will this year's postseason be the most wide-open in quite some time?
There is a ton of movement in our latest MLB Power Rankings, including a new No. 1. However, no team outside of the top five last week broke into it this week. Where does your team land?
1. Philadelphia Phillies (+2)
The concerns surrounding the Phillies dwindled this week after four straight wins before a series-finale loss to the Nationals Sunday. Philly regained the top spot in our Power Rankings because of it and claimed the best record in baseball once again, albeit by a slim margin.
The Phillies' lineup is getting back to form. After averaging two runs per game during a recent four-game losing streak, the Phils averaged 6.8 runs in their last five. Trea Turner recorded 10 hits in four games against his former team following a rare off day Wednesday. Nick Castellanos continues to hit well too with a .311 batting average and .890 OPS since the All-Star break.
2. Baltimore Orioles (-1)
The Orioles were bumped from the top after splitting series with the Nats and Red Sox. They remain deadlocked with the Yankees for first place in the American League West as both teams enter this week with identical 73-52 records, tops in the AL.
Baltimore's rotation has taken a beating this season but Orioles starters pitched exceptionally well last week. Outside of a forgettable eight-run outing for ace Corbin Burnes, O's starting pitchers had a 2.76 ERA. Manager Brandon Hyde will have plenty of options to go with during the MLB playoffs.
3. New York Yankees (-1)
August has been a strange month for the Yankees. They're 7-7 facing mostly mediocre competition yet haven’t lost ground in the standings and are a half-game back of the Phillies for MLB's best record. Last week started and ended in disappointment for the Bronx Bombers as they were blown out by the unbelievably bad White Sox Monday and lost on a walk-off to the Tigers in the MLB Little League Classic Sunday.
Aaron Judge's remarkable season continues regardless. The AL MVP frontrunner has 12 hits in his last seven games, including his 300th career home run. Judge has reached base in all but one game this month and has a whopping 1.382 OPS in 15 games. Oh, he's also hitting .421 in the second half.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (no change)
Who said Clayton Kershaw was washed? The future first-ballot Hall of Famer secured wins in consecutive starts last week, scattering seven hits and one run across 11 2/3 innings of work. He needed only 70 pitches to get through six scoreless innings against the Cardinals Sunday.
LA also received a ton of production from its non-stars in their last two series. Gavin Lux had five extra-base hits and a 1.223 OPS in the last six games while Miquel Rojas hit .474 in that span.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (no change)
The longest current win streak in MLB belongs to the Brewers, who also own the largest divisional lead in the bigs. Milwaukee has won five in a row and tops the NL Central by 11 games as the only team with a winning record in the division.
Christian Yelich underwent successful back surgery last Friday and won't return to the field until next season. Despite yet another significant loss, the Brewers continue to roll toward their fourth division title and sixth playoff appearance since 2018.
6. Cleveland Guardians (no change)
No MLB team is streakier than the Guardians at the moment. Cleveland's last 20 games began with a five-game winning streak followed by seven straight losses, then another five-game win streak before getting swept by the Brewers over the weekend.
The Guardians cling to a two-game lead in the AL Central and at the same time are a half-game behind the Orioles and Yankees for the American League's top seed. There's a possibility the Guards, O's, Yanks and Twins all finish tied with the top record in the AL, with two of them forced to host a Wild Card series.
7. Minnesota Twins (+1)
If you haven’t been paying attention to the Twins, now might be the time to do so. Minnesota went 5-2 last week with series wins over the Royals and Rangers to reach 70 wins. Thanks to an 11-6 August so far, the Twins gained 4 1/2 games in the AL Central.
Only three teams have scored more runs than the Twins since the start of May. When this team is clicking, they are as fun to watch as any other in MLB. Minnesota will not be an easy out on the postseason.
8. Houston Astros (+2)
Sticking with the “since May” theme, the Astros own MLB's best record since May 1 following a 10-19 start. They're 11 games above .500 and hold a four-game lead in the AL West, both the largest numbers in those respective stats for Houston's season.
The Astros won 10 of their last 11 games with the only blemish coming via a one-run loss to the White Sox. Houston's pitching staff has impressed this month, allowing 2.6 runs per game. Can they sustain it for another deep run in October?
9. San Diego Padres (-2)
Despite having the best record in baseball since the All-Star break, the Padres lost ground in our Power Rankings following their first series loss of August. It came at the hands of the lowly Rockies, who limited the Padres to five runs in their two wins in the series.
Still, San Diego is in a great spot with six weeks left in the MLB regular season. The Pads trail the Dodgers by three games in the NL West and hold a 5 1/2-game cushion in the National League Wild Card standings. An important week begins Monday as the Twins and Mets come to town.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks (-1)
If the Padres aren’t the best MLB team of the second half thus far, the Diamondbacks have a solid argument. Arizona is tied with San Diego for the most wins since the break (20) and has surged up the standings since the beginning of July.
The D-backs were two games under .500 and were 11 1/2 games behind the Dodgers entering July. They'll begin this week 13 games over .500, four games back of LA, and 4 1/2 games separating them from missing out on the playoffs. There's no sleeping on the Snakes this year.
11. Kansas City Royals (no change)
It doesn't get much more dominant than what the Royals did over their last four games. Kansas City won all four, holding its opponents to one run each game. The Royals avoided a sweep against the Twins with a win last Wednesday, then proceeded to outscore the Reds 28-3 over the weekend.
The Royals are a win shy of 70 on the year, a number they haven’t hit since 2021. Bobby Witt Jr. continues to lead the charge as Kansas City looks destined to end its eight-year playoff drought. The All-Star shortstop has a hit in 41 of his last 45 games and has a .420/.472/.773 slash line with 32 extra-base hits during that stretch.
12. Atlanta Braves (+1)
A 5-2 week saw the Braves retain the final Wild Card spot in the National League. The offense continues to be inconsistent though, scoring five runs combined in three of their four games against the Giants, the fourth being a 13-run explosion. The same went for their series against the Angels, where the Braves were held to five runs in two games with an 11-run affair sandwiched between.
Atlanta’s pitching staff on the other hand was brilliant last week, carrying a 2.57 ERA in seven games. The Braves host the Phillies this week for a three-game series that might determine whether the NL East race is over.
13. Boston Red Sox (+4)
Ready for these Masataka Yoshida stats from the past week? The Red Sox outfielder went 11-for-17 at the plate with three extra-base hits, five runs and four RBIs in six games. It's part of a scorching hot month-plus for Yoshida who has a .355/.437/.551 slash line across his last 30 games.
The big rise for Boston this week is more so due to teams ahead of them in our previous rankings hitting a wall. Still, the Red Sox did not lose their standing as the top team on the outside looking in on the American League playoff picture. They're 3 1/2 games behind the Royals for that final Wild Card spot.
14. New York Mets (+2)
The Mets could’ve used this week to jump back into an NL Wild Card position. Instead, New York lost a series to the A's at home and lost the lead late trying to sweep the Marlins Sunday. Still, they remain only two games out of a playoff spot with a pivotal stretch coming up. The Mets' next 10 games are against the Orioles, Padres and Diamondbacks.
Mark Vientos has impressed of late, collecting hits in six consecutive games. The 2017 second-round pick has an .889 OPS in 302 plate appearances this year and is finally looking like the cornerstone piece the Mets expected him to be.
15. Seattle Mariners (-3)
As the end of the 2024 MLB regular season approaches, it looks like another potential lost year for the Mariners. The Seattle faithful have an argument to be the most frustrated fanbase in the league given the way the Mariners have played over the last nine weeks.
Seattle was 44-31 and held a 10-game lead in the AL West on June 19. Since then, only the White Sox and Nationals have a worse record than the Mariners, who are now four games behind the Astros for the division lead. Seattle's 5 1/2 game deficit in the Wild Card standings makes a turnaround in time for a playoff push tough to fathom.
16. San Francisco Giants (-1)
The Giants have stayed in the NL Wild Card conversation but lost ground after dropping three of four at home to the Braves. That series loss, coupled with a two-game split with the A's over the weekend, pushed the Giants to four games out of a playoff spot.
San Fran should gain some confidence this week with series against the White Sox and Mariners, two teams struggling mightily. The Giants will need more consistent play over the last six weeks of the regular season to make a true push for the playoffs.
17. Tampa Bay Rays (+2)
While they're likely going to miss out on the MLB postseason for the first time since 2018, the Rays are fighting for their seventh straight winning season. Their current streak is only topped in the American League by the Yankees, who last had a losing season in 1992.
The Rays also recently regained the No. 1 spot in MLB Pipeline's farm system rankings. There's always something brewing in Tampa and even though the playoffs are a long shot this year, there is optimism for a return sooner than later.
18. Chicago Cubs (no change)
After winning eight of ten, the Cubs were stopped dead in their tracks by the Guardians as Cleveland swept Chicago in three games. The Cubs salvaged the week with a series win over the Blue Jays but lost ground in the standings.
Although the talent is there for the Cubs to have a hot streak over the last six weeks of the regular season, Chicago has shown too many inconsistencies to make that possible. A once-promising season for the Cubbies is on track to see them miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
19. St. Louis Cardinals (-5)
Everything is falling apart for the Cardinals, the team with the biggest fall in our latest MLB Power Rankings. St. Louis is 5-11 in August after losing six of their last seven.
The offense has been a major disappointment and that continued last week. The Cardinals scored one run in three separate games and averaged less than three runs per game in their last seven. No National League team has scored fewer runs than the Cards. At 61-63, St. Louis is on pace to record consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1994-95.
20. Cincinnati Reds (no change)
A sweep of the Cardinals early last week pushed the Reds to one game under .500 for the first time since mid-June. Cincy was then shut down by the Royals over the weekend, scoring three runs in the series, its lowest series total since scoring two in a three-game set against the Orioles the first week of May.
The Reds have a +30 run differential, the highest of any MLB team with a losing record. There are positive takeaways from this season though, most notably the leaps of Hunter Greene and Elly De La Cruz. Unfortunately, the Reds have been unable to translate that into consistent winning. Missing the postseason for the 10th time in the last 11 years feels inevitable.
21. Detroit Tigers (+4)
Back-to-back series wins helped the Tigers jump four spots up our rankings this week. Detroit swept a middling Seattle team, then took two of three from the Yankees in a series capped off by a fun pitcher's duel in the MLB Little League Classic Sunday night.
Tigers ace and leading American League Cy Young Award candidate Tarik Skubal delivered his ninth quality start in his last 10 outings but was an out away from only his fifth loss of the season. Detroit tied the game in the bottom of the ninth then came back again in the 10th to secure its first series win over New York in three years.
22. Toronto Blue Jays (+1)
After grabbing its third series sweep of the season over the Angels, the Blue Jays lost two of three in a close series with the Cubs. Every game was decided by one run, with Toronto avoiding the sweep thanks to a 1-0 win Sunday.
Few other teams are in the conversation for most disappointing in MLB this year. The Blue Jays have been in last place in the AL East every day since June 20. They're 58-66 and haven’t had a losing season since 2019. It sure looks like 2024 will end that streak.
23. Pittsburgh Pirates (-2)
The Pirates were .500 entering the All-Star break and won their first two series of the second half. It's been a disaster since then, with Pittsburgh going from within 1 1/2 games of a playoff spot to 7 1/2 following a 6-15 stretch.
The Buccos should have their eye on next season rather than a miracle playoff run. Despite another losing season in Pittsburgh, the future is bright with a few young players carving out roles on the team. Paul Skenes headlines, but catcher Joey Bart is enjoying a career revival with the Pirates. The 27-year-old has an .884 OPS since coming off the injured list on June 30.
24. Texas Rangers (no change)
There are so many ways to describe the 2024 Texas Rangers season, but unfulfilling feels right given their current state. The Rangers have lost seven consecutive series and will become the first defending World Series champ to miss the playoffs since the Nats in 2020.
As an important offseason looms for the franchise, it seems there are more questions than answers for Texas. Manager Bruce Bochy turns 70 next April and is entering the final year of his contract while the Rangers have to sort out their pitching staff.
25. Washington Nationals (-3)
Who else is enjoying the heck out of watching James Wood play baseball? The Nationals rookie is finding his groove in his first MLB stint and appears here to stay. He's hitting .351 in August and has five multi-hit games with two more weeks in the month.
His power stroke is starting to come too with eight extra-base hits in his last 14 games. That includes a 417-foot bomb in Philadelphia on Sunday that left the bat at 107.5 mph. While the Nats are another year or two away from contending, James Wood and CJ Abrams are establishing themselves as core players.
26. Oakland Athletics (no change)
It probably shocks people to see how well the A's are doing right now, but there is talent by the Bay that might make the franchise’s transition to Sacramento a little more promising than fans think. Oakland has only one series loss since the All-Star break.
Mason Miller and Brent Rooker are the most talked about Athletics, but catcher Shea Langeliers is emerging as a solid bat for Oakland. The ninth overall pick in 2019 has an .869 OPS and 147 wRC+ since July 1.
27. Los Angeles Angels (no change)
The Angels won consecutive series against the Mets and Yankees to begin August but have since dropped three in a row. The offense did almost nothing last week, failing to score more than three runs in a single game while averaging two per in six contests.
Only the 30-win White Sox have a worse run differential than the Angels in the American League. As bad as the Mike Trout era has been, 2024 represents the lowest of the low. The Angels are on pace to finish with 69 wins which would be their lowest total (outside 2020) since Trout made his MLB debut in 2011.
28. Colorado Rockies (no change)
The Rockies are fighting to play .500 ball in August and a series win over the Padres last weekend helped the cause. Rookie Bradley Blalock pitched well Sunday, allowing one run on six hits and three walks across 5 2/3 innings.
On the offensive side of the ball, first baseman Michael Toglia has reached base safely in 13 straight games and has hits in his last 11. He launched his 20th homer of the season Saturday as part of a five-game stretch with six extra-base hits.
29. Miami Marlins (no change)
What a pickup Jake Burger is turning out to be for the Marlins. The 28-year-old has undoubtedly been Miami's best hitter since the All-Star break this year and has an .807 OPS since joining the Marlins at the 2023 MLB trade deadline.
Burger leads the league in home runs in the second half with 14 in 28 games. He homered in four consecutive games earlier this month and is proving to be among the best power hitters in the game following his 34-homer campaign last year.
30. Chicago White Sox (no change)
Chicago won games against the Yankees and Astros last week to reach 30 on the season. There is little guarantee the White Sox get to 40, although only three of their remaining 12 series come against teams currently in a playoff spot.
Six weeks separate the White Sox from the end of one of the worst seasons in MLB history. At least there's optimism surrounding the Bears for sports fans in the Windy City.
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