With the Los Angeles Dodgers dropping their last five games, it's blatantly clear we need a new No. 1 team in the MLB power rankings. And based on recent play, the two candidates are clear. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. They're not only the teams with the best record in each league, but they've been the hottest teams of May pretty much the whole month through.
And it gets to be an even tougher decision the deeper you look because there are pros and cons on both sides. The Phillies have the slightly better record but lost a series to the last-place Colorado Rockies this weekend. The Yankees have won more series overall, but haven't fared as well against their common opponents with Philly. Whichever side you choose, you could easily feel foolish in a week's time.
Then again, perhaps none of this truly matters, because these two teams could either decide this for real in the World Series five months from now or fail to make it there in the first place. But a healthy debate is always good for the soul, no matter what the calendar says. So without further ado…
1. Philadelphia Phillies (+1)
Here's how close it was: we decided arbitrarily that the tiebreaker between the Phillies and Yankees would be run differential and the Phils have them beat by exactly one run: +93 to +92. But forget New York for a second, because the Phillies have been knocking on the door of the top spot for weeks now. After starting 8-8, they're now on a 30-8 stretch since. This team is firing on all cylinders–and that's allowing Trea Turner to take all the time he needs with his hamstring injury.
2. New York Yankees (+2)
The Yankees have now won seven straight series and if they win seven more, there's no question they'll be the number one team in the MLB power rankings. But it's also unlikely they care about something trivial like a list because Aaron Judge is in the middle of his hottest hitting stretch as a big leaguer and he's never had better protection in the lineup. Juan Soto is doing Juan Soto things, of course, but Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Volpe, and Jose Trevino (just to name a few) are also killing it. Oh, and they have the best starting rotation in the AL and they'll be adding Gerrit Cole to it at some point.
3. Baltimore Orioles (no change)
The Orioles had to be getting kind of sick of that “no sweep” streak if we're being honest. After all, they got swept when it counted, during their first postseason appearance in seven years as the number one seed in the AL. They responded beautifully to whatever adversity they may have been dealing with by stomping on the White Sox in crunch time all weekend long, gaining ground back on the Yankees and tying them in the loss column once again. Baltimore will be in the hunt for the division no matter how awesome New York might look at any given moment.
4. Cleveland Guardians (+2)
Um, HELLO Cleveland! That's a nine-game winning streak for your hometown Guardians, rightfully landing you a spot well inside the top five. The only reason they aren't higher is that sweeping the New York Mets these days doesn't necessarily prove a team is championship material. But at the same time, the Guards have been consistently winning all season and now they've been doing it without their leadoff hitter for close to a month. There's no telling how far this ride might take them.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (-4)
There's no sugarcoating it: This was a pretty bad week for L.A. They lost a home series to the Arizona Diamondbacks for the first time since 2018 then got swept by the last-place Cincinnati Reds. But also, five-game losing streaks happen all the time–to everyone. It's hardly time to lose faith in what may be the most talented team any of us have seen in recent memory.
6. Kansas City Royals (+1)
The Royals fell one game short of matching the Guardians on that nine-game winning streak this weekend, but it's still been one incredible ride this spring in K.C. Just this week alone, Cole Ragans outdueled AL Cy Young frontrunner Tarik Skubal, Bobby Witt Jr. hit four home runs and Seth Lugo became the first AL pitcher to eight wins on the season. With each passing week, it's looking more and more like this Royals team needs to be taken very seriously as a threat to win a pennant.
7. Atlanta Braves (-2)
If you asked any Braves fan which two players on the roster they absolutely could not lose to injury at the start of the year, the vast majority would have probably responded with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spender Strider… and now both won't see another inning of action all season. But the Braves aren't dropping two spots in the MLB power rankings because of Acuña's injury, they just haven't been playing Braves-like baseball lately. When they get rolling as a lineup once again, even without Acuña leading the charge, they're still a scary out for anyone they might face down the road.
8. Milwaukee Brewers (no change)
The Brewers seem to be getting comfortable at number eight because this is their third straight week in this spot in the MLB power rankings. And it feels perfect because they haven't been dominant by any means, but they've also been the clear class of the NL Central, especially given the struggles of the Chicago Cubs as of late. They also beefed with the Boston Red Sox all weekend and seem to be emerging as one of the most edgy teams in the league, which is a fun subplot in the first year of Pat Murphy's managerial tenure.
9. Seattle Mariners (+1)
After Milwaukee, it feels like there is a fairly significant gap right now. There's not another team left in the league more than four games over .500, nor any team over .500 with a winning record in their last ten games. So it's something of a default to turn to the Mariners and trust them as division leaders to carry the torch. And hey, they did stand toe-to-toe with the Yankees in the Bronx at the beginning of the week, though they blew their chance to win the series after opening with a pair of victories.
10. Minnesota Twins (+4)
Back and forth we go with these Twins. If we added up the total number of spots each team has moved from week to week in MLB power rankings, the Twins would easily be at the top of the list. They seemed to swing back in a positive direction this week and a third of the way into the season, they're in playoff position. That, plus their presence in the playoffs last year, gives them the benefit of the doubt. But would it kill them to find a little consistency for once?
11. San Diego Padres (+2)
Now is when it starts to get incredibly messy. You could legitimately put the teams ranked 11-16 on this week's list in any order and you'd probably have a reasonable explanation. But the Padres have won series against the Dodgers, Braves, Cubs, and Diamondbacks in recent weeks, so even though they seem to be constantly stuck at .500, we're giving them the chance to show they belong in a playoff tier.
12. Boston Red Sox (+4)
On one hand, it's felt like the Red Sox have been destined to be a .500 team for the last three-plus years, and perhaps they will continue to be exactly that until John Henry decides it's time to move to Liverpool and pass the team to someone else. But Boston also has pretty consistently looked like the third-best team in the AL East for most of the season so far. Their +32 run differential is 70 runs better than either Tampa Bay or Toronto and they've now gone 9-0 on Sundays this season, which is a stat that definitely exists, even if it truly does not matter.
13. San Francisco Giants (+4)
It took getting to .500 for the MLB power rankings to rightfully account for what the Giants have been doing as of late, but it's time to give them their shine. Matt Chapman, who made perhaps the defensive play of the season so far on Friday night considering the circumstances, has also been killing the ball. LaMonte Wade Jr. has a .472 on-base percentage. Jordan Hicks and Logan Webb both have ERAs under three. This is developing into a well-rounded, motivated baseball team.
14. Chicago Cubs (-5)
After hanging tight with the Brewers in the race for first place for most of the early spring, the Cubs are in the midst of a brutal slide that's seen them get swept by the rival Cardinals and fall all the way back to 27-26, 3.5 games back of Milwaukee. Which means now is either a perfect time for the Cubs to head to that stadium that should still absolutely be known as Miller Park or a terrible one. And the tone will be feisty from the jump with Craig Counsell returning to his old stomping ground, so the Cubs will either have to match that intensity or be swallowed by it.
15. Tampa Bay Rays (-4)
Losing five of six at home was probably not the goal these Rays set out to achieve at the beginning of the week. Nor was it ideal to see Zach Eflin and Josh Lowe go on the IL. But the Rays usually figure out roster issues with some kind of wonky solution no one sees coming and this season, they have a mega-prospect in Junior Caminero waiting to rejoin the MLB squad at a moment's notice. Definitely don't make the mistake of being among the first to count out Tampa Bay.
16. Detroit Tigers (-1)
Being swept by the Royals in Kansas City was a bruise on Detroit's ego, but the Tigers did respond well by taking three of four from the Blue Jays, including the wildest game of the season so far on Sunday. Matt Vierling's walk-off home run gave the Motor City Kitties a 14-11 win in a contest that saw 10 runs in the final four frames. At 26-27, there's still plenty of time for the Tigers to make their move in the AL, but only if they have enough juice to make it happen.
17. Arizona Diamondbacks (+2)
After stomping on the Dodgers in last year's playoffs, the Diamondbacks proved they can still handle their business against L.A. when they won a regular-season series at Dodger Stadium for the first time since Corbin Carroll graduated high school. But they also dropped two of three to the lowly Marlins, who have admittedly been frisky of late. Things are looking better for the D-Backs than they did a few weeks ago, but they still have a lot to figure out.
18. Houston Astros (no change)
We all seem to think the winning tear is coming for the Astros, but it's yet to really take hold. They blew two of three to the last-place Angels earlier this week and barely managed to take their series in Oakland thanks to Ronel Blanco's return from the baseball slammer. So we're definitely still in wait-and-see mode, but at the very least, it's clear these ‘Stros have plenty of fight left in them for 2024.
19. St. Louis Cardinals (+4)
Sunday night's game was a perfect example of why the Cardinals are back in the picture in 2024 (and also why it may have been premature for some yokel on this website to write a provocative piece about them being toast already). Paul Goldschmidt looked like Paul Goldschmidt finally as he bopped a pair of homers and Sonny Gray absolutely dealt for five innings. Getting more length from their ace will be important as the season goes along, but it's clear the Cards have started to find a formula that works as of late.
20. Texas Rangers (-8)
It's officially time for the MLB power rankings to punish the Rangers. They can wave their World Series banner forever, but something about last year's team clearly got left in 2023. The Astros started the season playing atrocious baseball and haven't really kicked it into gear yet, but they now have a better run differential than the Rangers and the same number of losses. Being four games under .500 might not seem like that big of an issue, but in order to reach 89 wins (the Wild Card threshold in the AL last season), Texas will have to go 64-44 the rest of the way, which is a .593 winning percentage.
21. Pittsburgh Pirates (no change)
Blowing leads is becoming something of a specialty for the Pittsburgh bullpen, which is a real bummer because things are otherwise lining up nicely for the Buccos. The offense is far from all-world, but they can find a spark every now and again like they did when hanging 11 runs on the Braves Friday night. And with Jared Jones, Paul Skenes, and Mitch Keller at the top of the rotation, anything suddenly seems possible in the Steel City.
22. Cincinnati Reds (+3)
How about it, Cincy? The Reds swept the almighty Dodgers after being swept by them just a week ago (side note: hate how the balanced schedule does this so often) and did so without any big moments from Elly De La Cruz. Spencer Steer and Jonathan India supplied the power while Hunter Greene had the gem of the weekend. 22-30 is still a rough place for the record to land after a long losing stretch, but perhaps the arrow is finally pointing upward.
23. Toronto Blue Jays (-3)
The barbarians are starting to gather outside the gates of the Rogers Centre. We're officially a third of the way through the season and the Blue Jays are still in last place, which passes the eye test for all who have suffered through a game watching the Jays try to score a leadoff baserunner. The starting pitching hasn't been what Toronto would hope of late either, with Alek Manoah and Yusei Kikuchi both being roughed up by Detroit. Calls for John Schneider and Ross Atkins to be replaced as manager and GM will grow awfully loud if the tide doesn't turn soon.
24. Washington Nationals (no change)
The Nationals are playing some very competitive games, but they're starting to lose some of the back-and-forth battles they were winning earlier this season. Some on the pitching staff are having nice years (Dylan Floro, Kyle Finnegan, Mitchell Parker), but this is definitely a team that's bound to give up a ton of runs this summer. And when paired with an offense that hasn't had much hard contact for most of the season… oof.
25. New York Mets (-3)
Every time you think the 2024 Mets have found the most painful way to possibly lose a baseball game, they prove you know nothing of their capabilities. Friday and Saturday were both excruciating and even a Sunday walk-off could only do so much to dull the pain Mets fans are feeling of late. And then you have Francisco Lindor, who is being paid $341 million by the Mets to lead the offense, saying his best chance in an at-bat is to not swing the bat at all. Yeah, times are pretty rough in Queens right now.
26. Oakland Athletics (+1)
The Athletics took two of three in what was the most electric awful series of the season, a three-game deathmatch with the Rockies earlier this week. But they're still one of just five teams with a winning percentage of .400 or worse and they'll probably be a mainstay in the bottom five of the MLB power rankings as the summer wears along.
27. Los Angeles Angels (-1)
Every week now, the Angels seem to do just enough to stay out of the bottom three. By taking their series from Houston at the beginning of the week, the Angels managed to reach 20 wins before any of the teams below them, though they promptly were swept at home by Cleveland over the weekend. This is a very bad baseball team, but it's possible they can continue to avoid scorn as one of the absolute disasters of the 2024 season.
28. Miami Marlins (+1)
Would you believe me if I told you the 2024 Miami Marlins have now won four consecutive series? And what if I then told you they still haven't gotten to 20 wins by sunrise on Memorial Day? Yes, it's been an ugly year in South Florida, but perhaps the sun is finally starting to shine through just a bit at loanDepot Park.
29. Colorado Rockies (-1)
Baseball is fun because the Rockies are deservedly ranked 29th in the MLB power rankings, but they just won a series against the team deservedly ranked number one. Ezequiel Tovar and Ryan McMahon both had big moments this week and maybe in some far-fetched reality, the most optimistic of Rockies fans could envision those two being part of a core that gets Colorado back to relevance. Then again, trading McMahon this season while his value is at its highest is probably the best move in the long run.
30. Chicago White Sox (no change)
Unfortunately, what was a three-horse race for the bottom is now one lone wolf crying by itself on the south side of Chicago. The White Sox have lost five in a row and eight of their last nine while becoming the first team to cross the -100 threshold in run differential this season (and already -110 as well). It's possible this team could be epically, historically bad.
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