2024 MLB Power Rankings: Chaos reigns at the All-Star break

The Major League Baseball season is a marathon, and the All-Star break is our chance to digest three-and-a-half months of madness on the field. So it's fitting that just as we enter that four-day respite from the MLB action, the league threw us a weekend curveball.

Of the teams ranked in our top 10 this week, only three won their series. Meanwhile, every team ranked 17th through 23rd, essentially all the teams fighting to stay in the playoff race at this time of year, came out on top. It could mean everything, or we could forget all about it by this time next weekend.

Where did your team land in this week's MLB Power Rankings? Read on to find out!

1. Philadelphia Phillies (no change)

It never feels great dropping a home series to the last-place Athletics, but the Phillies are keeping the top spot because of how they manhandled the Dodgers earlier this week. Sweeping that series was a statement that when this Phillies team is going right, nobody in the National League has the firepower to keep up.

2. Cleveland Guardians (+1)

Well, this is awkward. After a 2-5 week, the Guardians somehow climbed a spot to their highest spot in the MLB Power Rankings all season. Truthfully, no one feels particularly deserving of the number two slot right now. But for their remarkable consistency throughout the first half, we'll reward Cleveland, even if they feel like a bit of an overachiever based on the state of the pitching staff right now.

3. Baltimore Orioles (-1)

That was a really, really ugly week for the Orioles, who have to be thanking their lucky stars the Yankees folded in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday. They narrowly avoided an 0-6 slide, but this is still the second time in a month Baltimore has dropped five straight. Between the ailing rotation, patchwork bullpen and slumping lineup, there's a lot to iron out during the break.

4. New York Yankees (+3)

We were so close to turning over a new leaf. The Yankees had already won their first series since June 12 and were three outs away from sweeping the Orioles after Ben Rice's insanely clutch three-run bomb. But then Clay Holmes forgot how to throw strikes, Anthony Volpe forgot how to come through a ground ball and Alex Verdugo forgot how to baseball. The weekend was still a net positive, but that was the kind of loss that can define a season.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (-1)

Losing a five-run lead in the ninth inning on Saturday was a gut-punch, the Dodgers' worst ninth-inning collapse in 15 years. And then they blew another one Sunday to drop a very winnable series in Detroit. When they start getting some pitchers healthy again, we can revisit the conversation about the Dodgers being a top-tier team. But as things currently stand, they're a bit of a disaster.

6. Milwaukee Brewers (-1)

It feels like the Brewers have been playing better baseball than they have at times. 55-42 is a solid enough record, but in a season where the NL Central was supposed to be hotly competitive, Milwaukee had a chance to run away with the title in the first half. Quietly, though, they've allowed St. Louis to creep into the race behind them, and for that reason, they took a bit of a hit in this week's MLB Power Rankings.

7. Minnesota Twins (+1)

It never feels good to lose by chucking the ball into the third base dugout, and that's exactly what the Twins did in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon. And don't look now, but they're tied in the loss column with the Red Sox for the second wild card spot, which they've quietly had on lockdown for over a month now. The Twins still have a lot to feel good about going into the break, but they have to come out in the second half with their foot on the gas.

8. Atlanta Braves (-2)

A 4-3 week was an appropriate way for these Braves to close out the first half. They haven't been great, but they've done enough to keep their heads above water. And as long as they stay on their current pace, they'll get a ticket to October, where they know from experience that regular season records mean nothing at all.

9. Boston Red Sox (no change)

You know what helps out a lot when trying to have a winning season in the big leagues? Winning closeout games. The Red Sox are now 15-1 on Sundays this season, and 11-2 in decisive third games of series (a.k.a. rubber games). Thanks to that, Boston has the best record in The Show since mid-May, and are heading into the break a season-high 11 games over .500.

10. Kansas City Royals (+2)

It's hard not to feel like the Royals blew a big opportunity this weekend. After a shutdown performance from Cole Ragans, K.C. needed just one more win in Boston to secure at least a share of the Wild Card heading into All-Star week. But the offense failed to come through all weekend long, and Seth Lugo and Brady Singer were unable to pick up the slack. For all the good that happened in the first half, the Royals now have to become chasers the rest of the way.

11. Seattle Mariners (-1)

There were some legitimately good moments for the Mariners this week. If we came out with these MLB Power Rankings on Thursday night, they might be a few slots higher. But instead, they dropped the final three games of their series with the Angels and are now tied with the Astros in the loss column. We'll say it for the umpteenth time: If the Mariners can't start hitting, they're going nowhere this year.

12. Houston Astros (+2)

Sweeping the Marlins is never a bad thing, but it's hard not to be a little disappointed with the weekend if you're an Astros fan. They had the chance to put the nail in the Rangers' coffin on their home turf, but instead allowed them to keep lingering around. And with the Red Sox surging, the Astros ended up losing ground in the Wild Card race by the end of the week.

13. St. Louis Cardinals (no change)

The first half finished up with a split at Busch Stadium, allowing the Cardinals to remain in playoff position heading into the break. It hasn't always been a smooth ride, but they've done a nice job of maximizing the modest talents of their roster, especially with the regression of Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. If those two kick into gear in the second half, there's no telling what the ceiling could be.

14. New York Mets (+2)

Finishing off the homestand with a sweep would have been nice, but it's hard not to marvel at the 180 the Mets have pulled over the past month. This is a legitimately good MLB team, albeit with a scary pitching staff, that has played well within its capabilities over this hot stretch. And while it's a travesty Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo aren't heading to the All-Star Game, they'd surely be much happier if these Mets can hold on and secure a postseason berth.

15. Arizona Diamondbacks (no change)

The Diamondbacks have to look at their current record (49-48) as a win. Nothing ever clicked into gear throughout the first half, but they managed to win enough games to stay in the playoff hunt, and reinforcements should be on the way. The main thing they need to do is find a way to ensure the Corbin Carroll who hit two home runs on Saturday night sticks around the rest of the way.

16. San Diego Padres (-5)

Never underestimate the 2024 Padres' ability to regress back to .500. Just as soon as they got to six games above it for the first time, they lost six of their next seven to limp into the All-Star break at 50-49. Congratulations on sending your entire outfield to Texas, but it would be nice if you could stop giving your fans headaches.

17. Tampa Bay Rays (no change)

From this point until the 23rd spot, we're going to rip through a bunch of teams that don't make any sense right now. And it's fitting to start with the Rays, who are back to .500 despite a -67 run differential, the fourth worst in the American League. It seems like Tampa Bay should be dead right now, but they aren't, and every other AL team should be hoping that doesn't come back to haunt them.

18. Pittsburgh Pirates (+2)

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Whatever you think of this Pirates team, it's hard not to be impressed by their 48-48 record. After their April collapse, it was fair to assume that this team was bound to suffer another lackluster season, just as they did a year ago. But Paul Skenes is making his case for the greatest MLB rookie pitcher of all time, and the rest of the team is starting to fall in line behind him. Plus, they played the White Sox this weekend, which always helps.

19. Texas Rangers (no change)

Sorry to everyone hoping the defending champs would be sellers, but this Rangers team is still in the dance. Josh Smith, who homered twice in the series-clinching win over the Astros, has been a godsend. If Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien can ever break out of their funks, this lineup will be scary again. Plus, half of the rotation is still waiting to come off the injured list.

20. Detroit Tigers (+1)

If in some crazy world there's a documentary made about the 2024 Tigers, it's going to start with the five-run ninth inning they had on Saturday afternoon. Colt Keith's game-tying homer on an inside cutter immediately after Kirk Gibson said he should be sitting on the inside cutter was the stuff of dreams. And two weeks after they were left for dead, the Tigers are still hanging in there just three games under .500.

21. San Francisco Giants (-3)

Sunday's game was a perfect encapsulation of why the Giants are so confusing right now. Blake Snell had been terrible for most of the first half, but he was untouchable this week. Then Camilo Doval, who might be out of a job as the Giants' closer, blew it in the ninth. But somehow, the Giants ended up walking it off to stay within three games of the playoffs. For all the bitter disappointment of the first half, they can't help but stay the course.

22. Cincinnati Reds (no change)

Rece Hinds. Rece Hinds. Oh, and also Rece Hinds. Reds fans have seen a Linsanity run or two in their days (looking at you, Aristedes Aquino), but this one has been particularly sudden and prolific. Even if Hinds can't keep up this torrid pace (which no one possibly could), he may have breathed some life back into a stagnant Reds season.

23. Chicago Cubs (+2)

Add the Cubs to the list of teams that make absolutely no sense. Right when it seemed like this team was ready to become a seller, they got red-hot. Aside from the Saturday doubleheader sweep that took some wind out of their sails, they didn't lose a ballgame all week. Being 3.5 games out of the Wild Card race is no-man's-land right now. But the Cubs likely have too much invested not to keep chasing a playoff spot.

24. Toronto Blue Jays (no change)

With the exception of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is deservedly heading to Arlington, the Blue Jays will all be glad to be sitting at home during the MLB All-Star break. Nothing has gone right at any point during the year and soon, a number of Jays will likely be playing for other organizations. These four days are a much-needed respite for a reeling baseball team.

25. Washington Nationals (-2)

The Nationals were pretty much forced to wave the white flag after their sweep in Queens earlier this week, confirmed by their trade of Hunter Harvey to the Royals. But they made out like bandits in that trade and seem poised to do the same with their remaining catalog of veterans, so there's a lot to be optimistic about moving forward. Watching this team the rest of the way will be like finding an album that's about to take off in a few months.

26. Los Angeles Angels (no change)

Of all the teams with 55 or more losses, the Angels are definitely the one you least want to play right now. Logan O'Hoppe and Zach Neto are playing like future stars, and meanwhile, the back end of the bullpen has been slamming the door on opponents. Ben Joyce is living up to all his flame-throwing potential and for at least a couple more weeks, Carlos Estevez will be locking down saves.

27. Oakland Athletics (no change)

Here's the most stunning stat of the MLB season for you: The Oakland Athletics now have three games of scoring 18+ runs on the year. All 29 other teams have zero. When this offense clicks, it can be scary, and that's going to impact the pennant race at some point when a contending team catches Oakland at the wrong time.

28. Miami Marlins (no change)

It was very jarring to look at Sunday's MLB Draft order and realize that the 33-63 Marlins only had the 16th overall pick. It's been a nightmarish first half and it's probably going to get worse soon, assuming Jazz Chisholm Jr., Josh Bell and the bullpen arms all get traded. Sometimes it's reasonable to ask if a franchise actually cares about putting a good product on the field, and this is a prime example.

29. Colorado Rockies (no change)

When there's good baseball going on all over the country, it's a little tough to focus on the daily goings-on of the 2024 Colorado Rockies. But we're told they went 2-5 this week, though Michael Toglia did hit a bunch of home runs. We'll be sure to keep you posted as the season goes along, since you most definitely won't be watching.

30. Chicago White Sox (no change)

71 losses. In mid-July. We've gotten used to it, but it really is astonishing to see a team this bad wearing White Sox uniforms on a daily basis. This franchise won a division title less than three seasons ago, and a decent number of the players on that team are still around! But unfortunately, Guaranteed Rate Field has turned into a baseball wasteland, and there's no telling if and when that will ever change.