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MLB Power Rankings Week 19: Yankees, Mets, Padres, D-Backs soar as Braves, Mariners fall
By Matt Johnson,
3 hours ago
Who is the best team in MLB? Teams have now played nearly 120 games as we approach the middle of August with the MLB playoff race heating up. Weeks after the MLB trade deadline, we now have an opportunity to use our MLB power rankings to look at the worst and best MLB teams right now.
As always, our MLB power rankings factor in injuries, week-long performances and how the team has fared this month. With that said, let’s dive in and examine all 30 teams. We’ll have analysis of the 10 worst MLB teams on Saturday.
The biggest winners of the MLB trade deadline, the Tampa Bay Rays are also still finding ways to win on the field. Christopher Morel (.673 OPS) hasn’t provided much to the Rays lineup, but Tampa Bay has the lowest ERA (2.96) in the majors since the All-Star Break. Credit goes to Taj Bradley, Zack Littell, Shane Baz and breakout arm Edwin Uceta. We don’t expect the Rays to make a Wild Card push, but there’s no doubt the club’s future is very promising.
The Chicago Cubs have a pulse, although, it is faint. Chicago boasts a winning record since the All-Star Break and the pitching (3.46 ERA) is coming through at a critical time. However, the Cubs lineup (.676 OPS) continues to struggle coming out of the break. In related news, Isaac Paredes is 5-for-33 with a .519 OPS and more strikeouts (six) than RBI (five) since landing in Chicago.
We’re not especially convinced that the San Francisco Giants have turned things around. The 10-3 record since July 25 is nice. Then you remember San Francisco did that against some of the worst MLB teams in 2024 and it instantly becomes less credible. On the bright side, the Giants schedule in the weeks ahead features the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Oakland A’s and Chicago White Sox. So maybe, by good fortune, they can keep climbing the MLB standings .
It feels like we’re approaching that time when the Atlanta Braves’ season has to be declared over. The Braves have the 11th-worst record in baseball since May 1 and they are in the same company as the Los Angeles Angels and Miami Marlins since July 1. In short, the Braves just aren’t very good. Barring a miraculous turnaround, Atlanta’s steady descent down the MLB power rankings will continue.
The St. Louis Cardinals are back to treading water, posting a 16-17 record since the start of July. Pitching (4.58 ERA) is an obvious problem, but it’s also impossible to ignore a Cardinals lineup that ranks 17th in OPS (.727) during that stretch. One thing is clear, Paul Goldschmidt can’t return in 2025 and it might be wise for St. Louis to look around this offseason to see what takers there are for Nolan Arenado.
Back down to earth comes the Seattle Mariners lineup. Randy Arozarena (.872 OPS) isn’t the problem. Instead, a Mariners lineup that ranks 25th in OPS since the All-Star Break and that has been even worse in August (.646 OPS) can thank the likes of Jorge Polanco (.417 OPS), Dylan Moore (.283 OPS) and Justin Turner (.653 OPS) or the recent woes. On the bright side, Julio Rodriguez (ankle) is at least on the way back but he probably won’t rejoin Seattle for a few weeks.
There is something positive for the Houston Astros, even as they descended down our MLB power rankings. Justin Verlander is beginning a rehab start, meaning the three-time Cy Young Award winner could be just a few weeks away from rejoining the Astros rotation. Now for the bad news. Kyle Tucker (shin) still isn’t even allowed to sprint and the Astros lineup returned from the All-Star Break slashing .244/.305/.386. Until everyone is healthy, Houston won’t look like one of the best MLB teams.
We’ll start with the good news, James Paxton (4.35 ERA) has been just as effective as a back-end starter as the last time he pitched for the Boston Red Sox. Alarmingly, he is one of the bright spots for a team with a 6.02 ERA in its last 18 games. We still like the Red Sox lineup, but it’s tough to win games when your starters cough up runs early and then your bullpen coughs up leads.
It’s difficult to buy into the Minnesota Twins right now. We’ll start with the 25-34 record versus winning teams ( MLB.com ) an immediate sign that this club might struggle if it plays in October. Of course, there’s reason to believe there won’t be playoff baseball in Minnesota because this team is barely playing .500 ball (9-8) since the All-Star Break and its pitching staff (4.59 ERA in the last 151 IP) has proven it can’t be relied on.
Since moving Francisco Lindor to the leadoff spot in the New York Mets lineup, he is slashing .292/.367/.512 with an .879 OPS. Over that same span, New York boasts a 41-30 record and the Mets lineup has the third-highest OPS (.789) in the majors. We also must highlight that New York has the second-best record in baseball since June 1 (37-21) and the second-most wins since July 1 (21). That’s why the Mets are one of the best MLB teams right now.
It’s Bobby Witt Jr’s world and the Kansas City Royals are just happy to live in it. The 24-year-old is demonstrating this season why he might be the best player in baseball. Witt Jr. owns a .451/.482/.784 slash line ( Baseball Reference ) with a 1.266 OPS and 8 home runs from July 7 to August 7. In related news, Kansas City is 16-9 during that stretch. The Royals will go as far as Witt’s bat, defense and speed take them.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are starting to resemble the team that tore through the postseason last year and won the National League. Arizona has the best record in baseball since July 1 (22-10) and that’s with a staff ERA of 4.16. Going back even further, this team is 38-21 (first in MLB) since June 1 and that’s despite a 4.65 ERA. All of this is to say the Diamondbacks lineup – .820 OPS since June 1 (second) – led by Ketel Marte (1.057 OPS), Josh Bell (1.037), Joc Pederson (.913 OPS) and Eugenio Suarez (.861 OPS) have catapulted the D-Backs up the MLB power rankings today.
The Cleveland Guardians were destined for a drop in the latest MLB power rankings after their recent woes. Since July 1, the Guardians are tied with the ikes of the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels with only 15 wins since July 1. In August, the Guardians have been one of the worst MLB teams. If Cleveland can’t get things right against the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs, there becomes a very real chance the Guardians lose control of the AL Central.
The San Diego Padres have the second-best record in MLB (18-10) since July 1 and they have been even better (14-3) since coming out of the All-Star Break. Even with starters still missing, San Diego’s pitching (3.00 ERA in 153 IP) is thriving as of late. Meanwhile, the Padres lineup (.810 OPS, fourth in MLB) is on a tear. We’ll remind you this team moved on from both Blake Snell and Juan Soto during the offseason. Kudos to the Padres’ organization for still performing like one of the best MLB teams after losing a Cy Young winner and MVP bat.
Aaron Civale is performing just as poorly for the Milwaukee Brewers (5.40 ERA) as he did in a Tampa Bay Rays uniform. To make matters worse, Frankie Montas hasn’t been any better Despite that, Milwaukee keeps finding ways to win. The Brewers lineup (.800 OPS, sixth in MLB) deserves credit for the success since the All-Star Break, but 34-year-old starting pitcher Colin Rea (2 ER allowed in last 17.1 IP) is also coming through.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ matchups against two of the best MLB teams right now – Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres – ended in series defeats. Fortunately, help is on the horizon. Tommy Edman and Max Muncy are starting rehab assignments over the weekend, while Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto take steps toward returning. If the Dodgers roster can ever stay healthy at the same time, Los Angeles can easily claim the No. 1 spot in our MLB power rankings by September.
It’s only a two-game sample size but Trevor Rogers, one of the Baltimore Orioles’ big MLB trade deadline acquisitions, has been even worse (6.75 ERA, 1.93 WHIP) than he was with the Miami Marlins. Fortunately, Zach Eflin (3.65 ERA) is pitching much better. The Orioles are playing .500 baseball since the All-Star Break, in large part because the pitchers hold an abysmal 4.97 ERA in the last 174 innings. Perhaps it might’ve been wise for this World Series contender to move some of the Orioles top prospects considering several of those prospects are blocked from the majors by young stars.
The New York Yankees have been playing better baseball as of late, posting a winning record since the All-Star Break after slumping right before it. It’s coming at a time when the Yankees pitching staff (4.99 ERA) has really let this team down. The group worth highlighting is the Yankees lineup, which has the third-highest OPS (.861) with the fifth-most runs scored (106) since the All-Star Break.
The Philadelphia Phillies are the best team in baseball, but the gap isn’t nearly as wide as it used to be. Since July 1, the Phillies are tied for the fifth-fewest wins (14) in MLB per FanGraphs. Life hasn’t been much better in August, but there is hope following a much-needed series victory over the Dodgers. Fortunately for Philadelphia, several of the other best MLB teams are slumping right now. The other fortunate news, Ranger Suarez (back) is taking big steps toward rejoining the Phillies rotation.
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