The top teams in the MLB are beginning to separate themselves as hitters around the league heat up for the summer.
1. Atlanta Braves (45-21) | Last week: 1
Philadelphia surging hasn’t mattered at all for Atlanta as they continue to roll with a 5-1 week—and they have the best home and road record in the NL. Michael Harris II was the hero in yesterday’s win over the Pirates with a bases-clearing pinch-hit double to win, 3-2, and he hasn’t slowed down since moving up in the lineup.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (42-24) | Last week: 2
It was a modest week for the Dodgers that included a four-game split versus Arizona, but their lead in the NL West has only grown despite being without Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell for the past month. Shohei Ohtani remains the heavy NL MVP favorite (-1500) with Los Angeles as clear World Series favorites (+180).
3. Milwaukee Brewers (40-23) | Last week: 3
Other than 1-0 loss to the Giants on Wednesday, the Brewers were red hot offensively this week—going for run totals of 16, eight, nine, nine, seven, and 12 to push their lead in the division to 5.0 games. Hosting the Phillies this weekend should be a fun matchup between two clubs with the best records in baseball since the end of April.
4. Philadelphia Phillies (35-30) | Last week: 7 (+3)
Philadelphia still sits comfortably behind others in the win column due to their 9-19 start, but a 26-11 record under Don Mattingly is undeniable to make them a definite contender. Brandon Marsh turning into one of the best hitters in baseball over the past calendar year has been a major surprise to boost the lineup behind Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper.
5. New York Yankees (38-26) | Last week: 5
It’s always good to get a series win over the rival Red Sox, and the Yankees have been helped by Tampa Bay struggling to get back to even in the AL East. However, this week won’t be easy with a trip to Cleveland before traveling to Toronto with the defending AL champion Blue Jays hanging around at 7.0 games back.
6. Tampa Bay Rays (37-25) | Last week: 4 (-2)
Last week, I mentioned a favorable schedule for Tampa Bay until they face the Dodgers in the middle of June—but they haven’t taken advantage thus far with a 1-5 week versus the Tigers and Marlins. In general, the Rays are 3-10 over their past 13 games to tumble from the No. 2 spot in the power rankings when they had a 22-4 stretch.
7. Cleveland Guardians (37-30) | Last week: 6 (-1)
Cleveland was able to get a series win in the Bronx to begin last week, but they couldn’t keep it going with a series loss to the Rangers over the weekend. Beating the Yankees again (starting tonight) could go a long way to building confidence for October—though we’ll see if the White Sox or someone else can make a move in the AL Central this summer.
8. St. Louis Cardinals (35-28) | Last week: 9 (+1)
It was mentioned weeks ago that some are waiting for a young Cardinals squad to fall off, but it hasn’t happened—and they are in the leading NL Wild Card spot following a sweep over the Reds. Jordan Walker (10-of-18 with a 1.444 OPS and three stolen bases) has been on a tear during the club’s four-game winning streak.
9. Seattle Mariners (34-32) | Last week: 10 (+1)
The rest of the AL West remains under .500, and Seattle will probably be without Cal Raleigh for just one more full week before he returns from the IL. If he can get back to his record-setting 2025 form, the Mariners have the pieces to pull away.
10. San Diego Padres (33-31) | Last week: 8 (-2)
The talent for San Diego combined with other teams in this range struggling keeps them in the top 10, but they are suddenly 8.0 games back in the NL West following a 2-10 stretch over the past couple of weeks. Plus, the vibes aren’t great with Nick Castellanos being DFA’d and Manny Machado disagreeing with the decision—along with voicing displeasure about the influx of analytics into the game.
11. Arizona Diamondbacks (34-31) | Last week: 11
12. Chicago Cubs (34-22) | Last week: 12
13. Pittsburgh Pirates (34-32) | Last week: 13
14. Chicago White Sox (34-31) | Last week: 14
15. Washington Nationals (33-33) | Last week: 15
16. Texas Rangers (32-33) | Last week: 20 (+4)
17. Toronto Blue Jays (32-34) | Last week: 17
18. Cincinnati Reds (31-33) | Last week: 16 (-2)
19. Athletics (31-34) | Last week: 18 (-1)
20. Baltimore Orioles (31-35) | Last week: 19 (-1)
21. Miami Marlins (31-35) | Last week: 25 (+4)
22. Houston Astros (30-37) | Last week: 21 (-1)
23. New York Mets (29-36) | Last week: 23
24. Minnesota Twins (30-37) | Last week: 22 (-2)
25. Boston Red Sox (27-36) | Last week: 24 (-1)
26. San Francisco Giants (27-39) | Last week: 26
27. Kansas City Royals (27-39) | Last week: 28 (+1)
28. Detroit Tigers (27-39) | Last week: 30 (+2)
29. Los Angeles Angels (25-41) | Last week: 27 (-2)
30. Colorado Rockies (24-42) | Last week: 29 (-1)