We are now into May, so our first MLB power rankings of the season are here with April—which included two managerial firings—creating a clearer landscape of the league.
1. Atlanta Braves (25-10)
Many were counting out the Braves after a disappointing 2025 campaign, but they look like the best team in baseball right now—holding an 8.5-game lead over everyone else in the NL East. The scary part is that Atlanta is rolling with Ronald Acuña Jr. (nine RBI) and Austin Riley (.205 average) still finding their groove.
2. New York Yankees (23-11)
The Yankees hit a lull with a five-game losing streak—including getting swept by the Rays—in the second week of April, but they’ve been dominant with a 23-6 record aside from that. Tonight, New York gets a chance to finish off a four-game sweep of the Orioles.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (21-13)
A case could certainly be made for the Dodgers being in the No. 1 spot and staying there barring some surprise collapse for the back-to-back World Series champions. However, they’re slotted in at No. 3 with consecutive series losses to Miami and St. Louis.
4. Tampa Bay Rays (21-12)
Tampa Bay is on fire with a 9-1 record over their past 10 games, and already getting a sweep over the Yankees could end up being significant in late September. Interleague play has been the lone issue (8-10 record) with the Rays being 13-2 versus AL opponents—and they now get 11 straight divisional games.
5. Chicago Cubs (22-12)
The season is still young, but the Cubs are an MLB-best 17-7 versus right-handed pitchers, and that’s with Pete Crow-Armstrong off to a slow start. Chicago will hope to separate some in the NL Central—which has all five teams in the top 10 of our power rankings—with a four-game homestand against Cincinnati to begin the week.
6. San Diego Padres (20-13)
Fernando Tatís Jr. being one of the few qualified hitters to not record a home run so far this season is a surprise, but he’ll probably catch fire eventually to make San Diego more dangerous. Off the field, the franchise reached an agreement to sell the team over the weekend.
7. St. Louis Cardinals (20-14)
The Cardinals had an outstanding week by sweeping the Pirates in four games and picking up as series win over the Dodgers—and they’re an MLB-best 5-0 in extra innings. A young squad of homegrown talent is a rarity in today’s game, but that’s what has made St. Louis successful thus far.
8. Cincinnati Reds (20-14)
Cincinnati has cooled off after getting swept by Pittsburgh over the weekend, but in general, the club essentially picked up where they left off as a Wild Card team in 2025 based on their strong start. The organization is counting on one of their top prospects in Chase Petty—who struggled last year in brief action—to be better this season as he makes his first start tonight at Wrigley Field.
9. Milwaukee Brewers (18-15)
It was disappointing to have Jacob Misiorowski leave last Friday night’s game with a no-hitter bid going into the sixth inning—but it fortunately ended up being a cramp rather than a hamstring injury. The Brew Crew will try to shake up the crowded NL Central with a visit to St. Louis starting tonight.
10. Pittsburgh Pirates (19-16)
Things could have spiraled for the Pirates after getting swept at home with four losses to the Cardinals, but bouncing back to sweep Cincinnati right after that could be a sign that they are for real. The schedule appears very favorable through the middle of May (@ ARI, @ SF, v COL) to keep it going.
11. Athletics (18-16)
12. Cleveland Guardians (18-17)
13. Detroit Tigers (18-17)
14. Toronto Blue Jays (16-18)
15. Philadelphia Phillies (14-20)
16. Seattle Mariners (16-19)
17. Texas Rangers (16-18)
18. Arizona Diamondbacks (16-17)
19. Miami Marlins (16-18)
20. Chicago White Sox (16-18)
21. Baltimore Orioles (15-19)
22. Kansas City Royals (15-19)
23. Washington Nationals (16-19)
24. Houston Astros (14-21)
25. Minnesota Twins (15-20)
26. Boston Red Sox (13-21)
27. Colorado Rockies (14-21)
28. San Francisco Giants (13-21)
29. Los Angeles Angels (13-22)
30. New York Mets (12-22)