MLB Power Rankings: Can anyone unseat the Tigers at No. 1?

With a 3rd week successful a enactment atop our list, the Tigers go the squad with the astir consecutive weeks astatine No. 1 truthful acold successful our 2025 powerfulness rankings, passing the Dodgers, who person spent 2 consecutive weeks successful the apical spot doubly this season.

Week 12 besides saw a fig of clubs continuing their emergence up our rankings, including the Astros and Rays each moving up 1 spot to eighth and ninth, respectively, arsenic good arsenic the Brewers and Reds each rising 3 places.

The mid-June blockbuster commercialized of Rafael Devers from the Red Sox to the Giants didn't impact either team's result this week, with San Francisco astatine No. 7 for a 2nd consecutive week and Boston going from 20th to 17th.

Our adept sheet has ranked each squad based connected a operation of what we've seen truthful acold and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is simply a afloat shot season. We besides asked ESPN MLB experts Buster Olney, Jorge Castillo and Bradford Doolittle to measurement successful with an reflection for each 30 teams.

Week 11 | Preseason rankings

1. Detroit Tigers

Record: 47-27
Previous ranking: 1

The Tigers' poorest-performing presumption this play has been shortstop, the spot Detroit thought it solidified erstwhile it signed Javier Baez. Rather than becoming an evident commercialized deadline need, the Tigers look to person recovered an in-house solution: Baez. The instrumentality of halfway fielder Parker Meadows connected June 2 allowed manager A.J. Hinch the luxury of relocating Baez's resurgent bat to his aged position, which helium had not started astatine since April 18. Good idea: Baez has a 1.017 OPS this play erstwhile playing astatine his aged stomping grounds. -- Doolittle

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Record: 46-29
Previous ranking: 4

Underneath the shadiness of the aboriginal Hall of Famers astatine the apical of the Dodgers' lineup, Andy Pages is emerging arsenic 1 of the champion young tally producers successful the sport. Manager Dave Roberts believes that Pages has greatly benefited from the mentorship of Teoscar Hernandez, who fosters a absorption connected driving successful runs. Pages, said Roberts, "hunts RBI." The 24-year-old is connected gait to decorativeness the twelvemonth with 32 homers and thrust successful 106 runs; successful his past 50 games, he's batting implicit .330, with a slugging percent adjacent to .600. -- Olney

3. New York Mets

Record: 45-29
Previous ranking: 2

The Mets' rotation has been baseball's best, but it's entering a play of flux. Kodai Senga, having a Cy Young-caliber campaign, deed the support with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, and Tylor Megill is retired for longer than Senga with an elbow sprain. Meanwhile, Sean Manaea, who is connected a rehab duty for Triple-A Syracuse, and Frankie Montas, who has yet to marque his Mets debut due to the fact that of a lat strain, should instrumentality soon. Montas is besides connected rehab, but implicit six outings has an ERA that looks similar fractional a shot people (12.05). What volition this portion look similar a period from now? -- Doolittle

4. Chicago Cubs

Record: 45-28
Previous ranking: 5

What has truly caught the attraction of rival evaluators is however versatile Chicago is successful however it dominates.

With Pete Crow-Armstrong leading the way, the Cubs person six antithetic players connected gait to deed 20 oregon much homers this year. They tract 3 players who could scope 30 bases, and they fertile 2nd successful the majors successful Defensive Runs Saved. "That's a squad that could triumph the World Series," an enforcement from different squad told ESPN recently. -- Olney

5. New York Yankees

Record: 42-31
Previous ranking: 3

Aaron Judge is quality aft all. The two-time AL MVP -- and adjacent fastener for different 1 this twelvemonth -- precocious went 2-for-20 implicit a five-game agelong from past Friday to Tuesday to interrupt a historically unmatched commencement to the season and driblet his batting mean from .394 to .372. If helium needed much grounds he's again the MVP front-runner (he doesn't), New York's offense, which led the majors successful wRC+ and OPS done past Thursday, crashed during his rut. The Yankees scored 4 runs successful those 5 games and were unopen retired successful 3 consecutive games for the seventh clip successful franchise history. The 29-inning skid was their longest since September 2016. The Yankees spell arsenic Judge goes. -- Castillo

6. Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 44-30
Previous ranking: 6

Nick Castellanos' streak of 236 games started came to an abrupt halt Tuesday erstwhile Phillies manager Rob Thomson benched him for an "inappropriate comment" aft Castellanos was removed from Monday's crippled for antiaircraft purposes. Truth is, helium has small nonsubjective leverage moving connected his behalf. As tricky arsenic public-facing antiaircraft metrics tin beryllium successful tiny illustration sizes, they are convincing erstwhile it comes to Castellanos -- and the illustration is huge. Over 13 seasons astatine antithetic positions, he's minus-136 antiaircraft runs saved, per Baseball Reference, and helium has ne'er breached adjacent successful immoderate season, careless of illustration size. -- Doolittle

7. San Francisco Giants

Record: 41-33
Previous ranking: 7

In the archetypal hours aft Giants players learned that the squad had traded for Rafael Devers, who is mostly regarded arsenic 1 of the amended hitters successful the game, they were cautious to beryllium respectful to the 2 large leaguers swapped to Boston successful the deal, pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks. But it was casual to spot successful their faces however excited they are astir the summation of Devers, who gives the Giants their champion axenic hitter since Buster Posey, the feline liable for making the woody successful his archetypal play arsenic San Francisco's president of shot operations . -- Olney

8. Houston Astros

Record: 43-31
Previous ranking: 9

The blows support connected coming for the Astros, but they support connected winning. The latest setback was Lance McCullers landing connected the injured database erstwhile helium sprained his close ft moving retired implicit the weekend. He's the 4th Astros starter placed connected the IL this season, including Yordan Alvarez, who remains retired with a fractured hand. But the Astros continued to complaint guardant nonetheless, winning 7 of 8 games and 11 of their past 15 to instrumentality a commanding pb successful the AL West. Hunter Brown (1.88 ERA successful 14 starts), Josh Hader (1.45 ERA successful 29 games) and Jeremy Pena (3.6 fWAR and 143 wRC+) person starred for a franchise that conscionable won't halt winning. -- Castillo

9. Tampa Bay Rays

Record: 41-33
Previous ranking: 10

Here's a information not connected astir people's bingo cards successful 2025: The Rays, the enactment erstwhile astatine the forefront of the opener craze, pb the majors successful starter innings pitched. That's contempt not having ace Shane McClanahan propulsion a azygous transportation this season. Instead, right-handers Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot are starring the way. Rasmussen has a 2.55 ERA successful 14 starts. Pepiot has a 3.11 ERA successful 15 outings. Further illustrating Tampa Bay's consistency successful the rotation, Rasmussen, Pepiot, Zack Littell, Taj Bradley and Shane Baz person started 72 of the team's 73 games this season. Joe Boyle got the different start. The look is moving with the Rays surging to wrong 1½ games of the first-place Yankees successful the AL East. -- Castillo

10. San Diego Padres

Record: 39-34
Previous ranking: 8

Manny Machado is simply a big-stage performer, and the Padres person a mates of high-end starting pitchers. But successful the eyes of immoderate rival executives, the champion portion of the squad is its bullpen. "That's the radical that got them arsenic acold arsenic they got past year," 1 nine authoritative said.

Moving forward, evaluators from different teams are precise funny arsenic to whether the Padres' cardinal relievers tin proceed to prolong the precocious measurement of work. Jason Adam is tied for astir appearances successful the large leagues, Jeremiah Estrada was tied for the fifth-most outings and Adrian Morejon was tied for 10th most. -- Olney

11. Milwaukee Brewers

Record: 39-35
Previous ranking: 14

In this epoch erstwhile relievers are absorbing much and much innings, Abner Uribe has emerged among the champion set-up men, with the benignant of worldly that makes you wonderment however anyone tin deed him. Uribe is averaging 11.53 strikeouts per 9 innings, but helium besides has generated an exceptional crushed ball-fly shot complaint of 2-to-1. Closer Trevor Megill, Nick Mears and Uribe person been the corporate backbone for the Brewers' bullpen this season. -- Olney

12. Toronto Blue Jays

Record: 40-33
Previous ranking: 13

Max Scherzer completed his 2nd and possibly last rehab commencement Wednesday, and looked acceptable for the large leagues. Pitching for Triple-A Buffalo, the 40-year-old right-hander held Worcester to 1 deed and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts implicit 4⅓ innings. He threw 75 pitches, the people fig successful mentation for perchance coming disconnected the IL next. Scherzer landed connected the IL with close thumb inflammation aft logging conscionable 3 innings successful his play debut connected March 29. The Blue Jays person remained successful the postseason representation without him, but the rotation, which ranks 26th successful ERA, could usage a steadfast and effectual Scherzer, who signed a one-year, $15.5 cardinal declaration successful February. -- Castillo

13. Cincinnati Reds

Record: 39-35
Previous ranking: 16

The past of manager Terry Francona's teams, generally, is that they volition get amended implicit the people of the season, and Cincinnati has proven that anecdote to beryllium true. The Reds person won 19 of their past 30 games, and they've got a tally differential of plus-44 for the season. The surge coincides with the play of Elly De La Cruz, who is batting .333 with 15 runs and 10 RBIs successful 15 games. Somebody get Cruz to the Home Run Derby. -- Olney

14. Seattle Mariners

Record: 37-36
Previous ranking: 15

Logan Gilbert was activated from the IL connected Monday and looked crisp successful his instrumentality from a close elbow flexor strain. The 2024 All-Star held the Red Sox to 2 runs with 10 strikeouts successful his archetypal commencement since April 25. Gilbert has a 2.55 ERA successful 7 outings this season. His strikeout complaint has soared from 27.4% past play to 39.7% successful this year's tiny illustration size. If helium stays healthy, he's a important boost for a nine that mislaid 8 of 9 games earlier this period to autumn down the Astros successful the AL West. -- Castillo

15. Arizona Diamondbacks

Record: 36-37
Previous ranking: 19

It'll beryllium absorbing to spot however heavy Arizona delves into the escaped cause pitching market, since their caller forays into it person been an abject disaster: Madison Bumgarner (five years, $85 million), Jordan Montgomery (two years, $47.5 million), Eduardo Rodriguez (four years, $80 million) and Corbin Burnes (six years, $210 million). Bumgarner was chopped successful the 4th twelvemonth of his deal, Montgomery was unspeakable past twelvemonth and had elbow country this year, Rodriguez has a 6.27 ERA successful 2025, and Burnes is retired for the play aft Tommy John surgery. -- Olney

16. St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 38-35
Previous ranking: 12

When executives adjacent the extremity of their contracts, the accustomed anticipation is that those officials volition marque a large propulsion astatine the deadline to springiness their respective teams the champion imaginable accidental to triumph -- and possibly marque a lawsuit for an extension. The work of St. Louis by different teams, conversely, is that the Cardinals won't see being assertive astatine the commercialized deadline retired of the tendency for a much palatable decorativeness for John Mozeliak, who is successful his past twelvemonth arsenic the team's caput of shot operations. -- Olney

17. Boston Red Sox

Record: 39-37
Previous ranking: 20

The decision to trade Rafael Devers mightiness haunt the Red Sox for a agelong time. At the moment, questions inactive abound: Why now? Why for that package? Was determination a mandate from ownership to unload the entirety of Devers' contract? Lost successful the outrage is different question: How is Boston going to regenerate Devers? Unearthing Devers' accumulation elsewhere is farfetched.

As for the DH spot Devers near behind, the Red Sox volition astatine slightest temporarily rhythm assorted players. They utilized Kristian Campbell, Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez successful the archetypal 3 games of the post-Devers era. A much imperishable solution could soon beryllium Masataka Yoshida, who has been connected the IL each play aft undergoing enarthrosis country successful October. -- Castillo

18. Minnesota Twins

Record: 36-37
Previous ranking: 11

It's hard to believe, but astatine 31 years old, Byron Buxton has played much than 102 games lone erstwhile since reaching the majors successful 2015. This season, helium has been mostly steadfast (now would beryllium the clip to sound connected wood, Twins fans) and is playing arsenic good arsenic helium ever has. Buxton has a career-best OBP and erstwhile connected base, he's 12-for-12 successful stolen bases portion scoring 41% of the time, tied for 3rd champion successful the AL. His powerfulness numbers are bully and, according to baseballmusings.com, helium leads the AL successful RBI percent among qualifying batters. -- Doolittle

19. Texas Rangers

Record: 36-38
Previous ranking: 22

The Rangers enactment up 16 runs doubly successful 3 games past week, giving fans anticipation that the team's perplexing violative struggles were successful the past. But they person different continued. Besides those 2 games, the Rangers person been held to 5 oregon less runs successful their 12 games since June 1. Turns retired the hitting manager wasn't the problem. And yet the ineptitude has not outgo the Rangers overmuch lately; they've won 7 of 10 games to compression backmost into the wild-card picture. -- Castillo

20. Cleveland Guardians

Record: 37-35
Previous ranking: 18

At 32 years old, Jose Ramirez is arsenic bully arsenic ever and is simply a coagulated stake to onshore an eighth top-10 MVP decorativeness of his eventual Hall of Fame career. He has been astatine it truthful agelong present that, astatine this point, he's moving mode up the database connected a fig of Cleveland franchise leaderboards. He should walk Tris Speaker for 2nd successful full bases successful the adjacent month, leaving lone Earl Averill up of him. Ramirez besides has a large changeable astatine passing Hal Trosky, Nap Lajoie and Jim Thome this play to determination successful down Averill successful RBIs. Just an astonishing career. -- Doolittle

21. Atlanta Braves

Record: 33-39
Previous ranking: 21

Matt Olson has astir apt been the Braves' champion presumption subordinate this season, but that mightiness accidental much astir Ronald Acuna Jr.'s precocious commencement to the play and the club's underachieving discourtesy than Olson. The lefty masher racked up 54 homers and 139 RBIs successful 2023, but this season's .251/.354/.479 showing is simply a dormant ringer for his numbers successful 2022 and 2024. In different words, 2023 looks similar an outlier year, not a new, elite vocation level. Olson is simply a good subordinate arsenic is, but this season's Braves definite could usage the 54-homer mentation of him. -- Doolittle

22. Kansas City Royals

Record: 36-38
Previous ranking: 17

The Royals' clutch-hitting-based discourtesy of 2024 has devolved into the AL's lowest-scoring onslaught successful 2025. The bats were peculiarly miserable during a 3-10 commencement to June, erstwhile Kansas City scored 3 runs oregon less 8 times, losing each 8 of those games. Injuries dinged the pitching staff, affecting the tally prevention, and the bats person not picked up the slack. Even Bobby Witt Jr. has struggled. Over his archetypal 12 games this month, Witt deed .234 with a .677 OPS. As the discourtesy flailed, the Royals' postseason likelihood dwindled to the constituent that the club's commercialized deadline absorption is nary longer fixed. -- Doolittle

23. Los Angeles Angels

Record: 36-37
Previous ranking: 24

The Angels' assertive handling of apical prospects continued past week erstwhile they called up 2nd baseman Christian Moore, their first-round prime from Tennessee past June. Moore is the 3rd consecutive first-round prime the Angels fast-tracked to the majors wrong the archetypal fractional of their archetypal afloat nonrecreational season, joining shortstop Zach Neto and archetypal baseman Nolan Schanuel. A Yankees instrumentality from Brooklyn, Moore went hitless successful his archetypal 2 starts earlier lining a triple past a diving Aaron Judge astatine Yankee Stadium connected Monday for his archetypal vocation hit. -- Castillo

24. Baltimore Orioles

Record: 31-42
Previous ranking: 25

Boston's AL East rivals were surely pleased to spot Rafael Devers shipped disconnected to San Francisco, but possibly cipher was happier than the Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn. With Devers successful the NL, O'Hearn moved to archetypal spot among AL designated hitters successful All-Star instrumentality voting. The slugger is deserving of the honor. In a lineup featuring Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, O'Hearn has been the club's champion hitter with a .302 batting average, 10 location runs and an .869 OPS successful 61 games. Astonishingly, helium could extremity up being Baltimore's lone representative. -- Castillo

25. Washington Nationals

Record: 30-44
Previous ranking: 23

Welcome to The Show, Brady House. The Nationals' archetypal prime (No. 11) from the 2021 draught made his MLB debut past week against Colorado. He collected his archetypal 2 hits and archetypal RBI successful his 2nd crippled (also against the Rockies). When Dylan Crews returns from the IL, helium volition articulation House, CJ Abrams and Robert Hassell III connected an progressive roster with 4 top-11 picks taken since 2019 -- and that doesn't see budding prima James Wood, a second-round prime successful 2021. The Nationals are flailing connected the tract lately, but their endowment level keeps rising. -- Doolittle

26. Pittsburgh Pirates

Record: 29-45
Previous ranking: 26

David Bednar has had immoderate ups and downs successful his clip arsenic the Pirates' closer, but with the commercialized deadline 42 days away, helium is drafting the attraction of immoderate rival evaluators with his caller performances. Pitching for a squad that isn't going to supply galore prevention chances, Bednar has six walks and 34 strikeouts successful 24 innings. Left-handed hitters person an OPS of conscionable .548 against Bednar, and helium has fixed up lone 1 extra-base deed (a double) successful 41 at-bats. -- Olney

27. Athletics

Record: 30-46
Previous ranking: 28

The Athletics person been a amended nine connected the roadworthy than astatine Sutter Health Park, their impermanent insignificant league digs, and cipher embodies the opposition much than Luis Severino. The seasoned right-hander has a 6.79 ERA successful 10 location starts and a 0.93 ERA successful six roadworthy outings. Combine the outputs and you get a 4.42 ERA -- not what the Athletics envisioned erstwhile they gave Severino the largest guaranteed declaration successful franchise history. If lone helium could transportation anyplace but West Sacramento. -- Castillo

28. Miami Marlins

Record: 29-43
Previous ranking: 27

If you created a Sandy Alcantara commercialized barometer, the arrow would beryllium pointing upward, meaning things are looking up. After bottoming retired astatine an 8.47 ERA astatine the extremity of May, Alcantara has displayed sharper bid this month, and the results person followed. In 3 starts -- which includes outings against the woeful offenses of Colorado and Pittsburgh -- Alcantara has a 2.12 ERA implicit 17 innings with 15 strikeouts and lone 3 walks. Suitors are astir apt already knocking connected the proverbial doorway of Marlins GM Peter Bendix regarding the erstwhile Cy Young winner, but if Alcantara keeps this up, they'll beryllium pounding connected it. -- Doolittle

29. Chicago White Sox

Record: 23-50
Previous ranking: 29

If you're going to stink, you mightiness arsenic good bash it with young players truthful that your fans tin imagination of a time erstwhile things don't stink truthful bad. Here's a amusive fact: The White Sox pb the majors successful rookie WAR, ranking sixth among hitters and tops connected the pitching side. Chicago is inactive headed for different 100-loss play but things could beryllium worse: Colorado, which is bidding to interruption the all-time nonaccomplishment grounds acceptable by past year's ChiSox, ranks past successful rookie WAR. South Side denizens would beryllium much than blessed to fto the Rox instrumentality connected that malodorous crown of worst squad successful history. -- Doolittle

30. Colorado Rockies

Record: 17-57
Previous ranking: 30

Given the struggles of the Rockies this season, they are apt to glean lone 1 spot connected the NL's All-Star team, and possibly that'll beryllium Hunter Goodman, the 25-year-old who leads Colorado successful each of the triple crown categories. So overmuch has gone incorrect for the Rockies, but the emergence of Goodman has been possibly the team's champion story. Over 70 games successful 2024, Goodman deed .190 with a .417 slugging percentage. This year, helium has improved his OPS by much than 200 points. -- Olney