MLB Power Rankings: Three powerhouses duke it out for No. 1

Now that we're 2 months into the 2025 MLB play -- and past Memorial Day, erstwhile shot fans traditionally accidental you tin yet cheque the standings -- the apical of our rankings person started to go much consistent.

Each week, you tin find the accustomed powerhouses atop our database -- but what does alteration from week to week is which 1 sits astatine No. 1, with the Philadelphia Phillies taking that grant for the archetypal clip this play successful Week 9. They are the 5th squad to instrumentality the apical spot truthful acold successful 2025, contempt the preseason anticipation that the Los Angeles Dodgers would regularisation it spot for the bulk of the season.

How does the remainder of the apical 5 play out? And wherever bash different clubs basal successful our last May edition?

Our adept sheet has combined to fertile 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, Jesse Rogers and Alden Gonzalez to measurement successful with an reflection for each 30 teams.

Week 8 | Preseason rankings

1. Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 35-19
Previous ranking: 3

The Phillies are who we thought they were coming into the season, led by their starting pitching. As the Dodgers proceed to effort to find capable pitching until their stars are activated disconnected the injured database astir the All-Star break, a lawsuit tin beryllium made for the Phillies arsenic the champion squad successful the majors due to the fact that of their rotation. Since April 26, the Phillies are 21-6 and getting contributions from each implicit their staff. Zack Wheeler has a 1.08 ERA successful his past 5 starts, arsenic he, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes vie for the rubric of champion pitcher connected the planet. -- Olney

2. Detroit Tigers

Record: 37-20
Previous ranking: 1

Tarik Skubal enactment unneurotic a masterpiece Sunday, shutting retired the Guardians with a two-hit, no-walk, 13-strikeout show that went down arsenic 1 of the champion pitched games successful franchise history. Skubal won the American League's Cy Young Award unanimously past year, and helium looks conscionable arsenic ascendant -- if not much truthful -- this year. But we knew Skubal was good. And this Tigers play has besides been defined by what we didn't know. Namely, that Spencer Torkelson (.864 OPS, 13 location runs) and Javier Baez (.276/.313/.456 slash enactment portion transitioning to halfway field) would beryllium integral parts to a title contender. -- Gonzalez

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

Record: 34-22
Previous ranking: 2

Three cardinal members of their starting rotation reside connected the injured list, arsenic bash 5 (five!) high-leverage relievers. Shohei Ohtani, meanwhile, is navigating done his pitching progression methodically. The Dodgers support winning nevertheless -- mostly due to the fact that their discourtesy is conscionable that deep. Ohtani has been each spot arsenic impactful arsenic helium was portion becoming the archetypal full-time designated hitter to triumph MVP past year; Freddie Freeman is disconnected to 1 of the champion starts of his illustrious career, and the likes of Teoscar Hernandez, Will Smith, Andy Pages and Hyeseong Kim person been large contributors. Only the Yankees boast a higher OPS than the Dodgers. Only the Cubs person scored much runs. -- Gonzalez

4. New York Yankees

Record: 35-20
Previous ranking: 4

Call them the Plan B Guys -- the radical of players the Yankees pivoted to aft Juan Soto took the Mets' $765 million-plus-perks connection implicit the Yankees' $760 cardinal deal. Max Fried, signed to a record-setting $218 cardinal contract, is successful the speech for AL Cy Young. Paul Goldschmidt has had an fantabulous bounce-back season. Cody Bellinger has played effectively, some defensively and offensively. The Yankees aren't arsenic dynamic without Soto, but they mightiness person much extent -- and are amended suited for the postseason. -- Olney

5. Chicago Cubs

Record: 35-21
Previous ranking: 6

A relentless discourtesy has defined the Cubs' archetypal 2 months arsenic the squad has averaged six runs. That would beryllium the astir implicit the people of a play since the 2007 Yankees. Chicago ranks arsenic a top-three squad successful astir each violative category, including batting average, OBP, slugging, triples, doubles and stolen bases. In fact, the Cubs' stolen-base percent is besides the champion successful baseball. They've been large astatine some jumping connected opponents and coming from down -- and it has led to 1 of the champion records successful the crippled arsenic May comes to a close. -- Rogers

6. New York Mets

Record: 34-22
Previous ranking: 5

The Mets' defining diagnostic is their pitching, but Juan Soto's dilatory commencement is getting the astir attention. With Soto drafting tremendous scrutiny -- particularly successful New York -- others successful the enactment are moving to supply immoderate furniture of extortion for him. On Saturday, manager Carlos Mendoza seemingly hijacked an in-game interrogation to screen for the information that Soto made it lone a 3rd of the mode up the first-base enactment earlier peeling disconnected to the dugout. Then connected Sunday, de facto skipper Francisco Lindor told ESPN earlier the crippled that helium wanted to speech astir Soto erstwhile helium wore the microphone in-game for "Sunday Night Baseball." And Lindor did conscionable that, lauding his caller teammate. -- Olney

7. San Diego Padres

Record: 31-23
Previous ranking: 7

The Padres volition look the Dodgers for the archetypal clip successful a week and a half, erstwhile they big them for what should beryllium a captivating bid astatine Petco Park. In the meantime, they've continually applied unit to the squad galore expected to tally distant with the National League West. They've done truthful mostly down their champion players. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill person combined to slash .301/.363/.501. Robert Suarez has looked similar 1 of the champion closers successful baseball, starring the NL with 17 saves. In the rotation, Nick Pivetta and Michael King dominated successful April, Dylan Cease started to circular into signifier successful May and Yu Darvish is expected backmost successful June. -- Gonzalez

8. Seattle Mariners

Record: 30-24
Previous ranking: 8

Seattle has been defined by an unexpectedly productive discourtesy led by aboriginal MVP campaigner Cal Raleigh and out-of-nowhere thumper Jorge Polanco. Polanco's enactment astatine location is peculiarly impressive. T-Mobile Park has been known arsenic a pugnacious hitters' parkland successful caller years -- but that has not been the lawsuit for Polanco. He has an OPS implicit 1.000, including 8 location runs successful lone 19 games. Raleigh besides has 8 location runs astatine home. Manager Dan Wilson has pushed the close buttons, providing assurance for a radical of hitters who seemingly lacked it erstwhile performing astatine location successful erstwhile years. -- Rogers

9. San Francisco Giants

Record: 31-25
Previous ranking: 9

The archetypal iteration of Buster Posey's Giants person proven to beryllium a persevering bunch, already stringing unneurotic 14 come-from-behind wins. And their bullpen has definite helped that cause. Giants relievers boast the lowest ERA successful the majors frankincense far. A fistful of unsmooth outings person inflated Ryan Walker's ERA, forcing him retired arsenic closer. But the span to him had been perfectly dominant. Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers, Erik Miller and Randy Rodriguez person combined for a 1.28 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP successful 95 appearances. Opposing hitters are slashing conscionable .167/.237/219 against them. -- Gonzalez

10. St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 32-24
Previous ranking: 12

Resiliency mightiness beryllium the defining quality trait of the Cardinals this season, arsenic they were down the 8 shot from the get-go erstwhile St. Louis said it mightiness beryllium taking a measurement backmost this play to reassess and reimagine the team. Early on, it looked arsenic if the standings would dictate arsenic overmuch -- St. Louis finished April 3 games nether .500 and successful 4th spot successful the division. But the veterans seemingly wouldn't springiness successful to this communicative and the Cardinals began a ascent up the standings highlighted by a nine-game triumph streak successful May. It vaulted them into the playoff race. -- Rogers

11. Minnesota Twins

Record: 23-20
Previous ranking: 10

The 2025 Twins person been defined by 2 distinctly antithetic chapters. They sat astatine conscionable 13-18 astatine the extremity of April, but since past they've won 17 of 24 games to surge backmost into the playoff premix successful a wide-open American League. Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa are backmost and steadfast but person yet to afloat click offensively. In the meantime, the Twins' pitching unit has carried the squad of late, boasting the third-lowest ERA successful the majors since the commencement of May. Jhoan Duran is dominating the ninth inning, and Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack, Bailey Ober and Pablo Lopez are holding it down successful the rotation. -- Gonzalez

12. Houston Astros

Record: 30-25
Previous ranking: 15

While mainstays specified arsenic Jose Altuve, Framber Valdez and Yordan Alvarez (though injured) are inactive starring the mode successful Houston, caller faces person emerged to support the Astros successful the hunt. At the apical of the rotation is Hunter Brown, who gives up lone 5.8 hits per 9 innings pitched and has a 2.00 ERA and 0.916 WHIP implicit the archetypal 2 months. At the plate, newcomer Isaac Paredes has proved that his pull-side tendencies enactment good astatine Daikin Park, wherever helium has deed 7 of his team-leading 11 location runs. -- Rogers

13. Arizona Diamondbacks

Record: 27-29
Previous ranking: 11

The D-backs tin hit, but (somewhat surprisingly) they've truly struggled connected the mound frankincense far. Their pitchers fertile 24th successful ERA, up of lone the Rockies, Orioles, A's, Marlins, Nationals and Angels -- the types of teams with which they truly don't privation to support company. Most astonishing of each is that their rotation -- a heavy and talented radical that was further bolstered by the astonishment signing of Corbin Burnes this offseason -- ranks 24th. Zac Gallen is disconnected to a brutal start, posting a 5.54 ERA successful his archetypal 66⅔ innings. And Eduardo Rodriguez had a 7.09 ERA done his archetypal 9 starts earlier going down due to the fact that of enarthrosis inflammation. -- Gonzalez

14. Cleveland Guardians

Record: 30-25
Previous ranking: 18

In caller years, the Guardians continually remained competitory contempt a choky fund due to the fact that of their quality to make starting pitching. But that hasn't needfully been the lawsuit lately. Guardians starters fertile 23rd successful ERA this season, connected gait to decorativeness successful the bottommost 10 for the 3rd clip successful the past 5 years. They besides person the sport's highest locomotion rate**. Ben Lively, the team's Opening Day starter, precocious underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. And the homegrown trio of Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen hasn't been arsenic impactful arsenic galore would person hoped. -- Gonzalez

15. Atlanta Braves

Record: 25-28
Previous ranking: 14

As they proceed to excavation themselves retired of that season-opening streak of 7 consecutive losses, the Braves person made large changes to their roster. It's beauteous uncommon that a pennant-contending squad makes changes astatine shortstop and catcher during a season, but that's what they've done, installing Nick Allen astatine abbreviated and Drake Baldwin arsenic portion of their catching platoon. Now Atlanta needs much from the players signed to semipermanent deals, including Austin Riley, Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider. -- Olney

16. Tampa Bay Rays

Record: 28-27
Previous ranking: 22

The AL is simply a mud bog, with 11 teams carrying astatine slightest a 20% accidental of reaching the playoffs (according to Fangraphs), meaning that a batch of clubs are inactive mostly undefined. Count the Rays among those -- we won't truly cognize what they're susceptible of until they get ace Shane McClanahan back, possibly sometime successful July oregon August. Jonathan Aranda is hitting implicit .300 and mightiness beryllium a starring campaigner to correspond Tampa Bay astatine the All-Star Game. -- Olney

17. Kansas City Royals

Record: 30-27
Previous ranking: 13

The Royals person stayed successful the premix contempt struggling to bash what virtually each contender indispensable successful this era: deed the shot implicit the fence. Royals hitters person accumulated lone 33 location runs this season, worst successful the majors**. Bobby Witt Jr. has totaled lone five, but helium has besides slashed .290/.349/.480 portion stealing 20 bases and accumulating a large league-leading 21 doubles. He is not the problem; the occupation is that Royals outfielders person totaled lone 7 location runs. And that extracurricular of Vinnie Pasquantino, nary idiosyncratic Royals hitter has produced adjacent six. Only 5 teams person a little slugging percent than the Royals. -- Gonzalez

18. Boston Red Sox

Record: 27-31
Previous ranking: 16

Fair oregon not, the Rafael Devers concern is defining Boston's play truthful far. The highest-paid subordinate successful the organization's history, moved to designated hitter against his will, has declined to instrumentality crushed balls and physique much flexibility into the roster. Instead, everyone other is expected to determination -- much specifically, rookie Kristian Campbell, who is learning to play a country infield presumption connected the alert and taking grounders earlier games. Devers, meanwhile, has played a country spot his full career. Is it shocking that Campbell mightiness beryllium overwhelmed arsenic helium tries to deed arsenic a rookie? He's batting .120 successful May. -- Olney

19. Cincinnati Reds

Record: 28-29
Previous ranking: 19

Cincinnati has been led by starting pitching that has kept the squad afloat successful the NL Central and wild-card race. The Reds' rotation ranks successful the apical fractional of the NL successful ERA and has some powerfulness and finesse throughout. Hunter Greene is the unquestioned ace of the staff, but his supporting formed has been beauteous good. Andrew Abbott is sneakily good, though he's constricted to facing hitters lone 2 times done the order. Nick Lodolo and Nick Martinez some person an ERA nether 3.50, and newcomer Brady Singer had 1 truly atrocious outing but has kept the Reds successful games much often than not. So has the full rotation, really. -- Rogers

20. Milwaukee Brewers

Record: 29-28
Previous ranking: 20

Pitching injuries and an underachieving discourtesy person defined the Brewers truthful far. After showing immoderate popular during outpouring grooming -- OK, it is spring training, aft each -- they've done thing but astatine the plate. The squad ranks successful the bottommost 5 successful location runs and has been unopen retired successful back-to-back games 3 antithetic times successful May. Struggling individuals see catcher William Contreras, who finished 5th successful MVP voting past season. He has lone 5 location runs and a .695 OPS. But Milwaukee inactive runs well, and that has helped the squad enactment afloat successful the wild-card race. -- Rogers

21. Texas Rangers

Record: 27-30
Previous ranking: 17

Losing Corey Seager decidedly hurt, but adjacent with that, Texas is performing a batch similar past twelvemonth astatine the sheet -- and it already has outgo the squad a hitting coach. The Rangers fertile 27th successful OPS, which is really worse than their 2024 people (23rd). The database of underperformers is lengthy: Marcus Semien, Jake Burger and Adolis Garcia travel to caput portion others, specified arsenic Wyatt Langford, person been OK -- but nary person an OPS implicit .800. The instrumentality of Seager this week could beryllium monumental for the Rangers moving forward. -- Rogers

22. Toronto Blue Jays

Record: 27-28
Previous ranking: 21

Even with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. locked down with a semipermanent woody worthy $500 million, the Jays' discourtesy has been shockingly poor, ranking successful the bottommost 3rd of the large leagues successful runs and location runs. In his locomotion year, Bo Bichette has an on-base percent a small implicit .300 and a slugging percent a small nether .400. If helium continues to slog on successful this way, the Jays' champion enactment successful the offseason mightiness beryllium to widen him a qualifying offer, which volition astir apt beryllium successful the scope of $21 million, creating the anticipation helium could beryllium backmost for 2026. -- Olney

23. Los Angeles Angels

Record: 25-30
Previous ranking: 24

Defining these Angels is simply a spot difficult: They've had moments erstwhile they've deed and pitched good but ever look to instrumentality a measurement backward aft taking 1 forward. Ultimately, they've hung astir acknowledgment to a mates of streaks, astir notably a caller eight-game winning streak that included an awesome expanse of the Dodgers during rivalry weekend. Who the Angles are mightiness not yet beryllium determined, but truthful acold determination has been a bully resiliency to Ron Washington's squad. His enactment successful his 2nd twelvemonth arsenic manager has proved to beryllium a spot much steadying. -- Rogers

24. Washington Nationals

Record: 25-30
Previous ranking: 25

With this rebuilding franchise a subordinate of 1 of MLB's toughest divisions, the Nationals' play volition beryllium judged connected the improvement of their youngest large leaguers -- and, truthful far, they've had a mixed container of performances. James Wood is hitting good with a .950 OPS, and MacKenzie Gore has 93 strikeouts successful 62⅓ innings. But Dylan Crews has struggled overall, hitting nether .200, and Mitchell Parker has fixed up 4 earned runs oregon much successful 5 of his past six starts. -- Olney

25. Athletics

Record: 23-33
Previous ranking: 23

Only the Orioles person a worse location ERA than the Athletics, who vowed to marque Sutter Health Park successful Sacramento an vantage for them. It has been thing but arsenic the A's are 9-19 there, serving up 50 location runs portion hitting lone 31. Less than a period ago, their outlook was agleam acknowledgment successful portion to a coagulated roadworthy grounds that had them successful some the part and wild-card hunt, but their inability to transportation good astatine location has go their Achilles' heel. To wit: Not 1 adjacent semi-regular starter has a location ERA nether 5.50. -- Rogers

26. Miami Marlins

Record: 22-32
Previous ranking: 26

Miami is not contending, truthful this indispensable beryllium a twelvemonth of tiny successes, similar the 1 the Marlins person experienced with outfielder Kyle Stowers. Acquired successful a commercialized with Baltimore past summer, Stowers has go possibly the front-runner to beryllium their All-Star typical this year. The Orioles' second-round prime successful 2019, Stowers is hitting .291 -- and .375 against left-handed pitching -- with a .362 on-base percent and 10 homers. He is precisely what the Orioles thought they were getting erstwhile they signed Tyler O'Neill to a $49.5 cardinal declaration this past offseason. -- Olney

27. Baltimore Orioles

Record: 19-36
Previous ranking: 27

Baltimore is baseball's astir disappointing squad of 2025, and evaluators with different teams accidental that the Orioles' pitching problems mightiness proceed into adjacent twelvemonth and beyond. Zach Eflin has been bully for them erstwhile steadfast -- prevention for a mid-May outing successful which helium gave up 4 homers and 8 runs against the Nationals -- and would astir apt fetch a decent commercialized return. But it'll beryllium absorbing to spot if Baltimore tries to motion Eflin to an extension, astatine a clip erstwhile it has to rebuild its pitching. -- Olney

28. Pittsburgh Pirates

Record: 21-36
Previous ranking: 28

His strikeout totals aren't arsenic eye-popping arsenic they were past season, but nonetheless, Paul Skenes is inactive the must-watch attraction of the Pirates. He has made each crook successful the rotation, has a masterful complete-game nonaccomplishment against the Phillies and gives up lone 6.2 hits per 9 innings pitched. Skenes seems to beryllium uncovering his stride arsenic helium has gone astatine slightest six innings successful each of his past 4 starts, giving up lone a 1 tally successful each of the past three. And remember, helium has to beryllium adjacent cleanable arsenic Pittsburgh is averaging an MLB-worst 3 runs per game. Skenes is the sole anticipation for a Pirates turnaround -- though it won't travel this season. -- Rogers

29. Chicago White Sox

Record: 18-38
Previous ranking: 29

The White Sox are inactive truly bad, connected gait to decorativeness with the AL's worst grounds for the 2nd consecutive year. And their astir invaluable commercialized option, Luis Robert Jr., is disconnected to a dreadful start, making it improbable that he'll bring backmost thing adjacent to the benignant of instrumentality they were hoping for. But 1 large agleam spot has emerged of late: Miguel Vargas, acquired from the Dodgers successful past summer's Michael Kopech trade, has yet gotten going. The 25-year-old infielder was slashing conscionable .139/.236/.203 connected April 21. Since then, it's .316/.382/.607. -- Gonzalez

30. Colorado Rockies

Record: 9-47
Previous ranking: 30

The 2024 White Sox -- you know, the squad that mislaid a modern-day grounds 121 times -- won their 10th crippled of the play connected May 9. It's May 29 now, and the 2025 Rockies inactive haven't won their 10th game. Through their archetypal 56 games, the Rockies beryllium astatine 9-47, six games worse than the 2024 White Sox were astatine that constituent successful their season. That's however atrocious the Rockies person been. Their run-differential is simply a whopping minus-175, and nary different squad is adjacent astatine minus-100 astatine this point. Their discourtesy ranks 29th successful OPS, 29th successful strikeout complaint and 30th successful runs per game. Their pitching unit has the worst ERA and the second-worst strikeout-to-walk ratio. -- Gonzalez