Amazingly, six of the top seven teams in my power rankings come from the National League. I would have never expected the Tigers to be the highest-ranked American League squad at this point in the season — and they have the look of a fresh and dangerous team.
The AL East, long a powerhouse, no longer looks so hot. The Blue Jays, Rays and Orioles are below .500 and the Red Sox are right at .500. Out West, the Rangers have gone through a big dip. The Mariners and Athletics look to be the best two teams in the division.
Here are my latest MLB power rankings with comments on the top 10.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (23-11, No. 2 last week): The Dodgers just seem to win despite issues with their pitching staff. There’s no timeline for the return of Blake Snell, who is now shut down with left shoulder inflammation. Tyler Glasnow (right shoulder inflammation) is also on the injured list. Tony Gonsolin is finally back and will eat some innings. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been sensational. Roki Sasaki is like the tortoise. He’ll get there.
2. San Diego Padres (22-11, No. 5): The Padres are only 19th in the majors in runs scored, but the pitching staff has carried them. They have allowed just 95 runs in 33 games. The bullpen has been extraordinary, with eye-popping production from Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta and closer Robert Suárez, who has a 0.60 ERA and 13 saves.
3. Chicago Cubs (21-14, No. 3): I know it’s just the beginning of May, but the Cubs have outscored the Yankees by 21 runs and the Dodgers by 26. A lot of that has been fueled by the new and improved Pete-Crow Armstrong, who is hitting .272/.308/.559 with 20 extra-base hits in 246 plate appearances. He hit .237/.286/.384 with 29 extra-base hits in 410 plate appearances last year.
4. Detroit Tigers (22-13, No. 4): Not so quietly, the Tigers have clearly been best team in the American League through the first 35 games. The rotation leads the way, but the bullpen may need some additions.
5. New York Mets (22-13, No. 1): The Mets lost four of their last five to lose their grip on the No. 1 spot. So far, the offense isn’t being led by Juan Soto (.256/.374/.434 with five homers) but rather Pete Alonso (.344/.468/.656 with eight homers).
6. Philadelphia Phillies (19-15, No. 6): In looking over individual stats, it’s amazing the Phillies have kept their heads above water. Aaron Nola is 1-5 with a 4.61 ERA. Expected closer Jordan Romano has a 10.22 ERA with two saves. Ranger Suárez has thrown just three innings. Alec Bohm, at this time last year a blossoming star, is now facing lots of trade speculation. He is hitting just .228/.267/.283 with zero home runs after scuffling to end last season.
7. San Francisco Giants (22-13, No. 7): The Giants are 19th in runs scored yet seem to score enough because they’re seventh in runs allowed. Only Logan Webb and Robbie Ray have been dominant out of the rotation. The rest aren’t getting the job done. The success to date has a lot to do with the early culture work done by manager Bob Melvin.
8. Seattle Mariners (20-13, No. 15): I look at the Mariners’ lineup all the time and wonder how they are top 10 in runs scored. But with starters Logan Gilbert and George Kirby out, I’m not sure they have the rotation depth. They have gone a very impressive 17-6 in the past four weeks since starting 3-7.
9. New York Yankees (19-15, No. 10): The Yankees are scoring plenty of runs and they figure to all season long. Manager Aaron Boone really has his work cut out for him getting his rotation past Max Fried up to the task. I do have to say Carlos Rodón has realized it’s go time for his Yankee career. Boone was proactive in his dropping a failing Devin Williams from the closer’s role and handing the ball to Luke Weaver. Sometimes, taking the lid off a boiling pot leads you to a deeper ‘pen, and that is quite likely the end result here.
10. Cleveland Guardians (20-14, No. 11): The Guardians have done nothing but win under manager Stephen Vogt, but their success doesn’t seem at all sustainable given their current offensive numbers: .232/.304/.378 and just 131 runs.
11. Kansas City Royals (19-16, No. 14)
12. Boston Red Sox (18-18, No. 8)
13. Athletics (19-16, No. 19)
14. Arizona Diamondbacks (18-16, No. 12)
15. Texas Rangers (17-18, No. 9)
16. Houston Astros (17-16, No. 13)
17. Cincinnati Reds (18-17, No. 16)
18. Atlanta Braves (15-18, No. 17)
19. Toronto Blue Jays (16-18, No. 20)
20. Milwaukee Brewers (17-18, No. 18)
21. Tampa Bay Rays (16-18, No. 21)
22. Washington Nationals (16-19, No. 22)
23. Baltimore Orioles (13-20, No. 24)
24. St. Louis Cardinals (16-19, No. 25)
25. Minnesota Twins (15-20, No. 23)
26. Pittsburgh Pirates (12-23, No. 26)
27. Los Angeles Angels (13-20, No. 28)
28. Miami Marlins (13-20, No. 27)
29. Chicago White Sox (10-24, No. 29)
30. Colorado Rockies (6-28, No. 30)