MLB Power Rankings: Rays tighten grip at the top, and Giants, Dodgers and Padres sit in top 10
By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst
As of this past week, a few teams are hot and a few teams are ... not.
One thing is for sure though: As more and more stadiums are getting back to full capacity, the atmosphere is electric across baseball these days.
Let’s take a look at my updated MLB power rankings at this point in the season.
30. Arizona Diamondbacks (Previous rank: 28)
It’s just not pretty out in the desert these days.
29. Baltimore Orioles (30)
At least Trey Mancini is having an awesome year. This team though? It isn't great.
28. Pittsburgh Pirates (27)
The Pirates continue to be talked about for all the wrong reasons. A couple of weeks ago, the Javier Baez play happened, and now they are hitting balls over the fence and being called out for not running the bases correctly. Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a home run this week but was called out after totally missing first base. That’s so Pirates.
27. Texas Rangers (26)
The Rangers aren’t hitting well this year and aren’t pitching well either – that’s not a recipe for success.
26. Colorado Rockies (29)
The Rockies are having a historically bad season on the road. With a record of 5-27 away from home, they are on pace to have the worst road winning percentage in history.
25. Minnesota Twins (21)
Just when it appeared they were turning it around, the Twins turned around again and went back in the wrong direction. Minnesota is one of the weirdest stories of the year and continues to be a massive disappointment.
24. Detroit Tigers (25)
The Tigers aren’t playing great but are playing above what I think most people thought they would with their roster. What AJ Hinch is doing there is impressive in its own right.
23. Washington Nationals (24)
The Nationals aren’t good and trade rumors are starting to swirl around their ace, Max Scherzer. It will be interesting to see what the Nats do as the deadline approaches.
22. Miami Marlins (23)
Last year was exciting when we got to see the Marlins in the playoffs during the short season. They just aren’t built for much success, though, over the course of a long season.
21. Seattle Mariners (18)
The hype around this team was quite high for a little while there. They crept back up towards .500 and then excited the whole baseball world when they called up their prized prospect, Jarred Kelenic. It certainly didn’t go as planned, as he went on an 0-39 stretch and was sent back down to Triple A.
20. Kansas City Royals (17)
If you take out their 11-game losing streak, the Royals are 27-15. That tough stretch set them back quite a bit but they are playing good ball as of late and finally have their record back over .500.
19. Atlanta Braves (16)
The Braves appear to be allergic to being over .500 this year. Right when they get there, they go on another losing streak. The Braves need to get this turned around soon. They are far too talented to be where they are.
18. Cincinnati Reds (22)
Their offense? Exciting. Their pitching? Bad. The result? A team that just continues to hover right around the .500 mark.
17. Philadelphia Phillies (19)
The Phillies just keep walking teams off and have gotten themselves back up to .500 on the season. They swept the New York Yankees in a series this past weekend and find themselves in second place in the NL East.
16. St. Louis Cardinals (8)
The Cardinals have fallen big time in the power rankings after a brutal stretch for them. This team desperately needs to add some pitching.
15. Los Angeles Angels (20)
Here come the Angels? Everyone so badly wants the Angels to be good so we can see Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the playoffs. They are playing great and haven’t lost a series since the middle of May.
14. New York Yankees (12)
The Yankees just can’t seem to pull it all together and continue to hover around the .500 mark.
13. Toronto Blue Jays (15)
Vladimir Guererro Jr. is a superstar. This team is fun and exciting to watch, and will only get better when George Springer returns soon.
12. Cleveland Indians (13)
The Indians just keep playing good baseball. Their problem is that they are behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central and they aren’t slowing down.
11.. New York Mets (10)
The Mets are the leaders of the NL East and are doing so while missing tons of players. They also have the best pitcher on the planet who is having potentially the best season for a pitcher of all time. If you aren’t watching Jacob deGrom every time he takes the mound, you are doing yourself a disservice.
10. Milwaukee Brewers (14)
Nobody wants to run into the Brewers right now. They have one of the best 1-2 punches in all of baseball and have won nine of their last ten games.
9. Chicago Cubs (6)
The Cubbies have Wrigley Field rocking these days. The friendly confines are back to full capacity and the Cubs are thriving with the stands packed.
8. Houston Astros (11)
The Astros are one of the best offensive teams in the league, they just need to add another pitching piece or two and this team will be the complete package.
7. Oakland Athletics (9)
The A’s can’t stop winning. They are on another hot stretch right now winning eight of their last ten games.
6. San Diego Padres (3)
The Padres are right in the thick of things in the NL West, where it appears it’s going to be an incredible three-team race this season.
THE TOP FIVE
The Red Sox (5) are right on the heels of the Rays and have Chris Sale getting closer and closer to coming back. He could potentially be a huge boost for this already talented team.
The Dodgers (7) are right on the Giants' heels and are playing great baseball. This team is dangerous – something we all knew.
You simply just can’t call it a fluke anymore with the San Francisco Giants (2). They are one of less than a handful of teams that have reached the 40-win mark this year and have done so in a division where they weren’t expected to compete.
The White Sox (4) are a complete baseball team. A great offense and a great pitching rotation are resulting in a lot of wins for the White Sox.
What the Rays (1) are doing is nothing short of exceptional. Year in and year out, they continue to be great with a roster that you wouldn’t expect to dominate. They were the first team to 40 wins this year and are atop the AL East.
BIGGEST JUMP: Los Angeles Angels – Up 5
BIGGEST DROP: St. Louis Cardinals – Down 8
Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @Verly32.