MLB power rankings Week 12: Yankees, Orioles, Padres climb as Cubs, Dodgers, Braves drop

Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Who is the best team in MLB? We’re approaching the halfway point of the 2024 MLB season, providing us a clear picture of who the worst and best MLB teams are right now. With another week behind us, it’s time to take a look at our latest MLB power rankings with evaluations on every team.

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Let’s dive into our MLB power rankings for Week 12. As always, we’ll provide analysis on the worst MLB teams on Saturday.

MLB power rankings: Worst MLB teams right now

30. Chicago White Sox (30)

The Chicago White Sox in MLB. As we do every week with our MLB power rankings, we’re comparing where the worst MLB team of the Modern Era (2003 Detroit Tigers, 43-119, .265) was at the same time. On June 15, 2003, the Tigers were 17-49 with a -118 run differential whereas the White Sox are 18-53 with a -155 run differential on the same date in 2024.

29. Miami Marlins (29)

The only thing that matters now for the Miami Marlins is the MLB trade deadline. Jesus Luzardo, Jazz Chisholm and Tanner Scott are just a few of the top Marlins’ contributors who will likely be finding new homes in July. Once that happens, the Marlins and White Sox are in their own tier for the worst MLB teams.

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28. Colorado Rockies (27)

The Colorado Rockies are one of only three MLB teams with a run differential of -100 or worse and for context, there are only four teams with a run differential of -80 or worse. What we’re saying is, that Colorado needs a complete rebuild. However, the Rockies don’t seem to treat the MLB trade deadline as an important time of the year, so a rebuild isn’t coming.

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27. Oakland Athletics (26)

The Oakland Athletics are finally looking like the team everyone expected at the start of the year, historically awful. Beyond the Athletics’ seven-game losing streak entering the weekend, Oakland is tied with the Chicago White Sox for the worst record (12-29) since May 1. It would be foolish of the A’s to not make a Mason Miller trade this summer.

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26. Los Angeles Angels (28)

Hey, the Los Angeles Angels haven’t waved the proverbial white flag, or at least not yet. The Halos entered the weekend with a 6-4 record in the last 10 games and they were tied with teams like the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians with six wins in June. Of course, this is only a blip in a terrible season.

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25. Washington Nationals (24)

We’ve reached the point of the season where the cameras are capturing in-fighting in the clubhouse. While the Washington Nationals have been off to a solid start in June (7-6), we’ve seen these positive stretches followed up by some ugly baseball. Still, the season-long results are better than expected.

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24. New York Mets (25)

It’s too little too late for the New York Mets’ season, especially with so many veterans being mentioned in trade rumors. However, this nice stretch from New York comes with some of its veterans maintaining their trade value right at the time when buyers are starting to take a serious look at available options.

23. Chicago Cubs (21)

The Chicago Cubs have the third-worst record in baseball (15-25) since May 1. When you are putting yourself in the same company as the White Sox and A’s, the only place for you to go is in the bottom tier of MLB power rankings. There are still plenty of Cubs rumors implying this team will buy, but that might not even be a good idea at this point.

22. Houston Astros (22)

We just cant’ buy into the Houston Astros at this point in 2024. We’re 70 games into their season and after a series defeat in San Francisco, Houston is still barely playing .500 ball (16-13) over the last month. Plus, Justin Verlander was just scratched from Saturday’s start due to a neck issue. Even if Verlander’s absence is brief, it highlights the fact that Houston’s already weak rotation is barely hanging on by a thread.

21. Pittsburgh Pirates (16)

The series against the St. Louis Cardinals was a bit of a setback for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Still, there are plenty of positives to see in a young team that is 14-11 since May 16. The Pirates’ pitching (3.59 ERA) has been very good over that span, but its run production must improve. It’s probably not happening this year, however.

MLB power rankings Week 12: Diamondbacks, Giants rise

20. Arizona Diamondbacks (23)

Entering June, the Arizona Diamondbacks (25-32) were closing in on being 10 games. below the .500 line. June has been kinder, with the warmer weather providing some firepower for the Diamondbacks lineup (.840 OPS, 1st in MLB). The biggest hope for Arizona, maybe even more so than its record, is Corbin Carroll (.273/.373/.364) finally having a good month at the plate. Arizona’s heroes right now, though, are Ketel Marte (4 home runs) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr (10 RBI) crushing it in the last 11 games.

19. Tampa Bay Rays (18)

Beating the Chicago Cubs is no longer the statement it used to be, at least not when Chicago is 10-19 over the last month of the season. Besides, even with the series victory at Tropicana, Tampa Bay still has a losing record in its last 30 games and rival MLB clubs see blood in the water ahead of the MLB trade deadline this summer.

18. Toronto Blue Jays (12)

This is it for the Toronto Blue Jays. Upcoming sets against the Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox (June 14-26) followed by a series to end June against the New York Yankees will ultimately determine if the Blue Jays are buyers or sellers this year. Based on everything we’ve seen from Toronto in 2024, they will be accepting trade calls on Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Yusei Kikuchi and more contributors in July.

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17. St. Louis Cardinals (20)

The great news for the St. Louis Cardinals is that after an awful start to the season, they have the sixth-most wins (18) in the last month and Sonny Gray is leading a pitching staff with a clean 3.61 ERA in that 28-game span. It’s quieted the MLB trade rumors of St. Louis as a seller and with how shaky the National League is this year, there’s a clear path to the Cardinals competing for a Wild Card spot.

16. Texas Rangers (17)

On the one hand, the Texas Rangers went to California and beat one of the best MLB teams in 2024. Yet, even when factoring in that impressive performance, Texas still has the fourth-worst record in baseball (11-16) since May 12 and that’s with respectable work (3.77 ERA) from the pitching staff. It’s just not a good year for the teams who reached the World Series in 2023.

15. Detroit Tigers (14)

After a nice series victory in Teas, the Detroit Tigers slipped back down with consecutive defeats in three-game sets against the Brewers and Nationals. The 18-13 Tigers’ team feels so long ago, with Detroit demonstrating that it doesn’t have the talent on the roster or the depth in the organization to do anything more than fight for a .500 record.

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14. Cincinnati Reds (19)

Since May 19, the Cincinnati Reds have the sixth-most wins (14) in baseball and they are joined by the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians with single-digit losses over that span. Making things even better for Cincinnati, top infielder Noelvi Marte can return from his 80-game suspension on June 27.

13. San Francisco Giants (15)

The San Francisco Giants needed a strong showing against the teams from Texas to move back up the MLB power rankings. Mission accomplished. In series victories over the Rangers and Astros, the Giants bullpen (0.43 ERA) was spectacular and it made the difference even with the Giants lineup (.619 OPS) and starting rotation (4.64 ERA) struggling. Things should get easier against struggling Angels and Cubs teams.

12. Atlanta Braves (8)

The Atlanta Braves are worse than their season record says. After all, since May 12, Atlanta has the seventh-worst record (12-18) in baseball. Pitching has been fine (3.99 ERA) over that span, but the real eyesore is a Braves lineup with a .659 OPS (23rd in MLB) and the fourth-lowest OBP (.289) in baseball. Getting Sean Murphy and Austin Riley back didn’t help either, demonstrated by a .277 OBP in June so far.

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11. Boston Red Sox (11)

The Boston Red Sox lineup has come alive in June, sporting a .289/.360/.475 slash line with the second-best OPS (.835) this month. It’s no surprise that Rafael Devers (.324/.405/.703) is playing outstanding baseball, but the real standouts are Jarren Duran (.370 batting average) and David Hamilton (.561 SLG). If Boston can find a way to maintain this at home against the New York Yankees, the buzz will be back at Fenway Park.

Best MLB teams right now

10. Minnesota Twins (10)

MLB power rankings right now, Minnesota Twins — Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins have avoided falling outside the top in our MLB power rankings at this point almost entirely due to the teams behind them. Even with Minnesota having one of the worst records this month, it’s still just one of 10 teams that is well above the .500 line. With how its fellow clubs are playing, Minnesota can easily maintain its spot in the playoff race even through its struggles.

9. San Diego Padres (13)

MLB power rankings today, San Diego Padres — Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres lineup (.835 OPS, 3rd in MLB) is loving the month of June. While there’s plenty of credit to go around, Fernando Tatís Jr (.417/.481/.750), Ha-Seong Kimg (.250/.367/.525), Jurickson Profar (.286/.422/.514) and Jackson Merrill (.512 SLG) are the driving forces right now. Plus, San Diego’s pitching has stabilized. While matchups against the Philadelphia Phillies (June 17-19) and Milwaukee Brewers (June 20-22) will be challenging, the Padres have proven they can hang with the best MLB teams.

8. Seattle Mariners (7)

MLB power rankings today, Seattle Mariners — Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Julio Rodriguez is warming up a little faster than he did in 2023. Last season at this time, the Seattle Mariners slugger had a .241/.301/.429 slash line in 289 plate appearances. Fast forward to 2024, he’s at .268/.317/.354 with better numbers in June. He is still vastly underperforming compared to expectations, but the Mariners lineup isn’t doing him any favors. even with all the issues Seattle has, it still has the third-most wins in MLB (15) since May 19.

7. Kansas City Royals (6)

MLB power rankings 2024, Kansas City Royals — Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

The bad news is that the Kansas City Royals are playing .500 ball (12-11) since late May and a strong start by the pitchers has disappeared, as evidenced by the sixth-worst ERA (4.65) in the last 23 contests. Fortunately, a lot of teams are struggling right now and the Royals reached 40 wins in 70 games after not hitting that total until Aug 18, 2023, when they were 124 games into the season. The hot start is gone, but the Royals are still one of the best MLB teams in 2024.

6. Milwaukee Brewers (8)

MLB power rankings 2024, Milwaukee Brewers — Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Pitching has been very good for the Milwaukee Brewers in June. Entering play on June 13, Milwaukee’s starters had the 14th-lowest ERA (3.99) this month. Far more impressive, of course, is a Brewers bullpen owning a 2.09 ERA across 47.1 innings pitched in June. It’s coming at a crucial time considering the Brewers lineup has slumped (.632 OPS, 25th in MLB) as of late. Coming off consecutive series victories, Milwaukee is back on track.

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5. Cleveland Guardians (5)

MLB power rankings Week 12, Cleveland Guardians — Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Business as usual for the Cleveland Guardians. Since Steven Kwan rejoined the Guardians lineup on June 2, the team has the 11th-highest OPS (.735) and the 10th-highest OBP (.329) in the majors. It has only translated to a 4-4 record in June, but top-10 production and a 3.34 ERA from Cleveland’s pitching staff (6th in MLB this month) suggests there’s nothing to really worry about for the Guardians right now.

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4. Los Angeles Dodgers (1)

MLB power rankings Week 12, Los Angeles Dodgers — Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The confidence after beating the New York Yankees last weekend and crushing Texas 15-2 in the series opener on Tuesday all came undone the next two nights. On Wednesday and Thursday at home, the Dodgers lineup combined for a .194/.275/.306 slash line in consecutive losses to the Rangers. It’s the smallest of sample sizes, but it does feel reminiscent of the hot-and-cold production from this group at times. Needless to say, Los Angeles will be targeting another bat at the MLB trade deadline.

3. Baltimore Orioles (4)

MLB power rankings Week 12, Baltimore Orioles — Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles are the hottest team in MLB. Baltimore is tied for the MLB lead in wins (9) this month, with pitching (2.26 ERA, 1st in MLB) doing some phenomenal work for this club. That’s not to take away credit for the Orioles lineup (.833 OPS, 5th in MLB) which is also providing excellent production. One player who deserves to be highlighted is outfielder Austin Hays, who owns a .340/.368/.585 slash line in his last 20 games.

2. Philadelphia Phillies (3)

MLB power rankigns Week 12, Philadelphia Phillies — Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies are the best team in the National League. We’re not going to make too much of that lost series at Fenway Park, considering the Phillies had just traveled back from playing in London. However, it’s worth recognizing that from May 26 – June 12, the Phillies record is 8-7 (20th in MLB). Don’t fault Philadelphia’s pitching (2.96 ERA over that span) as the losses fall on a Phillies lineup that ranks 18th in OPS (.676) over that 15-game span.

1. New York Yankees (2)

MLB power rankings Week 12, New York Yankees — Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees are the best team in the MLB. Reclaiming their No. 1 spot in the MLB power rankings, New York in part grabs the top spot because it’s 7-3 in the last 10 games while some of the other top clubs are 5-5. After dropping the home set to the Dodgers, the Bronx Bombers responded by taking a four-game stand in Kansas City. Plus, the Yankees lineup is first in runs scored (359) and second in both OBP (.333) and slugging (.438) all with a pitching staff responsible for the lowest ERA (2.90) and batting average allowed (.211) in MLB.