The 2024 Major League Baseball season is underway with all 30 teams playing at least a week of action. While we’re only a handful of games into the season, it’s time for our MLB power rankings week 2 as we evaluate the best MLB teams and worst teams in baseball right now.
Related: MLB MVP race 2024
Let’s dive into the MLB power rankings week 2.
MLB power rankings 2024: Worst teams in MLB
30. Oakland Athletics (30)
The Oakland Athletics are the worst MLB team in 2024, right in line with expectations for a ballclub put together by owner John Fisher. It’s wrong that Oakland’s passionate fan base is left with this product in its final season with the A’s, but that was intentional by Fisher.
Related: Longest baseball games ever
29. Colorado Rockies (28)
Entering Friday’s games, per ESPN, the Colorado Rockies had the worst ERA (8.37) and WHIP (1.98) in MLB. For context, the second-worst pitching staff has a 6.52 ERA and 1.71 WHIP. What’s most astonishing about all of this, the first seven games on the Rockies schedule weren’t even played at Coors Field.
Related: Highest-paid MLB players
28. Chicago White Sox (29)
The Chicago White Sox are as bad as expected, though, a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves provided a brief day of positivity for the fan base. What’s alarming about the White Sox is that their Triple-A team seems to be just as bad as the major-league club. That’s a recipe for this to be a very, very long rebuild and we’re not even confident the right people are leading the organization to make it work.
Related: 2024 MLB Draft order, top prospects
27. Washington Nationals (27)
The bright side for the Washington Nationals is that CJ Abrams, 178 wRC+ per FanGraphs, is off to a fantastic start this season. Unfortunately for Washington, its pitching is among the worst in the majors. With a looming April schedule that includes the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros, things are probably only going to get worse from here.
Related: MLB mock draft 2024
26. Miami Marlins (23)
Pitching was supposed to be the Miami Marlins’ strength, instead, they are without multiple starters thanks to Tommy John surgery. As for the replacements in the starting rotation – Ryan Weathers (1.67 WHIP) and A.J. Puk (2.83 WHIP) – they look like they only have the command to be relievers. It’s no surprise Miami is already thinking about selling off its talent.
Related: MLB stat leaders 2024
25. New York Mets (20)
Everything you need to know about the New York Mets’ season thus far can be summed up in the Gary Cohen call. It’s hard to believe this is the same franchise that a year ago was viewed as one of the favorites to compete for an NL pennant. Fast forward to 2024, whatever fans are making it to Citi Field are counting days the days until this season is over.
Related: New York Mets game today, Mets schedule 2024
24. Kansas City Royals (26)
It’s Bobby Witt Jr’s world and we’re just living in it. Witt Jr. played at an MVP-caliber level at times last season, but the Kansas City Royals didn’t have the team success for it to garner attention. Now, Witt Jr. looks like one of the best hitters in MLB and the Royals’ lineup is being further boosted by MJ Melendez and Maikel Garcia. This club will still finish below .500, but it’s great to see the Royals showing promise for the future.
Related: Best MLB lineups 2024
23. Los Angeles Angels (25)
Mike Trout is still doing it. When the future Hall of Famer is healthy, there are few players in MLB more entertaining to watch. He’s even getting some support this year from Logan O’Hoppe and Taylor Ward. Of course, we’ve seen this movie before. The Angels’ dropoff will come and it will likely be due to an injury.
Related: Best MLB rotations 2024
22. San Francisco Giants (15)
Things looked great for the San Francisco Giants out of the gate, taking the first two games at PetCo Park. Following a 13-4 drubbing by the San Diego Padres, San Francisco was then swept by the Dodgers. We do expect the Giants rotation to keep improving, but the likes of Thairo Estrada, Jung Hoo Lee and Matt Chapman need to start doing a lot more at the plate.
Related: Best baseball players of all time
21. Pittsburgh Pirates (24)
The Pittsburgh Pirates started last season 20-8 then finished 76-86 with a -98 run differential so forgive us if it takes time for them to ascend up the MLB power rankings. There are certainly positives from the hot start and while Michael A. Taylor (1.083 OPS) will regress, Ke’Bryan Hayes and O’Neil Cruz should improve. With that said, the existing Pirates rotation isn’t built for long-term success over even half a season.
Related: Longest hitting streak ever
MLB power rankings Week 2: Detroit Tigers rise, Phillies drop
20. St. Louis Cardinals (17)
Opening the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers was never going to end well for the St. Louis Cardinals. Fortunately for the team, it quickly rebounded in San Diego. There are still plenty of questions about the Cardinals pitching thanks to immediate injuries, but St. Louis also needs Jordan Walker (.439 OPS), Nolan Gorman (.557 OPS) and Nolan Arenado to step it up.
Related: St. Louis Cardinals game today, Cardinals schedule
19. Minnesota Twins (13)
Perhaps not filling the void left by Sonny Gray’s departure was a mistake, just a thought for the Minnesota Twins. Of course, the bigger problem is a Twins lineup that produced just a .209/.308/.323 slash line through its first six contests. Hope isn’t lost, especially in the AL Central, but Minnesota has a very tough road ahead in April, so it might be a few weeks before they start ascending the MLB power rankings.
Related: Minnesota Twins game today, Twins schedule
18. San Diego Padres (14)
The good news for the San Diego Padres is that they entered Friday with the second-most runs scored (52). However, the other side of that coin is allowing the third-most runs (54). It’s not like this schedule gets any easier, though, with the Giants, Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays looming.
Related: San Diego Padres game today, Padres schedule
17. Philadelphia Phillies (11)
In their first six games played, the Philadelphia Phillies ranked 21st in batting average (.223), 20th in OPS (.660) and 21st in WHIP (1.36). That tells you everything you need to know about Philadelphia’s record right now. There’s a great opportunity here for the Phillies to make up some ground instantly, facing the Nationals, Cardinals, Pirates, Rockies and White Sox. However, that will still leave questions about how they will fare against much better MLB teams.
Related: Phillies game today, Phillies schedule
16. Cleveland Guardians (18)
New manager, same classic Cleveland Guardians. In eight games, Cleveland ranked 22nd in home runs (five) but it had the fourth-most total bases (116) and placed third in runs scored (50). Meanwhile, Shane Bieber and Logan Allen have been outstanding early on. This is a fantastic start, especially when considering they took a series in Seattle. We will note, though, that this club gained a +19 run differential just from facing the A’s.
Related: MLB award predictions 2024
15. Detroit Tigers (22)
There is real excitement surrounding the Detroit Tigers and a 5-1 record heading into the home opener warrants it. Detroit’s pitching has been brilliant thus far, saving this team at a time when the Tigers lineup is slashing a collective .210/.287/.319. Those numbers and the fact that Detroit opened the season against teams at the bottom of our MLB power rankings week 2, are why 15th is as high as the Tigers can be for now.
Related: Best MLB team of all time
14. Boston Red Sox (21)
The Boston Red Sox pitching has been out of this world to open the 2024 season, posting the lowest ERA (1.54), WHIP (0.85) and batting average allowed (.180) in the majors heading into Friday. Is that sustainable? Of course not, but it is a fantastic sign for the likes of Brayan Bello (1.10 WHIP), Tanner Houck (0.00 ERA), Garrett Whitlock (0.67 WHIP) and even Nick Pivetta. If the Red Sox rotation even looks half as good over the next week, Boston will be making a big jump up the MLB power rankings.
Related: Boston Red Sox game today, Red Sox schedule
13. Cincinnati Reds (16)
All that matters for the Cincinnati Reds is that they took the first two series of the 2024 season. Obviously, the wins in Philadelphia matter even more and no player stands out more right now than Frankie Montas. There’s more than enough pure talent in Cincinnati for this team to win the NL Central, it will just come down to whether or not the youth delivers production.
Related: MLB All-Star Game 2024 projected lineups
12. Milwaukee Brewers (19)
Devin Williams goes down for months and the Milwaukee Brewers immediately have an excellent replacement waiting in the wings. Naturally, the strong start by Abner Uribe is a reminder that Williams could be traded at some point. No matter what happens with the Brewers’ top relievers, Freddy Peralta has proven he can be the new ace and Jackson Chourio is ready to be the face of this franchise very quickly.
Related: MLB games today, 2024 MLB schedule
11. Toronto Blue Jays (10)
Surprise, surprise, the Toronto Blue Jays lineup is underperforming again. When an entire lineup can’t even crack the Mendoza line, slashing .176/.278/.301, an organization should face scrutiny over its lack of impact additions this winter. There is still more than enough in Toronto for the Jays to rebound quickly and be a playoff contender, but the aspirations some had of this team eventually emerging as a World Series contender have been crushed.
Related: Best batting average ever
Best MLB teams 2024
10. Chicago Cubs (12)
The Chicago Cubs lineup is doing significant damage to open the year with Seiya Suzuki, Christopher Morel, Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ all batting .300-plus with at least a .900 OPS through the first week. Cody Bellinger and Nico Hoerner also have a track record worth believing a turnaround is not too far away. What will be worth keeping an eye on is how the Cubs rotation fares with multiple starters on the IL.
Related: Chicago Cubs game today, Cubs schedule 2024
9. Tampa Bay Rays (7)
With no Shane McClanahan or Tyler Glasnow, the Tampa Bay Rays no longer have the front-line starters to make their unique approach to pitching work. Aaron Civale is off to a strong start, but he’s the only starter keeping Tampa Bay in games right now. It’s also not like the Rays lineup has enough firepower to overcome it. A bad showing next week against the Angels and Giants would result in a significant dip in the MLB power rankings for the Rays.
8. Seattle Mariners (9)
It’s been a rough start to the year for the Seattle Mariners lineup as a team-wide .196/.261/.289 slash line can be attributed to struggles from Julio Rodriguez (.464 OPS), Jorge Polanco (.368 OPS) and J.P. Crawford (.438 OPS). Seattle is another example of a team that shed payroll this offseason and really saw its lineup get worse, in large part due to uncertainty over revenue from the TV deal. It’s still very early in the year, but a great rotation won’t be enough if Seattle’s batting order is bottom 10 in run production.
Related: Seattle Marienrs game today, Mariners schedule 2024
7. Houston Astros (3)
We don’t get overconcerned with the best MLB teams after a bad week, especially when they opened the year against the New York Yankees. Houston is still dealing with significant absences from its starting rotation, but it was the bats that didn’t show up at Minute Maid Park against the Yankees. Still, a lineup with multiple AL MVP candidates and other All-Star selections remains a World Series contender.
Related: Houston Astros game today, Astros schedule 2024
6. Arizona Diamondbacks (8)
The Arizona Diamondbacks will prove in 2024 that last season’s postseason run was no fluke. Jordan Montgomery is coming and the Diamondbacks lineup (.843 OPS) has been scorching hot out of the gate, posting a .290 batting average. The Atlanta Braves pose a massive challenge, but Arizona gets the Rockies and Cardinals after that.
5. Baltimore Orioles (4)
Corbin Burnes is as advertised and the Baltimore Orioles pitchers really came through for them to close out the first homestand of the 2024 season. Now on the road against the Pirates and Red Sox, it’s time for the Orioles hitters to prove why this is one of the best MLB teams in 2024.
Related: Baltimore Orioles game today, Orioles schedule 2024
4. Texas Rangers (5)
The Texas Rangers pitching staff, both the bullpen and rotation, came through in Tampa Bay. What’s more important is that with several members of the rotation on the IL, the Rangers lineup is demonstrating more than enough firepower to carry this team for the early portion of the season. Once Texas gets everyone back, there’s everything necessary to get into October and challenge for the World Series.
Related: Texas Rangers game today, Rangers schedule
3. Atlanta Braves (2)
Losing a pair of game due to postponements, the Atlanta Braves have a smaller sample of games to work with than other clubs. What certainly doesn’t help heading into the weekend is Matt Olson (.261 BP), Austin Riley (.304 OBP) and Ronald Acuña Jr (.263 BA) all scuffling at the plate. But hey, Orlando Arcia (1.126 OPS) is coming through for Atlanta. We’re not worried about the Braves lineup, this team will soon prove why it’s one of the best MLB teams this year.
Related: Atlanta Braves schedule
3. New York Yankees (6)
Among the things we didn’t expect to be writing during the MLB season was Anthony Volpe (.409) posting a batting average more than twice as high as Aaron Judge (.179). Judge, Gleyber Torres (.583) and Alex Verdugo (.494 OPS) are all scuffling at the plate right now, but that’s why New York acquired Juan Soto. Taking series over on the road over Houston and Arizona, all with Gerrit Cole on IL, is a testament to what the Yankees are capable of at peak form.
Related: New York Yankees game today, Yankees schedule
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (1)
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in MLB. Mookie Betts, ladies and gentlemen. With all the focus on Shohei Ohtani heading into the regular season, it’s the other former American League MVP who is carrying the Los Angeles Dodgers right now. Through nine games, the Dodgers lineup held a sensational .868 OPS and that’s helping make up for a rotation with a 4.06 ERA. One thing that is evident right now, the Dodgers are the early World Series favorites.
Related: Los Angeles Dodgers game today, Dodgers schedule 2024