The New York Yankees silenced their critics with a barrage of home runs from their new torpedo bats, while the Atlanta Braves faced two huge losses while starting the season winless. Here are the biggest movers and shakers in Sportsnaut’s latest MLB Power Rankings.
*Records and statistics as of Tuesday, April 1*
MLB Power Rankings
30. Chicago White Sox (Last week: 30)
As of April 1, the 2-2 Chicago White Sox have more wins than the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins combined. Trade candidate Luis Robert Jr. has started the season 3-for-13.
29. Colorado Rockies (Last week: 28)
The Colorado Rockies have started the season 1-3, but don’t blame the starters. Kyle Freeland and German Marquez have combined for 12 innings of shutout ball, giving up only six hits and striking out 11. Their bullpen has given up 14 runs while their offense has just scored six times.
28. Miami Marlins (Last week: 29)
The Miami Marlins had three walkoff wins against the Pittsburgh Pirates to help start the season at 3-2. Second baseman Otto Lopez has led the offense with two home runs and six RBI, while Sandy Alcantara went 4 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out seven after missing 2024 with Tommy John surgery.
27. Los Angeles Angels (Last week: 27)
No, it’s not an April Fool’s joke — the Los Angeles Angels are 3-1 and first in the American League West. Young first baseman Nolan Schanuel has had a strong start to the season, going 5-for-17. Future Hall of Famer Mike Trout has started slow but at least he’s been healthy.
26. Washington Nationals (Last week: 23)
It’s been a poor beginning of the season for rookie outfielder Dylan Crews, going hitless in his first 15 at-bats with 10 strikeouts in the Washington Nationals’ 1-3 start. Their bullpen has also given up 17 runs.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last week: 24)
It’s not the fault of Paul Skenes and the rest of the rotation that the Pittsburgh Pirates lost three of four to the Miami Marlins and start the season 1-4. Their offense has scored just 15 runs. At least Pirates fans get to see Skenes pitch every five days.
24. Minnesota Twins (Last week: 19)
The Minnesota Twins’ offense has only scored six runs in their 0-4 start. Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa have gone a combined 1-for-25. On the rotation side, Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack combined to give up 17 runs across six innings.
23. Milwaukee Brewers (Last week: 18)
It’s been a terrible start to the season for the 0-4 Milwaukee Brewers. They got swept by the New York Yankees in the Bronx, as their pitchers gave up an MLB-record-tying 15 home runs to the Bronx Bombers, including nine in one game. They then lost 11-1 to the Kansas City Royals in their home opener on Monday.
22. Athletics (Last week: 25)
First baseman Tyler Soderstrom has started off the season with a bang as the Athletics are 2-3. He’s 7-for-19 with three home runs. Luis Severino also had a good first start, going six scoreless innings, allowing only three hits while striking out six. However, they were embarrassed in their first game in Sacramento, getting walloped by the Chicago Cubs 18-3.
21. St. Louis Cardinals (Last week: 26)
The St. Louis Cardinals, who said goodbye to former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt and tried all offseason to ship out Nolan Arenado, have started the season 3-1. In fact, Arenado has started the season 6-for-15 with a home run and two doubles.
20. Seattle Mariners (Last week: 16)
The Seattle Mariners continue to show why they have one of the best rotations in baseball despite their 2-3 start. Their starters, led by Logan Gilbert, have only given up nine earned runs across 28 2/3 innings. However, their offense is another matter, scoring just 14 runs in five games.
19. Tampa Bay Rays (Last week: 21)
The Tampa Bay Rays’ pitching has been tremendous in their 3-1 start to the season. Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot, and Zack Littell have struck out 22 batters in 18 innings, only giving up four earned runs. Young third baseman Junior Caminero is also expected to have a breakout season.
18. Toronto Blue Jays (Last week: 22)
After an injury-plagued 2024, Bo Bichette is beginning the season hot, going 7-for-19 with two doubles in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3-2 start. New second baseman Andres Gimenez has three home runs already. They’re also down one starter after Max Scherzer landed on the injured list following his first start of the season. Outside of what’s happening on the field, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remains unsigned beyond 2025.
17. San Francisco Giants (Last week: 20)
The San Francisco Giants have had a strong start to the season, going 3-1 in their first four games. Wilmer Flores, yes, Wilmer Flores, cranked out three home runs to begin the year. Justin Verlander also had a good start, going six innings, striking out six and giving up two runs, following an injury-plagued 2024.
16. Cleveland Guardians (Last week: 17)
The Cleveland Guardians took two out of three against the Kansas City Royals to open up the season, going 2-2 in their first four games. They might have finally found a bat to go along with Jose Ramirez in Kyle Manzardo. The young first baseman went 5-for-13 with two home runs.
15. Kansas City Royals (Last week: 15)
The Kansas City Royals lost two of their first three games of the season against the Cleveland Guardians, before bouncing back Monday with an 11-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers to move to 2-2. New second baseman Jonathan India has been setting the table at the leadoff position, reaching base eight times in his first 16 at-bats.
14. Detroit Tigers (Last week: 12)
It was an extremely rough start of the season for the Detroit Tigers, getting swept in a three-game series by the defending World Series champion Dodgers in Los Angeles. However, former No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson has been showing signs of life at the plate, going 6-for-14 with a home run and double in Detroit’s first four games where they’ve gone 2-2.
13. Cincinnati Reds (Last week: 13)
Elly De La Cruz and a healthy Matt McLain are carrying a Cincinnati Reds offense through the first four games of a season where they’ve gone 2-2. De La Cruz mashed two home runs and knocked in seven in Monday’s 14-3 win over the Texas Rangers. Meanwhile, McLain already has three home runs on the season.
12. Atlanta Braves (Last week: 7)
Not only are the Atlanta Braves winless on the season (0-5) and were swept in a four-game series by the San Diego Padres, they lost $42 million outfielder Jurickson Profar for 80 games to a PED suspension and All-Star starter Reynaldo Lopez to the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation. It’s a long season, and they’re still without Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider, but the Braves are already behind the eight-ball.
11. Chicago Cubs (Last week: 10)
All-Star Kyle Tucker has lived up to his billing in his first seven games with the Chicago Cubs as the team has gone 3-4. Tucker has gone 10-for-31 with three home runs and four doubles, knocking in 10. The offense, as a whole, has scored 43 runs, but their starting pitching hasn’t held up outside of Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd. Their bullpen has also given up 19 earned runs.
10. Boston Red Sox (Last week: 4)
It’s been a brutal start to the season for Rafael Devers as the Boston Red Sox have a 1-4 record in their first five games. The three-time All-Star has gone 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts after moving from third base to designated hitter in favor of Alex Bregman. On top of that, first baseman Triston Casas is just 1-for-17 with seven punchouts. On the bright side, the Red Sox have extended their ace, giving Garrett Crochet a six-year, $170 million deal that starts in 2026.
9. New York Mets (Last week: 6)
The New York Mets offense hasn’t come out guns blazing as they’ve gone 2-2 through their first four games, scoring 15 runs. Juan Soto has two extra-base hits, including a home run, in his first 13 at-bats as a Met, while Francisco Lindor has yet to reach base. The pitching has held up, though, giving up just nine earned runs.
8. Houston Astros (Last week: 14)
The Houston Astros took two of three against the New York Mets to open up their season, despite their offense yet to make a dent. In their first four games of the season where they’ve gone 2-2, the offense has only scored eight runs, as slugger Yordan Alvarez has started out 1-for-12. However, their pitching has been dominant, giving up only 11 earned runs.
7. Baltimore Orioles (Last week: 8)
The Baltimore Orioles offense has been a machine in their first five games as they’ve started out the season 3-2. They’ve scored 32 times, including putting up eight runs or more three times. Adley Rutschman already has two home runs on the young season while newcomer Tyler O’Neill has gone 8-for-14. Their pitching leaves much to be desired as they’ve already given up 22 runs in five games.
6. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last week: 3)
Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez has been a home run juggernaut in the first four games of the season, hitting four home runs, as the team is 2-2. New first baseman Josh Naylor also got off to a good start, going 6-for-15 with two doubles. Surprisingly, their $210 million ace Corbin Burnes won’t make his first start of the season until Tuesday night against the New York Yankees.
5. Texas Rangers (Last week: 5)
The Texas Rangers (3-2) got a big boost as Jacob deGrom struck out six in five scoreless innings and gave up only two hits to the Boston Red Sox in his first start of the year. Adolis Garcia also started out strong after slumping in 2024, hitting two home runs.
4. San Diego Padres (Last week: 11)
The San Diego Padres (5-0) decimated the Atlanta Braves to begin the season, sweeping their four-game series at home. Fernando Tatis Jr. already has nine hits on the young season while superstar-in-the-making Jackson Merrill knocked in seven. Nick Pivetta looked like an ace in his first start as a Padre, giving up only one hit in seven shutout innings against Atlanta.
3. New York Yankees (Last week: 9)
We might have written the New York Yankees’ 2025 obituary a bit prematurely. The Bronx Bombers (3-0) lived up to their name over the weekend, tying an MLB record by hitting 15 home runs in their three-game sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers, including nine in one game. The torpedo bats might have gotten all the attention, but the Yankees showed they’re not giving up the American League pennant easily.
2. Philadelphia Phillies (Last week: 2)
The Philadelphia Phillies offense scored 25 runs in their first four games of the season, going 3-1. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber is scorching hot, cranking three home runs, while newcomer Max Kepler has three extra-base hits, including a home run. Pitcher Jesus Luzardo was also dominant in his first start as a Phillie, striking out 11 against the Nationals.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last week: 1)
To no one’s surprise, the Los Angeles Dodgers remain the No. 1 team on Sportsnaut’s MLB Power Rankings. They have started out the season 6-0, sweeping the Cubs in a two-game series in Japan and then breaking out the broom once again at home against the Tigers. The lineup remains incredibly dangerous with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman.
