MLB power ranking Week 20: Scorching Padres, Astros and D-Backs rise, Phillies in free fall

By Matt Johnson

·Updated: August 17, 2024

MLB power rankings Week 20, best MLB teams — Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

What is the best team in baseball? Teams are more than 130 games into the regular season with late August approaching and the postseason race heating up. With some of the best MLB teams struggling, it’s time for our latest MLB power rankings to evaluate clubs across the league.

As always, our MLB power rankings factor in injuries, week-long performances and how the team has fared this month. With that said, let’s dive in and examine all 30 teams.

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30. Chicago White Sox (30)

The Chicago White Sox are the worst team in baseball and they are making things interesting in 2024. Chicago’s win total right now (3) is the same number of road wins as the Detroit Tigers have this season. So, at the very least, the White Sox might give us a shot at seeing some MLB history by the end of September.

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29. Colorado Rockies (29)

The Colorado Rockies really must’ve hated the trade offers, if any, they received for Elias Diaz. Releasing the All-Star catcher does provide the Rockies organization with an opportunity to evaluate a young catcher like Drew Romo, but it’s also a reminder that Colorado is years away from contention and still refuses to rebuild.

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28. Miami Marlins (28)

The Miami Marlins made some news this week with reports that Sandy Alcantara won’t be traded this offseason. On the one hand, we get why Miami wouldn’t want to trade its 28-year-old ace coming off Tommy John surgery, but it also feels inevitable. At most, Alcantara seems like he’ll start for the Marlins through June in 2025 and then be traded. Of course, all of this is dependent on his health.

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27. Los Angeles Angels (26)

The Los Angeles Angels have fallen back into the same territory is the Oakland A’s, which is always an unfortunate spot to be in, It was reported this past week that Tyler Anderson is still wearing an Angels’ uniform because his trade value wasn’t especially high. If that’s the case, it seems increasingly likely that Anderson, Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo will be playing for the Angels in 2025. So, Los Angeles is just going to keep going through this cycle.

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26. Oakland Athletics (27)

The clock is ticking down until the final A’s game in Oakland. It might be a sellout, just so fans can see the team one last time, but this is also the only club in baseball averaging fewer than 10,000 tickets sold per game. Unfortunately, baseball fans in Sacramento will be treated to the same poorly run organization that Oakland’s supporters have witnessed for years.

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25. Washington Nationals (25)

For teams like the Washington Nationals, the focus is always on the young players getting a chance to learn how to hit at the major league level. James Wood is the perfect example. Entering play on August 17, the rookie outfielder had a 1.076 OPS in the last 15 days. Washington has a future star on its hands and we’re excited for the Nationals fan base that good baseball is finally on the distant horizon.

24. Pittsburgh Pirates (20)

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been one of the worst MLB teams in the second half of the season and it’s the Pirates lineup that routinely comes up short. Everyone is reasonably excited about Pittsburgh’s future pitching prowess, but this club desperately needs to find some quality hitters if it wants to have a shot at chasing a Wild Card spot in 2025.

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23. Texas Rangers (21)

The reigning World Series champions have reached the point in the season where they are considering putting the likes of Max Scherzer and Nathan Eovaldi on waivers. That about sums up 2024 for the Rangers. It’s been a disaster of a year and considering how high payroll got, Texas will be one of the most fascinating MLB teams to monitor this offseason.

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22. Toronto Blue Jays (24)

If Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wants to spend his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, the front office must explore a contract extension with him this winter. Since June 1, Guerrero has 20 home runs with 22 doubles and an absurd .347/.394/.677 triple-slash line with a 1.072 OPS. If he’s happy in Toronto, don’t let him leave.

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21. Tampa Bay Rays (19)

All that matters for the Tampa Bay Rays is that Junior Caminero finally arrived. One of the top MLB prospects in 2024, Caminero’s star talent is obvious. It might take a few seasons for the 21-year-old to put it together, but he’ll be an AL Rookie of the Year candidate in 2025 with a Rays squad that might have a shot at a WC spot.

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20. Cincinnati Reds (22)

It’s a shame the Cincinnati Reds never found the correct way this year to put more talent around Elly De La Cruz. The Reds’ sensation is delivering MVP-caliber numbers and still has an outside shot at a stolen base number we haven’t seen in decades. It’s just not as big of a story nationally because the Reds’ front office failed to put quality talent around its superstar.

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MLB power rankings Week 20: Playoff hopefuls struggling

19. Detroit Tigers (23)

The Detroit Tigers are going to miss playing the Seattle Mariners. Coming off a stretch that saw Detroit post a 6-3 record in its last 9 games, with five victories over the Mariners, the New York Yankees now await. At this point, however, the Tigers’ playoff hopes have been squashed. For the rest of the season, the fans and organization should just hope for further development from some of the Tigers’ emerging standouts. Plus, some of the Tigers top prospects have arrived and that’s always exciting for a team not in contention.

18. Chicago Cubs (18)

One step forward, one step right back. The Chicago Cubs lineup looked strong in the series opener at Cleveland, then it vanished in the final two games with 2 combined runs. There are some upcoming series on the schedule that are extremely favorable, with none of Chicago’s next six series against teams with a winning record. That’s where the playoff hopes are. If the Cubbies make it through that stretch and climb above the .500 mark, then playoff baseball for Chicago might be possible.

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17. San Francisco Giants (17)

After beating up on some of the worst MLB teams, the San Francisco Giants promptly dropped a four-game series at home to the Atlanta Braves. We could say it’s a positive that two of those defeats came in extra innings, but the Braves also have one of the worst records in the league since May. With upcoming sets against the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers looming on the Giants schedule, making it back into the NL’s Wild Card picture will prove extremely difficult.

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16. St. Louis Cardinals (15)

The St. Louis Cardinals lineup remains abysmal in August, slashing just .237/.300/.369. In defense of the Cardinals hitters, though, pitching (5.45 ERA) is just as bad for St. Louis right now. The Cardinals seemed to be on the rise early in the summer, but that 10-15 record since the All-Star Break captures the club’s freefall.

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15. New York Mets (10)

We might’ve dropped the New York Mets a spot further in our MLB power rankings for having the Hawk Tuah girl throw out the first pitch. A majority of the blame for the Mets’ slide can be divided between the starting rotation (4.43 ERA) and bullpen (4.29) with a little falling on the Mets lineup (20th in OPS since Aug. 1). If New York struggles against three of the best MLB teams right now (Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks) to close out August, fans might have room for criticism with the organization’s decisions.

14. Seattle Mariners (14)

The Seattle Mariners lineup welcomed back Julio Rodriguez to help support the big acquisitions (Justin Turner and Randy Arozarena) at the MLB trade deadline. Through 16 days in August, the Mariners lineup has the second-worst OPS (.627) in the sport with an equally alarming 30 percent strikeout rate. We’ve been patient with Seattle because the pitching is excellent. At this point, though, we’re over 130 games in and must accept the fact that the Mariners lineup will prevent this team from living up to its potential.

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13. Atlanta Braves (16)

Signs of life for the Atlanta Braves? May through June were brutal in Georgia, seeing the club post one of the worst records in the National League. In August, the Braves are at least playing something to competitive baseball and fighting for a .500 line. That’s not saying much compared to clubs making up the top of our MLB power rankings, but it’s a huge improvement for Atlanta.

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12. Boston Red Sox (12)

The Boston Red Sox lineup is doing everything humanly possible to keep this club in the playoff race. Since July 1, the Red Sox lineup holds the second-best OPS (.821) in the majors with a stellar .341 OBP. Unfortunately for Boston’s fans, the Red Sox have the fifth-worst ERA (5.22) over that same 37-game span. With no help on the horizon, Boston’s bats must stay hot for the entire team to have a chance at playing past Game 162.

11. Kansas City Royals (9)

August is proving to be a challenging month for the Kansas City Royals. With the pitching staff struggling (4.51 ERA), the team is just .600 on the month. Fortunately, the Royals lineup carries the ninth-best OPS (.774) in August with Bobby WItt Jr (1.155 OPS) carrying things. Kansas City’s pitching will make this Wild Card race tight, but more MVP production from Witt gives the Royals a good shot at October baseball.

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10. Minnesota Twins (11)

Let’s hope the stint on the injured list for Byron Buxton is brief. He’s been one of the best players on the Minnesota Twins roster this season. The star outfielder recorded a 1.063 OPS since June 7 and the Twins record over that span is 28-18, per Baseball Reference. So, as long as he rejoins the team fairly soon, Minnesota should maintain its strong odds of making the playoffs.

9. Houston Astros (13)

The Houston Astros are the hottest MLB team right now. Coming off Thursday’s off day, the Astros ride an eight-game winning streak into a three-game set against the White Sox. Frankly, not extending this win streak to double digits would be a disappointment. While the Astros still await the returns of Justin Verlander and Kyle Tucker, this upcoming stretch against some of the best MLB teams right now – Baltimore Orioles (Aug. 22-25), Philadelphia Phillies (Aug, 26-29) and Kansas City Royals (Aug. 30 – Sep. 1) – could be an even bigger test of Houston’s World Series chances.

8. Philadelphia Phillies (1)

It’s the biggest drop this season in our MLB power rankings for the Philadephia Phillies. However, the numbers don’t lie. The Phillies record since July 1 is 16-21 (FanGraphs), putting them in some of the same company as the worst MLB teams in 2024 (Nationals, Rockies and Marlins). Philadelphia’s pitching staff (5.23) has collapsed. Since the All-Star Break, the Phillies’ rotation is 20th in ERA (4.74) and the bullpen is even worse (5.26 ERA). Safe to say Philadelphia desperately needs Ranger Suarez back.

7. Milwaukee Brewers (5)

Among the best MLB teams in 2024, the Milwaukee Brewers have flown under the radar the most. There are some marquee names (William Conteras, Willy Adames and Rhys Hoskins) in the Brewers lineup. As of late, though, it’s been the ‘unknown’ pitchers stepping up. Former journeyman Colin Rea holds a 3.90 ERA in his last 64.2 innings pitched, while Tobias Myers is responsible for one of the lowest ERA (2.09) in MLB since June 8. Plus, Jackson Chourio (.908 OPS in last 217 plate appearances) is also stepping up for the Brewers lineup.

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6. Arizona Diamondbacks (8)

Some of the best MLB news this week is that Ketel Marte (ankle sprain) is expected to avoid a trip on the injured list. It’s a sigh of relief for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs have been the best team in baseball all summer, with Marte playing like the NL MVP front-runner. Arizona is finally getting its national recognition and with the pitching staff starting to settle down, the Diamondbacks have a legitimate shot at making it back to the World Series.

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5. Cleveland Guardians (7)

Following a rough Cleveland Guardians debut, starter Alex Cobb provided exactly what the franchise hoped for in his next outing. If Cobb can stay healthy, he will be the stabilizer for the Guardians rotation. Cleveland also boasts one of the best records in MLB this year. With that said, the Guardians are barely playing .500 ball since the All-Star Break because this lineup (.670 OPS, 26th in MLB) has cooled off like a winter in Cleveland.

4. San Diego Padres (6)

Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

At some point, MLB power rankings need to reflect how teams are performing consistently over a two-month span. That’s what keeps pushing the San Diego Padres higher every week. San Diego owns the third-best record in MLB (38-24), it’s second in wins since July 1 (23) and atop the wins leaderboard in August. This same Padres team just welcomed back All-Star pitcher Joe Musgrove for the first time in weeks. Playoff baseball seems like destiny for San Diego and the Padres might even have a shot at the NL West crown.

3. New York Yankees (2)

Since the All-Star Break, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have carried the New York Yankees lineup to a .874 OPS, second-best in MLB (FanGraphs) with 46 home runs in 24 games. Judge and Soto account for 20 of the home runs. The big focus right now, though, is on a Yankees pitching staff that ranks 24th in ERA (4.97) since the ASB. If New York wants to beat the best MLB teams in September and October, the arms must step up now.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (4)

Since returning from the injured list, Mookie Betts boasts a 1.000 OPS and he no longer has to avoid the team hotel. Betts is the spark the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup needed and he won’t be the last one. Max Muncy is coming back this weekend and deadline acquisition Tommy Edman is joining him. All of that is great Dodgers news out of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, injuries keep decimating the pitching staff.

1. Baltimore Orioles (3)

It’s neck and neck right now between the best MLB teams. The Orioles haven’t been dominant since the All-Star break (14-12), but they are finding ways to win even with the pitching staff (4.56 ERA) struggling. Anthony Santander (.983 OPS) and Colton Cowser (.931 OPS) are the engines behind that success, carrying the Orioles lineup while Adley Rutschman (.641) struggles and Gunnar Henderson (.841 OPS) cools off. The looming stretch on the Orioles schedule against the Astros (Aug 22-25) and Dodgers (Aug. 27-29) will say a lot.