MLB power rankings Week 7: Dodgers, Phillies, Twins and Yankees on fire

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Who is the best team in the MLB? We’re approaching the quarter point of the 2024 MLB season and that’s more than enough to fairly evaluate all 30 clubs. While the MLB power rankings Week 6 don’t necessarily reflect who the best MLB teams will be in October, we do capture where things stand in baseball right now.

Let’s dive into our MLB power rankings for Week 7.

MLB power rankings: Worst MLB teams right now

30. Colorado Rockies (29)

The Colorado Rockies are at the bottom of the MLB power rankings Week 7 following a stretch that saw them post a 3-9 record in their last 12 games. Fans should already be thinking about who Colorado could move at the MLB trade deadline, with the farm system needing some more quality depth.

Related: 2024 MLB Draft order, top prospects

29. Miami Marlins (28)

The Miami Marlins seem committed to a complete teardown of the roster. What that means is, if things go according to plan, Miami will arguably be the worst team in MLB for the next three years. Maybe, just maybe, they achieve the outcome that the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles did, but that’s far from a given with this front office.

Related: MLB exec reveals Miami Marlins’ wild trade plans

28. Chicago White Sox (30)

The Chicago White Sox went 5-2 in their last seven games, even performing well against the Cleveland Guardians. It’s certainly not a sign of brighter days ahead, but some quality pitching from Erick Fedde and Michael Kopech paired with Tommy Pham’s hot bat will increase their trade value for the summer.

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27. Los Angeles Angels (27)

From 9-9 to 14-25, the fall from just mediocrity to becoming one of the worst MLB teams in 2024 was always expected. With Mike Trout undergoing surgery, a lost Angels’ season just gets another nail in its proverbial coffin. To make matters worse, there’s a stretch from May 17 – June 9 that puts Los Angeles up against the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. By the end of it, Los Angeles might have the worst record in baseball.

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26. St. Louis Cardinals (24)

If you want to know how bad the St. Louis Cardinals lineup will be without Willson Contreras, seeing a rookie make his MLB debut and pitch 6 shutout innings against the Cardinals lineup says everything. We remain skeptical that there will be a team willing to take on Nolan Arenado’s contract, but St. Louis does have a few attractive contributors to sell this summer.

Related: St. Louis Cardinals game today, Cardinals schedule

25. Pittsburgh Pirates (26)

All that matters for the Pittsburgh Pirates is that Paul Skenes has arrived. Yes, this has been one of the worst MLB teams since that electric start to the season, but arguably the best pitching prospect in a decade is now bring much-needed excitement to Pittsburgh. There will be an innings limit, but just seeing Skenes pitch every five or six days will make the rest of the season fun for the fans.

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24. San Francisco Giants (19)

It’s time to question whether or not Farhan Zaidi should be running baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants after the 2024 season. After missing out on stars in recent years, the big splashes the Giants made this past offseason haven’t been nearly enough to turn things around. The Giants lineup has been one of the worst in MLB for two years now and San Francisco’s farm system is in almost just as bad of shape. Zaidi’s been around since 2018 and the Giants have had one winning season since then.

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23. Houston Astros (23)

The writing appears to be on the wall for the Houston Astros. They are falling even further back of the Seattle Mariners in the AL West and there’s nothing from Houston right now that suggests they’ll get close to the top of the American League. It would be a tough pill to swallow, but it might be time for Houston to accept that it will need to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline.

Related: Houston Astros game today, Astros schedule 2024

22. Oakland Athletics (25)

A tip of the cap to manager Mark Kotsay. The Oakland Athletics provided him very little to work with, the fans rightfully aren’t showing up and the relocation saga hangs another cloud over this club. Yet, Kotsay is finding a way to help the Athletics be one of the biggest overachievers in MLB this season. No matter how long it lasts, Kotsay is proving himself this year.

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21. Toronto Blue Jays (21)

It’s just difficult to get over how much of a disappointment the Toronto Blue Jays are. We can’t even put all of this on management, considering Bo Bichette (.527 OPS) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.377 SLG) have been beyond underwhelming at the plate. Some might believe a turnaround is possible, but 38 games is enough of a sample size for us to write off Toronto this year.

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MLB power rankings Week 7: Padres and Diamondbacks rise, Red Sox drop

20. Cincinnati Reds (18)

The Cincinnati Reds are 2-11 since April 25 with a 4.38 ERA that is fairly respectable considering the home ballpark. Unfortunately, despite residing in a hitter-friendly stadium, the Reds lineup has a .181/.246/.279 slash line over its last 37 games. Imagine how much worse things would look for Cincinnati’s run production without Elly De La Cruz.

Related: Cincinnati Reds game today, Reds schedule 2024

19. Washington Nationals (22)

At the start of the 2024 season, we never would’ve guessed the Washington Nationals came close to the top 20 of our MLB power rankings. Fast forward to May and the Nats are more than holding their own, consistently staying near the .500 mark. It’s still too early to talk Wild Card contention, but the Nationals are a feel-good story for MLB right now.

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18. Arizona Diamondbacks (20)

The Reds provided the Arizona Diamondbacks with a small glimmer of hope. It’s especially meaningful because the Diamondbacks bullpen secured one-run victories in Cincinnati. We were optimistic about the Diamondbacks’ chances heading into the year, but that confidence will have to be earned back in the next two weeks.

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17. Tampa Bay Rays (16)

The next week-plus is the litmus test for the Tampa Bay Rays in our eyes. A stretch from May 10-22 against their AL East rivals, Tampa Bay can either take off here or it will plummet down the standings. We’re skeptical considering the lack of talent and underperforming stars, but Tampa Bay does have a history of surprises.

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16. New York Mets (17)

It’s difficult to be hopeful about the New York Mets with an upcoming stretch that includes sets against the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Guardians. While the Mets have been good at times this year, they’re nowhere near the level where they can take out the best MLB teams in 2024. Plus, with New York wrapping up its schedule this month against the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s possible June sees a Mets team that is well below the .500 line.

Related: New York Mets game today, Mets schedule 2024

15. Detroit Tigers

If the Detroit Tigers have any interest in contending this season, something must be done about the run production. Even with Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter playing well, the Tigers lineup ranks 22nd in runs scored (149) and 25th in OBP (.300). Spencer Torkelson still has long-term upside, but Detroit can no longer afford to keep giving regular at-bats to Javier Baez (.454 OPS) and Colt Keith (.414 OPS).

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14. Boston Red Sox (11)

The teeter-totter season continues for the Boston Red Sox. From 7-3 to 10-10 then 18-13 and now 19-18, the roller coaster this club is taking its fans on has to be nauseating. Boston should fare better against clubs like the Nationals, Rays and Cardinals, but that’s not a foregone conclusion given the inconsistency of the Red Sox lineup in 2024.

Related: Boston Red Sox game today, Red Sox schedule

13. San Diego Padres (15)

The Chicago Cubs series provided a glimpse into the type of results you can see from the San Diego Padres when the pitching is good. We knew the Padres lineup could score, that was the case even before the Luis Arraez trade. What will matter moving forward and could swing San Diego’s placement dramatically in our MLB power rankings is how the Padres’ arms fare against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees.

Related: San Diego Padres game today, Padres schedule

12. Seattle Mariners (9)

The Minnesota Twins quickly took the wind out of the Seattle Mariners’ sails this past week. Unsurprisingly, it was largely the Mariners lineup that led this team down once again. While we’re confident Seattle will perform well against the Athletics, matchups against the Royals and Orioles could drop Seattle right back below .500.

Related: Seattle Mariners game today, Mariners schedule 2024

11. Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals have certainly done enough now to earn our respect in the MLB power rankings. While they did drop last weekend’s series to Texas, one of those losses came in extra. Kansas City immediately responded to it by taking out the Brewers and there are plenty of more opportunities for series victories on the upcoming Royals schedule with the Angels, Athletics and Tigers ahead.

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Best MLB teams in 2024

10. Chicago Cubs (6)

Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs had some nice momentum coming out of the series victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and then it got wiped out by the San Diego Padres. Justin Steele is back and he should further stabilize the rotation, but it’s the Cubs lineup that needs help right now. Things will get interesting over the next two weeks as the Cubs only face the Pirates and Braves from May 10-23.

Related: Chicago Cubs game today, Cubs schedule 2024

9. Texas Rangers (10)

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The Texas Rangers lineup is finding itself again, most recently in the four-game series against the Athletics. From April 28 – May 8, the Rangers lineup produced the second-highest batting average (.279) with the fourth-best OBP (.348) in the majors. Unfortunately, on that other side of the coin, is a 4.04 ERA that ranks 17th in MLB over that span. The one-sided nature of the Rangers is why the reigning World Series champions are struggling to move back up our MLB power rankings.

Related: Texas Rangers game today, Rangers schedule

8. Minnesota Twins (13)

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The Minnesota Twins are the hottest MLB team right now. Morale was shot in the Twins clubhouse heading into a Monday, April 22 series against the White Sox. Since that point, Minnesota has compiled a stellar 15-2 record. We knocked the legitimacy of some of those wins early, but beating the Red Sox and Mariners is evidence enough that Minnesota has climbed out of its rut. With other clubs struggling, the Twins have to be viewed as one of the best MLB teams right now.

Related: Minnesota Twins game today, Twins schedule

7. Milwaukee Brewers (8)

Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t a great showing for the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff in Kansas City, but pitching has been the primary issue for Milwaukee in 2024. Thankfully for the Brew Crew, they are entering a stretch of games against some of the worst MLB teams right now – Cardinals, Pirates, Astros and Marlins – which should make it quite easy to lower the team-wide ERA and create even more distance from the .500 mark.

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6. Atlanta Braves (4)

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The good news for the Atlanta Braves is that they found steady waters back at home following an ugly road trip to the West Coast. However, Atlanta is also going to be put back to the test again with matchups against the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres from May 13-23. Injuries have made things challenging, but what’s really making things so much worse are the struggles at the plate from Matt Olson (.200/.313/.352) and Ronald Acuña Jr (.720 OPS). There’s no real panic here, but Atlanta isn’t on the same level as the top teams right now.

Related: Atlanta Braves schedule

5. Cleveland Guardians (5)

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There’s nowhere to move in the MLB power rankings for the Cleveland Guardians. The five best MLB teams are a tier ahead of them, but Cleveland also isn’t slumping like the Atlanta Braves. The concern, of course, is losing Steven Kwan’s bat (.353/.407/.496) from atop the Guardians lineup. It certainly could’ve come at a better time with the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins on the Guardians schedule this coming week.

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4. New York Yankees (7)

Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

The time the New York Yankees have been waiting all year for has finally arrived. Heading into the weekend, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge had combined for 6 home runs, 20 RBI, 4 steals and a .358 batting average with both players posting an OBP above .425 since April 28. If the stellar Yankees lineup isn’t reason enough for Yankee Stadium to be electric, we’re getting closer and closer to Gerrit Cole’s return for a club that has the second-lowest ERA (2.99( and fourth-lowest batting average allowed (.218) in the majors.

Related: New York Yankees game today, Yankees schedule

3. Baltimore Orioles (3)

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After taking out the New York Yankees head-to-head last week, the Baltimore Orioles continued their dominance with a three-game sweep over the Cincinnati Reds. Up next on the Orioles schedule is a rather favorable stretch that includes sets against the Blue Jays, Cardinals and White Sox. Plus, the Orioles pitching is getting healthier.

Related: Baltimore Orioles game today, Orioles schedule 2024

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (2)

Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers are back on track, demonstrating they are one of the best MLB teams in 2024. Since April 21, Los Angeles boasts an absurd 14-2 record. Not only are the Dodgers the hottest team in MLB, but the Dodgers lineup is also the best in baseball as it ranks first in runs scored (214), batting average (.270), OBP (.364) and slugging (.454). Plus, the pitching is getting even better.

Related: Los Angeles Dodgers game today, Dodgers schedule 2024

1. Philadelphia Phillies (1)

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The Philadelphia Phillies are the best team in MLB. Pitching has been the club’s calling card for most of the season and it has resulted in the fourth-lowest ERA (3.26), the sixth-best WHIP and the most quality starts (22), but it’s now backed by a lineup that ranks top five in runs (191), batting average (.257) and OBP (.332). All of this is being accomplished mind you, with Nick Castellanos (2.97/.270/.286) being an utter disaster.

Related: Phillies game today, Phillies schedule

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