MLB Power Rankings Week 3: New No. 1 After Los Angeles Dodgers Drop Series To Philadelphia Phillies

There was a bit of an October chill in the air at Citizens Bank Park as the Philadelphia Phillies took two out of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a thrilling series between two juggernaut teams. All three games were extremely close with no team winning by more than two runs. The Phillies have now opened up a substantial NL East lead over division rival Atlanta Braves.

“There’s obviously another major threat in the division (no, not the Marlins), but the Phillies are already six games up on the Braves and now travel to Atlanta with the chance to put the Braves nine games behind them. Even this early in the season, that’s a big deal,” writes CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder.

The previously unbeaten Los Angeles Dodgers were handed their first losses of the season after facing the Phillies in Philadelphia over the weekend. Phillies pitchers kept reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani in check as he went 1-for-11 with five strikeouts and two walks. The Dodgers also placed first baseman Freddie Freeman and pitcher Blake Snell on the injured list.

“Their undefeated streak to start the season got people talking about 117 wins — something we should probably all stop doing — but the Dodgers don’t need to worry about that: They just need to keep everybody healthy for October,” writes MLB.com’s Will Leitch. “That’s another reason it’s no big deal that Freddie Freeman is on the IL after a ‘shower mishap.’ You know if it were October, he’d be playing… and probably hitting grand slams again.”

After being the center of the baseball world over the torpedo bat explosion, the New York Yankees continue to rake, led by Aaron Judge. The reigning AL MVP has six home runs and 17 RBI through the first nine games of the season. However, questions linger about their rotation.

“The Yankees are one of only two teams without a quality start this season, and the trio of Marcus Stroman, Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco has combined for a 6.33 ERA in 27 innings over five starts and one relief appearance,” notes Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter. “The offense has picked up the slack with 25 home runs and 76 runs scored through nine games, but eventually the back of the rotation will need to pull its weight.”

The San Diego Padres celebrated signing superstar-in-the-making Jackson Merrill to a nine-year, $135 million contract by opening the year with a seven-game winning streak before dropping two of three to the Chicago Cubs over the weekend. San Diego’s bullpen has been one of the best in the young season.

“The relief corps has allowed just 22 hits in 43.1 innings, limiting opposing hitters to a .148 average, and the late-inning trio of Robert Suárez, Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada is going to shorten a lot of games this year,” writes Reuter.

The Texas Rangers offense has yet to come alive as they’ve only scored 33 runs through their first 10 games, but their pitching has been superb. Their starters have allowed just 15 earned runs, with seven of them coming from Kumar Rocker.

“One of the main reasons I loved the Rangers so much heading into the season was that I expected the offense to be among the best in baseball. It actually hasn’t been very good at all so far and they’re still 8-2. Watch out, AL. They are better than this,” writes Snyder.

As of Monday, April 7, the San Francisco Giants are in first place in the NL West — ahead of both the Dodgers and Padres. The Giants are sizzling, winning eight of their first nine games of the season. Wilmer Flores has four home runs while Heliot Ramos has contributed three homers and three doubles.

“The Giants have been one of the more pleasant surprises of the early going, and while there have been some hitting standouts (including the unexpected power of Wilmer Flores), the key so far might be their defense: They were the final team to make an error when they made their first in Friday night’s wild walk-off win over the Mariners,” writes Leitch.

All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso has been powering the New York Mets’ offense early this season as $765 million superstar Juan Soto and NL MVP runner-up Francisco Lindor are still trying to find their footing.

“Pete Alonso starting red-hot – three homers, 11 RBI, and ninth-inning heroics are back,” writes USA Today’s Gabe Lacques.

All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker has been nothing short of exceptional in his first 12 games with the Chicago Cubs, hitting five home runs, five doubles, and walking 12 times. All-Star pitcher Shota Imanaga has given up just two earned runs in 18 1/3 innings across his first two starts.

“The five-game winning streak was bookended by two games where the Cubs blew a four-run lead. There’s a lot to like here, especially the boost Kyle Tucker gives the offense,” notes Snyder.

So much for Rafael Devers’ slump. After going hitless in his first 19 at-bats with a whopping 15 strikeouts, he went 10 for his next 15, hitting his first home run of the season. Youngsters Kristian Campbell and Wilyer Abreu have been red hot for the Boston Red Sox, combining for five home runs, seven doubles and 20 runs scored in the team’s first 10 games.

“The Red Sox exploded for 18 runs in the night cap of a doubleheader with the Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball. And after a 1-4 start to the year, they have now won five in a row. Last year’s top rookie Wilyer Abreu (37 PA, .483/.595/.897, 3 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI) and this year’s rookie phenom Kristian Campbell (42 PA, .364/.476/.667, 4 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI) have been two of the hottest hitters in baseball to start the year,” writes Reuter.

Eugenio Suarez is leading the charge for the Arizona Diamondbacks offense, smacking five home runs, while Corbin Carroll has contributed 11 hits (three doubles and three home runs). It’s been a rough start to the season, though, for Corbin Burnes, who has given up six earned runs in 9 1/3 innings across his first two starts with Arizona.

“Corbin Burnes’ cutter not as sharp, hard in first two starts,” notes Lacques.

Former No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson is shedding his bust label as he has six extra-base hits (two home runs and four doubles) in the Detroit Tigers’ first 10 games. Their heralded pitching staff has been hit hard, though, to begin the year, including reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

“Swept by the Dodgers to start the year, the Tigers took care of business against the Mariners and White Sox to climb back above the .500 mark and quickly jump back into the upper half of the rankings,” writes Reuter. “Pitching was the strength of this team a year ago during its surprise push into the playoff picture, but the offense has carried the load in the early going this season with an .809 OPS that ranks fourth in the majors and 45 runs scored in nine games.”

The Baltimore Orioles got All-Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson back in the lineup after he started on the injured list with an intercostal strain, going 1-for-13 in his first three games. Jackson Holliday is 10 for his first 30, with three extra-base hits (double, triple and home run). The offense has scored 47 runs in their first 10 games. However, their pitching has given up that same amount as well.

“Will they be able to slug their way past their starting pitching concerns? We’ll find out soon, but it’s been a rather inauspicious start,” notes Fox Sports’ Rowan Kavner.

After getting torpedoed by the Yankees’ bats in a three-game sweep to open the season, the Milwaukee Brewers have started to right the ship, winning five of their next seven games. Exciting young player Jackson Chourio has three home runs and four doubles to lead the offense.

“What, you were all worried about the Brewers after that nightmare start against the Yankees? After losing four games to start the season, they went out and won their next four, becoming the 13th team in MLB history to do that. Guess who the last team to do that was? The 2021 Braves, who of course went on to win the World Series,” notes Leitch.

Guess who’s back? Back again. Trout is back. Tell a friend. The Los Angeles Angels have won six of their first nine games, with a healthy Mike Trout helping to carry the way, hitting a home run in three straight games. Catcher Logan O’Hoppe is emerging as an offensive force with five home runs, and Kyren Paris has slashed .444/.545/.889 in eight games.

“Only Aaron Judge has hit more home runs than Logan O’Hoppe,” notes Lacques.

The Houston Astros have averaged just three runs a game in their first nine contests as newcomers Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker have combined for just one home run. Top prospect Cam Smith has also been struggling, with just two hits in his first 18 at-bats. Jose Altuve, on the other hand, is in a groove, going 14-for-39 in nine games, with two home runs.

“It turns out losing Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman is not conducive to offensive success. Altuve is hitting .359 with two homers. Only three other Astros have hit a home run this year, and all three of those guys are batting under .200,” writes Kavner. “The Astros scored the fewest runs in the American League and have the lowest expected slugging percentage in MLB, but perhaps Sunday’s nine-run output and series victory gets them going.”

Third baseman Maikel Garcia has emerged as an early-season offensive threat for the Kansas City Royals, hitting two home runs and three doubles, while scoring five runs. If Garcia can serve as a complementary bat with Bobby Witt Jr., that would be huge for a Royals offense that has trouble scoring runs. Their bullpen, though, has been phenomenal with Hunter Harvey, Carlos Estevez, and Lucas Erceg.

“That Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez combo at the end of games can be lethal while Hunter Harvey has been just as lights out. We’ll hold off on comparisons to the HDH law firm so ridiculously early, but it’s worth monitoring,” writes Snyder.

The Toronto Blue Jays have finally locked up their face of the franchise, giving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a 14-year, $500 million extension before he hit free agency at the end of the year. Now it’s time to build a contender around Guerrero.

“On the bright side, [Andres] Giménez has three homers in his first 10 games with his new squad. On the not-so-bright side, the rest of the Blue Jays lineup has combined for two home runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is still looking to get on the board, but now, at least, Jays fans don’t have to worry about where he’ll be a year from now,” writes Kavner.

After making it to the ALCS last year, the Cleveland Guardians are still trying to find their footing on the young season, losing six of their first nine games. Jose Ramirez has four home runs while first baseman Kyle Manzardo is emerging as a legitimate offensive threat. Their pitching has left much to be desired, giving up 51 runs already.

“The Guardians are one of only two teams that have yet to record a quality start, which has done little to erase questions of whether they did enough during the offseason to address a starting rotation that was a weakness in 2024. Their starters have combined for just 43.0 innings of work through nine games, struggling to a 6.70 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in the process,” writes Reuter.

It’s been a slow start to the season for young Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, as the 21-year-old has seven hits in his first 28 at-bats with just one extra-base hit — a double. He should be turning it on sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, starting pitchers Shane Baz and Drew Rasmussen have been superb.

“After returning from elbow surgeries late last year, Rasmussen and Baz have combined to allow one run with 18 strikeouts and one walk through three starts,” writes Kavner.

It couldn’t be a worse start for the Atlanta Braves. They’ve lost eight of their first nine games, $42 million outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended 80 games for PEDs, and All-Star pitcher Reynaldo Lopez is on the injured list. The Braves will be getting reinforcements soon when Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. return from injuries, but will it be too late?

“Just an absolute disaster of a start to the season and there’s no disputing that. It looked like after that tough west coast trip to start the season, maybe the Braves had a ‘get right’ game with the 10-0 win over the Marlins. Then they lost 4-0 the next night,” writes Snyder.

The Cincinnati Reds were a fun playoff sleeper pick before the season, but they’re not looking like an October team yet. They lost three straight games 1-0 as their offense hasn’t really clicked. Brady Singer has been really good in his first two starts with the Reds, going 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 12 innings.

“There is something uniquely demoralizing about an extended stretch where your team simply cannot score, and Reds fans know that acutely after a 35-inning scoreless stretch this week. But it really is worse when it happens at the beginning of a season, isn’t it?” writes Leitch.

The young St. Louis Cardinals in Jordan Walker, Victor Scott II and Ivan Herrera have been showing out at the beginning of the year. Herrera even had a three home-run-game before he unfortunately landed on the injured list with knee inflammation. The Cardinals’ pitching, though, hasn’t been great, giving up 61 runs in nine games.

“Things were looking up, and then St. Louis surrendered 36 runs this weekend in Boston. You can’t blame the Cardinals’ offense, though, which has the highest batting average in MLB (.301),” reports Kavner.

It’s been a rough start to the season for both Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton, going 11-for-55 with one home run combined. The Minnesota Twins still remain without Royce Lewis as he’s on the injured list. Their pitching has also taken a hit.

“Their starting pitchers have the highest ERA in the majors (6.98), and that’s despite [Pablo] López allowing just three earned runs over two starts. Their offense has the lowest OPS in the American League (.581). They’re 2-1 against the White Sox and 1-5 against everyone else,” writes Kavner.

It was a rough first series for the Athletics in their new Sacramento home, as they gave up 35 runs to the Cubs. They got back on track a bit, though, after taking two of three against the Rockies in Colorado.

“The A’s haven’t quite lived up to some of their sleeper preseason hype — though they are hitting a lot of homers — and one of the reasons might be the early struggles of Lawrence Butler, who signed a very justified extension after his outstanding finish to the 2024 season,” writes Leitch. “After going 3-for-4 on Saturday against the Rockies, he went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs, perhaps a sign he is starting to crawl out of his funk.”

The Seattle Mariners lost seven of their first 10 games of the season. You won’t win many games when your offense only gets you 32 runs and the pitching gives up 48.

“The best starting rotation in baseball a year ago is off to a rocky start this season with a 5.15 ERA and 2-5 record through 10 games, though an awful start from injury fill-in Emerson Hancock (0.2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER) did skew those numbers quite a bit,” notes Reuter. “On a positive note, Julio Rodríguez (10 G, .870 OPS, 3 HR, 3 SB) is off to a productive start at the plate after struggling to get going early a year ago.”

After missing all of last year from Tommy John surgery, Miami Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara is returning to his ace form. He has struck out 11 in 9 2/3 innings, giving up four earned runs as he most likely won’t be around in Miami after the trade deadline. Starter Max Meyer has also been showing promise.

“Meyer doesn’t have a win to show for it, but he has a 3.09 ERA and 15 strikeouts through two starts,” writes Kavner.

It’s been a rough start to the season for Washington Nationals rookie Dylan Crews, with three hits in his first 31 at-bats, including 13 strikeouts.

“With all the young hitters on this team and the growing excitement about their emerging talent, it should be remembered how rough it has been since they won the World Series in 2019. The Nationals actually have the second-worst record in baseball since the start of the 2020 season, going 291-426, barely above a .400 winning percentage,” notes Leitch.

Not only do the Pittsburgh Pirates put a terrible product on the field, the inept front office removed a sign honoring Roberto Clemente in right field for an alcohol ad. Following fan backlash, the Pirates are putting the No. 21 sign back up. At least fans have Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz.

“The good? They have Skenes (1-0, 1.46 ERA), they lead MLB in steals, and Oneil Cruz (two homers, seven stolen bases) is exhilarating. The bad? Pretty much everything else with an offense that’s hitting .197 as a group and received no help from the front office this winter,” states Kavner.

The Colorado Rockies have two wins in their first nine games. Prospect Zac Veen has been called up and pitching prospect Chase Dollander made his MLB debut, striking out six over five innings in the Rockies’ 12-5 win over the Athletics.

“With a 6.98 ERA, four losses and three blown saves, the Rockies bullpen has been a disaster in the early going. That has undercut a starting rotation that has exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations, as Colorado’s starting staff ranks second in the majors with a 2.61 ERA. Then again, with a 1.43 WHIP and .299 opponents’ batting average, their starters might be in for some serious regression going forward,” notes Reuter.

The Chicago White Sox are on pace to lose more games than last year when they set the modern-day record of most losses in a season at 121.

“The White Sox are on pace to go 36-126. Uh oh,” notes Snyder.