The Milwaukee Brewers maintain their grip on the top spot in Sportsnaut’s MLB Power Rankings while the Seattle Mariners continue their troubling slide and the Philadelphia Phillies can’t win at Citi Field. Here’s how the latest rankings shake out.
1. Milwaukee Brewers (Last week: 1)
The Brewers hit a speed bump recently, going 3-6 over a nine-game stretch before winning their last two games. Rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski has struggled since returning from the injured list with a left tibia contusion, posting a 9.58 ERA in three games this month after surrendering 11 earned runs across 10 innings. Despite that rough patch, they still own MLB’s best record by five games.
2. Detroit Tigers (Last week: 3)
All-Star outfielder Riley Greene made Detroit Tigers history Tuesday night against the Athletics. Greene belted a 471-foot grand slam, Detroit’s longest home run in the Statcast era, which began in 2015. The Tigers now boast the top record in the American League and second-best in baseball.
3. Toronto Blue Jays (Last week: 4)
Shane Bieber could be the postseason ace the Toronto Blue Jays need. In his first start in over a year following Tommy John surgery, Bieber dominated across six innings, striking out nine, walking none, and allowing just one earned run on two hits in Toronto’s 5-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.
4. Chicago Cubs (Last week: 6)
So much for Kyle Tucker’s slump. After the Chicago Cubs benched the All-Star outfielder for a reset, he’s gone 6-for-20 with three home runs, four runs scored and seven RBI across five games back.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last week: 2)
The Los Angeles Dodgers will seemingly battle the San Diego Padres until the end for National League West supremacy. The Dodgers are back on top despite losing two of three to the Padres over the weekend. Shohei Ohtani is now up to 45 home runs and leads MLB with 122 runs scored.
6. San Diego Padres (Last week: 7)
Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. homered for the first time in over a month Monday night, ending his homerless streak at 128 plate appearances. With the Padres trading blows with the Dodgers for the NL West, San Diego would welcome back Tatis’ power stroke with open arms.
7. Philadelphia Phillies (Last week: 5)
Citi Field has become a house of horrors for the Philadelphia Phillies. They’ve melted down spectacularly in the last two games against the New York Mets, extending their losing streak to nine games in Queens, including last year’s postseason. The offense hasn’t helped, going 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position during the series.
8. Houston Astros (Last week: 8)
After missing more than three months with a fractured right hand, three-time All-Star Yordan Alvarez returned to the Astros lineup Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies, going 0-for-2 with two walks in Houston’s 6-1 loss. Alvarez was struggling before his injury, hitting just .210 with three home runs in 29 games.
9. Boston Red Sox (Last week: 12)
Roman Anthony is going to torment the New York Yankees for the next decade. The Red Sox rookie homered in the first inning of his debut at Yankee Stadium as Boston took three of four from their hated rival. This season, Anthony has six home runs, 18 doubles and an .850 OPS in 64 games.
10. New York Mets (Last week: 10)
Beyond their two come-from-behind wins against the Phillies at home this week, the Mets are calling up top pitching prospect Jonah Tong, who will make his MLB debut Saturday against the Marlins. In 22 starts between Double-A and Triple-A this year, Tong is 10-5 with a 1.43 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 113â…” innings.
11. New York Yankees (Last week: 11)
It was an abysmal four-game series against the Red Sox for the Yankees as they dropped three of four. As MLB.com’s Will Leitch points out, the Yankees have struggled against AL teams with better records, going just 6-19. That doesn’t bode well for October.
12. Seattle Mariners (Last week: 9)
The Mariners have been sliding backward since mid-August. They’ve lost nine of their last 14 games, including getting swept by the Phillies on the road. Since returning to Seattle at the trade deadline, All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez is hitting just .174 with a .645 OPS and five home runs.
13. Kansas City Royals (Last week: 14)
Vinnie Pasquantino has been raking as Kansas City climbs back into the playoff picture. The Royals first baseman earned AL Player of the Week honors after tying a franchise record by homering in five consecutive games. They’re just three games behind the Mariners for the final AL Wild Card spot.
14. Cincinnati Reds (Last week: 13)
Whenever the Cincinnati Reds have a chance to overtake the Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot, they falter. After trailing New York by just a half-game last Friday, they’ve lost four of their last five and are now 3.5 games back.
15. Texas Rangers (Last week: 17)
The Texas Rangers’ playoff hopes took a hit as three-time All-Star second baseman Marcus Semien will miss the rest of the regular season with a left foot fracture. It’s his first IL stint since 2017. Before the injury, Semien was struggling at the plate this season, posting a .669 OPS, 95 OPS+ and 15 home runs.
16. Tampa Bay Rays (Last week: 16)
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero is going to be an MVP someday. The 22-year-old has 39 home runs this season with an .840 OPS and 128 OPS+. Caminero has a strong chance to break Tampa Bay’s single-season home run record of 46 set by Carlos Pena in 2007.
17. St Louis Cardinals (Last week: 18)
It was an ugly scene involving Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras after a tirade over a third-strike call landed him a six-game suspension and fine. Contreras had to be restrained by manager Oliver Marmol and struck St. Louis hitting coach Brant Brown with his bat after throwing it.
18. Cleveland Guardians (Last week: 15)
The Guardians have been spiraling, getting swept in two of their last four series. Cleveland has lost nine of their last 11 games and sits five games behind the final AL Wild Card spot with three teams ahead of them.
19. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last week: 21)
Despite Arizona’s mediocre record, two-time All-Star Corbin Carroll is putting up impressive numbers. The 25-year-old Diamondbacks outfielder leads baseball with 16 triples while adding 27 home runs, 25 doubles, an .886 OPS and 140 OPS+.
20. San Francisco Giants (Last week: 19)
After losing 11 of 13 games, the San Francisco Giants traveled to Milwaukee and swept the Brewers. They also beat the Cubs Tuesday night and are riding a four-game winning streak.
21. Atlanta Braves (Last week: 22)
The Atlanta Braves suffered another major injury to one of their stars, this time Austin Riley. The two-time All-Star third baseman underwent season-ending core surgery for a sports hernia. It’s the second straight year Riley’s season ended early.
22. Miami Marlins (Last week: 24)
The Marlins might have found their center fielder of the future. In 25 games since his call-up, 24-year-old Jakob Marsee is hitting .345 with a 1.075 OPS, three triples, four home runs and 10 doubles.
23. Athletics (Last week: 26)
Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler went viral for the wrong reasons Monday after not running out an infield pop-up that dropped, leading to a double play. The 25-year-old has regressed significantly at the plate this season, with his OPS dropping from .807 to .700 and his OPS+ plummeting from 131 to 92.
24. Los Angeles Angels (Last week: 20)
The Los Angeles Angels must solve the Logan O’Hoppe question this offseason. He has regressed offensively and isn’t viewed as a strong defensive catcher. Those areas needs to improve if he wants to remain behind the plate.
25. Baltimore Orioles (Last week: 23)
The Orioles locked up one of their cornerstones long-term, signing 21-year-old Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million extension. The move raises questions about whether Baltimore will trade Adley Rutschman this offseason since Basallo plays both catcher and first base.
26. Minnesota Twins (Last week: 25)
Mick Abel and Taj Bradley had rough debuts in Minnesota Twins uniforms against the Chicago White Sox after being acquired at the trade deadline. Abel surrendered six earned runs in three innings while Bradley was tagged for seven earned runs across five innings.
27. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last week: 27)
With Zack Wheeler done for the season, the NL Cy Young Award appears to be Paul Skenes’ to lose. The Pittsburgh Pirates ace leads baseball in ERA (2.07), ERA+ (205) and pitching bWAR (6.2).
28. Washington Nationals (Last week: 28)
The Washington Nationals have been pesky against the top two teams in the NL East. In August, the Nationals are 5-5 against the Phillies and Mets combined.
29. Chicago White Sox (Last week: 29)
White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery is scorching hot, blasting four home runs in four straight games. He has nine total in August along with an .852 OPS.
30. Colorado Rockies (Last week: 30)
The Rockies have 30 games remaining and would need to go 8-22 to break the modern-day loss record of 121 set by the White Sox last year.
