Matt Johnson
The first week of Major League Baseball season is a bit like NFL Week 1, except an even smaller sample size of what’s likely to happen during the regular season. As we dive into our first in-season MLB power rankings, there are a few things worth keeping in mind.
First, six games into the 2025 season, the Texas Rangers (5-2) and St. Louis Cardinals (4-2) led their respective divisions. Meanwhile, clubs like the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers were below .500. We’ll let you guess which of those teams made the postseason and which two finished with 81-plus losses.
Just remember that as we dive into our Week 1 MLB power rankings, preseason forecasts still carry weight.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers should still be viewed as the best team in baseball. While they are coming off a series defeat at home against Cleveland, they are 4-2 despite Freddie Freeman (.615 OPS), Kyle Tucker (.457 OPS), Mookie Betts (.558 OPS), and Shohei Ohtani (.590 OPS) all off to slow starts at the plate. On the bright side, the Dodgers bullpen is back on track and Andy Pages is building off his breakthrough year in 2025.
Related: Best MLB Lineups 2026
2. New York Yankees
The New York Yankees entered the weekend with the best record in the American League, and the excellence on the mound from Cam Schlittler is rightfully drawing most of the headlines. Right now, he looks like he could already establish himself as a top-20 starter in baseball. We also want to highlight Ben Rice (15 total bases, 2 doubles, and a .524 OBP in 17 ABs) who has been on a tear since Opening Day. Plus, New York could get Gerrit Cole back on the mound before long.
Related: MLB Playoff Predictions 2026
3. Seattle Mariners
The Brendan Donovan trade has already worked out beautifully for the Seattle Mariners. He came into the weekend with team-highs in hits and OPS (1.283), showing even greater offensive production than Seattle probably imagined. That paired with Cole Young’s hot start has masked the fact that the core of the Mariners lineup—Josh Naylor (.170 OPS), Julio Rodriguez (.277 OPS), and Cal Raleigh (.450 OPS)—have all been woeful at the plate thus far. We’re most concerned about Raleigh, given his second-half regression, but Seattle’s pitching and a deeper lineup still give us plenty of confidence in this club.
Related: Best MLB Catchers 2026
4. New York Mets
It hasn’t exactly been a banner start to the season for the New York Mets, but we’re not raising any alarm bells given that three of their four losses came in extra innings. Freddy Peralta (4.35 ERA) will get back on track as he gets into a rhythm, and we see no reason to think Bo Bichette can’t at least put up a .750 OPS given the surrounding help in the Mets lineup. The Mets are a better team than the one that currently ranks 23rd in OPS (.635); brighter days are ahead at Citi Field.
Related: Latest on Mets Contract Extension Talks with Freddy Peralta
5. Toronto Blue Jays
Thankfully the Toronto Blue Jays have pitching depth, because it’s already being put to the test with Cody Ponce (ACL) joining Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Jose Berrios on the injured list. With so many starters out, Kevin Gausman (0.75 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 12 innings) has dominated. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays lineup ranks third in OPS (.815) with the help of promising starts from Ernie Clement (.320 BA), Andres Gimenez (1.008 OPS), and Kazuma Okamoto (.912 OPS). Toronto absolutely remains a World Series contender this season.
Related: MLB Predictions 2026, Projections For All 30 Clubs
6. Milwaukee Brewers
Maybe the Milwaukee Brewers can be this good again? Then again, this 5-1 record came against the White Sox and Rays. What matters for Milwaukee is that Jacob Misiorowski is showing flashes of becoming an NL Cy Young candidate and the club’s pitching factory looks to be having more success with Kyle Harrison and Chad Patrick. All of this excellence on the mound comes at a time when the Brewers lineup, without Jackson Chourio, has produced the most runs in baseball (45) through six games. We like the signs; now we just need to see more of it against better competition.
7. Chicago Cubs
Clubs with good pitching and excellent defense will always be viewed favorably in our MLB power rankings. Justin Steele (elbow) isn’t due back for a while, but Cade Horton boasts a 1.46 ERA over his last 11 starts entering Friday, Matthew Boyd is missing tons of bats, and Edward Cabrera might finally put it together and stay healthy. Throw Shota Imanaga into that mix and you’ve got an outstanding four-man rotation that is helped out by great glove work. If the Chicago Cubs lineup can even be a top-12 unit, this team is a lock for the playoffs.
8. Philadelphia Phillies
The long-awaited MLB debut came for Andrew Painter, and he looked excellent. It is just another reason to believe that once Zack Wheeler returns—moving Taijuan Walker to the bullpen—this can be one of the best rotations in baseball. Pair that with a batting order that should soon get better production out of Trea Turner (.481 OPS) and Bryce Harper (.425 OPS), and it shouldn’t be long before the Philadelphia Phillies begin to perform like one of the best teams in MLB.
9. Texas Rangers
Pitching certainly wasn’t the problem for the Texas Rangers in 2025. With MacKenzie Gore now part of the rotation and Jack Leiter seemingly poised to take a step forward, this will once again be the heart of Texas’ contention chances. As for that Rangers lineup? Offseason acquisition Brandon Nimmo (.949 OPS) is off to a torrid start and Corey Seager is healthy (1.156 OPS), so the 4-2 record isn’t a surprise. For Texas to take that next big step forward, Wyatt Langford needs to heat up at the plate.
10. Atlanta Braves
Boasting a 5-2 record through the first week of the season with Spencer Strider, Sean Murphy, Ha-Seong Kim, Hurston Waldrep, AJ Smith Shawver and Spencer Schwellenbach on the injured list is impressive work by the Atlanta Braves. What stands out right now through the first seven games is a pitching staff that has allowed the third-lowest batting average (.188) with the second-best ERA (2.00) in baseball. When healthy, Atlanta is one of the clubs that can challenge for a top-five spot in our weekly MLB power rankings.
11. Detroit Tigers
Tarik Skubal (19.1 percent strikeout rate) isn’t quite missing bats like we’ve come to expect from him, but the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner does boast a .191 batting average allowed with just 9 baserunners allowed across 47 batters faced this season. The swing-and-miss stuff will return, and when it does, teams that have to face the top of the Detroit Tigers rotation in a series will dread the upcoming matchup. On the other hand, this Tigers lineup (.596 OPS, 27th in MLB) leaves a lot to be desired right now.
Related: Bold Detroit Tigers Predictions 2026
12. Baltimore Orioles
Coming into the season, we thought the Baltimore Orioles could be one of the 10 best teams in MLB in 2026. Even with Gunnar Henderson (.570 OPS), Samuel Basallo (.654 OPS), Coby Mayo (.426 OPS), and Jeremiah Jackson (.267 OPS) struggling, the Orioles lineup ranks nineteenth in OPS (.645). That’s what happens when you add more depth by acquiring Taylor Ward and Pete Alonso. On the pitching side, losing Zach Eflin (elbow) is a significant blow, but we still like this four-man staff.
13. Boston Red Sox
Opening Day went great for the Boston Red Sox and it all went downhill from there. Boston lost five straight games heading into its home opener, derailing some of the optimism that surrounded the club in spring training. Roman Anthony (.684 OPS) and Jarren Duran (.514 OPS) will rebound, but it’s hard not to be pessimistic about third base given Caleb Durbin is 0-for-18. On the bright side, Connelly Early looked promising in his first start.
14. Houston Astros
It’s so great to see Yordan Alvarez healthy again. Even with the home ballpark robbing him of a home run, he still put up a 1.480 OPS with 22 total bases and 3 homers in his first seven games. Meanwhile, Carlos Correa (.811 OPS) continues to perform well since returning to Houston, and with Jose Altuve (.348 BA) and Christian Walker (.913 OPS) off to hot starts at the plate, it’s no surprise this Houston Astros lineup has scored 45 runs with an .830 OPS.
15. Cincinnati Reds
We liked the Cincinnati Reds as a fun team to watch heading into spring training, but then Hunter Greene (elbow) and Nick Lodolo (blister) landed on the injured list. Fortunately for Cincinnati, those absences in the rotation and early struggles from Matt McLain (.608 OPS) and Elly De La Cruz (.296 OBP) aren’t being felt as much because of Sal Stewart. Until Greene and Lodolo are healthy, Chase Burns can be the true treat for fans of exciting pitching.
16. Kansas City Royals
Look at that start to the season from the Kansas City Royals rotation, with Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic, and Noah Cameron allowing just 6 earned runs across 33.1 innings pitched in the opening week. Kansas City’s bullpen, however, leaves something to be desired. As for the Royals lineup, the power will come from Bobby Witt Jr (.278 SLG) and Vinnie Pasquantino (.569 OPS), which bodes well for how easily Maikel Garcia is getting on base (.440 OBP) early on.
17. Cleveland Guardians
Winning a series at Dodger Stadium is certainly a feel-good way to start the year for the Cleveland Guardians. It’s even better when that comes after rookie Chase DeLauter hitting 4 home runs in his first series. Unfortunately, the Guardians lineup is getting nothing out of Kyle Manzardo (.269 OPS) and this team ranks 24th in runs scored and 28th in OPS entering play on Friday.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks opened the season by getting swept in Los Angeles and then rebounding by pulling the brooms out at home against the Tigers. Unfortunately, the four-game series against Atlanta got off to a rough start with a 17-2 blowout loss that will swing that early run differential. We still love the young talent in the Diamondbacks lineup and when the rotation gets healthy this summer, Arizona could at least be in the Wild Card mix.
19. Pittsburgh Pirates
Here comes Konnor Griffin. It coincides with a long-term contract extension that shows, all of a sudden, Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting is willing to spend some of his money. There have been some promising early returns, showing up in Pittsburgh winning three of its last four games. If the Pirates can fare reasonably well in this stretch against the Orioles, Padres and Cubs, they’ll ascend up the MLB power rankings quickly.
20. Miami Marlins
If Max Meyer can stay healthy and Eury Perez can take that next step forward, with Janson Junk behind them as the No. 4 starter, the Miami Marlins could be a tricky out for clubs this year. We don’t have much faith in the Marlins lineup maintaining anything close to its current numbers—.290 batting average, .847 OPS, and 33 runs scored in six games—but we are always going to have a soft spot for teams that have good pitching.
21. San Diego Padres
Without the pitching that used to be a strength of this ballclub, the San Diego Padres can’t overcome a lineup that has posted the second-worst OPS (.581) and the fourth-fewest runs scored (19) through the first week of the season. We’ve tried to remain optimistic, but it feels like the cutbacks in spending and a depleted farm system are finally catching up to San Diego.
22. Tampa Bay Rays
Our expectations for the Tampa Bay Rays weren’t particularly high coming into the season. So at the very least, a 2-4 start to the campaign isn’t seen as a disappointment in our eyes. What is nice for Kevin Cash and Co. is what Jonathan Aranda, Yandy Diaz, and Chandler Simpson are doing at the plate right now. We’d already start keeping an eye on Diaz as a top trade candidate this summer.
23. San Francisco Giants
It’s only a week into the 2026 MLB season, but it already feels like a reasonable prediction to say the Tony Vitello experiment won’t work out for the San Francisco Giants. He’s already admitted there are struggles being a leader in a clubhouse of grown men, not college students, and there have already been contradictory statements coming from him versus the players. Oh, San Francisco’s pitching staff also isn’t good enough to contend, nor does the lineup have the consistency to mask that.
24. Sacramento Athletics
When the Sacramento Athletics lineup is lighting up the scoreboard, it can make you forget just how underwhelming the pitching staff is. When the A’s batting order is swinging-and-missing like it generates wind power–74 strikeouts and a .177 batting average through 198 at-bats–it becomes torturous to watch this club. Unfortunately for a passionate and loyal fan base, we’re at the latter stage of this Athletics team right now.
25. St. Louis Cardinals
Of all the teams at the bottom of our MLB power rankings, the St. Louis Cardinals are certainly the one we’re the most excited about long-term. J.J. Wetherholt is already showing some of the tools to become a future All-Star, Jordan Walker is at least flashing a bit more promise than he used to, and one of the youngest MLB teams is finding ways to win games early. It’ll get ugly at a variety of points, but the future of baseball in St. Louis is bright.
26. Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals seemed destined for another rebuild, but at least C.J. Abrams and James Wood make things fun. Plus, it looks like Cade Cavalli is finally ready to stay healthy and provide the Nationals with some effective innings they desperately need. There’ll be a game or two each week where Washington looks really promising; the rest will remind you of how much room there is for improvement.
27. Los Angeles Angels
Yes, it’s wonderful to see Mike Trout turning back the clock to his AL MVP-caliber form. Unfortunately, so much of the remaining ‘talent’ on the Los Angeles Angels roster outside of Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel is bad. That’s putting it lightly. The fan base deserves better than this, but we all know nothing changes until Arte Moreno is gone.
28. Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are simply a bad baseball team. You can squint and see hints of promise, like Taj Bradley’s first two starts (0.87 ERA) or Josh Bell’s .400 OBP and 2 home runs, but there are deeper numbers that show regression is coming. The true source of hope for Minnesota, which doesn’t involve playoff contention whatsoever, is Luke Keaschall establishing himself as the new face of the Twins lineup.
29. Chicago White Sox
At least Munetaka Murakami is hitting bombs for the Chicago White Sox and Miguel Vargas (.822 OPS) looks good at the plate. That’s really all we’ve got when trying to sell positives with this club. With upcoming sets against the Blue Jays and Orioles, it certainly feels like a second sweep in two weeks is on the table for Chicago to experience.
30. Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are the worst team in baseball. We won’t call it the glass-half-full perspective and instead say, the glass does at least have water in it. That’s what Ezequiel Tovar and Hunter Goodman have been so far for this team, lone glimmers of hope in a sea of darkness. On the other side of that coin, we’re already very worried about Chase Dollander and his career 6.62 ERA with 108 hits allowed in 102 career innings.
