Current:Home > StocksMLB power rankings: Every American League division is up for grabs -文件: temp/data/webname/news/nam2.txt
MLB power rankings: Every American League division is up for grabs
View
Date:2025-04-25 18:54:39
As the final quarter of the 2023 Major League Baseball season gets underway, four of the league's six divisions – including all three in the American League – have a genuine race within five games entering Monday.
The AL West is the closest division in baseball with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros trailing the Texas Rangers by 2 ½ games. In the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles have a three-game advantage over the second-place Rays and the Cleveland Guardians lead the Minnesota Twins by 4½ in the Central.
The NL Central has three teams in the hunt as the Milwaukee Brewers hold a 3½-game cushion over the Chicago Cubs and (fading) Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have run away with the NL West and the East-leading Braves continue to march on with the best record in baseball.
The top three in this week's USA TODAY Sports MLB power rankings stayed the same, but the red-hot Dodgers jumped the Rays at No. 4:
1. Atlanta Braves (–)
- With 225 home runs through 116 games, this Atlanta team is chasing the 2019 Twins' all-time record of 307.
FOLLOW THE MONEY: MLB player salaries and payrolls for every major league team
2. Baltimore Orioles (–)
- Jack Flaherty racked up 16 strikeouts in his first two starts for Baltimore.
3. Texas Rangers (–)
- First-place Rangers off to a 10-2 start in August.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (+1)
- Amed Rosario had an .860 OPS and 11 RBI in his first 14 games with Los Angeles.
5. Tampa Bay Rays (-1)
- Shane McClanahan's season is officially over with move to 60-day injured list.
6. Houston Astros (–)
- Astros enter Monday trailing the Rangers by 2 ½ games and don't get a crack at them head-to-head until Sept. 4.
7. Toronto Blue Jays (–)
- Toronto's 3.24 team ERA in the second half is baseball's best.
8. Philadelphia Phillies (–)
- Deadline acquisition Michael Lorenzen throws no-hitter in second Phillies start.
9. Milwaukee Brewers (+1)
- Sweep of White Sox gives Brewers momentum heading into brutal week facing Dodgers and Rangers away from home.
10. Seattle Mariners (+1)
- Chasing a wild-card spot, Seattle has a favorable schedule for the rest of August – aside from this weekend's trip to Houston.
11. San Francisco Giants (-2)
- Giants have MLB's worst average (.206) and OPS (.620) since the All-Star break.
12. Chicago Cubs (+2)
- Cody Bellinger (.328 average) is playing his way towards a nine-figure deal.
13. Boston Red Sox (+2)
- Returning from injury, Trevor Story went 7-for-19 with three steals in his first five games of the season.
14. Miami Marlins (+2)
- Jake Burger off to a strong start with Miami, hitting .317 in 11 games with a walk-off hit on Sunday.
15. Cincinnati Reds (-3)
- Losing 9 of 12 to start August was not great for Cincinnati's playoff hopes.
16. Minnesota Twins (+3)
- Royce Lewis nearing return from oblique injury
17. New York Yankees (-4)
- Nestor Cortes probably done for the season with rotator cuff strain.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks (-1)
- The Diamondbacks are 26-40 against teams with a winning record.
19. San Diego Padres (-1)
- Ha-seong Kim in the second half: .358 average, 1.007 OPS and 11 steals in 28 games.
20. Los Angeles Angels (–)
- Shohei Ohtani, who has 41 home runs, will skip his next start due to arm fatigue.
21. Cleveland Guardians (+1)
- Andres Gimenez hit .357 in his first 12 games of August.
22. Detroit Tigers (+1)
- Outfielder Kerry Carpenter (.855 OPS, 15 HR) is looking like the real deal.
23. Pittsburgh Pirates (+1)
- No. 1 pick Paul Skenes hits 101 mph in impressive professional debut.
24. Washington Nationals (+1)
- These Nats may actually finish ahead of the Mets in the NL East.
25. New York Mets (-3)
- Pete Alonso becomes fourth player in history with at least 35 HR in four of his first five career seasons.
26. St. Louis Cardinals (–)
- Willson Contreras hit .344 with a .995 OPS in his first 20 games of the second half.
27. Chicago White Sox (–)
- Overall bad vibes on the South Side are overshadowing Luis Robert truly coming into his own.
28. Colorado Rockies (–)
- The Rockies' .576 OPS in August is the worst mark in baseball.
29. Kansas City Royals (–)
- Bobby Witt Jr. is the first player in history to record 20 homers and 30 steals in his first two seasons.
30. Oakland Athletics (–)
- At 33-85 with 44 games left, this Oakland team in danger of breaking the franchise record 117 losses – held by the lowly 1916 Philadelphia Athletics.
EYE ON THE FUTURE:Here are the most popular MLB future bets in 2023
veryGood! (84)
Related
- How breaking emerged from battles in the burning Bronx to the Paris Olympics stage
- Rooney Rule hasn't worked to improve coaching diversity. But this new NFL program might
- Senegal’s opposition leader could run for president after a court overturns a ruling barring his bid
- In 'Asgard's Wrath 2,' VR gaming reaches a new God mode
- Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.
- Turkish lawmaker who collapsed in parliament after delivering speech, dies
- NFL Week 15 picks: Will Cowboys ride high again vs. Bills?
- A leader of Taiwan’s Nationalist Party visits China as the island’s presidential election looms
- Vance jokes he’s checking out his future VP plane while overlapping with Harris at Wisconsin airport
- Endangered whale filmed swimming with beachgoers dies after stranding on sandbar
Ranking
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Watch: Rare blonde raccoon a repeat visitor to Iowa backyard, owner names him Blondie
- Q&A: Catherine Coleman Flowers Talks COP28, Rural Alabama, and the Path Toward a ‘Just Transition’
- A Buc-ee's monument, in gingerbread form: How a Texas couple recreated the beloved pitstop
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Busy Philipps' 15-Year-Old Birdie Has Terrifying Seizure at School in Sweden
- 2023: The year we played with artificial intelligence — and weren’t sure what to do about it
- Justin Herbert is out for the season: Here's every quarterback with a season-ending injury
Recommendation
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
Changes to Georgia school accountability could mean no more A-to-F grades for schools and districts
Buster Posey says San Francisco's perceived crime, drug problems an issue for free agents
Why your 401(k) is happy: Dow Jones reaches new record after Fed forecasts lower rates
Olympic women's basketball bracket: Schedule, results, Team USA's path to gold
Coal mine accident kills 3 in northern China’s Shanxi province, a major coal-producing region
Israel vows to fight on in Gaza despite deadly ambush and rising international pressure
Coal mine accident kills 3 in northern China’s Shanxi province, a major coal-producing region