MLB power rankings after the first week of August
The Milwaukee Brewers' Andrew Vaughn hits a two-run single in the third inning of a game against Atlanta on Tuesday in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Mike Stewart
(Note: Statistics prior to Friday’s games; previous ranking in parentheses)
1. Brewers (9): In becoming the first team to 70 wins, the Brewers set a franchise record by doing it in 114 games, beating their previous mark — done only four years earlier — by two games. Milwaukee also is the best road team (34-24) in the majors.
2. Phillies (3): Can Kyle Schwarber unseat reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani, who has won the award three times in the past four years? Schwarber was the first to 40 homers in the NL and entered Friday leading in RBIs (94), so he’s making a case as the engine for the first-place Phillies.
3. Dodgers (1): Mookie Betts, normally a perennial MVP candidate, is on pace for the worst offensive season of his 12-year career, hitting .236 with 11 homers and a .670 OPS — more than 200 points below his lifetime mark (.882).
4. Tigers (2): Detroit cooled considerably over the past month (12-18) but still entered Friday with a six-game lead in the AL Central. Among Tigers’ bullpen woes: former Yankee Tommy Kahnle has allowed 11 walks and 17 earned runs in 8 2⁄3 innings since July 1.
5. Cubs (4): The Cubs’ rotation upgrade at the trade deadline was Mike Soroka, who didn’t survive his first start before landing on the IL with shoulder discomfort. Kyle Tucker’s contract push has stalled some since the All-Star break (.212 BA, .696 OPS) but Pete Crow-Armstrong still leads the NL with a 5.7 WAR (via FanGraphs).
6. Blue Jays (8): Toronto set a franchise record by scoring 45 runs during this week’s three-game sweep of the Rockies at Coors Field, and the Jays’ 63 hits were the most by any team in a series of that length since 1900. They also hit 12 home runs.
7. Padres (11): Not only did the Padres secure closer Mason Miller at the deadline, but Michael King returned to the rotation this weekend after being shut down since May 24 with shoulder inflammation. King had a 2.59 ERA with a 1.024 WHIP in 10 starts before the injury.
8. Astros (5): Houston decided to get the (trash can) band back together at the deadline by trading for Carlos Correa, who took over at third base for the injured Isaac Paredes. Through his first six games for the Astros, Correa was hitting .346 with a .931 OPS.
9. Mets (7): Some positives for the wobbly Mets? Francisco Alvarez was hitting .278 with an .895 OPS since he returned from his reset down at Triple-A Syracuse. Edwin Diaz hasn’t allowed an earned run since June 2, striking out 28 over 19.
10. Red Sox (18): The resurgent Bosox made quick use of the $254 million they pocketed in the Rafael Devers’ trade, re-allocating some of that money to give rookie star Roman Anthony an eight-year, $130 million deal. Anthony had two homers and an .809 OPS through his first 47 games.
11. Mariners (13): Seattle was lauded for their offensive upgrades at the trade deadline, especially bringing back Eugenio Suarez, but the third baseman got off to a slow start, hitting .107 (3-for-28) with 12 strikeouts through his first seven games.
12. Yankees (6): Aaron Boone & Co. are only 30-35 against teams with a .500 record or better this season. The good news? The Yankees have the fifth-easiest schedule the rest of the way, facing opponents that have a combined winning percentage of .487.
13. Rangers (17): Nathan Eovaldi trimmed his ERA to 1.38 with Tuesday’s eight-inning victory over the Yankees, the lowest for a Rangers pitcher through the first 19 starts of a season. It’s also the best for any AL pitcher over such a span since Vida Blue (1.37) in 1971.
14. Guardians (21): Cleveland has climbed back into the playoff picture with the fourth-best record (19-11) in the majors over the past month, capped by a three-game sweep of the Mets at Citi Field and Gavin Williams’ 8 1/3 no-hit innings.
15. Reds (16): Rookie starter Chase Burns, drafted No. 2 overall last year, whiffed 10 on Friday night to become the first pitcher in history with double-digit strikeout totals in four of his first eight career games. Overall, Burns has 57 Ks in 34 1/3 innings this season.
16. Rays (10): Junior Caminero, who finished runner-up in this July’s Home Run Derby, smacked his 30th homer of the season this week, making him only the third Dominican-born player to reach that mark in his age 21 or younger season. Juan Soto hit 34 in 2019, Albert Pujols had 37 in 2001.
17. Royals (23): Mike Yastrzemski was golfing at Shinnecock Hills, not all that far from where his Hall of Fame grandfather Carl grew up on Long Island, when he got the phone call that he had been traded to the Royals. Yastrzemski was hitting .313 with a homer and a .982 OPS in his first six games with the Royals.
18. Giants (14): Drew Gilbert, the Mets’ No. 12 prospect traded in a package for reliever Tyler Rogers, was promoted by the Giants for the weekend series against the Nationals. Gilbert, who had a .777 OPS in 82 games for Triple-A Syracuse, was hitting .500 (7-for-14) with two triples at Sacramento.
19. Marlins (26): Miami chose to hold on to Edward Cabrera at the trade deadline and he responded with his best start of the season Friday, striking out 11 in eight innings to beat Atlanta and move the Marlins to within one game of .500 (57-58). Over his last 15 games, Cabrera is 6-4 with a 2.15 ERA and 0.87 WHIP.
20. Cardinals (12): Yadier Molina put on the uniform again this weekend as a temporary member of the Cardinals coaching staff — despite declining invitations to join the team in that capacity in the past. Molina spent his entire 19-year career in St. Louis and retired after the 2022 season.
21. D-backs (15): Arizona was one of the more active teams at the trade deadline, and after waving the white flag on the season, the D-Backs reeled in nine prospects and cut loose roughly $17 million.
22. Angels (19): Since Logan O’Hoppe peaked at the end of May, when he was hitting .264 with an .816 OPS, the former St. John the Baptist star struggled in his next 40 games, batting .199 with a .566 OPS and more strikeouts (46) than hits (30).
23. Twins (22): The Twins traded 10 players on their active roster in a 24-hour span before the deadline, but chose to keep the coveted starting pitcher Joe Ryan, who then went six innings and allowed two earned runs in a loss the following day. He has a 2.83 ERA and 0.927 WHIP in 21 starts.
24. Orioles (24): The Orioles made eight trades in the month leading up to the deadline, acquiring 15 players — but none all that close to reaching the big leagues, which won’t make them much of an AL East threat in the near future.
25. Pirates (25): Paul Skenes is quickly finding out what it meant to be Jacob deGrom during the most dominant part of his Flushing years. Skenes has an MLB-best 1.94 ERA through 24 starts this season, striking out 162 in 144 innings, but the Pirates are 11-13 when he takes the mound.
26. Atlanta (20): Chris Sale continues to inch forward to a return from a seven-week stay on the IL due to a fractured rib cage, but he has yet to begin an official rehab stint in the minors. Sale, who is earning $22 million this year, is 5-4 with a 2.52 ERA in 15 starts.
27. Athletics (27): Shea Langeliers became the first player (since 1900) to hit three homers in his first career game batting leadoff last Tuesday. His 15 total bases on the night were tied for the most by catcher, joining Wes Westrum (1950) and Walker Cooper (1949).
28. Nationals (28): Since firing manager Dave Martinez and GM Mike Rizzo on July 6, the Nats have the second-worst record (8-16) and run-differential (minus-62) in the majors during that stretch.
29. White Sox (29):All of a sudden, the White Sox aren’t quite as terrible anymore, as their 14-16 record over the past 30 games entering Friday was better than the Dodgers (13-17), Yankees (13-17) and Tigers (12-18), just to name a few.
30. Rockies (30): How’s this for a 2025 snapshot: The Rockies were losing to the Blue Jays, 12-1 heading into the ninth inning on Wednesday, so they put in catcher Austin Nola to pitch. He then proceeded to allow two homers and eight runs in the 20-1 loss (giving him a 72.00 ERA).
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
