MLB Power Rankings: Who are the top teams one month into the season?

ESPNApr 23, 2026, 07:00 AM ETWe're just about a month into the 2026 MLB season, and while the No. 1 team has stood strong atop our list, that hasn't been the case for a number of playoff hopefuls.The Mets are making headlines for a 12-game losing streak that finally ended Wednesday night, but has dropped them to the bottom of standings and all the way to No. 27 on our Week 4 list. But they aren't alone in that downfall -- the Phillies have the worst run differential in the majors, and the Astros and Red Sox are at the bottom of their divisions.Meanwhile, the Athletics are atop the American League West, the Reds are tied for the fourth-best record in baseball and the Twins are one game behind the AL Central-leading Guardians. Who could've predicted this four weeks ago?!What will the month of May bring for these clubs? Will they be able to carry -- or change -- their momentum?Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we've seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Jesse Rogers, Jorge Castillo and Bradford Doolittle to weigh in with an observation for each team.Week 3 | Preseason rankings1. Los Angeles DodgersRecord: 16-8 Preseason ranking: 1While it's tempting to drill down on how inconceivable it is that Max Muncy is hitting .293 with eight homers and yet has just nine RBIs, let's give some of the Dodgers' considerable spotlight to the resurgence of Andy Pages. We knew Pages was a lot better than his horrific struggles of last October, when he went 4-for-51 (.078) with zero walks for the champs. But this much better? Well, his .439 BABIP so far strongly suggests that his .353 average won't hold up. But he has also added more than 3 mph to his average exit velocity, so there are some real improvements. For Dodgers' opponents, this is just what they needed: one more explosive batting slot to contend with. -- Doolittle2. Atlanta BravesRecord: 17-8 Preseason ranking: 3The Braves are who we thought they were last season. They rank second in runs allowed and lead MLB in runs scored despite several key injuries and Ronald Acuna Jr. getting off to a relatively slow start. That's a real recipe for success. With Spencer Strider, Sean Murphy and Ha-Seong Kim slated to come off the injured list soon, Atlanta appears to be the class of the National League East once again. -- Castillo3. New York YankeesRecord: 15-9 Preseason ranking: 2The run-it-back Yankees are one of the best, if not the best, teams in the AL. The starting rotation is elite -- and that's without Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole, who are expected to return by early June. Ben Rice leads the majors in OBP, slugging and OPS+. Cody Bellinger is warming up. They have a guy named Aaron Judge who has nine home runs. Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ryan McMahon and Austin Wells are all struggling and the bullpen is a weakness, but the Yankees have the foundation for a deep October run. -- Castillo4. San Diego PadresRecord: 16-8 Preseason ranking: 4The Padres have Mason Miller, and other teams don't. At the moment, this is by far their biggest competitive advantage. Miller has gone to another dimension, or at least his pitches seem to appear magically from one. You should not cite 162-game paces this early for any player, especially not a short reliever. But we're going to do it anyway, because looking at Miller's paces is like catching a glimpse of the sublime. He hasn't been scored on (0.00 ERA, obviously) and, per Fangraphs, his paces are for 56 saves, 190 strikeouts -- as a one-inning reliever! -- and 14 hits allowed. His fWAR pace is 6.4, and he's striking out 21.4 batters per nine innings. It is not unreasonable to consider whether Miller will get some serious Cy Young chatter. -- Doolittle5. Chicago CubsRecord: 15-9 Preseason ranking: 10Pinch-hitting stats in April aren't exactly the go-to page for fans, but they tell a story for the Cubs, who rank fifth in scoring in MLB. Through 24 games, Cubs pinch hitters already have a quarter of the at-bats they did all of last season -- and it's not because the team doesn't have a group of good hitters. It's the opposite, in fact. Manager Craig Counsell has so much faith in his bench that he can find favorable platoon matchups whenever he desires. It has led to some huge hits off the bench, including a three-run home run from catcher Carson Kelly to help beat the Mets on Saturday and then a pinch-hit RBI double by Michael Conforto to do the same Sunday. Chicago has a deep lineup. -- Rogers6. Cincinnati RedsRecord: 16-9 Preseason ranking: 16Cincinnati's bullpen has been nothing short of amazing, leading to one of the best stats of the first month: The Reds are 6-0 in one run games, including 3-0 in extra innings. They're also 8-3 against plus .500 teams and 9-3 on the road. There's likely to be some regression, but they've earned those wins thanks to the best clutch pitching in the game despite an OPS at the plate that ranks just above the Mets for worst in MLB. Pitching is the name of the game for Cincinnati, and players such as Connor Phillips, Brock Burke, Graham Ashcraft and Pierce Johnson are getting it done. -- Rogers7. Milwaukee BrewersRecord: 13-10 Preseason ranking: 9Not unlike last April, the story of the Brewers so far is their injuries. They are playing without Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, Quinn Priester and Andrew Vaughn, among others. It has put a strain on their depth, but almost no team is more equipped to play -- and win -- shorthanded than Milwaukee. Jake Bauers (five home runs) has stepped up. So have pitchers Chad Patrick and Grant Anderson. With Trevor Megill getting hit a lot and Abner Uribe a little, the Brewers will need other contributors -- at least until the injured players return. Chourio isn't far off. -- Rogers8. Detroit TigersRecord: 13-12 Preseason ranking: 7At present, 21-year-old rookie Kevin McGonigle leads all AL position players in bWAR. Take that Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. McGonigle has been the full package so far, but what's such a joy to watch is his veteran-like grind at the plate. He's ultra-patient, but when he swings, he makes contact and has plus extra-base ability when that contact is made. That's the full package. Over the last couple of offseasons, the narrative around the Tigers is that they might need an injection of star power into an otherwise deep and steady roster to take that next step. But if we had fully realized how good McGonigle was going to be, we might have better understood Detroit's need to do this organically. -- Doolittle9. Pittsburgh PiratesRecord: 14-10 Preseason ranking: 8So, are the Pirates for real? They think so -- even claiming that past good starts have been "fluky" compared to this season. You can look at the glass as half full: Paul Skenes hasn't been dominant and yet the team is over .500. Or, you can see regression coming at the plate: Are players such as Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn going to keep their OPS around .900 all season long? Probably not. Cruz might be the key, even if Lowe and O'Hearn show that regression. Cruz has the skill set to dominate at the plate and on the bases. As he goes, so could the Pirates. Where this team goes this year will be fun to watch. -- Rogers10. Cleveland GuardiansRecord: 14-12 Preseason ranking: 13Chase DeLauter has cooled after his blistering start, but the sky remains the limit for the kid from West Virginia. The 24-year-old has overcome an avalanche of injuries during his developmental years, and his presence on the Guardians, who are better than we thought (as always), has added some character to the makeup of a roster that can seem a bit faceless beyond no-brainer Hall of Famer Jose Ramirez.DeLauter can hit, and even as his average has dipped, he still has walked more than he has struck out and has flashed plenty of power. Best of all, though, is the walk-up song -- John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." It's one of those songs that the crowd keeps singing well after the walk-up snippet of it stops playing. Soon, the national baseball audience is going to want to become acquainted with DeLauter. -- Doolittle11. Texas RangersRecord: 12-12 Preseason ranking: 11How much is New York regretting trading Brandon Nimmo to Texas? The Mets' loss is the Rangers' gain as Nimmo has needed little time to adjust to his new surroundings. Perhaps he's the offensive spark the team has been looking for since winning the World Series in 2023. Maybe that's a bit dramatic, but the needed boost isn't, as the Rangers have been offensively challenged over the past couple of years -- some of that due to the park they play in. It hasn't stopped Nimmo, though, who has an OPS north of .900. Sending Marcus Semien to the Mets for him looks like a home run for Texas president of baseball operations Chris Young. -- Rogers12. Arizona DiamondbacksRecord: 14-10 Preseason ranking: 19The Diamondbacks have avoided getting buried in the NL West despite an offense that has suffered too many injuries and underperformances. On the latter front, you can zero in on Arizona's veteran-laden infield where Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Nolan Arenado all have OPS+ figures well below 100, which is the average. The Diamondbacks have subsisted by winning their fair share of an unusual number of close games. And not all the news has been bad for the offense. Corbin Carroll is in MVP form, and Ildemaro Vargas has been a revelation. But they need more from the players they were counting on or the dominators of the West will put some real distance between themselves and the Snakes. -- Doolittle13. Seattle MarinersRecord: 11-15 Preseason ranking: 6Quick, who leads the Mariners in home runs after four weeks? Not Cal Raleigh. Not Julio Rodriguez. No, it's not Randy Arozarena or newcomer Brendan Donovan either. It's right fielder Luke Raley, who has five in 72 at-bats so far after hitting four in 183 last year. His current pace is more in line with the 22 homers he hit in 2024. The Mariners have often been inconsistent at the plate while playing in a pitcher-friendly ballpark, so if Raley can keep up his pace, he could be an added bonus to a lineup that should show a lot more in the coming months. He and Donovan have been Seattle's best hitters so far. -- Rogers14. Tampa Bay RaysRecord: 13-11 Preseason ranking: 15The Rays have overcome their payroll disadvantage to compete over the years by constructing top-tier pitching staffs. So far this year, though, the offense has lugged the pitching staff to .500 territory. Tampa Bay ranks as a bottom-five team in the majors in ERA and FIP. The offense, meanwhile, has five regulars with an OPS+ of 105 or higher, as Yandy Diaz leads the way and Chandler Simpson wreaks havoc from the leadoff spot. -- Castillo15. Baltimore OriolesRecord: 12-13 Preseason ranking: 12Baltimore invested $155 million in Pete Alonso to supply power in the middle of its lineup behind Gunnar Henderson. That hasn't happened yet. Alonso has three home runs and a .372 slugging percentage through 25 games. Those numbers are alarming for a slugger whose career lows over a full season are 34 home runs and a .459 slugging percentage. One metric to note: Alonso's bat speed is down to an average of 73.7 mph from 75.3 mph last season. -- Castillo16. Toronto Blue JaysRecord: 10-14 Preseason ranking: 17Around this time a year ago, the Blue Jays were .500 and remained there until the end of May before going on an unexpected run that ended in Game 7 of the World Series. So it's too early to count them out. But even the best teams can stomach only so many injuries, and Toronto is being tested. Here's an incomplete list of players currently sidelined: George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Addison Barger, Anthony Santander, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, Cody Ponce and Bowden Francis. Ponce and Francis are out for the season. Santander won't return until September at the earliest, if at all. The others will trickle back over the next weeks and months. For now, Toronto must stay afloat while shorthanded. -- Castillo17. St. Louis CardinalsRecord: 14-10 Preseason ranking: 26The Cardinals have defied expectations in the standings over the first four weeks, but is it sustainable? They rank in the bottom five in ERA, and that even includes a goose egg from closer Riley O'Brien. He's one reason the Cardinals are above .500, as he has blown just one save in seven chances. And while the team ERA isn't anything to write home about, the Cardinals have been very good in high-leverage moments, ranking in the top five in clutch pitching, according to FanGraphs. Those moments are what matter most, and whether it be at the plate or on the mound, the Cardinals have been a pleasant surprise to their fans so far. -- Rogers18. Philadelphia PhilliesRecord: 8-16 Preseason ranking: 5One of the Phillies' supposed strengths this season, even without Zack Wheeler to begin the year, was their starting rotation. Instead, Philadelphia ranks near the bottom of the majors in starter ERA. Cristopher Sanchez, the reigning NL Cy Young runner-up, is the only starter performing to expectations. Wheeler is scheduled to return Saturday against the Braves, but the Phillies need Jesus Luzardo (6.91 ERA), Aaron Nola (5.06 ERA) and Andrew Painter (4.42 ERA) to improve to reverse course. -- Castillo19. Minnesota TwinsRecord: 12-12 Preseason ranking: 14The Twins are ... hard to read. They've played solid, just-better-than-average baseball and certainly exceeded preseason expectations in the early going. But when you look at the source of the surprise, it gets a little murky. One thing we can say for sure is that the rotation has been very good, with Taj Bradley emerging as one of the breakout pitchers in baseball so far. Can the Twins keep it up? Maybe not, but in a league that has a low bar for contention, the real question might be whether Minnesota can hang close enough long enough that it discourages thoughts of subtracting at the trade deadline, especially when pondering a possible Joe Ryan trade. It'll be on the Twins from here to validate their solid beginning. -- Doolittle20. AthleticsRecord: 13-12 Preseason ranking: 22As it turns out, catcher Shez Langeliers might be the best hitter on the A's. At least he has been in April. There has seemingly been a different best hitter every month going back over the past couple of years. Remember Lawrence Butler's coming out party? How about Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson? All are off to slower starts this season. And while 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz is taking his walks and getting on base, he has been a bit of a three-true-outcomes guy so far. The point is, if the A's could ever get the whole group hitting for an extended period of time, they could be really dangerous. But we knew that already. -- Rogers21. Boston Red SoxRecord: 9-15 Preseason ranking: 20Boston's lack of power is not a complete surprise -- it