The Dodgers are atop our rankings again this week and, frankly, they’ve been at or near the top of this list for pretty much a decade now. Which is why we had to pour one out for Chris Taylor, the longest-tenured Dodgers position player, who was released by the team on Sunday. He was a key player on a full decade of outstanding Dodgers teams and won himself two World Series rings. He struggled this year, but he still got to play, which means if the Dodgers win the Series again this year, he’ll get a third one. He’ll get ovations every time he shows up at Dodger Stadium for the rest of his life, and he’ll deserve them.
These rankings, as always, are compiled from MLB.com contributors whose names you can find at the bottom of this (and every) piece, but the words are mine. If you dislike the rankings, yell at all of us. But if you dislike the words, feel free to yell at me.
1. Dodgers (previously: 1)
Obviously, Clayton Kershaw’s season debut on Saturday didn’t go the way he or the Dodgers would have hoped: He gave up five runs in four innings, including three in a 38-pitch first. But his stuff didn’t look terrible, and he obviously knows how to work himself back as well as anyone. And let’s not overlook the forest for the trees here: Clayton Kershaw is back on the mound! It’s his 18th season with the Dodgers, joining Zack Wheat and Bill Russell as the only players to reach 18 seasons with the franchise. And don’t forget: With his two strikeouts, he’s only 30 away from 3,000 for his career. For what it’s worth: He’s only 10 away from passing Zack Greinke for 20th all-time.
2. Tigers (previously: 3)
No team, and no fanbase, in the entire sport is having more fun than the Tigers are right now. They were the first team to reach 30 wins this year, they have the best run differential in baseball and they are scoring like crazy. Javier Báez has been the most surprising story, but let’s not overlook Spencer Torkelson, who already has more homers than he did last year and is tied for second in the AL in RBIs.
3. Mets (previously: 4)
Hey, the Mets made a trade over the weekend! They’re a little short on lefties in the bullpen, so they sent some cash to the D-backs for José Castillo, a left-hander who has made only eight appearances since 2018 and pitched only 45 games in his whole career. But he always, always dominates lefties, to the tune of a .175/.273/.281. Don’t be surprised if you see him in a big moment this October.
4. Padres (previously: 2)
So here’s something to keep an eye on: For all the excitement around the Padres so far, they are, in fact, an under .500 team since April 15, which, if you happen to have your calendar handy, is actually more than a month ago now. They were 14-3 up to that point, the best in baseball on that date, but it should be noted: That early hot streak is disguising a team that has been average ever since.
5. Yankees (previously: 7)
I bring up this great Sarah Langs piece a lot, but this is the sort of season it is incredibly valuable. It tracks the latest any hitter has gone into the year while still hitting above .400. Aaron Judge, after 46 games, is still there. If he’s still there after 49 games, he’ll move into the second-deepest into a season hitting .400 since 2008; the latest this century is currently Luis Arraez (78 games), just two years ago.
6. Phillies (previously: 6)
It was certainly jarring to receive the news that José Alvarado, the Phillies’ best and unquestionably most important reliever, was suspended by MLB for 80 games on Sunday morning for testing positive for exogenous testosterone. But don’t forget the other punishment that comes in addition to the 80 games: He won’t be eligible to pitch in the postseason. Considering the Phillies are very much planning on being a part of that postseason, you should expect the team to address its sudden bullpen hole quickly, and with aggression.
7. Cubs (previously: 5)
First place in the Majors right now in WAR? Aaron Judge. No surprise there. Second place? Fernando Tatis Jr. Yep, makes sense. But third place? It’s … the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is on pace for, get this, a 43-homer, 130-RBI, 122-run, 47-stolen base season. Yowza.
8. Giants (previously: 8)
I talked about Wilmer Flores, and how great of a season he’s having so far, last week, so it is sort of cheating to bring it up again, but: Holy cow, Wilmer Flores is having a great season! He has a chance to break Mel Ott’s team record of 151 RBIs in 1929 (he’s on pace to be within five) and had 41 RBIs through 45 games, the most for any Giant since Barry Bonds back in 2001 (45). (It is always a good sign when a Barry Bonds stat comes up when someone is writing about you.)
9. Twins (previously: 18)
The Twins’ 13-game win streak finally ended on Sunday, but that didn’t stop them from shooting up these rankings anyway, understandably so. You do wonder if this may be their peak for a while, though: After their collision on Thursday, both Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton are on the seven-day concussion IL, and we all know the basic rule with the Twins: When those two and Royce Lewis are healthy, they’re great. And when they’re not … they’re very much not.
11. Guardians (previously: 12)
José Ramírez is on one of his heaters again, putting together a double-digit hit streak. Ramírez is famously streaky, and considering some of the offensive talent around him some years, he has had to be. He does have more help these days … but if he keeps this particular streak going, he could make another run at that MVP that has always eluded him.
12. Cardinals (previously: 17)
Two weeks ago, it looked like the Cardinals would be spending most of June and July figuring out who they were going to trade. They’re now the hottest team in the National League. It really can’t be said enough how good Brendan Donovan has been this season. He’s hitting .330 and leads the NL in hits; he’s destined to make his first All-Star Game.
13. D-backs (previously: 11)
For those of us who remember Shelby Miller’s disastrous first stint in Phoenix — in which he had, over three seasons, an ERA over 6.00 after coming over in a trade that famously sent out Dansby Swanson — it’s kind of remarkable to see him thriving in a D-backs uniform. That’s what’s happening, though: After accepting a non-roster invite to Spring Training, he has, amazingly, become the team’s closer. “Without him at the extreme back end of the games, I don’t know if we’d be in the spot we’re in,” manager Torey Lovullo said.
14. Rangers (previously: 21)
It still feels like the Rangers are about to go on a run. They’ve got so much going for them. They’ve got the best starting pitcher ERA in the American League, which is currently buoying a lineup that has some injuries and is dramatically underperforming (they’re 26th in OPS). If that mark comes up at all, this team could make a run, and remember: It’s not like those early struggles completely derailed them. They do have a winning record, after all.
15. Royals (previously: 10)
Because the Cardinals, the team they famously beat in the 1985 World Series, were in town over the weekend, the team honored the 40th anniversary of that team, the first Royals team to win a World Series. I watched the whole ceremony and feel obliged to point out that no one said the words “Don Denkinger” even once.
16. Astros (previously: 15)
The Astros are third in baseball in comeback victories, but they’ve sort of had no choice: They’ve been scoreless through five innings 16 times this year, tied for the most in baseball. They still might not have Yordan Alvarez back by Memorial Day either.
17. Braves (previously: 14)
The Braves finally got themselves back to .500 this week, and they made a little bit of history in the process: They became the fifth team in MLB history to claw back to .500 after starting the season with a seven-game (or more) losing streak to start the season. They’re also the first since the 2008 Astros.
18. Red Sox (previously: 13)
Considering how much the Red Sox have been struggling – and how much they’ve given the Yankees a chance to pull away in this division – I suppose you can’t blame some Red Sox fans for wanting to focus on those new Green Monster City Connect uniforms instead. They look great, though it’d be nice to get a win in them at some point; they lost their opener with them on Friday. (They get another chance next Friday against the Orioles.)
19. A’s (previously: 16)
That exciting A’s boomlet – they were one blown save a week ago from being tied with the Mariners for first place – may be over; they have had an absolutely miserable week-and-a-half. It’s not difficult to find the culprit: They’ve given up, as a staff, the second-most runs in baseball.
20. Reds (previously: 19)
Whatever one’s thoughts about Pete Rose and whether he will (or should) be in the Hall of Fame someday, it is undeniable that he will forever be revered in Cincinnati, the city where he was born and of course played so many seasons. The city and team celebrated Pete Rose Night last week, and it was one of the liveliest, emotional evenings of the season. “ If you’re from here, he’s our Babe Ruth,” his son said.
21. Brewers (previously: 20)
We should have never assumed it would be so easy for Jackson Chourio. The 21-year-old, who looked like an MVP down the stretch and in the postseason last year, was expected to carry the Brewers this year, but he has struggled so much – he hit under .200 for about three weeks – that manager Pat Murphy told him over the weekend he was dropping to sixth in the order. Chourio immediately responded by going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. Baseball is hard. His catch on Sunday to save the win over the Twins probably made him feel a little better.
22. Blue Jays (previously: 22)
The issue with the Blue Jays last year was mostly with their offense, though, to be fair, there really were issues all over. But the problem this year is the rotation. They currently are tied for fourth worst in starting pitching ERA, with only the Rockies, Orioles and Marlins worse (tied with the A’s). That is no way to win the AL East.
23. Rays (previously: 23)
I loved this Justin Morris piece on MLB.com about just how much fun it is to watch Chandler Simpson cause chaos during Rays games, as seen through one random game (a loss no less) against the Marlins. Fun fact from the piece: “Simpson, 24, has 11 of the 50 fastest recorded speeds in the league this season, beating out names like Trea Turner and Bobby Witt Jr. for the most appearances on that leaderboard.” Remember, too: He just got here.
24. Nationals (previously: 25)
Is CJ Abrams about to be a perpetual All-Star? He made his first ASG last year, but he’s having an even better season in 2025: He’s hitting more homers, stealing more bases and hitting over .300. He’s still only 24, by the way.
25. Angels (previously: 26)
The Angels didn’t have much margin for error in the first place, and that margin got a lot slimmer when they announced this week that Ben Joyce, one of the bright spots of 2024 and one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball, will have surgery on his right shoulder and miss the rest of the season. Considering the Angels already had the worst bullpen in baseball, this doesn’t help. “Well, we got this far without him, so we’re going to have to figure it out,” manager Ron Washington said. “Hopefully, the people up top that make the decisions continue to look around and get us some help.”
26. Orioles (previously: 24)
The firing of Brandon Hyde on Saturday morning, in retrospect, seemed inevitable; for all the success he’s had with the Orioles — he made the playoffs only one fewer season than Buck Showalter did — you can’t get off to the start the Orioles, with all the expectations they had coming into the season, without some sort of change coming. Hyde ends his tenure as the Orioles’ sixth-winningest manager ever.
27. Marlins (previously: 27)
The Marlins-Rays series hasn’t always felt like one of baseball’s more vital rivalries, but it’s one in which each Florida team has perpetually kept a close eye on the other. With the Rays having more success over the years, it’s no surprise that the Marlins are officially emulating the Rays, including having former Rays exec Peter Bendix as the organization’s president of baseball operations. “They continue to do a very good job of bringing guys up through their system as well as acquiring players from outside that fit kind of what they’re doing, so I think they’re in some ways like us,” manager Clayton McCullough said. This weekend marked the first series the Marlins won over the Rays since 2018.
28. Pirates (previously: 28)
The Pirates have obviously not gotten off to the start they were hoping — as Derek Shelton can certainly tell you — but a lot of that is because of some offseason acquisitions who still haven’t gotten going … or even gotten to play yet. One of those, Spencer Horwitz, came over from the Blue Jays in the offseason but wrist surgery in February kept him off the field until this weekend. He’s finally back in the lineup … even if it’s maybe a little too late for 2025.
29. White Sox (previously: 29)
There aren’t many players more important to the short-and-long-term health of the White Sox than Miguel Vargas, who came over from the Dodgers in the Michael Kopech trade last year. He struggled mightily last year, but he’s starting to come around, including hitting two homers at Wrigley Field on Friday. He is ready to move on from his 2024 struggles: “I don’t remember anything about last year,” Vargas jokingly told reporters. “Sorry.”
30. Rockies (previously: 30)
New manager Warren Schaeffer hasn’t exactly had the easiest first week on the job, nor would you expect him to; he is managing the Rockies, after all. But there really aren’t many who understand the Rockies organization better than he does. Though he never made the Majors with the team as a player, he played in their Minor League system for years, including with a couple of young prospects named Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado. “Nolan was an incredible player. I was a Minor League infielder who prided myself on how I prepared defensively. But when Nolan showed up, he loved to play so much that I thought to myself, ‘Dang, do I love it that much anymore?’” Shaeffer said. “That was my last year playing, but what a pleasure it was to watch Nolan Arenado play the game.”
Voters: Nathalie Alonso, Mark Feinsand, Jason Catania, Doug Gausepohl, Will Leitch, Travis Miller, Brian Murphy, Arturo Pardavila, David Venn.
