Greetings baseball enthusiasts. I’m filling in for the legendary D.J. Short in the power rankings this week. I have tried my best to stay true to his general tone and focus of the article without shifting things around too drastically.
Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, Christian Yelich with a magical night to lead an improbable comeback, Kyle Finnegan's dominance with the Tigers, Alejandro Kirk showing off his wheels, Ramon Laureano's powerful contributions to the Padres, Nolan McLean's phenomenal debut and Jung Hoo Lee's outrageous catch against the Cubs.
(Please note these power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook)
Let’s get started!
Note: Rankings are from the morning of Monday, August 18.
1) Milwaukee Brewers
Last week: 1
The Brewers won a jaw-dropping 14 games in a row — many in dramatic fashion — before finally dropping a heartbreaker to the Reds in extra innings on Sunday afternoon.
They're a ridiculous 22-5 since the All-Star break and easily have the best record in baseball at 78-45 and the best run differential at a whopping +161. Anyone who wouldn't have them in the top spot right now is in denial.
One of their most impressive wins during that franchise-record 14-game win streak came on Friday night. The Brewers faced an 8-1 deficit after two innings against the Reds and clawed their way back on the strength of two homers and five RBI from Christian Yelich — doing so while using his customized Bob Uecker bat for player's weekend.
2) Detroit Tigers ⬆️
C'mon, you couldn't expect me to fill in here and not move the Tigers up the board at least a few spots, right? The Motor City Kitties finally got back on track this week, taking two out of three from the White Sox in Chicago and then three out of four from the Twins in Minneapolis over the weekend.
Kyle Finnegan has been an unbelievable addition to the team's bullpen, firing 7 2/3 scoreless innings with a 10/1 K/BB ratio in his first seven appearances. He has converted all four of his save chances and secured a victory with his new club. He and Will Vest give the Tigers a legitimate 1-2 punch at the back of their bullpen that they're going to need in October.
3) Los Angeles Dodgers
Last week: 3
The Dodgers had an interesting week, getting swept by the Angels in the Freeway Series — losing all three games by one run each to start the week. They then rebounded and swept the Padres at home over the weekend to take control of the National League West, getting brilliant starting pitching from Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.
We all know that the Dodgers are going to be a major factor in October and now that their rotation is getting healthy, expect them to put some distance between themselves and the Padres in the standings.
4) Toronto Blue Jays
Last week: 4
Another strong week from the Blue Jays, going 4-2 to extend their lead in the American League East to five games over the Red Sox and 5.5 over the Yankees.
It was fun to see them swap roles on the team this week too, as speedster Myles Straw tallied his first career multi-homer game on Saturday and Alejandro Kirk swiped the first base of his major league career on Friday night.
5) Philadelphia Phillies ⬇️
We aren't going to dock the Phillies too much after a tough week, but it's troublesome to witness their lack of offense, scoring three total runs over four losses against the Reds and Nationals this week. Their bats woke up in a big way on Sunday though, finishing the week with an 11-9 victory over the Nats.
They'll also need to overcome the loss of ace right-hander Zack Wheeler who landed on the 15-day IL and will be sidelined indefinitely while dealing with a right upper extremity blood clot. They got Aaron Nola back from the injured list to help absorb the loss, but he was pounded for six runs over 2 1/3 innings against the Nationals in his return and owns a horrifying 6.92 ERA over 52 frames on the season.
6) Chicago Cubs
Last week: 6
The Cubs stay flat in the sixth spot in our rankings this week after going 3-3 against the Jays and the Pirates. They only scored a total of 17 runs over those six games though, which is mildly concerning. They begin an epic five-game series against the Brewers with a doubleheader on Monday and if they have any plans on trying to close the eight-game gap between them in the National League Central, they need to take this series.
7) Seattle Mariners ⬆️
Last week: 8
The way that the Mariners are playing right now, it feels like it's only a matter of time before they overtake the Astros for the lead in the American League West.
Cal Raleigh slugged another pair of home runs this week and is now just one shy of tying Salvador Perez for the MLB record by a catcher in a single season.
8) New York Yankees ⬆️
Last week: 12
Just when you were getting ready to count the Yankees out, they jump right back into the race with a 5-1 week against the Twins and Cardinals. Aaron Judge hit a pair of home runs over the week and looks to be rounding back into form.
They're still 5.5 games behind the Blue Jays in the American League East and will need to continue to win series in order to make the climb. They'll host the Red Sox for a big four-game set beginning on Thursday.
9) Houston Astros ⬇️
Last week: 7
Spencer Arrighetti and Cristian Javier have each been hit hard since rejoining the Astros' rotation. They'll need both to get on track and log quality innings down the stretch if they plan to hold off the charging Mariners.
Losing bullpen ace Josh Hader for the rest of the regular season with a shoulder strain is a devastating blow and one that's going to be very difficult for the Astros to overcome.
10) New York Mets ⬆️
Last week: 11
With a strong finish to the week, we'll move the Mets up one notch in the rankings to the 10th spot. It looked like things were heading in a bad direction after losing three straight from Wednesday-Friday, but a pair of terrific pitching performances from rookie Nolan McLean in his MLB debut on Saturday and Clay Holmes in the Little League Classic on Sunday night seem to have injected life back into the ballclub.
If McLean can consistently give the Mets anything close to what he did against the Mariners on Saturday, then they're certainly in business.
11) San Diego Padres ⬇️
Last week: 9
The Padres were surging into the weekend, holding a one-game lead over the Dodgers in the battle for the National League West crown. They were then swept by the Dodgers over three games in Los Angeles, scoring just six runs in the process.
To make matters worse, Michael King landed back on the injured list due to inflammation in his left knee and is going to miss a couple of weeks. On the plus side, Ramón Laureano has been an impact addition to the team's offense — hitting .339/.403/.679 with four homers and 12 RBI in his first 15 games with the Padres, including two bombs against the Dodgers over the weekend.
12) Boston Red Sox ⬇️
Last week: 10
The Red Sox held serve this week, going 3-3 against the Astros and Marlins. They'll need to kick it in gear this week with four games looming against the Yankees in the Bronx beginning on Thursday.
They picked up Nathaniel Lowe late Sunday after he was cut by the Nationals in an attempt to boost an offense that has been struggling. Ceddanne Rafaela has been one of the primary culprits over the last few weeks, hitting a woeful .132/.214/.184 with zero homers, one RBI and an 11/4 K/BB ratio over 42 plate appearances in his last 11 games.
13) Cincinnati Reds
Last week: 13
The Reds faced a major test this week with three-game sets against the Phillies and Brewers — both at home. After taking two out of three from the Phillies they took an 8-1 lead after two innings against the red-hot Brewers on Friday night, only to collapse and lose 10-8. They also blew a lead and lost in extra innings on Saturday before securing an extra-inning win on Sunday to finish the week 3-3.
As long as they're able to keep pace while Nick Lodolo (blister) is sidelined, they'll be very much in the mix for a Wild Card spot in the National League.
14) Kansas City Royals ⬆️
Last week: 16
The Royals see some movement up the board this week after taking two out of three from the Nationals before sweeping the White Sox over the weekend.
Ryan Bergert has been an impact addition to the Royals' rotation, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a 17/5 K/BB ratio over 16 2/3 innings in his first three starts since coming over from the Padres in a deadline deal. They'll need more of that if they're going to jump back into the Wild Card race. They'll enter play on Monday four games out of the final spot.
15) Cleveland Guardians ⬇️
Last week: 14
After storming out of the gate in the second half of the season and taking two out of three from the Marlins to start the week, the Guardians fell flat on their face and were swept at home by the Braves over the weekend, scoring just five runs in the three-game set.
They were probably playing a bit above their heads, but they now find themselves 8.5 games behind the Tigers in the race for the top spot in the American League Central and 3.5 games behind the Yankees for the final Wild Card berth in the American League. They'll head on the road for six games this week against the Diamondbacks and Rangers, needing a winning week to get back on track.
16) Texas Rangers ⬇️
Last week: 15
The Rangers continue to slide down the board as they have lost seven of their last nine ballgames and three consecutive series. We'll know a lot more about their Wild Card chances after this week as they'll play seven games against the Royals and Guardians — the two teams directly ahead of them in the fight for a playoff spot.
Jack Leiter has pitched to a 2.55 ERA and won a couple of games over the past month and he'll take the ball on Monday night hoping to start the Rangers' week off on the right foot.
17) Tampa Bay Rays ⬆️
Last week: 21
The Rays jump up the list a few spots, based on us losing faith in the teams that have fallen down. The Rays are playing good baseball right now though and took two out of three from the Athletics and Giants last week — both on the road while wrapping up a 12-game west coast road trip.
Now they'll head home for a relaxing five-game week against the Yankees and Cardinals. If they can take three out of five and claw a bit closer, they could stick around to make things interesting in September.
18) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬆️
Last week: 19
We have seen the Diamondbacks go on runs late in the season before and make noise once getting to the postseason. They had put themselves in a prime position to make some noise over the weekend after taking two out of three from the Rangers in Arlington and taking the first game from the Rockies at Coors Field. They then dropped three straight to finish out the week, two of them crushing one-run ballgames.
We'll find out a lot about this Diamondbacks' squad this week as they head home for three-game sets against the Guardians and Reds.
19) St. Louis Cardinals ⬇️
Last week: 17
The Cardinals had an actual shot last week to get themselves right back into the mix for a Wild Card spot in the National League. Instead, they dropped two out of three at home against the lowly Rockies and then were swept by the Yankees at home to finish out the week.
Their already dim chances are fading quick, as they'll enter play on Monday 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot. If they're going to make a run, they'll need more from their starting pitching. Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas and Andre Pallante each sport ERA's above 5.16 over the past month.
20) San Francisco Giants ⬇️
Last week: 18
The Giants had clawed their way back to respectability at 59-57, putting themselves squarely in the mix for a possible run at the postseason. Then they went out and dropped seven consecutive games against the Nationals, Padres and Rays before beating the Rays on Sunday afternoon to stop the slide.
Their hopes of staying afloat also took a hit this week as Matt Chapman landed on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his right hand. The schedule couldn't get much tougher for the Giants this week as they'll play four against the Padres in San Diego before wrapping the week up with three against the Brewers in Milwaukee.
They're already six games out of the Wild Card. Let's see if they can hang on like Jung Hoo Lee did on this spectacular catch on Sunday.
21) Los Angeles Angels ⬆️
Last week: 22
The Angels take a small step forward after sweeping the Dodgers in the Freeway Series to start last week. They then disappointed by losing two out of three against the Athletics over the weekend.
They're still technically in the Wild Card mix, just seven games out of the final spot in the American League. They'll need to turn up the heat to make a run though as they'll host the Reds and Cubs for three games each this coming week.
22) Atlanta Braves ⬆️
Last week: 26
Everyone has already written off the Braves as a colossal disappointment this season. There's no longer any expectation or pressure for them to make the postseason, they're just playing out the string over the final month and a half of the season. Or are they?
After taking four out of five from the Marlins to wrap up last week, the Braves took two out of three from the Mets in New York to start this week before going out and sweeping the Guardians in Cleveland.
Winners of five straight and 10 of their last 12, the Braves have surged to 56-68 which puts them 10 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Is that a daunting deficit with six teams to leapfrog? Absolutely. But the Braves' roster is still extremely talented and Chris Sale is expected to rejoin their rotation before the end of the month. Just saying, crazier things have happened.
23) Miami Marlins ⬇️
Last week: 20
The Marlins had another rough week at the wrong time, losing four out of six against the Guardians and Red Sox to fall seven games back of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Jakob Marsee continues to impress though, slashing a robust .377/.468/.774 with four homers, 15 RBI and six stolen bases in his first 17 big league games.
24) Baltimore Orioles ⬇️
Last week: 23
At least the main question from last week was answered as Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers were each promoted from Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles aren't going to compete down the stretch, but at least they'll be more interesting to watch.
We also got to see Brandon Young deliver the finest start of his young career last week, flirting with a perfect game until old friend Ramón Urías did this in the eighth inning.
25) Athletics ⬇️
Last week: 24
The A's had a decent week last week, managing to win three out of six games by taking two out of three from the Angels over the weekend. They're 12 games out of a Wild Card spot and aren't going to compete for anything this season, but at least they have some interesting players to watch down the stretch.
Nick Kurtz is putting on a show on his way to Rookie of the Year honors in the American League, slashing .306/.390/.635 with 25 homers, 66 RBI and a pair of stolen bases in his first 84 big league games.
26) Minnesota Twins ⬇️
Last week: 25
After jumping up a couple of spots last week, the Twins move back down a notch after losing five out of seven against the Yankees and Tigers last week.
They did get to have some fun on Sunday at least though, beating up on old friend Chris Paddack as Brooks Lee swatted the team's first grand slam of the entire season.
27) Pittsburgh Pirates
Last week: 27
Another week and still no sign of Bubba Chandler. At this point, he has logged so many innings at the Triple-A level this season that we simply may not see him debut with the Pirates this year which would be a travesty. The Pirates did promote the game's top overall prospect Konnor Griffin to Double-A Altoona though, so that's something.
28) Washington Nationals
Last week: 28
I wanted to move the Nationals ahead of the Pirates in the ranking, but just didn't have the heart to do it. They went 3-4 against the Royals and Phillies last week and will now line up for a tough stretch of three at home against the Mets and three against the Phillies in Philadelphia before taking on the Yankees in New York.
Paul DeJong has been on a tear for them since the calendar flipped to August, hitting .308/.357/.692 with five homers, 11 RBI and a stolen base in 42 plate appearances.
29) Chicago White Sox
Last week: 29
Another week and four more losses for the White Sox, including a three-game sweep at the hand of the Royals in Kansas City over the weekend.
Over their last 12 games, the White Sox' offense has disappeared. Luis Robert Jr. (.225), Brooks Baldwin (.219), Lenyn Sosa (.213), Kyle Teel (.200), Mike Tauchman (.179), Colson Montgomery (.163) and Andrew Benintendi are each hitting .225 or under during that stretch.
30) Colorado Rockies
Last week: 30
The worst team in baseball actually showed signs of life last week, taking two out of three against the Cardinals in St. Louis before coming home to take three out of four from the Diamondbacks over the weekend.
They're going to finish the season as the worst team in the league, there's no avoiding that, but it would be nice to see them finish the season strong and build some momentum toward the 2026 campaign.
They were even able to win on Sunday despite a wild finish in which first baseman Warming Bernabel crashed into right-hander Juan Mejia as he caught a pop up to record the game's final out where the tying and winning runs would have raced around to score had he not been able to hang on.
