MLB power rankings Week 5: Red Sox, Cubs and Mariners climb with Braves at No. 1
26/04/2024 22:38
Who is the best team in the MLB? We’re a month through the 2024 Major League Baseball season, providing a solid sample size to evaluate all 30 clubs. While the MLB power rankings for Week 5 don’t necessarily reflect who the best MLB teams will be in October, we do capture where things stand in baseball right now.
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Let’s dive into our MLB power rankings for Week 5. We’ll have an analysis of the worst MLB teams in 2024 on Saturday afternoon.
MLB power rankings: Worst MLB teams
30. Chicago White Sox (30)
29. Colorado Rockies (29)
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28. Miami Marlins (28)
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27. Oakland Athletics (27)
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26. Washington Nationals (26)
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25. Los Angeles Angels (23)
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24. Houston Astros (19)
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23. St. Louis Cardinals (22)
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22. Pittsburgh Pirates (14)
21. San Francisco Giants
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MLB power rankings Week 5: Red Sox, Twins and Reds rise
20. Minnesota Twins (25)
It sure is nice to have arguably the worst MLB team ever in your division. Still, the Minnesota Twins are at least proving they can take advantage of a weak stretch in their schedule after a brutal stretch to open the year against teams you’ll find near the top of our MLB power rankings. Maybe, just maybe, there’s life in Minnesota. At the very least, this is a boost for morale.
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19. Tampa Bay Rays (13)
This feels a lot closer to the version of the Tampa Bay Rays we should’ve all seen coming given the lack of talent on the roster. Injuries and other circumstances are the result for the Rays’ downfall, but it’s still disappointing to see a club that was once a perennial contender now look like it could be in for a multi-year retool. It sure would’ve been nice to see more money invested in the roster.
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18. Arizona Diamondbacks (16)
With so many teams playing around .500 ball right now, the Arizona Diamondbacks get to just treading water in our MLB power rankings. It’s not like there’s a lack of firepower or good starting pitching, but Corbin Carroll (.208/.321/.260) has been awful this year and the Diamondbacks bullpen has been just as harmful to the team’s shot at winning. We do expect Carroll to turn things around at the plate, but Arizona will need to find a lot of bullpen help at the MLB trade deadline in July.
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17. Boston Red Sox (21)
The Boston Red Sox lost a series to the Cleveland Guardians twice in a one-week span, but that tends to happen when you face one of the best MLB teas right now. However, the Red Sox did further cool down the once fast-start Pirates and while that 6-2 record feels like a distant memory for Boston, it should at least be good enough to beat bad teams and there are plenty of those in the American League.
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16. Kansas City Royals (15)
We’re obviously still not big believers in the Kansas City Royals long-term. They did pass a big test against the Toronto Blue Jays and a series victory over the Detroit Tigers would push them up another spot in our MLB power rankings week 5. However, that .239 batting average allowed (18th in MLB) suggests regression is coming for the ERA (3.13) and Salvador Perez (.344 BA) is due for a dip in production.
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15. Detroit Tigers (18)
Tarik Skubal is becoming the Cy Young contender the Detroit Tigers were hoping to see in 2024. What’s remarkable is that he’s not the only reason Detroit’s pitching staff has the third-lowest (ERA (3.00), second-lowest WHIP (1.09) and lowest batting average allowed (.212) in the majors. Reese Olson (3.18 ERA) has been excellent, Casey Mize (2.95 ERA, 1.22 WHIP is pitching extremely well and Jack Flaherty (11.0 K/9 ) is at least missing bats at a high rate. Just please don’t make us write about the Tigers lineup.
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14. San Diego Padres (9)
The San Diego Padres simply should’ve fared better against one of the worst MLB teams, especially after a poor showing at home last week against the Toronto Blue Jays. Pitching is the main concern for San Diego right now, but there also aren’t a ton of reasons to expect it to rapidly improve.
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13. Cincinnati Reds (17)
It’s been a solid turnaround for the Cincinnati Reds in recent days, beginning with a sweep over the Angels and followed by a productive four-game split at home against the Philadelphia Phillies. The absence of Frankie Montas and Noelvi Marte is felt, but Elly De La Cruz is heating up and Andrew Abbott (2.60 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) has been a breakthrough arm for Cincinnati’s rotation this season.
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12. Toronto Blue Jays (12)
Where would the Toronto Blue Jays be without Jose Berrios? He’s one of the few bright spots on a team with insane volatility. The Blue Jays delivered a 6-1 stretch from April 13-20, then collapsed within the last week. All of this isn’t even addressing that Vladimir Guerrero Jr, once a potential face of baseball in Canada, now has a .257 batting average and 115 OPS+ over his last 182 games.
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11. New York Mets (11)
A six-game winning streak that included a series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers came to an abrupt end when the New York Mets lineup went cold in San Francisco. Still, it’s worth remembering that New York started the season 0-5 and was still 6-8 in the middle of April. While we’re not going to totally buy into the Mets as a major playoff threat right now, this team has already surpassed our expectations entering the year. Plus, there’s some exciting and young talent waiting to come up from the minor leagues.
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Best MLB teams right now
10. Seattle Mariners (20)
The Seattle Mariners are back on track, performing like one of the best MLB teams in the last three weeks. Pitching is certainly the biggest reason for Seattle’s 7-3 record in its last 10 games, with a 1.42 ERA in 89 innings pitched that seems unfathomable. However, we also have to credit the Mariners improving lineup and Julio Rodriguez (.410/.439/.538) is a crucial part of that turnaround in the last 10 days. If Seattle can just have a league-average lineup, the pitching will make this one of the best MLB teams in 2024.
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9. Texas Rangers (5)
It’s a drop for the Texas Rangers in our MLB power rankings for Week 5, but there’s no real reason to sound the alarm. Max Scherzer is ahead of schedule and his looming return will help a pitching staff that ranks 20th in ERA (4.05) and 15th in quality starts (eight). We did see a brief injury scare for Corey Seager (shin), but he rejoined the Rangers lineup and we’re confident this team will get better as the season unfolds.
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8. Chicago Cubs (10)
The Chicago Cubs took full advantage of a reeling Astros team. While excellence on the mound was the biggest reason for the series sweep, the highlight of the home series at Wrigley Field was fans getting to see Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his first MLB home run. The Cubs lineup – .410 SLG (7th in MLB) and 133 runs scored (7th) – continues to do excellent work in April. Best of all, Justin Steele’s eventual return should help provide Chicago with some much-needed quality starts.
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7. Los Angeles Dodgers (4)
We’ll find out quickly whether or not a three-game sweep over the Nationals, led by dominant pitching, provides the Los Angeles Dodgers with a much-needed jolt. Prior to that excellent showing at Nationals Park, Los Angeles went from a 10-4 start to 12-11 in a few short weeks. Everyone knows the Dodgers have the talent to win the World Series and they have plenty of time to work out minor issues, but the defense is still a problem that could bite them in October.
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6. Philadelphia Phillies (6)
On the season, the Philadelphia Phillies lineup ranks 13th in runs scored (113) and slugging percentage (.394) and is 14th in OBP (.320). Given those issues, one would wonder why Philly holds its spot in the MLB power rankings after an up-down showing in Cincinnati. That’s because there are signs of life from the Phillies lineup – 115 wRC+ (6th in MLB) and a .327 OBP (7th) – that suggests things are improving. If that sticks, paired with the pitching, Philadelphia is a World Series contender.
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5. New York Yankees (2)
We’re nearly 30 games into the regular season and while the New York Yankees lineup has been average – 15th most runs scored (112) in MLB – Juan Soto (.991 OPS) is doing all the heavy lifting. Any hope of Giancarlo Stanton (.222/.276/.457) ever recapturing his All-Star form seems long gone, but the big issue is Aaron Judge (.188/.322/.371). However, that 16.1 percent walk rate and a .230 BABIP which is well below is .300-plus BABIPs over the past three years, suggests positive regression is coming. When Judge warms up, the Soto-Judge combo will carry the Yankees lineup to some victories.
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4. Milwaukee Brewers (7)
After a brief slip-up in San Diego, the Milwaukee Brewers rebounded this past week with consecutive solid showings against the Cardinals and Pirates. Heading into the weekend with a 16-8 record, Milwaukee also boasts an excellent +35 run differential (fourth in MLB). Unlike previous seasons, where pitching carried this club, it’s now a Brewers lineup responsible for the third-highest batting average (.264) and fourth-best slugging percentage (.421) that has made this one of the best MLB teams right now.
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3. Baltimore Orioles (3)
The Baltimore Orioles might’ve done the right thing for Jackson Holliday (.170 OPS in 34 at-bats) long term and they certainly will get more production in the interim with the top prospect back at the Triple-A level. Just how much depth does Baltimore have in the farm system? Scouts believe several top Orioles prospects could start for a majority of MLB teams. As for the current stars, Gunnar Henderson (.649 SLG) and Adley Rutschman (.368 OBP) are proving to be quite the complementary lineup tandem, especially with Ryan Mountcastle (.866 OPS) and Jordan Westbrug (.941 OPS) swinging hot bats.
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2. Cleveland Guardians (8)
We said last week the Cleveland Guardians would get their due in the MLB power rankings with another strong stretch. While the Red Sox and Athletics might not be two of the best MLB teams, 18 wins and an MLB-best +49 run differential speaks for itself. The Guardians lineup -.253/.324/.406 – is one of the most productive in baseball this season and despite limited quality starts (4, fewest in MLB), Cleveland boasts one of the lowest ERAs in the majors.
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1. Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are the best team in MLB. Even with Sean Murphy on the injured list and Spencer Strider lost for the season, Atlanta finds ways to win. The Braves are the hottest team in MLB, posting an 8-1 record in their last nine games (April 15-25). What’s especially impressive over that stretch is a spectacular 2.17 ERA in 83 innings pitched, per FanGraphs. Good pitching, excellent lineup production and now Ozzie Albies returns. All is right in Atlanta, well, except for Falcons fans after the NFL Draft.
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