May MLB Power Rankings

With the passing of Memorial Day, the summer season unofficially started (still have to wait until June 20 for the official start of Summer). While many were already lighting up the barbecue to grill and watching their favorite baseball teams jockey for position, “The Boys of Summer” are just about ready to take over with the NBA and NHL seasons wrapping up.

Two months in, and there’s already been some changes in the power rankings. Did your favorite team climb the ladder or did they take a tumble on the way up? Let’s find out.

 

30. Chicago White Sox (-)

The White Sox continue to struggle and are reminding the Windy City that they’re still the “other” Chicago team. A once young and promising team has really fallen by the wayside and has yet to find a way up. It’s unclear what changes need to be made but something needs to be done.

 

29. Miami Marlins ( -1)

The effects of Kim Ng’s departure are starting to be felt early for the Marlins. It may take a catastrophic stretch to land Miami in rock bottom but right now, they’re more reminiscent of a beached trout than a mighty marlin.

 

28. Los Angeles Angels (-2)

Thank goodness Disney Land is only about ten minutes away, because this team is looking worse by the month. As good as outfielder Mike Trout is, with the amount of times he’s been hurt over the years, you’d think they’d learn to develop a better plan for when he goes down. We guess not…

 

27. Colorado Rockies (+2)

The good news, Colorado moved up two spots since last month on our power rankings. The bad news, this quote still exists: “win all the time and that’s what we need to do.” To quote the teenagers on X-Box right now, you want us to stop bringing up quotes, then “Get Good.”

 

26. Oakland A’s (-2)

And it begins…the decline of the Oakland Athletics starts here. After giving a glimmer of hope, they’ve started to remind us that this is the Oakland A’s and that they’re most likely doomed to subpar play.

 

25. New York Mets (-8)

Here’s a positive…unlike what Jorge Lopez said after he was ejected for throwing his glove in the stands, the Mets aren’t the worst f*****g team in baseball. They’re not good and have started to slip but there’s five teams behind them. That’s a plus, right?

 

24. Houston Astros (+3)

Houston has seemingly taken the car out of park and put it into neutral. They’re going to need to shift it into drive at some point, but like with any first time manager/driver, it needs to be done at their own pace. The only problem, other teams aren’t going to wait around for them too.

 

23. Arizona Diamondbacks (-4)

The Hangover isn’t just a Bradley Cooper movie, it’s what the Arizona Diamondbacks are going through right now. Last year’s National League champions are starting to fall down the rankings quickly. It’s a shame, they made some moves that looked like they could help them avoid the hangover, instead, they look like they were punched in the face by Mike Tyson for stealing his tiger.

 

22. Cincinnati Reds (-8)

Well, Cinderella’s pumpkin finally reverted back and now she’s stuck eating Skyline Chili. After a top half start, they’re now residing in the bottom half. It wouldn’t be shocking to see them gain a few spots next month, but it’s just part of their roller coaster ride.

 

21. Pittsburgh Pirates (-)

The Pirates hit a wall when they were swept by the Boston Red Sox. They’re holding their position but the next month or two will tell us if they’re a better team than this or if the progress they seemingly made last year was a fluke.

 

20. Washington Nationals (-)

Still waiting for the youngsters on the Nationals to break out. It may be a while but it could cost some jobs though.

 

19. Texas Rangers (-4)

Arizona isn’t the only team facing a hangover. The defending world champions may be the second best team in the America League West but the gap between first and second is widening each month it seems. It’s time to hit the gas pedal because they’re looking like they won’t be able to defend their crown in October.

 

18. Toronto Blue Jays (-)

During the off-season, Toronto seemingly made a few moves that would have made them better and compete for the division. So far though, those moves have looked like busts. They’re in last place and it looks like they could stay there.

 

17. Tampa Bay Rays (+8)

I guess Tampa Bay didn’t like what we said last month and ramped up their play. They’re hitting the ball better, they’re pitching better and they’re finally starting to look like the Rays we know. Only time will tell if they’ll reach full power but until then, it’s a start.

 

16. Chicago Cubs (-7)

If you look up the word “meh” in the dictionary, a red C may pop up in the picture. A lot of their line up is hitting between .200-.260 other than Shota Imanaga, their pitching is a bit flat and something just looks off. To use a NASCAR term, they may need to make a pit stop and make a wedge adjustment or they could quickly find themselves a lap down.

 

15. St. Louis Cardinals (+8)

The spots the Cubs lost, their division rivals gained. St. Louis may be down quite a few games despite being in a battle for second place, but they seem to have found the spark they needed and are off to the races. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.

 

14. Detroit Tigers (-3)

Detroit is an anomaly right now. They’re batting averages aren’t great and their pitching other than Tarik Skubal is a bit questionable. Yet, they’re still producing enough runs and winning games. Will it last? Who knows but just shut up and enjoy the ride.

 

13. San Francisco Giants (+9)

San Francisco really flipped from April to May and turned it on. Bob Melvin has gotten this team back into shape, we hope his former team is watching…

 

12. San Diego Padres (+4)

Mainly because they’re right behind them. The Padres haven’t been a bad team but they’re still not hitting the strides many have projected them to. They’re outside the top ten when they should have been inside it already. They’re getting better but it’s not enough considering their investment.

 

11. Boston Red Sox (-1)

If you go on any Boston Red Sox social media site, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram or X, a good portion of them will have you believe they’re near the bottom of the rankings. The fact is, they’re just outside the top ten. While they’re hovering around .500 right now, their pitching and fielding has kept them in the loop. If their bats can take the bursts they’re having and make them more consistent, they’d be around 6-8th. Instead, they’re right here.

 

10. Seattle Mariners (+3)

The best team in the American League West is rolling! Seattle has become an extremely dangerous team over the last few years and they’re working on building up that reputation. If they can continue to build their lead in the division and continue to gain confidence, they’ll be a team to watch going into the postseason.

 

9. Minnesota Twins (+3)

The Twins are a third place team in their division and have cracked the top ten; The American League Central is scary. Minnesota has been very balanced at home and on the road. If they can climb the division a bit, they’ll be higher next month.

 

8. Atlanta Braves (-7)

The best team from April fell off a bit in May. They’re sitting in terms of a postseason appearance but losing their leader, Ronald Acuña Jr, definitely will hurt. If they can rally around him, they’ll be back in the drivers seat. Right now though, they need to keep stabilizing.

 

7. Kansas City Royals (-)

You have to wonder if Patrick Mahomes is teaching them something about consistency. They’re not quite at the point of where we can start thinking of a Kansas City takeover but top ten finishes and power rankings is definitely a good start.

 

6. Milwaukee Brewers (+2)

Well, we may be able to close the book on if it was the Brewers or if it was Craig Counsell. Milwaukee gained two spots on the power rankings and remain at the top of their division, meanwhile the Cubs dropped off a bit. In the monthly tally, for those keeping up at home, it’s 2-0 in favor of the Brewers.

 

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

Another month, another top five finish for the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, let’s think about this really quickly. A top-five finish is nice, but they spent close to, if not more than, a billion dollars on their roster and still aren’t in the top spot. It’s kind of disappointing when you think about it, another Los Angeles super team isn’t hitting their marks fully.

 

4. Baltimore Orioles (+2)

The Orioles are seeing some of their best talent hit their strides and make a difference. If things continue, they’ll be a good team for years to come. The one thing they’ll need to do is make sure those young guns are locked up. There’s several teams that would love to have them.

 

3. Cleveland Guardians (-)

For the second straight month, the Guardians are sitting in third. Manager Stephen Vogt is already making a serious case for manager of the year and it looks like it may be hard to deny. Can they climb higher? Possibly, but with a rookie manager, it’s hard to tell.

 

2. New York Yankees (+2)

The Yankees are hitting their marks without their best pitcher and one of their better pitchers, Nestor Cortes, is having a down year. Their offense has been remarkable and will be hard to beat. The rest of their pitching staff has been electric as well. They’re a team that should be number one, but….

 

1. Philadelphia Phillies (+1)

Last month they just missed out on being the top team. However, Atlanta’s drop off opened the door for Philadelphia to take over. There’s not much to say about them that hasn’t been said already. They’re the best team in baseball and they’re playing like it. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them back at the top next month.