MLB Power Rankings: Mariners on fire; Rangers can't hit

Welcome to the third edition of the MLB Power Rankings for the 2025 season. The last edition ran April 21, while the next edition will be published May 19.

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1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers' rotation has taken plenty of damage in the early going, but the team can rest easy when Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the ball. Yamamoto owns the majors' lowest ERA (0.90) along with an eye-popping 437 ERA+ and has tossed four quality starts.

2. San Diego Padres

Nick Pivetta has been one of the offseason's best signings. San Diego inked the veteran right-hander to a four-year, $55-million contract in February. He's second in the NL with a 1.78 ERA and has held hitters to a paltry .169 batting average in six starts.

3. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs sit second in MLB in run differential thanks to a prolific offense that's scored the most runs (208) and hit the third-most homers (52). Kyle Tucker has been the linchpin, but Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong are also mashing. The duo has nine homers and 27 RBIs over the past 11 games.

4. New York Mets

The rotation continues to be the backbone of the Mets' success as their starting pitchers lead MLB in ERA (2.72). With their offense rounding into form, the Mets have all the makings of a team that could run away with what was expected to be a competitive NL East.

5. Detroit Tigers

A.J. Hinch's club owns the AL's best record and run differential. Everybody's chipping in, from former first overall pick Spencer Torkelson (.889 OPS) finally breaking out to Javier Báez (.829 OPS) rediscovering his groove as a center fielder. The rebuild is over. These Tigers are here to stay.

6. San Francisco Giants

The Giants have more or less held the line over the last two weeks, although they sit third in the ultra-competitive NL West. While they're in a good position and own one of the best rotations in baseball, it's still hard to know what to make of this team because of its relatively soft schedule. One of the Giants' first real tests comes Monday, when Bob Melvin's squad opens a big series against the red-hot Cubs at Wrigley Field.

7. New York Yankees

Aaron Judge is somehow even better without the bonus of having Juan Soto hitting ahead of him. Opposing pitchers have no answer when it comes to getting Judge out. He's hitting for power (11 home runs), leading the league with an incredible .423 average, and slugging more than 100 points higher than the next-best player.

8. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies righted the ship after a five-game skid by winning six of their last eight games. Managing to do so while getting almost no production from third baseman Alec Bohm, who owns the fifth-worst wRC+ (46) among qualified hitters, is something of a miracle. The Phillies are a very good and talented team, but Bohm's created a gaping hole in their lineup.

9. Seattle Mariners

Seattle's been hitting the cover off the ball. The team owns the AL's second-best OPS (.759) along with the second-most homers (49). Yet Cal Raleigh, who has an MLB-best 12 homers, and Jorge Polanco, who's hit nine, have accounted for over 43% of those round-trippers. This sudden offensive outburst, combined with their usual brilliant pitching, has the Mariners sitting pretty atop the AL West.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-Backs dropped seven of their last 11 games, which is never ideal in the NL West. Arizona's pitching staff allowed 66 runs during the stretch. To make matters worse, the bullpen is missing high-leverage relievers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez, while Corbin Burnes won't make his next start due to shoulder inflammation.

11. Kansas City Royals

It's no surprise the Royals won 11 of 13 contests over the last two weeks with Bobby Witt Jr. getting hot. The reigning AL MVP runner-up's 22-game hitting streak ended Friday, but he recorded six multi-hit contests during the stretch, raising his OPS by almost .200 points.

12. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds took advantage of a soft schedule over the last few weeks, winning seven of their last 11 against a group of sub-.500 teams to vault into second place in the NL Central. Despite a bit of a power outage - no Cincinnati hitter has more than five homers - the Reds own MLB's eighth-best run differential, which suggests they should be taken seriously.

13. Houston Astros

Jose Altuve might be starting to show signs of age-related decline. His batted-ball metrics are hovering around career lows, and he's struggling to make much good contact. On the bright side, Altuve appears to be settling in at left field after some hiccups early in the season.

14. Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians are finding ways to win despite having a negative run differential and a 15-19 expected record that says they should be well under .500. The pitching hasn't been sharp, yet the Guardians are right in the thick of the AL Central picture. They just find a way.

15. Boston Red Sox

Boston's off to an inconsistent start, as the club's left multiple wins on the table. The Red Sox are 4-9 in one-run games and haven't overcome a deficit of more than two runs on the season. They'll attempt to piece things together at first base following Triston Casas' season-ending knee injury.

16. Tampa Bay Rays

Most of the Rays' best offensive players are struggling to deliver. Tampa Bay is in the bottom 10 in the league in runs, homers, and OPS despite playing more than half of its games at home. At least Drew Rasmussen is healthy again and looks great, posting a 2.64 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across six starts.

17. Milwaukee Brewers

Manager Pat Murphy believes the two-time defending NL Central champs are missing something this season. The team was outscored 24-2 over a recent three-game losing skid, which included 21 straight innings without scratching across a single run.

18. Atlanta Braves

The Braves came into Friday's series opener against the Dodgers having won nine of 14 since April 18. Then the Dodgers brought them back to earth by taking two of three from Atlanta at Truist Park in dominating fashion. The Braves are behind Washington in the NL East by percentage points, something that seemed impossible before the season opened.

19. Athletics

The Athletics are proving that their play during the second half of last year's season wasn't a mirage. Brent Rooker is heating up with four homers and a .846 OPS over his last 15 games, while Luis Urías has gone deep four times with seven RBIs over the last two weeks.

20. Texas Rangers

The Rangers experienced the biggest drop in the rankings because of their sputtering lineup, which led to their offensive coordinator being fired Sunday. Texas ranks 27th in OPS and 29th in runs scored, while Jake Burger, one of the club's big offseason acquisitions, was demoted to the minors after slashing .190/.231/.330 with three homers and 32 strikeouts.

21. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays rank last in the majors with 23 home runs in 34 games. Luckily, they've experienced a bit of a power surge of late, hitting eight of those homers over their last six games. Toronto will need two of its key offseason additions in Anthony Santander (.577 OPS) and Andrés Giménez (.570) to eventually get going.

22. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals have been dreadful away from Busch Stadium, stumbling to a 4-13 record on the road - only the Rockies and White Sox have fewer road wins. Nolan Arenado is dealing with some Coors Field-type splits, posting a .569 OPS on the road and .872 OPS at home.

23. Minnesota Twins

Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, and Pablo López are rolling. The three starters allowed a combined eight earned runs over 43 innings across the last two weeks as the Twins try to dig themselves out of an early hole. Minnesota needs way more from Carlos Correa, who's making over $37 million this season but has one homer and a .535 OPS.

24. Washington Nationals

Though the Nats still aren't quite ready to contend, you can see the seeds beginning to sprout. MacKenzie Gore has broken out and leads the majors in strikeouts (68) and K/9 (12.9) while issuing only 13 walks. James Wood's become an anchor of the lineup, leading the team in virtually every offensive category.

25. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are downright awful against left-handed pitching. The club ranks 30th in batting average (.179), 29th in on-base percentage (.261), and 30th in slugging percentage (.240) to go along with a 2-9 record. In comparison, Baltimore is 11-10 when facing right-handers.

26. Chicago White Sox

Miguel Vargas is showing signs of the talent that prompted the White Sox to acquire him from the Dodgers last season. He's displaying good plate discipline and making more hard contact over the past few weeks. Manager Will Venable seems to be taking notice, moving Vargas to the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the lineup.

27. Los Angeles Angels

Another year, another Angels free fall. Ron Washington's club is 2-10 since April 22, Mike Trout is on the IL again (although they expect him back soon), and only the Rockies have a worse run differential. Can anyone figure out the direction of this organization?

28. Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates fans are understandably annoyed that top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler remains in Triple-A. Chandler owns a 1.42 ERA with 36 strikeouts in six starts. With hope of a competitive season quickly diminishing, the Pirates faithful deserve to see Chandler join Paul Skenes in the rotation.

29. Miami Marlins

The Marlins might've uncovered a diamond when they acquired Kyle Stowers from the Orioles at last year's deadline. The 27-year-old outfielder is white-hot, collecting five homers - including a game-winning grand slam - with 15 RBIs and a 1.162 OPS over his last 12 games.

30. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are on pace to finish with 133 losses, which would obliterate the modern-era mark for futility set by last year's White Sox. But let's end on a positive note: By beating the Braves on Wednesday, the Rockies avoided matching the worst 30-game start in MLB history. Pop the champagne.