MLB Power Rankings: Grading each team's 1st half

Welcome to the seventh edition of the MLB Power Rankings for the 2025 season. The last edition ran June 30, and the next one will be published Aug. 1. Here, we hand out grades for each team after the first half of the season.

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1. Chicago Cubs

A: Pete Crow-Armstrong turned into a superstar overnight, while Kyle Tucker's been everything the Cubs hoped. Chicago owns the best run differential and third-best winning percentage in the majors and looks like a real threat to return to the World Series for the first time since 2016.

2. Detroit Tigers

A+: The Tigers have proved last year's Cinderella ALDS run was no fluke. A.J. Hinch's club owns the best record in baseball, has the best pitcher in baseball, and sports a potent offense that features eight regulars with an OPS+ above 100. The first half couldn't have gone better.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

B+: The Dodgers have the NL's best record, but a lot more was expected from them following a massive offseason. Many predicted Los Angeles would make a serious run at the single-season wins record, but pitching injuries limited the club's potential in the first half. It's still World Series or bust for the reigning champs.

4. Houston Astros

A+: The Astros are 16 games above .500 after trading Tucker, playing most of the campaign without Yordan Alvarez, and coping with a rash of injuries. Houston's pitching has been sensational, with Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez leading the charge. They boast identical 3.02 FIPs and ERAs under 2.76.

5. Philadelphia Phillies

A-: The Phillies lead the NL East despite a somewhat underachieving offense that ranks 12th in OPS and 18th in homers. Kyle Schwarber's been incredible, hitting 30 home runs - three fewer than Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper combined. The rotation has been the real story, posting MLB's lowest ERA (3.25).

6. New York Mets

A-: Despite a ton of pitching injuries, most notably to ace Kodai Senga, the Mets are a half-game out of first place in the NL East. A powerful offense led by Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor has the fourth-best wRC+ in the National League. New York had a successful first half, and it feels like there's more to come.

7. Milwaukee Brewers

A+: The Brewers keep chugging along when everybody expects them to take a step back. Milwaukee looks primed for a dogfight for its fourth division title in five years after losing Willy Adames and Devin Williams. The club's rotation might be the deepest in baseball, with Jacob Misiorowski and Brandon Woodruff joining the group.

8. Toronto Blue Jays

A: The Blue Jays defied injuries and expectations to lead the AL East at the All-Star break for the first time since 1993. Toronto's supporting cast carried the load, with the resurgence of George Springer and Alejandro Kirk, along with Addison Barger's breakout, playing a crucial role. The offense has the fewest strikeouts in MLB, while the bullpen ranks second in Ks.

9. New York Yankees

B: The Yankees remain a powerhouse after losing Soto in the offseason. They led the AL East for most of the first half thanks to an MLB-best offense anchored by Aaron Judge. He's vying for his third AL MVP with 35 homers and a league-best 219 wRC+ entering the All-Star break.

10. Boston Red Sox

B: It feels like the Red Sox endured four seasons' worth of ups and downs in the first half. Things got pretty ugly in the immediate aftermath of the Rafael Devers trade, but Boston's caught fire, winning 10 straight going into the break. The team's young, athletic lineup is dynamic, and the pitching staff is finally playing up to expectations.

11. San Francisco Giants

B-: Buster Posey made a huge splash in June by acquiring Devers in an attempt to shake up his club's lackluster offense. It hasn't quite worked. The Giants are 11-15 since the deal, and Devers has slumped, hitting just two homers. Still, San Francisco's in the thick of the playoff race thanks in large part to Logan Webb's Cy Young-caliber first half.

12. San Diego Padres

B: The Padres are in a position to make the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns for the first time since 2005-06. Newcomer Nick Pivetta is having a career year, authoring a 2.88 ERA with 2.7 fWAR. San Diego also owns one of the best bullpens in baseball. The club will need Michael King and Yu Darvish to stay healthy down the stretch to gain some separation from other wild-card hopefuls.

13. Tampa Bay Rays

B: The Rays are in the thick of the playoff hunt despite a roster lacking a true superstar and a rotation that didn't have Shane McClanahan for the entire first half. Jonathan Aranda's breakout campaign - his .324 average is third in the majors - has been special, and Junior Caminero is beginning to look like a franchise player.

14. St. Louis Cardinals

A-: This is why you play the games. The Cardinals, written off as dead all winter, enter the second half with a winning record and positive run differential. Whether they can keep it going remains to be seen, but for now, St. Louis should be proud of exceeding expectations during the first half.

15. Texas Rangers

C-: On paper, the Rangers seemed like a team that could win the AL West. The lineup looked deep, and Jacob deGrom was finally healthy to lead the pitching staff. In reality, Corey Seager missed a bunch of games, Marcus Semien is declining, and offseason additions Joc Pederson and Jake Burger combined for minus-1.1 fWAR in the first half.

16. Seattle Mariners

B: The Mariners occupy the final wild-card spot thanks largely to Cal Raleigh's historic season and another strong year from the rotation. Julio Rodríguez, who's been underwhelming so far, needs to flip the switch like he did in the second half in 2024 if Seattle wants to reach its potential.

17. Cincinnati Reds

B-: The Reds are six games better than they were at the same point last season, but if the playoffs started today, they'd be on the outside looking in. Elly De La Cruz and Andrew Abbott are playing like stars under Terry Francona, but the Reds need more from everyone else if they hope to avoid their fifth straight postseason miss.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks

C-: Arizona entered this campaign with dreams of upending the NL West and making another pennant run. Instead, the team sits 5.5 games out of a playoff spot and is reportedly open to dealing stars at the deadline. Zac Gallen has struggled, Corbin Burnes underwent Tommy John surgery, and the bullpen's a mess.

19. Minnesota Twins

C-: Byron Buxton is finally having a healthy season, as the All-Star outfielder is on pace to log over 100 contests for the third time in his 11-year career. Unfortunately, Carlos Correa has been a below-average league hitter, Royce Lewis can't stay on the field long enough to get going, and Pablo López's injury crippled the rotation.

20. Kansas City Royals

C-: Kansas City's seemingly never-ending search for power continues. The Royals sit 4.5 games back of a playoff spot at the break, primarily due to ranking 29th in runs and homers. Bobby Witt Jr. has been excellent again, but he hasn't quite matched his incredible 2024 campaign.

21. Cleveland Guardians

C: The Guardians entered the All-Star break outside the playoff picture after reaching the ALCS in 2024. They're one of the worst teams in the majors at scoring runs, and their normally effective pitching staff has shown cracks.

22. Atlanta Braves

D: The Braves are easily the first half's most disappointing team. A stacked club with legitimate title aspirations buried itself with that 0-7 start and now sits fourth in the NL East. It's worth noting that injuries have played a huge role in their fall. Atlanta got Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider back but immediately lost Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Austin Riley, among others, to the IL. While it's not an excuse, it explains a lot.

23. Los Angeles Angels

C: The Angels still aren't close to contention, but they're on the right track thanks to a young and fun core hitting the fifth-most homers in the majors. The likes of Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Jo Adell, Christian Moore, and Logan O'Hoppe may give Mike Trout an opportunity to return to the playoffs in the coming years.

24. Miami Marlins

B-: It's not all sunshine and rainbows in Miami, but the Marlins have exceeded expectations. The Fish played winning baseball in June and July and received massive contributions from Kyle Stowers, Otto Lopez, and Ronny Henriquez, none of whom were with the organization two years ago.

25. Baltimore Orioles

D: The Orioles looked like a potential dynasty in the making after winning the AL East two years ago with a slew of young stars developed in baseball's best farm system. Fast-forward to 2025, and the vibes are totally different. Baltimore is going through a lost season due to injuries, underperformance, and the front office's inability to capitalize on an inexpensive core.

26. Athletics

C: The adjustment to life in West Sacramento hasn't been smooth. The Athletics are 20-31 at Sutter Health Park - the second-worst home record in the majors. Brent Rooker, Jacob Wilson, and Tyler Soderstrom have put up great offensive seasons, but the pitching staff outside of Jeffrey Springs has posted underwhelming numbers.

27. Pittsburgh Pirates

D: Every five days, Paul Skenes - arguably the best pitcher in the National League - gives the Pirates a chance to win. And every five days, this woeful club usually can't even manage that, as Pittsburgh is 9-11 when Skenes starts. Despite playing near-.500 ball since changing managers in early May, this has become yet another lost year for the Pirates at a time when they can't afford to take any more steps backward.

28. Washington Nationals

D-: This was supposed to be the year the Nationals leaped forward from their prolonged rebuild. CJ Abrams, James Wood, Dylan Crews, and MacKenzie Gore are all in the big leagues together, but Washington has struggled immensely. Longtime manager Dave Martinez and GM Mike Rizzo - the duo at the helm for the club's 2019 title - lost their jobs as the team remains stuck in the mud.

29. Chicago White Sox

C-: Look, the White Sox still stink. However, they're not going to lose 121 games again, and that has to count for something, right? They also have a couple of decent trade chips in Mike Tauchman and Adrian Houser, a promising group of youngsters growing and learning together in the majors, and a Rule 5 Draft pick turned All-Star in Shane Smith. Heck, they even have the Pope on their side now.

30. Colorado Rockies

F: The Rockies won't unseat the 1899 Cleveland Spiders as the worst baseball team of all time, but they might still post the lowest winning percentage in the modern era. Hunter Goodman is the lone bright spot on a team that is bad at every aspect of baseball.