MLB power rankings: Every American League division is up for grabs

2024-12-27 13:10:06 Finance

As the final quarter of the 2023 Major League Baseball season gets underway, four of the league's six divisions – including all three in the American League – have a genuine race within five games entering Monday.

The AL West is the closest division in baseball with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros trailing the Texas Rangers by 2 ½ games. In the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles have a three-game advantage over the second-place Rays and the Cleveland Guardians lead the Minnesota Twins by 4½ in the Central.

The NL Central has three teams in the hunt as the Milwaukee Brewers hold a 3½-game cushion over the Chicago Cubs and (fading) Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have run away with the NL West and the East-leading Braves continue to march on with the best record in baseball.

The top three in this week's USA TODAY Sports MLB power rankings stayed the same, but the red-hot Dodgers jumped the Rays at No. 4:

1. Atlanta Braves (–)

With 225 home runs through 116 games, this Atlanta team is chasing the 2019 Twins' all-time record of 307.

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2. Baltimore Orioles (–)

Jack Flaherty racked up 16 strikeouts in his first two starts for Baltimore.

3. Texas Rangers (–)

First-place Rangers off to a 10-2 start in August.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers (+1)

Amed Rosario had an .860 OPS and 11 RBI in his first 14 games with Los Angeles.

5. Tampa Bay Rays (-1)

Shane McClanahan's season is officially over with move to 60-day injured list.

6. Houston Astros (–)

Astros enter Monday trailing the Rangers by 2 ½ games and don't get a crack at them head-to-head until Sept. 4.

7. Toronto Blue Jays (–)

Toronto's 3.24 team ERA in the second half is baseball's best.

8. Philadelphia Phillies (–)

Deadline acquisition Michael Lorenzen throws no-hitter in second Phillies start.

9. Milwaukee Brewers (+1)

Sweep of White Sox gives Brewers momentum heading into brutal week facing Dodgers and Rangers away from home.

10. Seattle Mariners (+1)

Chasing a wild-card spot, Seattle has a favorable schedule for the rest of August – aside from this weekend's trip to Houston.

11. San Francisco Giants (-2)

Giants have MLB's worst average (.206) and OPS (.620) since the All-Star break.

12. Chicago Cubs (+2)

Cody Bellinger (.328 average) is playing his way towards a nine-figure deal.

13. Boston Red Sox (+2)

Returning from injury, Trevor Story went 7-for-19 with three steals in his first five games of the season.

14. Miami Marlins (+2)

Jake Burger off to a strong start with Miami, hitting .317 in 11 games with a walk-off hit on Sunday.

15. Cincinnati Reds (-3)

Losing 9 of 12 to start August was not great for Cincinnati's playoff hopes.

16. Minnesota Twins (+3)

Royce Lewis nearing return from oblique injury

17. New York Yankees (-4)

Nestor Cortes probably done for the season with rotator cuff strain.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks (-1)

The Diamondbacks are 26-40 against teams with a winning record.

19. San Diego Padres (-1)

Ha-seong Kim in the second half: .358 average, 1.007 OPS and 11 steals in 28 games.

20. Los Angeles Angels (–)

Shohei Ohtani, who has 41 home runs, will skip his next start due to arm fatigue.

21. Cleveland Guardians (+1)

Andres Gimenez hit .357 in his first 12 games of August.

22. Detroit Tigers (+1)

Outfielder Kerry Carpenter (.855 OPS, 15 HR) is looking like the real deal.

23. Pittsburgh Pirates (+1)

No. 1 pick Paul Skenes hits 101 mph in impressive professional debut.

24. Washington Nationals (+1)

These Nats may actually finish ahead of the Mets in the NL East.

25. New York Mets (-3)

Pete Alonso becomes fourth player in history with at least 35 HR in four of his first five career seasons.

26. St. Louis Cardinals (–)

Willson Contreras hit .344 with a .995 OPS in his first 20 games of the second half.

27. Chicago White Sox (–)

Overall bad vibes on the South Side are overshadowing Luis Robert truly coming into his own.

28. Colorado Rockies (–)

The Rockies' .576 OPS in August is the worst mark in baseball.

29. Kansas City Royals (–)

Bobby Witt Jr. is the first player in history to record 20 homers and 30 steals in his first two seasons.

30. Oakland Athletics (–)

At 33-85 with 44 games left, this Oakland team in danger of breaking the franchise record 117 losses – held by the lowly 1916 Philadelphia Athletics.

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