Attention Yankees! The American League East is on fire. With fierce competition, the division has become unpredictable and teams are fighting for dominance.
Race to the Top in the American League
The Yankees, after seeing their lead disappear, now share the division lead with the Blue Jays. The Rays, stepping strong, are only half a game away. Toronto and Tampa Bay reached their highest positions of the season this week, ranking 10th and 7th respectively, while the Yankees remain in sixth place. In other American League news, the Astros have steadily climbed to number 4, their highest ranking of the season, after being at number 17 in mid-May. Fueled by their good momentum, Houston has a seven-game lead over the Mariners, who have dropped to number 14 after reaching number 8 in early June, in the American League West Division. What will the next week and a half hold for us before the All-Star break? Our expert panel has ranked each team based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew at the start of the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked MLB experts to give us their opinions on the 30 teams.Week 13 Standings1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 55-32 Previous ranking: 1 The Dodgers remain on top despite the absences of Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow in the rotation, and the fact that Shohei Ohtani is only pitching for a couple of innings. In addition, Michael Kopech joined 11 other pitchers on the injured list on Tuesday. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, two of their main offensive contributors, underperformed in June, but the team achieved a 17-10 record in the month. – Gonzalez2. Detroit TigersRecord: 54-33 Previous ranking: 2 Tarik Skubal continues to impress with each outing. His recent performance, where he struck out 13 batters in seven innings, is the second time this season he has achieved that feat with fewer than 100 pitches. Skubal is one of the few pitchers in history to accomplish this multiple times, demonstrating his efficiency and dominance on the mound. – Doolittle3. Philadelphia PhilliesRecord: 51-36 Previous ranking: 3 Zack Wheeler has excelled in June, with an impressive 0.58 ERA in five starts. After a season, Wheeler is on track to win his first Cy Young award. – Doolittle4. Houston AstrosRecord: 52-34 Previous ranking: 5 The Astros showed a great performance in June, with a record of 19-7, despite the absence of Yordan Alvarez. However, Alvarez suffered a setback in his recovery, which could affect the team. – Gonzalez5. Chicago Cubs
Record: 51-35 Previous ranking: 4 Matthew Boyd continues his fight for an All-Star selection. With Justin Steele out for the season and Shota Imanaga recently returned, Boyd has been a constant presence in the Cubs’ rotation. – Schoenfield6. New York YankeesRecord: 48-38 Previous ranking: 6 The Yankees had an irregular performance in June, with the offense struggling. Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. stood out, but other players underperformed. The team could look for offensive reinforcements in the transfer market. – Schoenfield7. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 48-39 Previous ranking: 9 Junior Caminero is having a great season, with the possibility of becoming the third 21-year-old player to reach 40 home runs. He is also close to an unenviable record, but his improvement in the strikeout-to-walk ratio in June is promising. – Schoenfield8. Milwaukee BrewersRecord: 48-38 Previous ranking: 10 Brandon Woodruff will return to the rotation this weekend, which could be a big boost for the team. – Schoenfield9. New York MetsRecord: 49-38 Previous ranking: 7 The Mets have had a decline in their game, which has changed the team’s competitive landscape. – Doolittle10. Toronto Blue JaysRecord: 48-38 Previous ranking: 14 Alejandro Kirk is playing his best baseball since he was an All-Star in 2022. – Schoenfield11. St. Louis CardinalsRecord: 47-41 Previous ranking: 11 Sonny Gray had an outstanding performance, pitching a complete game with one run, 11 strikeouts, and no walks. – Schoenfield12. San Diego PadresRecord: 46-40 Previous ranking: 12 The Padres finished June with a losing record, with offensive problems. – Gonzalez13. San Francisco Giants
Record: 46-41 Previous ranking: 8 The Giants have lost several games and are now struggling to stay relevant. – Gonzalez14. Seattle Mariners
Record: 45-41 Previous ranking: 13 Cal Raleigh is close to matching his home run record from last season. – Gonzalez15. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 45-42 Previous ranking: 15 Spencer Steer had a three-home-run game, which led him to be the National League Player of the Week. – Schoenfield16. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 43-43 Previous ranking: 16 The D-backs had a month of ups and downs. – Gonzalez17. Texas Rangers
Record: 43-44 Previous ranking: 20 Marcus Semien seems to be getting his form back, but the offense in general is still lagging. – Gonzalez18. Boston Red SoxRecord: 41-44 Previous ranking: 18 The Red Sox need to decide what to do with Walker Buehler in the rotation. – Schoenfield19. Atlanta Braves
Record: 39-46 Previous ranking: 19 The Braves have not shown signs of improving their performance. – Doolittle20. Cleveland GuardiansRecord: 40-44 Previous ranking: 17 Brayan Rocchio has been called back, seeking to improve the team’s game. – Doolittle21. Los Angeles AngelsRecord: 42-43 Previous ranking: 22 Jo Adell has shown a significant improvement in his performance. – Gonzalez22. Minnesota Twins
Record: 41-45 Previous ranking: 23 The Twins’ infield is showing improvement. – Doolittle23. Kansas City Royals
Record: 40-47 Previous ranking: 21 The Royals have struggled at home. – Doolittle24. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 37-49 Previous ranking: 24 The Orioles’ offense has declined. – Schoenfield25. Miami Marlins
Record: 38-46 Previous ranking: 27 The Marlins have had a winning streak. – Doolittle26. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 38-50 Previous ranking: 26 Mitch Keller might be improving his performance. – Schoenfield27. Washington Nationals
Record: 36-50 Previous ranking: 25 James Wood is proving to be a developing star. – Doolittle28. Athletics
Record: 36-53 Previous ranking: 28 Shea Langeliers returned and could help the team. – Gonzalez29. Chicago White SoxRecord: 28-58 Previous ranking: 29 The White Sox front office’s work is showing positive results. – Doolittle30. Colorado Rockies
Record: 19-67 Previous ranking: 30 German Marquez has performed well as a pitcher. – Gonzalez
