Tigers Dominate MLB: Rankings with Detroit at the Top, Dodgers Slip

The Detroit Tigers Roar at the Top of the MLB Ranking

The Detroit Tigers have experienced a meteoric rise in our power rankings, reaching the number 1 position and unseating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth week.

The Tigers, who began the season in 18th place according to our preseason rankings, continue to dominate MLB in 2025. You’d have to go back more than a decade to find the last time they held the top spot in the power rankings.

The St. Louis Cardinals join Detroit as another rising team this week, climbing three spots to number 12, while the Baltimore Orioles continue their decline, falling to 27th place from their sixth position in the preseason.

Where are the other MLB teams located before Memorial Day?

Our expert panel has combined their knowledge to rank each team, based on what we’ve seen and what we knew at the start of the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked MLB experts to give us their opinion on the 30 teams.

Week 7 | Preseason Rankings

1. Detroit Tigers

Record: 33-17

Previous ranking: 3

Many things are going well for the Tigers: the resurgence of Javier Báez in center field; Tarik Skubal‘s stellar defense of his American League Cy Young award; prospects Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize finding their way; and the dominance of the bullpen. Amidst all this, Gleyber Torres is having a solid season, continuing where he left off in 2024 with the Yankees. The second baseman is batting .281 with five home runs and a .794 OPS. If that production continues, Torres, 28, who signed a one-year contract for $15 million, will be in line for a multi-year contract next offseason.

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2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Record: 31-19

Previous ranking: 1

The Dodgers’ 18 comeback wins are the most in the majors. But the story behind those rallies is less about emerging resilience and more about an injury-riddled starting rotation that has put the club at a disadvantage from the start far too often. The Dodgers’ rotation ERA of 4.30 ranks 23rd in the majors. That’s quite surprising, but it’s worse when you look at the first inning, where L.A.’s 6.30 ERA ranks 28th. Surprisingly, Cy Young candidate, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, has allowed just one earned run in the first inning in 10 starts. The other Dodgers starters have a collective 7.65 ERA in the first inning.

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3. Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 31-18

Previous ranking: 6

A scorching streak that began at the end of April propelled the Phillies to first place in the National League East, positioning them for another postseason push. Unfortunately, if Philadelphia earns a spot in the National League playoffs, closer José Alvarado won’t be there to help. He tested positive for PEDs, earning him a suspension that will cost him 80 regular season games and postseason eligibility. The silver lining is that Jordan Romano, the Phillies’ new primary option for saves, seems to have righted the ship after a shaky start. His streak of eight scoreless outings included four saves and a pair of holds.

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4. New York Yankees

Record: 29-19

Previous ranking: 5

The Subway Series focused on Juan Soto‘s return to Yankee Stadium, but it was Cody Bellinger, one of Soto’s replacements in the Bronx, who starred all weekend. The versatile former National League MVP went 7-for-11 with three walks, two doubles and two home runs, including a grand slam, in the three games. The Mets retired him only four times in his 14 plate appearances. The outburst is part of Bellinger’s turnaround from his slow start. Bellinger entered April 29 with a .194 batting average with a .574 OPS and two home runs in 26 games. Since then, he is batting .357/.430/.686 with six home runs in 18 games.

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5. New York Mets

Record: 30-20

Previous ranking: 2

A disappearing offense led to the Mets’ worst week of the season. They lost road series against the Yankees and Red Sox, which knocked them out of first place in the National League East, behind the Phillies. Soto’s numbers remain below his career standard, and that has made some fans nervous. The recent sudden cooling of Pete Alonso after a blazing start has undermined the heart of the Mets’ lineup. Through May 5, Alonso had an OPS of 1.143, 25 walks, and 24 strikeouts. Since then: an OPS of .414, three walks, and 24 strikeouts in 14 games, seven of which the Mets have lost.

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6. Chicago Cubs

Record: 30-20

Previous ranking: 7

Since being relegated to the eighth spot in the batting order at the end of April, Dansby Swanson is batting close to .400 with an OPS over 1.000. He has moved back up in the order, as he has apparently figured things out after the slow start, raising his batting average from .185 to .262 in that time period. It’s hard to know for sure, but the change in the lineup may have helped him relax. Pitches he used to miss he’s now hitting with authority, making him a more important part of a dangerous offensive attack in Chicago.

Rogers

7. San Diego Padres

Record: 27-20

Previous ranking: 4

The Padres’ rotation, which has ranked in the top 10 for effectiveness all season, should be strengthened soon with the imminent return of Yu Darvish. Darvish threw four innings in a Triple-A rehab start last week, but the exact date of his return remains unknown. According to reports, Darvish could join the team this weekend, even if he doesn’t make a start. The Padres can afford to be patient with him thanks to Stephen Kolek, who posted a 2.33 ERA in his first three outings.

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8. Seattle Mariners

Record: 28-20

Previous ranking: 9

Luis Castillo showed himself as his best version against the White Sox on Monday, pitching seven scoreless innings after doing almost the same against the Yankees in his previous start. In three of his four starts this month, he has accumulated 19 innings and has allowed only two runs. Castillo’s changeup is not as valuable as it once was, but his other pitches are as good as ever, including his four-seam fastball, which batters only hit .189 against.

Rogers

9. San Francisco Giants

Record: 29-21

Previous ranking: 8

The Giants moved Jordan Hicks to the bullpen this week. It was a surprise when the Giants signed Hicks (1-5, 6.60 ERA) as a starter instead of a reliever, and the gamble hasn’t worked. He is 5-16 with a 4.91 ERA in 37 career starts between the Giants and Cardinals. His ERA as a reliever is 3.73 and his strikeout rate is 1.1 more per nine innings in that role. Hicks’ replacement in the rotation is Hayden Birdsong, who held the Royals to one unearned run in five innings in his first start.

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10. Minnesota Twins

Record: 27-22

Previous ranking: 16

The Twins won 13 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in the majors in 2025, to erase a bleak start and put themselves in the postseason picture before Memorial Day. But even that dizzying streak was accompanied by injury problems. Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton landed on the seven-day concussion injured list on Friday after the two collided while chasing a shallow fly ball. The Twins’ pitching has fueled their turnaround, their staff is tied for fifth in the majors in ERA, but the club will need its stars to be healthy and productive to stay within striking distance of the Tigers in the competitive American League Central.

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11. Arizona Diamondbacks

Record: 26-24

Previous ranking: 11

The Diamondbacks have been a baseball version of a fast-paced basketball team. They are the only MLB team that scores and allows more than five runs per game, and they would obviously like one of those trends to end. Improved pitcher health would help, and there is hope on that front. Eduardo Rodríguez, A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez are on the injured list, but they have all resumed throwing. Martinez has made a couple of rehab outings in the minors and topped 100 mph in his last appearance.

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12. St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 27-23

Previous ranking: 15

The Cardinals’ rise in the standings has been due in part to a balanced lineup and a starting pitching staff that is performing above expectations. Take Miles Mikolas, for example. In the past, he has given up more hits than innings pitched, but not this year. He has allowed 40 hits in 45⅓ innings, with only two leaving the park. That has been a trend for the Cardinals this season, as their entire rotation has only given up 26 home runs, which puts them among the league leaders in fewest allowed. Combine that with the return of catcher Ivan Herrera, and St. Louis is keeping pace with the Cubs near the top of the National League Central.

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13. Kansas City Royals

Record: 28-23

Previous ranking: 12

The starting pitching is the Royals’ strength, and the club’s quest to solidify its depth has led it to an option with a lot of experience. Rich Hill, 45, signed a minor league contract with Kansas City last week. He made his debut with the organization in the Arizona Complex League against the Cubs on Tuesday, striking out seven of the 12 batters he faced, none of whom were born when he was drafted in 2002. He is expected to join Triple-A Omaha soon, and if he makes it to Kansas City, he will join Edwin Jackson as the only players who have played for 14 major league teams.

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14. Atlanta Braves

Record: 24-24

Previous ranking: 14

The Braves’ season has been a roller coaster, ranging from the heights of high preseason expectations to the lows of an 0-7 start before finally settling into the middle of the MLB as Atlanta went above .500 for the first time last week. All this before Memorial Day. Now the Braves are recovering. Spencer Strider returned to the rotation this week and Ronald Acuña Jr. is close, although a specific date for his return has not been announced. Acuña reached base in 13 of his first 22 plate appearances during a rehab assignment. If that’s rust, the Braves will take it.

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15. Houston Astros

Record: 25-24

Previous ranking: 17

Framber Valdez could have found his rhythm in May. He has pitched 22 innings in his last three starts, allowing a total of five runs and striking out 22 while using his curveball more efficiently. Hitters are batting .224 against him compared to .121 last season, but he is still heading in the right direction compared to last month. In his last outing on Sunday, he threw 31 curveballs, producing 10 total swings and misses or called strikes, along with nine fouls. Valdez is heating up.

Rogers

16. Boston Red Sox

Record: 25-26

Previous ranking: 13

The buzz surrounding Rafael Devers‘ decision to not even consider moving to first base isn’t bothering the man himself. Since May 8, the day he flatly said he wouldn’t make the move from designated hitter, Devers is batting .413 with five home runs and a 1.331 OPS. He has hits in 10 of 13 games and multiple hits in six of them. On Saturday, he hit his first walk-off home run against the Braves to break Boston’s four-game losing streak. The Red Sox are stuck, hovering around .500, but Devers isn’t the problem. He’s been designated to hit, and that’s exactly what he’s doing.

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17. Texas Rangers

Record: 25-25

Previous ranking: 18

So, how is Bret Boone’s era as a batting coach going? There are mixed reviews, as the Rangers still reside in the bottom third of the majors in OPS in recent weeks, but they have shown signs of getting out of it. A good run of five wins in six games against the Tigers and Rockies helped propel them back into contention in the American League West, with the offense scoring three outings of six or more runs in that span. Josh Jung has been on fire since Boone joined, compiling an OPS above 1.000 in his last 11 games. Texas needs more of that from many others in their lineup.

Rogers

18. Cleveland Guardians

Record: 26-22

Previous ranking: 10

Generally, the Guardians’ pitching staff has masked a below-average to average offense. But that’s not the case in 2025: the pitching staff ranks 20th in effectiveness, meaning Cleveland’s offense could use more power.

José Ramírez (146 wRC+) is again in All-Star form. Steven Kwan is batting over .300 again. Daniel Schneemann (135 OPS+) has been a pleasant surprise. But Cleveland’s production in right field, by wRC+, is the second worst in the majors, shortstop Brayan Rocchio, first in glove, was sent to the minors last week after registering an OPS of .433 and first baseman Carlos Santana had a slugging percentage of .320 until he hit home runs in consecutive games this week. Travis Bazzanna, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, was on track to possibly help this season, but is expected to miss at least two months with a right oblique strain.

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19. Cincinnati Reds

Record: 25-26

Previous ranking: 21

The Reds’ offense came alive last week with nine home runs in a span of seven games, and more than half of them came off the bat of one player: Will Benson. He hit five and drove in 10 runs to give Cincinnati some much-needed power since he was called up from Triple-A earlier this month. Benson was a first-round pick in 2016, but he has been slow to reach his potential, batting just .187 in 128 games last season. While he’s not a great fastball hitter, he’s been hitting breaking stuff all over the park. He’s likely to see a diet of fastballs on the move.