MLB Power Rankings: D-Backs looking legit, Mets mediocre

Welcome to the fifth edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2023 season. The last edition ran May 29, while the next edition will be published June 26.

1. Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay continues to pull away from the pack in baseball's toughest division, winning eight of its first 10 games in June. It's all the more impressive considering the litany of pitching injuries the Rays sustained. They've also done a great job defending their home turf, sporting an astounding 31-7 record at Tropicana Field.

2. Texas Rangers

One of baseball's biggest surprises has soared to a five-game lead atop the AL West. The Rangers' offense has been carrying much of the load, leading the team to a league-best run differential. Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Josh Jung, Jonah Heim, and Adolis Garcia each have a case to be an All-Star. Nathan Eovaldi (2.49 ERA) and Jon Gray (2.32) have also stepped up with tremendous performances on the pitching side, all the more important after Jacob deGrom's season-ending injury.

3. Atlanta Braves

It won't be easy to knock the Braves off their perch atop the NL East. Atlanta boasts one of baseball's deepest and most potent lineups. The one area of concern for Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos might be the state of the rotation. Injuries to Max Fried and Kyle Wright have thinned out manager Brian Snitker's depth and forced 20-year-old AJ Smith-Shawver into the rotation. It wouldn't be surprising if the Braves added a veteran pitcher to bolster the staff ahead of the trade deadline.

4. Baltimore Orioles

After a frigid start to the year at the plate, Gunnar Henderson is finally heating up. The 21-year-old was a popular pick for AL Rookie of the Year before the season but hit .197 in April and .213 in May. He's found his stride in June, hitting .458 with four home runs and a 1.480 OPS. A productive Henderson adds another element to an already potent lineup as Baltimore tries to put pressure on the Rays atop the AL East.

5. Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-Backs continue to rake. Arizona sits fourth in MLB in runs scored and fifth in OPS with a deep lineup that makes life miserable for opposing pitchers. NL Rookie of the Year favorite Corbin Carroll has been as good as advertised, leading the team in home runs, stolen bases, and fWAR. The 22-year-old looks like a future MVP and has already established himself as one of the game's most exciting stars after just 94 career games.

6. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays had an up-and-down week, taking three of four games from the Astros before dropping a home series to the Twins. The demotion of Alek Manoah to the Florida Complex League has left a gaping hole in the rotation that will need to be filled in some way before too long. Toronto still struggles to hit with runners in scoring position, sitting 25th in MLB with a .697 OPS. This allows teams to keep games close and puts pressure on the bullpen to be close to perfect.

7. Houston Astros

The Astros dropped five of seven to the Blue Jays and Guardians last week amid an already uphill battle in the AL West. To compound matters, Yordan Alvarez landed on the injured list with an oblique injury. Alvarez is the only Houston hitter with double-digit homers, leaving a gaping hole in the team's inconsistent lineup. The rotation has been excellent, but those starters are in urgent need of support.

8. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are walking wounded. Injuries to Julio Urias, Noah Syndergaard, and Dustin May have thrust rookies Bobby Miller and Michael Grove into the starting rotation with a bullpen day filling out the fifth spot. Los Angeles' pitching sits 22nd in ERA (4.49), 13th in WHIP (1.27), and 18th in opponent batting average (.247) in June. Clayton Kershaw is somehow the only starter yet to land on the IL.

9. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels won six of seven after dropping three straight to the Astros to begin June. Shohei Ohtani's bat has contributed to the team's hot play, as he's recorded at least one hit in nine of 10 games this month, including three multi-hit contests and three homers. Mickey Moniak continues to be a nice surprise, hitting five homers to go with a 1.000 OPS in 18 games.

10. New York Yankees

The Yankees have gone 3-4 and scored just 22 runs since losing Aaron Judge to a toe injury on June 3. New York's lineup looks dramatically different without the reigning AL MVP, who was producing at a very similar pace to his historic 2022 campaign. Anthony Rizzo is mired in an 0-for-24 slump.

11. Miami Marlins

Luis Arraez is hitting .397. The number is, of course, astonishing, but it's also important to point out how important his hitting has been for Miami. While still a poor offensive team overall, the Marlins finally have the consistent hitter and table-setter they've lacked for years. It's no wonder, then, that Arraez has them in contention despite their negative run differential and Sandy Alcantara's stunning downturn on the mound.

12. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are starting to find some consistency but sorely need All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto to get his season on track. The 32-year-old has an 88 wRC+ with just five home runs and has made hard contact at the lowest rate in a season since 2016. Left-hander Ranger Suarez appears to be finding his form after a bumpy start upon returning from injury. He's allowed just four earned runs over his last three starts (19 2/3 innings).

13. San Diego Padres

The Padres haven't lived up to lofty expectations. Manny Machado has struggled, going deep just six times with a .675 OPS over 49 games. Yet there are some signs the 2022 NL MVP runner-up could be ready to break out, as he's collected four multi-hit games over his last six contests. Fernando Tatis Jr., meanwhile, has a 1.213 OPS this month.

14. Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox need the offense to pick things up. Boston's scored just 65 runs over its last 20 games, going 7-13 in that span. Luckily, Rafael Devers appears to be snapping out of a funk. He's hitting .296/.345/.556 over the last week after slashing .263/.293/.421 in May. Chris Sale's injury is a significant blow. The left-hander posted a 2.25 ERA over six starts before hitting the IL.

15. Minnesota Twins

The Twins are barely hanging onto the AL Central lead and a .500 record thanks to pitching. Sonny Gray (2.25 ERA), Joe Ryan (2.90), and Bailey Ober (2.61) have been as stellar of a trio as you'll find all year. With Byron Buxton sidelined, Carlos Correa is finally heating up. The star shortstop has five extra-base hits and a .903 OPS in seven games this month.

16. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners haven't won a series - losing three and splitting one - since defeating the Pirates in late May. Seattle was humbled in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rangers, getting outscored 30-9 to begin the month. Hitting continues to be an issue for the team. Jarred Kelenic is the one regular with an .800 OPS or better, and he's struck out in 41 of his last 92 at-bats.

17. Milwaukee Brewers

Any team that gets swept by the Athletics should be relegated. We don't make the rules. All jokes aside, the Brewers could end up regretting dropping all three games against Oakland if the tight NL Central comes down to a few contests at the end of the season. Milwaukee managed to score just nine runs in the series against baseball's worst pitching staff.

18. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates have rebounded well after a miserable 8-18 stretch in May. The recent play of third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes has to be an exciting prospect for fans. The 26-year-old owns a 1.039 OPS with a team-leading 11 RBIs over his last 12 games. Andrew McCutchen picked up the 2,000th hit of his career Sunday, and 1,515 of those came in a Pirates uniform.

19. San Francisco Giants

The Giants are hanging around in the division and early wild-card standings thanks to some under-the-radar performances from LaMonte Wade Jr. and J.D. Davis. The duo combined to go deep 17 times with 54 RBIs and 61 runs scored. Wade owns an .867 OPS, while Davis has amassed an .854 OPS.

20. New York Mets

Mets owner Steve Cohen is continuing to preach patience despite a recent seven-game losing streak, including a crucial three-game sweep in Atlanta. New York's pitching staff was expected to be the backbone of the team but ranks 26th in ERA and 19th in strikeouts. The Mets need Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to start producing closer in line with their career norms and price tags if the club wants to dig itself out of its hole.

21. Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians have been disappointing on many levels, but they've at least started June off right. Cleveland is 6-4 this month after taking a weekend series from Houston, giving the team some momentum heading into a difficult west-coast trip through San Diego and Arizona. Josh Naylor has been excellent of late, hitting .405/.435/.643 with 28 RBIs over his last 23 games.

22. Chicago White Sox

Believe it or not, the White Sox own the best ERA (2.33) in the majors in June. That's helped the club get off to a 6-3 start this month and climb within 4.5 games of the division lead. The bullpen will need to find a way to navigate the late innings after Liam Hendriks' latest injury.

23. Cincinnati Reds

Welcome to the Elly De La Cruz show. The 21-year-old phenom has propelled the Reds to a 4-2 record since his promotion to the majors. He's collected eight hits, seven runs, five walks, and three steals during a blazing start to his career. De La Cruz has also brought some much-needed swagger to Cincinnati, declaring himself the "fastest man in the world."

24. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are back in a tailspin after losing seven out of nine to begin June, including a 1-5 run against the Pirates and Reds. St. Louis has been the most disappointing club out of the preseason contenders after entering the campaign as the overwhelming favorite to repeat as division champs. Despite their woes, the Cardinals are still somehow only eight games out of first place.

25. Chicago Cubs

Kyle Hendricks' near no-hitter in San Francisco over the weekend continued a nice stretch for Cubs starters. Hendricks has looked like his old self since returning from the IL, Marcus Stroman has been on fire all year, and even Drew Smyly is turning in a solid season. The Cubs' problem is that when they get solid pitching, the offense struggles to score. They rank last in the majors with a .532 OPS in 10 games this month.

26. Washington Nationals

Josiah Gray is enjoying a breakout season amid another rebuilding year for the Nationals. The 25-year-old allowed just nine earned runs over his last five starts (26 1/3 innings) dating back to mid-May. The right-hander is on track to represent Washington in the All-Star Game.

27. Colorado Rockies

Nolan Jones snapped a six-game losing skid with a 472-foot homer - the longest walk-off blast in the Statcast era. The 25-year-old has been one of the few bright spots for the Rockies this season. He's slashing .360/.407/.680 with four homers and 12 RBIs over 15 games since his promotion.

28. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers have fallen on hard times to start June, plummeting down the AL Central standings. Shortstop Javier Baez's play remains a major issue. Baez has only four home runs this season, with just one in the last 30 days. Miguel Cabrera's farewell tour has also been underwhelming. The future Hall of Famer is hitting .215/.292/.280 with no home runs in 33 games.

29. Oakland Athletics

The A's are finally hot, reeling off a five-game winning streak this week to earn consecutive series wins for the first time in 2023. Outfielder Esteury Ruiz continues to be an excellent table-setter atop manager Mark Kotsay's lineup. Ruiz became the first player to reach 30 stolen bases this year, and is a strong threat to become the first player to steal 60 bases in a season since Dee Strange-Gordon in 2017.

30. Kansas City Royals

We have a new team occupying our basement. The Royals' futility has largely flown under the radar thanks to the mess in Oakland, but Matt Quatraro's team is motoring toward its own historically bad campaign. Bobby Witt Jr. continues to struggle, Vinnie Pasquantino is on the IL, and Jordan Lyles is 0-10 in 13 starts. Sunday's loss gave Kansas City its second six-game losing streak of the season.