MLB Power Rankings: Each team's 1st-half MVP

Welcome to the fifth edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2023 season. The last edition ran June 26, while the next edition will be published Aug. 3.

1. Atlanta Braves

The favorite to win the World Series, it's no wonder that the team's MVP is also the front-runner to win NL MVP. Ronald Acuna Jr. has been every bit as great as expected in his first full season back from an ACL tear. There's almost nothing he can't do, ranking 100th percentile in expected wOBA, batting average, and slugging thanks to elite quality of contact and pacing all hitters with a 4.8 WAR, according to FanGraphs. He leads the Senior Circuit with a .990 OPS and 41 stolen bases.

2. Tampa Bay Rays

Pick a Rays player at random, and you'd probably get someone who could garner MVP consideration. Randy Arozarena, Yandy Diaz, and Isaac Paredes are all hitting the crap out of the ball, while Zach Eflin feels like the last man standing in a rotation that's lost Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen and even has ace Shane McClanahan currently sidelined. But we're going with Wander Franco, who's been putting it all together and ranks second among AL position players by fWAR.

3. Baltimore Orioles

Adley Rutschman is certainly deserving, blooming into a legitimate star while ranking as the fourth-best catcher in MLB by fWAR. However, the Orioles boast the second-best record in one-run games (14-9) among AL squads, and that success is tied directly to breakout closer Felix Bautista. In only his second season in the bigs, the 28-year-old leads all qualified relievers with an otherworldly 50.9% strikeout rate.

4. Texas Rangers

The two-year, $34-million contract Texas handed Nathan Eovaldi is looking like a stroke of genius. The right-hander is sixth among all MLB starting pitchers in fWAR and fourth in innings pitched. With the season-ending injury to Jacob deGrom, Eovaldi has kept the Rangers afloat with his consistency.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers

It's impossible to choose between Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman as the Dodgers' first-half MVP, so they'll have to share the honor. Freeman is once again doing his thing as the glue of the team and one of the best bats in the business. Betts might be their most important player on versatility alone now that he's filling in as a (very good) middle infielder regularly while leading the team in almost every offensive category.

6. Arizona Diamondbacks

Corbin Carroll is not only the favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year, but he's also firmly entrenched in the MVP conversation. He's accumulated the third-most fWAR in the Senior Circuit, ranks second in steals with 26, and owns a .915 OPS. The 22-year-old is on pace for only the second 30-30 campaign by a first-year player in MLB history.

7. Houston Astros

The Astros' offense hasn't been itself this year, especially without the injured Yordan Alvarez. Thank goodness for Kyle Tucker, who's very quietly carried the load ever since Alvarez went down. Tucker's halfway to a 30-30 campaign and is the only Astros hitter besides Alvarez with an OPS+ above 130. The bats would be lost without him.

8. Cincinnati Reds

Look, it's only been 30 games, but it's Elly De La Cruz. That's with due respect to TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, Alexis Diaz, and Hunter Greene. Since being called up on June 6, the 21-year-old phenom became the first Reds player since 1989 to hit for a cycle and posted an .887 OPS with four homers and 16 steals, including a memorable trip around the bases in which he stole second, third, and home against the Brewers over the span of two pitches. Oh, and the Reds are 23-8 with him in the lineup.

9. Philadelphia Phillies

A return to form by Nick Castellanos has been a huge development with Bryce Harper and Trea Turner going through underwhelming seasons. Castellanos has already matched his homer total from last season with 13 and currently owns an .840 OPS, which is 146 points higher than the mark he finished with in 2022. The 31-year-old's bounce-back campaign resulted in his second All-Star selection.

10. Toronto Blue Jays

Kevin Gausman deserves to be in the AL Cy Young conversation. The right-hander leads all major-league starters in fWAR and also paces the AL in K/9. With the puzzling struggles of Alek Manoah, Gausman has picked up the slack and acted as a stopper when the Blue Jays have needed him to put a losing streak to an end.

11. Miami Marlins

Luis Arraez's pursuit of batting .400 has been one of baseball's most exciting storylines of the first half. Arraez has been one of the major catalysts in the Marlins' surprising success, which saw them set a franchise record for victories before the All-Star break. With Arraez leading the charge, it looks like Miami has staying power in the NL playoff picture.

12. Boston Red Sox

Alex Cora challenged Alex Verdugo to take the next step in his career over the winter and has the outfielder ever delivered. He's hitting .290/.360/.457 with 37 extra-base hits through 83 games, and his 2.1 fWAR leads the Red Sox. The 27-year-old has been excellent defensively since moving over to right field and has helped set the table at the top of the lineup with a team-leading 57 runs.

13. San Francisco Giants

The Giants' MVP also happens to be perhaps the biggest All-Star snub: Logan Webb. The righty has been a horse for San Francisco, ranking first in innings thrown among all pitchers while posting a 3.14 ERA and 3.23 FIP. Not that Alex Cobb and Camilo Doval weren't deserving - they were - but where's the love for Webb?

14. New York Yankees

Even though he's been on the shelf with a toe injury since early June, Aaron Judge continues to lead the Yankees in a number of offensive categories. His brilliance at the plate helps mask an otherwise flawed and aging roster. The Yankees fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson to try to shake things up, but they will continue to find life difficult until the reigning AL MVP returns to save the day.

15. Seattle Mariners

George Kirby has delivered in his first full season in the majors after arriving on the scene last year as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. He's tied for the MLB lead with 14 quality starts to go along with a 3.09 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. The first-time All-Star has only allowed 10 walks over 107 2/3 innings this season.

16. Milwaukee Brewers

Christian Yelich might not be all the way back to his MVP-winning form, but this is the closest he's been to that in almost five years. He's also the only reliable hitter on this Brewers team. Yelich's .833 OPS is 60 points higher than his next-closest qualified teammate.

17. San Diego Padres

Fernando Tatis Jr. has been exceptional since returning from his suspension. He's got a real shot at his first 30-30 season thanks to a team-leading 16 long balls and 14 stolen bases in the first half. The 2021 All-Star has also become one of the best outfielders in baseball after transitioning from shortstop. He ranks in the 95th percentile in outs above average and in the 98th percentile in arm strength.

18. New York Mets

Francisco Lindor has done his best to be a rock for the disappointing Mets. Though he wasn't selected as an All-Star, the 29-year-old has been the team's best all-around player and is the only Met to play in at least 90 games. New York would be much worse without him.

19. Minnesota Twins

The trio of starting pitchers at the front of the rotation has been the bright spot on the Twins' roster so far this year, and that's led by Sonny Gray and his 2.89 ERA and 2.85 FIP. The 33-year-old is enjoying a career year by many metrics, as the addition of a cutter has helped him keep the ball in the yard better than any other qualified starter in the majors.

20. Cleveland Guardians

Who else but Jose Ramirez? The perennially underrated third baseman ranks ninth in the majors by fWAR with 14 homers and nine stolen bases. He's simply far too overlooked as an elite hitter with premium plate discipline, a great defender, and a very good baserunner. Not to mention, he's hit 23% of his team's home runs. Can someone get this man some support?

21. Los Angeles Angels

Shohei Ohtani is the man. The best player in baseball is on track to win his second AL MVP award in three seasons thanks to a mesmerizing first half that saw him go deep an MLB-high 32 times and with a 1.050 OPS. On the mound, the three-time All-Star posted a 3.32 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 100 1/3 innings (17 starts). Combining both hitter and pitcher metrics from FanGraphs, Ohtani boasts a cumulative 6.0 WAR, towering above all competition.

22. Chicago Cubs

Justin Steele looks like a legitimate building block for the Cubs to tailor the rotation around. The left-hander emerged in 2022 to post a 3.18 ERA and 2.6 fWAR in 24 starts. Steele has built on that success this season, earning his first All-Star nod while sitting second in the NL with a 2.56 ERA.

23. Pittsburgh Pirates

Jack Suwinski's breakout has been phenomenal, but we're going with Mitch Keller truly blooming into an ace that this team needed. It's been a circuitous development route for the 27-year-old, but the righty is now posting a 3.31 ERA and 3.35 FIP over 117 innings, and his 9-4 record was integral to Pittsburgh's hot start.

24. St. Louis Cardinals

It's tough not to pick one of Paul Goldschmidt or Nolan Arenado when thinking of the Cardinals. However, both stars have had down years compared to their own lofty standards. As a result, our choice is Jordan Montgomery. The veteran left-hander is putting together a third straight solid campaign, amassing a 3.23 ERA with 2.3 fWAR, which is second only to Goldschmidt.

25. Chicago White Sox

For the first time since 2020, Luis Robert Jr. has been able to stay healthy, and the results have been excellent. The slugger is second in the AL with 26 home runs and third in fWAR, trailing only Ohtani and Franco. Not much has gone right for the White Sox this season, but Robert's performance in the first half is one of the lone bright spots.

26. Detroit Tigers

Riley Greene missed well over a month because of a stress fracture in his leg, but when healthy, he's been the Tigers' only above-average bat. Despite playing in just 54 games, he leads the team in every slash-line category by a wide margin and has 18 extra-base hits. Better days are ahead if the Tigers build a lineup around Greene as he matures.

27. Washington Nationals

Jeimer Candelario has been one of baseball's surprising breakout players so far this season. The Nationals signed Candelario to a one-year, $5-million contract in the offseason. He's rewarded the investment thus far, leading the club in fWAR and trailing only Lane Thomas with 13 home runs. The third baseman could be one of the most interesting trade chips available at the deadline.

28. Colorado Rockies

This is a best-of-the-worst scenario. Ryan McMahon has had a fine season. Nothing to write home about. Yet, he's easily been the Rockies' best player. He leads the club with 14 homers and a 1.8 fWAR. The 28-year-old has also posted a solid 6.0 defensive rating at third base, according to FanGraphs.

29. Oakland Athletics

It's tempting to give the nod here to the fans, who've been loudly and proudly opposing ownership while supporting their rudderless team through looming relocation. However, even bad teams have at least one good on-field contributor, and for the A's, that story belongs to Brent Rooker. After stalling out with several organizations over the last few years, Rooker finally got the chance to play regularly in Oakland and now leads the team with 16 homers and an .826 OPS.

30. Kansas City Royals

Bobby Witt Jr. leads the team with 2.4 fWAR while hitting 14 homers and stealing 27 bases, but he ranks as a league-average hitter with a 99 wRC+ thanks to a decidedly uninspired .300 OBP. But there's certainly no one else more deserving on the Royals right now.