MLB Power Rankings: New York teams go opposite ways

Welcome to the fifth edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2024 regular season. The last edition was published May 13.

1. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies secured a franchise-best start through 50 games and have shown no signs of slowing down. Bryce Harper's continued his torrid May, but the team's most surprising contributor's been shortstop Edmundo Sosa. He's hitting .364/.417/.758 with seven extra-base hits over his last 11 games filling in for Trea Turner.

2. New York Yankees

Aaron Judge is a man on a mission. The 2022 AL MVP registered 11 home runs, 12 doubles, and a 1.443 OPS in May. The Yankees have hit an MLB-leading 42 homers this month - nine more than the next-highest team - and lead the majors in OPS on the season.

3. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles haven't looked as dominant of late, but the starting rotation is rounding into form with the returns of Grayson Rodriguez (3.20 ERA) and Kyle Bradish (1.75). Losing John Means to another injury hurts, but those two, along with Corbin Burnes (2.60), should provide enough pitching to win a lot of games.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers

After beginning the month with seven straight wins, the Dodgers are in a funk. Los Angeles dropped consecutive series to teams with losing records and is in the midst of a five-game winless streak. Tyler Glasnow's last two starts have been messy (10 IP, 7 ER), and Andy Pages hit a rookie wall, going 6-for-50 (.120) with 20 strikeouts over his last 13 games.

5. Cleveland Guardians

José Ramírez continues to get it done year after year. He's been one of the catalysts in Cleveland's resurgence after a disappointing 2023. Ramírez has 10 home runs and an 1.009 OPS in May after hitting four homers with a .736 OPS in April. The three-time MVP finalist looks primed to be firmly in that conversation once again.

6. Atlanta Braves

The Braves have already dealt with a number of injuries, and the news got even worse Sunday when it was revealed Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. It's the second time in four seasons he's undergone season-ending knee surgery. Atlanta already lost ace Spencer Strider to a torn UCL last month. Few clubs are as deep as the Braves, but these are devastating injuries for a team trying to win a World Series.

7. Kansas City Royals

Cole Ragans has dominated following a rare blow-up start against the Angels on May 12. The left-hander's thrown 13 shutout innings, allowing just three hits with 19 strikeouts over his last two starts. Ragans ranks third in the AL with 76 strikeouts.

8. Milwaukee Brewers

William Contreras is carrying the Brewers and continues to make an early case for NL MVP. He sits third in the NL in fWAR behind Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts while ranking first among major-league catchers in runs, RBIs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS.

9. San Diego Padres

Xander Bogaerts is out indefinitely with a fractured shoulder after hitting just .219 with a .581 OPS in 187 at-bats, and Manny Machado owns a .653 OPS. Still, the Padres are staying afloat thanks to contributions from some of their depth players. Jurickson Profar, who signed a one-year, $1-million deal in mid-February, is hitting .344/.432/.510 with four home runs and 14 RBIs over the last month.

10. Minnesota Twins

The Twins' feast-or-famine offense dried up considerably over the team's seven-game losing streak in which it was outscored 45-12 by the Yankees, Guardians, and Nationals. Edouard Julien is among the biggest culprits, as he's posted a .338 OPS with one extra-base hit over his last 12 games.

11. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners are clinging onto top spot in an underperforming AL West. Seattle's dropped four of five and is the only division leader with a losing record on the road. The pitching hasn't looked as strong in May. The Mariners' 4.59 ERA ranks 27th in the majors, while their 166 strikeouts sits 26th. Bryce Miller's been particularly shaky, going 0-3 with a 5.79 ERA and six home runs allowed this month.

12. Chicago Cubs

Seiya Suzuki's and Cody Bellinger's returns from the IL have done little to spark the club. Suzuki's hitting .185/.237/.259 over his last 13 games, while Bellinger's .211/.274/.281 slash line over 14 games isn't much better. Kyle Hendricks' demotion to the bullpen isn't ideal. He owns a 10.47 ERA on the season despite being the team's second-highest paid pitcher.

13. Boston Red Sox

Boston's dominant starting pitching staff is showing signs of regression. After posting an MLB-best 2.00 ERA in April, the Red Sox rotation owns a 4.16 ERA in May. Home runs have become an issue, with the club posting the fourth-worst HR/9 (1.44) in the majors this month. Kutter Crawford's allowed four homers over his last 29 innings after not allowing one over 33 1/3 innings in April.

14. San Francisco Giants

The Giants became the second team since 1900 to erase three straight four-run deficits on the road after they shocked the Mets on Friday. Matt Chapman sealed Friday's win with an exceptional defensive play and slugged three home runs over his last six to rebound from a slow start. San Francisco's won five of its last six series.

15. Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-Backs' offense was supposed to be a strength, but it's really struggled of late. Arizona ranks 26th in OPS and runs this month. Ketel Marte (.740) is the only qualified player with an OPS over .700 in May, while Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Eugenio Suárez have combined for three homers in their last 242 at-bats.

16. Texas Rangers

The Rangers' World Series hangover is starting to feel Texas-sized as the losses and injuries continue to pile up. However, better days should be ahead with Corey Seager rediscovering his power stroke. He's slugged six home runs in his last six games, raising his season-long OPS to .796 after a disappointing April.

17. St. Louis Cardinals

Paul Goldschmidt might finally be snapping out of it. He's hitting .308/.357/.596 with four home runs over his last 12 games after hitting .190/.277/.254 with two home runs over his previous 37. The Cardinals still aren't getting great starting pitching, but they've won four straight series against the Angels, Red Sox, Orioles, and Cubs.

18. Detroit Tigers

Reese Olson's been a tremendous surprise. The right-hander owns the seventh-best ERA (1.92) in the majors and has given up just one home run in 56 1/3 innings. As bad as Javier Báez has been this season (.506 OPS), he's at least delivered in the clutch. He's hitting .405 with a .985 OPS with runners in scoring position and ranks tied for second on the team with 23 RBIs.

19. Houston Astros

Josh Hader is finally looking like the player who earned five All-Star appearances. The 30-year-old owns a 0.96 ERA with 14 strikeouts across his last seven outings. His return to form's coincided with the Astros going on a run up the standings after a dreadful start to the season. They're within striking distance of top spot in the AL West.

20. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays appeared to be putting things together before losing six in a row. With the team struggling to find consistency at the plate, Josh Lowe being sidelined with another injury won't help, nor will Randy Arozarena hitting .156/.253./.313 on the season.

21. Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Skenes has made a huge difference, with the Pirates playing winning baseball since his arrival. Andrew McCutchen's posted a .900 OPS in his last 13 games, while Bryan Reynolds and Nick Gonzales have been difference-makers, combining for five homers and 23 RBIs over the past two weeks.

22. Toronto Blue Jays

Not even the home run jacket's been able to turn this team around. The Blue Jays rank 16th in runs and 23rd in homers this month - and that's actually an improvement over April. George Springer's been dropped in the order, and his .537 OPS ranks third-worst in MLB among 156 qualified players. Justin Turner, the club's biggest offensive offseason addition, is 6-for-59 (.102) in May.

23. Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati entered Sunday with 10 regulars on the IL, two of whom suffered hand or wrist fractures after being hit by pitches. Manager David Bell recently lost his cool, tossing a chair around his team’s dugout after Jake Fraley was pegged in the hand by a pitch. The fiery moment may have injected some life into the Reds, who swept the juggernaut Dodgers at home this past weekend.

24. New York Mets

The Mets were finally on the right side of a late-game comeback in Sunday's win over the Giants. Unfortunately, not much else has gone right in Queens of late. Star closer Edwin Díaz's been a shell of himself after missing the 2023 season, having blown four save opportunities this month. Sound the alarms, not the trumpets.

25. Washington Nationals

The Nationals entered May playing close to .500 but have been inconsistent. Washington has just two series wins this month and has gotten little production outside of Eddie Rosario and Ildemaro Vargas. Joey Gallo might not keep a roster spot for much longer thanks to a career-worst .305 slugging percentage, with four homers and 55 strikeouts in 32 games.

26. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels may have stumbled onto a potential building block in the rotation: José Soriano. The right-hander owns an impressive sinker that can touch 100 mph with a lot of movement. Soriano has a 2.73 ERA with 28 strikeouts and a .200 opponent's batting average across his last five starts. If Soriano can iron out some issues with his command, he could develop into a frontline starter.

27. Miami Marlins

Jesús Luzardo returned from a three-week IL stint looking like his usual self. The left-hander hasn't allowed a run over his last two starts, striking out 11 in 14 innings with zero walks. Luzardo has two more years of team control after this season and could be the most in-demand starting pitcher on the market.

28. Oakland Athletics

Brent Rooker is putting together an even better season than his 30-homer breakout campaign in 2023. Rooker, who could be a solid trade target, sits ninth in MLB with a .933 OPS and has already hit 11 home runs. The 29-year-old isn't arbitration-eligible until next season.

29. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies have been playing marginally better baseball thanks to substantially better starting pitching. Austin Gomber lowered his ERA to 2.76 after recording four straight quality starts in May, while Cal Quantrill's also been sharp (3.59 ERA).

30. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox have tumbled back to the basement of the rankings after another dismal stretch. Positives are few and far between, but the in-season signing of Tommy Pham has paid dividends. The veteran outfielder is hitting .315/.361/.459 with three home runs and seven doubles in 28 games.