MLB Power Rankings: Never doubt Astros, another lost season for Pirates

Welcome to the 10th edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2024 regular season. Tap your favorite team to jump to its entry:

ARI | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHC | CWS | CIN | CLE | COL | DET | HOU | KAN | LAA | LAD | MIA | MIL | MIN | NYM | NYY | OAK | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | SEA | STL | TB | TEX | TOR | WAS

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers retake the No. 1 spot after a 10-6 start to August. It's hard not to ponder how much better Los Angeles could be if it wasn't derailed by crucial injuries throughout the season. Tyler Glasnow, Brusdar Graterol, River Ryan, and Freddie Freeman are the latest to be injured after the returns of Mookie Betts, Walker Buehler, and Clayton Kershaw.

2. Baltimore Orioles

Zach Eflin's been a revelation. He's made four quality starts since joining the O's, and the team has won all four of his outings. Eflin's helped steady a team that lost its grip on first place and is playing .500 baseball in August. The upcoming 10-game stretch against the Mets, Astros, and Dodgers might be the most critical moment of the O's season.

3. Philadelphia Phillies

Despite some issues over the last few weeks, the Phillies are still one of the best teams in baseball. They've won four of their last five contests heading into a big series in Atlanta that could help them pull away from the Braves for good. MLB's best rotation will get a big boost once Ranger Suárez returns from the IL, perhaps as soon as this weekend.

4. San Diego Padres

The Padres are surging and putting pressure on the Dodgers atop the NL West. Jackson Merrill continues to bolster his Rookie of the Year candidacy, but David Peralta has been the most pleasant surprise. The 37-year-old has four home runs, 12 RBIs, and 1.153 OPS in August.

5. New York Yankees

The Yankees have righted the ship after a bumpy stretch, thanks in large part to the continued brilliance of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. The dynamic duo has combined for 12 home runs and 22 RBIs in August, with Judge becoming the fastest player in MLB history to reach 300 career long balls. The back end of the 'pen remains an issue, however. Clay Holmes has six blown saves in his last 14 opportunities.

6. Houston Astros

The Astros opened up a season-best four-game lead over the Mariners for top spot in the AL West with a recent eight-game winning streak. Trade-deadline addition Yusei Kikuchi, who owns a 2.70 ERA with 24 strikeouts over three starts with Houston, and Hunter Brown have stabilized an injury-riddled rotation. Brown has allowed just nine earned runs over 42 innings in the second half of the season.

7. Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers have won 11 of 16 games this month but will have to navigate the rest of the season without star outfielder Christian Yelich, who underwent back surgery. Willy Adames has led the offense with Yelich out, collecting four multi-hit games with five homers in August. Rookie right-hander Tobias Myers hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in a start since early July.

8. Kansas City Royals

Young superstar Bobby Witt Jr. has cemented himself as the face of the franchise while flying toward his first batting title and second straight 30-30 season. More importantly for the Royals, though, is how Witt's keeping them afloat in the wild-card race, where they sit 3.5 games up on the Red Sox for the final AL playoff spot.

9. Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-Backs are 20-8 since the All-Star break, positioning themselves to make a run at the NL West title or snag a wild-card spot. Ketel Marte is in the NL MVP conversation, but it's been the hot bats of Joc Pederson and Jake McCarthy leading the charge. The former has gone deep six times with a 1.243 OPS, while the latter has slashed .386/.427/.602 with 20 RBIs during the stretch.

10. Minnesota Twins

The Twins are on the Guardians' heels despite the division looking out of reach in the first half of the season. Minnesota has won 11 out of 16 in August; Bailey Ober has played a big role, surrendering a combined four earned runs with 30 strikeouts over his last four starts. The righty will need to stay hot to help a rotation that lost Joe Ryan to a shoulder strain.

11. Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians' AL Central lead evaporated due to some recent inconsistent play, which included a seven-game losing skid. All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan entered the break with a .352 batting average but has since slashed .225/.289/.351 over 29 games.

12. Atlanta Braves

The Braves recently found themselves on the outskirts of the postseason picture for the first time in a few years. The usually dependable Max Fried's recent performances are a concern; he has a 7.90 ERA in three starts in August. Atlanta might still boast a Cy Young winner, though, as Chris Sale leads the NL in ERA (2.62), and strikeouts (187).

13. Boston Red Sox

Boston ranks second in runs and third in OPS since the All-Star break, but its pitching has posted the worst ERA (5.87) over the same period. It also sits near the bottom in MLB in WHIP (1.48) and opponent batting average (.278). Bullpen deadline acquisitions Lucas Sims and Luis García have combined to allow 17 earned runs and five home runs in 15 1/3 innings since joining the Red Sox.

14. Seattle Mariners

Though the Mariners' offense still leaves plenty to be desired, deadline addition Randy Arozarena has done his part. The former ALCS MVP owns a .744 OPS in 19 games with Seattle. But the Mariners' brilliant pitchers still need plenty of help from the lineup. Thanks in large part to its continued offensive woes, Seattle dropped five of the last six to fall four games behind Houston in the AL West - which is likely its only route to October.

15. New York Mets

Taking two of three from the lowly Marlins helped snap the Mets out of an August rut. It couldn't have happened at a better time given that New York's about to start a potentially season-defining 10-game stretch against the Orioles, Padres, and D-Backs. The Mets trail Atlanta by two games in the wild-card race; that they're even here at all after being left for dead in May is remarkable.

16. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are finding a way to remain somewhat relevant in the NL wild-card conversation. A series win over the Blue Jays has Chicago within 5.5 games of a playoff spot. Ian Happ's recent performance at the plate has been an encouraging development, with five home runs, seven RBIs, and a 1.034 OPS across his last 42 at-bats.

17. San Francisco Giants

Like the Cubs, the Giants are in striking distance of a postseason spot but need to leapfrog a handful of teams. Blake Snell will need to play a large role, but he arguably should've been moved at the deadline. Snell was healthy and productive, and he could've fetched a nice haul. It'll look especially questionable if San Francisco misses the playoffs and Snell walks for nothing as a free agent in the offseason.

18. Cincinnati Reds

Hunter Greene was almost single-handedly keeping the Reds alive before landing on the injured list following his most recent start. A long-term absence would surely doom any hopes of a miracle run down the stretch. Despite playing .500 ball in August, Cincinnati's four games under .500 and six back of a playoff spot with five teams to leapfrog.

19. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays should be excited about their 2025 rotation with Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen making successful returns following long-terms injuries. Springs has a 3.86 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings, while Rasmussen has consistently thrown in the upper 90s. Tampa Bay will have to find a way to fix Christopher Morel, who's slashing a woeful .148/.257/.262 since joining from the Cubs at the deadline.

20. Detroit Tigers

Kerry Carpenter's return to the lineup has been a nice boost in Detroit. The outfielder hit three home runs in his first four games off the IL and owns a .919 OPS this season. The 26-year-old looks like a building block for the Tigers. Tarik Skubal owns the lowest ERA (2.49) in the majors, while also sitting first in the AL in strikeouts (185), and second in WHIP (0.93)

21. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals' playoff hopes are fading after they started the second half of the season in a wild-card spot. St. Louis has gone 4-9 over its last 13 games due to an offense that scored a combined 42 runs. The biggest surprise has been Alec Burleson leading the club with 21 homers and not Paul Goldschmidt, Willson Contreras, or Nolan Arenado.

22. Toronto Blue Jays

The stretch run for non-contending clubs is about finding players who can be contributors next season and beyond. The Blue Jays appear to have found one in the form of Bowden Francis. The right-hander has leaned on his splitter more of late, posting a 1.40 ERA with 22 strikeouts across 19 1/3 innings in August.

23. Texas Rangers

What can the Rangers expect from Jacob deGrom when he returns in September following Tommy John surgery? The two-time Cy Young winner is set to begin a rehab assignment after last appearing in an MLB game in April 2023. A strong finish by the right-hander would be a good sign for Texas in its hopes of bouncing back from a World Series hangover in 2025.

24. Oakland Athletics

The A's are 16-10 (.615) since the All-Star break. There's an intriguing nucleus of offensive talent with Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday, and Shea Langeliers, among others. For the first time in a while, there are actual reasons for optimism about the Athletics' on-field product.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates finally stopped the bleeding with a series win over Seattle on the weekend, but not before sealing their fate with a 10-game losing streak. Now, all the questions turn to whether they'll let Paul Skenes finish his brilliant rookie season. Skenes might worm his way into the Cy Young conversation if he makes all of his remaining starts, but the Pirates will probably want to protect their 22-year-old phenom's arm.

26. Washington Nationals

Despite small sample sizes, the early returns on the Nationals' deadline deals have been good. Rookies Andrés Chaparro and José Tena, acquired for Dylan Floro and Lane Thomas respectively, have both impressed. Overall, though, the Nats' July spiral has continued into August, with no end in sight. They've dropped five of their last eight games.

27. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels have been looking for some homegrown success stories for years, and Zach Neto looks like one. The shortstop has been excellent in August, hitting .315 with four home runs, 14 RBIs, and three stolen bases. 2023 first-round pick Nolan Schanuel is also finding his stride at the plate, while 2024 first-rounder Christian Moore is already at Double-A and could be Neto's double-play partner as soon as next season.

28. Colorado Rockies

The Kris Bryant contract continues to age poorly. He's on the injured list for the third time this season and has appeared in just 159 games across parts of three seasons since signing a seven-year, $182-million contract ahead of the 2022 campaign.

29. Miami Marlins

Xavier Edwards has impressed at the plate since taking over full-time shortstop duties. The 25-year-old is hitting .350/.435/.427 through his first 43 games. Despite hitting just one homer, his 21 steals rank first on the team, and he's drawn almost as many walks (26) as he has strikeouts (29). Edwards and slugger Jake Burger are at least giving the Marlins some hope of long-term stability in the lineup.

30. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox were eliminated from playoff contention with 38 games remaining and fired Pedro Grifol after an AL-record-tying 21-game losing streak. Chicago is also on pace to surpass the 1962 Mets' 120 losses for most defeats in a single season in the modern era. This is as ugly as it gets for a major-league franchise.