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MLB Power Rankings (Aug. 18): Fastball On SI Poll
Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter William Contreras (24) celebrates a two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

MLB Power Rankings (Aug. 18): Fastball On SI Poll

Originally posted on Fastball on SI  |  By Jack Ankony  |  Last updated Aug 18, 2025 5:45 PM ET

The Milwaukee Brewers' win streak came to an end on Sunday, but that shouldn't dampen the good will they've built up over the course of the season. At 78-54, the Brewers have five more wins than any other team and are 31-8 since July 1. They head into a five-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field with an eight-game lead in the National League Central division and ranked No. 1 for a third straight week in the Fastball On SI MLB power rankings poll.

Elsewhere in the NL, the West division race is heating up. The San Diego Padres took a one-game lead, only to get swept on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who now lead by two games. In the East, the New York Mets finally snapped their seven-game losing streak on Tuesday, but still trail the Philadelphia Phillies by five game.

In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays hold the best record at 73-52, narrowly edging the 73-53 Detroit Tigers. Toronto had a strong week, with series wins over the Cubs and Rangers to increased their division lead to five games over the Boston Red Sox, who went 3-3 last week against the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins. Detroit secured road series wins over the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins to maintain an 8.5-game lead in the Central.

The closest division race of all may come down to the AL West, where Houston leads the Seattle Mariners by 1.5 games. Seattle went 2-4 on a road trip against the Mets and Baltimore Orioles, while the Astros 3-3 against the Orioles and Red Sox.

Here are the Fastball On SI MLB power rankings for Aug. 18.

(This poll takes into account votes from four Fastball On SI MLB writers: Tom Brew, Brady Farkas, Jack Ankony and Teren Kowatsch . First-place votes are worth 30 points, and last-place votes are worth one point. Ties broken by highest vote or votes, followed by overall win percentage, then head-to-head record. Total points and first-place votes in parentheses.)

  1. Milwaukee Brewers 120 (4)
  2. Toronto Blue Jays (115)
  3. Los Angeles Dodgers (114)
  4. Philadelphia Phillies (106)
  5. Detroit Tigers (104)
  6. San Diego Padres (99)
  7. Chicago Cubs (98)
  8. Boston Red Sox (89)
  9. Seattle Mariners (87)
  10. Houston Astros (84)
  11. New York Mets (80)
  12. New York Yankees (80)
  13. Cincinnati Reds (70)
  14. Cleveland Guardians (66)
  15. Kansas City Royals (65)
  16. Texas Rangers (62)
  17. San Francisco Giants (51)
  18. Tampa Bay Rays (51)
  19. St. Louis Cardinals (49)
  20. Miami Marlins (44)
  21. Los Angeles Angels (42)
  22. Arizona Diamondbacks (38)
  23. Minnesota Twins (31)
  24. Baltimore Orioles (28)
  25. Atlanta Braves (27)
  26. Athletics (21)
  27. Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
  28. Washington Nationals (11)
  29. Chicago White Sox (9)
  30. Colorado Rockies (4)

Here's how each writer voted.

Tom Brew

  1. Milwaukee Brewers
  2. Toronto Blue Jays
  3. Los Angeles Dodgers 
  4. Detroit Tigers
  5. Philadelphia Phillies
  6. Chicago Cubs
  7. Seattle Mariners
  8. San Diego Padres
  9. Houston Astros
  10. New York Yankees
  11. Boston Red Sox
  12. New York Mets
  13. Kansas City Royals
  14. Texas Rangers
  15. Cincinnati Reds
  16. San Francisco Giants
  17. Cleveland Guardians
  18. Miami Marlins 
  19. Tampa Bay Rays
  20. St. Louis Cardinals
  21. Los Angeles Angels
  22. Arizona Diamondbacks
  23. Minnesota Twins
  24. Baltimore Orioles
  25. The Athletics
  26. Atlanta Braves
  27. Pittsburgh Pirates
  28. Washington Nationals
  29. Chicago White Sox 
  30. Colorado Rockies

Comments: The Milwaukee Brewers continue to amaze me. That 14-game winning streak was really impressive. So is the fact they are now 34 games over .500.  There is no doubt they are the best team in baseball, a full 6.5 better than the Toronto Blue Jays. I continue to be fooled by the San Diego Padres. Just when I thought they were the best team in the National League, they get swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were my most disappointing team last week, with the Cardinals and Giants right there too.

The Yankees are starting to play well again, but I still don't know what to make of them. They come to Tampa for two games with the Rays on Tuesday and Wednesday and they could eliminate the Rays for good with a pair of wins.

Jack Ankony

  1. Milwaukee Brewers
  2. Toronto Blue Jays
  3. Los Angeles Dodgers
  4. Philadelphia Phillies
  5. Detroit Tigers
  6. San Diego Padres
  7. Chicago Cubs
  8. Boston Red Sox
  9. Houston Astros
  10. Seattle Mariners
  11. New York Yankees
  12. New York Mets
  13. Cincinnati Reds
  14. Cleveland Guardians
  15. Texas Rangers
  16. Kansas City Royals
  17. Tampa Bay Rays
  18. St. Louis Cardinals
  19. Los Angeles Angels
  20. San Francisco Giants
  21. Arizona Diamondbacks
  22. Baltimore Orioles
  23. Atlanta Braves
  24. Miami Marlins
  25. Minnesota Twins
  26. The Athletics
  27. Pittsburgh Pirates
  28. Chicago White Sox
  29. Washington Nationals
  30. Colorado Rockies

Comments: The Blue Jays had an impressive week, with series wins at home against the Cubs and Rangers. As a result, Toronto jumped the Dodgers –– who were swept by the Angels but bounced back with a series sweep of the Padres –– and the Phillies, who went 3-4 on a road trip against the Reds and Nationals. Even though Milwaukee has dominated the regular season, I have reservations about their ceiling given their early playoff flameouts in recent years. There's not much separating teams No. 6 through No. 12 either, so it's feeling like a wide-open postseason could be in store.

Brady Farkas

  1. Milwaukee Brewers
  2. Los Angeles Dodgers
  3. Toronto Blue Jays
  4. Philadelphia Phillies
  5. San Diego Padres
  6. Chicago Cubs
  7. Detroit Tigers
  8. Boston Red Sox
  9. Seattle Mariners
  10. New York Yankees
  11. New York Mets
  12. Houston Astros
  13. Cleveland Guardians
  14. Cincinnati Reds
  15. Kansas City Royals
  16. Texas Rangers
  17. San Francisco Giants
  18. Tampa Bay Rays
  19. St. Louis Cardinals
  20. Arizona Diamondbacks
  21. Los Angeles Angels
  22. Miami Marlins
  23. Minnesota Twins
  24. Atlanta Braves
  25. Baltimore Orioles
  26. Athletics
  27. Pittsburgh Pirates
  28. Washington Nationals
  29. Chicago White Sox
  30. Colorado Rockies

Comments: The Brewers just keep finding a way to win games, but do they have the starting pitching to make a deep playoff run? The AL wild card race is crowded, but the Mariners are getting Bryce Miller back this week, how does that impact their pitching? And the Red Sox and Yankees matchup at the end of the week looms large on all playoff fronts.

Teren Kowatsch

  1. Milwaukee Brewers
  2. Toronto Blue Jays
  3. Los Angeles Dodgers
  4. Detroit Tigers
  5. Philadelphia Phillies
  6. San Diego Padres
  7. Chicago Cubs
  8. Boston Red Sox
  9. New York Mets
  10. Houston Astros
  11. Seattle Mariners
  12. Cincinnati Reds
  13. New York Yankees
  14. Cleveland Guardians
  15. Kansas City Royals
  16. Miami Marlins
  17. Texas Rangers
  18. St. Louis Cardinals
  19. Tampa Bay Rays
  20. San Francisco Giants
  21. Los Angeles Angels
  22. Minnesota Twins
  23. Arizona Diamondbacks
  24. Atlanta Braves
  25. Baltimore Orioles
  26. The Athletics
  27. Pittsburgh Pirates
  28. Washington Nationals
  29. Chicago White Sox
  30. Colorado Rockies

Comments: There's less than 40 games left in the season, and the only certainties in baseball seem to be the Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers. The Brewers had a 14-game win streak snapped Sunday, but still lead the National League Central by eight games, and the Tigers lead the American League Central by 8.5 games.Every other division is separated by five games or less. The top two respective teams in both West divisions are within two games of each other. The Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners were two of the hottest teams post-trade deadline, and are tied for the top AL Wild Card spot, but have slowed down recently. There might still be time for a Cinderella run or two before the end of September.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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