MLB Power Rankings: First Update of the 2026 Season

30. New York Mets (Preseason Rank: 6)

March/April Record: 10-21

Losers of 17 of their last 20 games to close the month, no team is more excited to play May baseball than the New York Mets. April was not kind to the Mets, as they dealt with a stretch where Juan Soto was on the IL with a calf strain, in which they lost a dozen games in a row.

The Mets got Soto back and finally broke their losing streak, only for Francisco Lindor to go down with a more serious calf injury that has him out indefinitely. Luis Robert Jr. and Jorge Polanco are now both on the IL, which is not helping a lineup that is the worst in baseball.

There is enough talent in that room for the Mets to still turn this into a season, but it has gotten late fast for them, as they will need a good month of May to claw closer to .500.

29. Philadelphia Phillies (Preseason Rank: 2)

March/April Record: 12-19

The Phillies have already fired their manager, promoting Don Mattingly to replace Rob Thomson, who took Philadelphia to the World Series back in 2022 and to the NLCS in 2023. Since then, the Phillies haven’t won a playoff series, although they did take two division titles.

Regardless of the prior success, a slow start left the Phillies in a position where Dave Dombrowski felt their best bet was to cut ties with Thomson to try to spark this team. Only time will tell if he was right.

28. Los Angeles Angels (Preseason Rank: 28)

March/April Record: 12-20

The Los Angeles Angels have two things going for them so far this season. They have a newfound ace, Jose Soriano, in early Cy Young talks, and Mike Trout looks healthy for the first time in a long time, and is back to being one of the best players in baseball.

27. Houston Astros (Preseason Rank: 15)

March/April Record: 12-20

The Astros’ longstanding dynasty coming to an end has been the talk of the town for years now, but they’ve always found a way to be in the thick of things when all is said and done. So far in the new year, they’ve limped out of the gates, and it’s worth wondering if the hole they’ve dug for themselves is too deep already.

Sure, the Astros currently have a stunning 14 players on the injured list (and one on the paternity list), so they’re clearly not operating with a full roster, but the top five hitters in their lineup can only do so much while the rest of the offense and the vast majority of the pitching staff are lagging behind.

26. Colorado Rockies (Preseason Rank: 30)

March/April Record: 14-18

For the first time in quite some time, the Rockies are a team that’s somewhat enjoyable to watch. The fact that they’re only four games under .500 and not in last place in the NL West is enough of a victory in itself, but we’re still not ready to shoot them up the rankings any higher … yet.

Mickey Moniak looks like a stud, Hunter Goodman is still one of baseball’s best hitting catchers, Chase Dollander is breaking out, and Antonio Senzatela is randomly one of the best relief pitchers in the game. Similarly to the situation in Houston, this group of players isn’t going to be enough to carry this team all that far, but we can still commend them for what they’ve done so far, right?

25. Kansas City Royals (Preseason Rank: 16)

March/April Record: 12-19

Outside of random solid efforts turned in by the starting rotation, the Royals have fallen flat in what was supposed to be a year they’d take a step forward. Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia are above-average bats, but neither of them is perfectly replicating what they did last year, and it doesn’t help matters that Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez are off to horrendous starts, either.

Entering the month of May, the Royals are 18th in wRC+ and 23rd in runs scored. They’re also 24th in staff ERA, 21st in FIP, and they’ve issued the sixth-most walks in the league so far. Things aren’t looking great, and that’s precisely why they fell nine spots in our rankings.

24. Chicago White Sox (Preseason Rank: 27)

March/April Record: 14-17

Similar to the Rockies, the White Sox are not ready to be called a good team yet, but they’ve come out of the gates in 2026 looking a bit better than anticipated. It helps that Munetaka Murakami does nothing but hit nukes and that Colson Montgomery is picking up where he left off in 2025.

On the mound, Sean Burke looks legit, while Davis Martin has taken a massive step forward as well. Grant Taylor and Noah Schultz are in different roles, but each is capitalizing on their potential, and it’s easy to see why the vibes around the White Sox are higher than usual, even if they’re not ready to be legitimate contenders just yet.

23. Minnesota Twins (Preseason Rank: 21)

March/April Record: 14-18

So far, the Twins’ season can be broken down into two parts: there’s an above-average offense but a below-average pitching staff, and they’re basically each canceling each other out. The result? A record sitting below .500.

The good news is that they’re only two games back in the AL Central and that Byron Buxton’s healthy. The bad news is that there’s a large list of players that need to turn their fortunes around quickly, because the Tigers and Guardians – both of whom are above the Twins in the standings right now – are not going to simply play .500 baseball for the rest of the year.

22. Boston Red Sox (Preseason Rank: 7)

March/April Record: 12-19

The Boston Red Sox entered this season with plenty of optimism. They made the postseason last year and then made plenty of offseason moves, from signing Ranger Suárez to trading for Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras.

Despite all three of those additions largely working out so far, the Red Sox find themselves at the bottom of the AL East, and Alex Cora didn’t even make it until the weather started to warm up before he got fired. Garrett Crochet headlines a long list of important players who are on the IL, and the Red Sox are left searching for answers.

21. Washington Nationals (Preseason Rank: 29)

March/April Record: 15-17

The Washington Nationals have one of the worst starting rotations in baseball, and yet they are only two games under .500. That is thanks to their lineup, which has absolutely mashed so far in 2026. Led by James Wood and CJ Abrams, who have combined to hit 18 home runs with 50 RBIs through their first 32 games.

Middle of the Pack

20. San Francisco Giants (Preseason Rank: 14)

March/April Record: 13-18

The San Francisco Giants were not expected to be world-beaters, but they did enter this season hoping to be contenders, and the early returns have not been there. Rafael Devers and Willy Adames struggled mightily through the first month of the season, leading to an offense that has too often gone stagnant.

If those guys start to play to the back of the baseball card, though, things could change in a hurry.

19. Miami Marlins (Preseason Rank: 24)

March/April Record: 15-16

The Miami Marlins have gotten off to a relatively solid start this season, thanks in part to the great production they have gotten up the middle.

Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez are each hitting over .300 right now, while playing great defense as one of the more underrated double-play combinations in baseball. This duo has combined to lead MLB in fWAR for a double-play combination so far.

Between Edwards and Lopez, and a bounce-back season from Sandy Alcantara, the Marlins are becoming a team that has the legs to hang around the Wild Card race this year.

18. Baltimore Orioles (Preseason Rank: 13)

March/April Record: 15-16

The Baltimore Orioles are looking to shake off what was a terrible 2025 campaign, and so far, they haven’t quite gotten that monkey off their back. The rotation has been mediocre at best, while the lineup has not quite started to click, with Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson both struggling.

The good news is that Adley Rutschman is off to a fantastic start, and Taylor Ward is proving to be a great trade acquisition, albeit without the same home run prowess we have come to expect.

17. Toronto Blue Jays (Preseason Rank: 4)

March/April Record: 14-17

The Toronto Blue Jays were a few outs away from winning it all last year, and now they are dealing with the cold reality of having to start over. This current team needs to find the winning identity that last year’s bunch discovered, but when you have multiple sore spots in your starting rotation, that is easier said than done.

16. Texas Rangers (Preseason Rank: 12)

March/April Record: 15-16

The Texas Rangers are waiting on their best two players to get going, as Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford have both stumbled a bit out of the gate. Brandon Nimmo, on the contrary, got off to a scorching hot start, and Josh Jung has done so as well.

Nimmo is dealing with a bit of a hamstring issue right now, but is considered day-to-day. If Seager and Langford get going and Nimmo can stay on the field, the Rangers have a potent lineup that can start winning some games. They also have Jacob deGrom pitching like an early Cy Young candidate.

15. Athletics (Preseason Rank: 25)

March/April Record: 17-14

We knew the A’s would be better than they were last year, but a first-place spot in the AL West into May? That, not so much. After a slow start, Nick Kurtz has rapidly turned his year around, while Shea Langeliers and shocking newcomer Carlos Cortes are leading the offensive charge for these scrappy A’s.

Now, this isn’t a team without its warts, even though it’s nice to see them doing well. Brent Rooker, Jacob Wilson, and Lawrence Butler need to start carrying their respective weights, and it’s hard to see this team continuing to rise much further with their middle-of-the-pack pitching staff.

14. Cleveland Guardians (Preseason Rank: 23)

March/April Record: 16-16

As things currently stand, the AL Central is wide open to any team that’s able to go on a lengthy hot streak. This includes the Guardians, who are enjoying standout performances from unsung heroes like Daniel Schneemann and Brayan Rocchio.

It also helps their cause that Chase DeLauter looks like a solid Rookie of the Year candidate, and José Ramírez is still finding ways to get even better.

On the pitching side of things, the starting rotation is outstanding and is easily one of the best in baseball right now. Gavin Williams, Parker Messick, and Joey Cantillo have all started the year on strong notes, which is exactly why the Guardians find themselves fourth in SP ERA entering May. Don’t sleep on this team.

13. Detroit Tigers (Preseason Rank: 10)

March/April Record: 16-16

The Tigers are hanging right with the Guardians in nearly every way. Detroit’s lineup is much stronger, and they’ve been enjoying breakouts from rookie sensation Kevin McGonigle and surging backstop Dillon Dingler in the early days of the new season.

Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez have been as advertised so far for the Tigers, but there are a handful of other arms on this staff that need to step up. More than anything, though, it’s surprising to see the Tigers even hanging at .500 with the insane amount of players they’ve got on the injured list. Entering May, that number sits at 12.

12. Pittsburgh Pirates (Preseason Rank: 17)

March/April Record: 16-16

The Pirates are right on the cusp of becoming a legitimately fun team, and it’s nice to see them enjoy an early-season surge in our rankings. Oneil Cruz appears to be ready to take the next step, Brandon Lowe has proven to be one of this past offseason’s best acquisitions, and rookie sensation Konnor Griffin is up with the big league club as well.

Expectations are low for the Pirates, but a .500 record getting to May only has them four-and-a-half games back in the NL Central. Are we looking at division champs this year? No. Are they going to continue to surprise people down the stretch, though? You better believe it.

11. St. Louis Cardinals (Preseason Rank: 26)

March/April Record:18-13

You’ve got to give credit where it’s due, and the Cardinals definitely deserve a tip of the cap. This team was ranked as one of the worst in all of baseball not that long ago, and now they’ve nearly cracked the top 10 after just 31 games played.

Despite the fact that they’re still in retool mode, the Cardinals are riding standout showings from rookie JJ Wetherholt, Iván Herrera, and Jordan Walker, who looked to be on his way out the door not that long ago.

Don’t sleep on starter Michael McGreevy (2.97 ERA through six starts) or 31-year-old closer Riley O’Brien (1.17 ERA, 8 SV in 15 games), who have been holding their own on the pitching side of things as well.

So far, this season has been highlighted by players you wouldn’t think would be leading the charge, but that fact alone makes the Cardinals that much more fun to watch.

Top 10 Teams in Major League Baseball

10. Arizona Diamondbacks (Preseason Rank: 20)

March/April Record: 16-14

Sometimes it’s easy to forget the Dbacks since they share a division with the Padres and the juggernaut that is the Dodgers, but Arizona has held its own so far this season. In fact, they’ve jumped up 10 spots in our rankings, which is no small feat.

The Dbacks are another team that’s been ravaged by early injuries, but Corbin Carroll and random breakout star Ildemaro Vargas are leading the offensive charge in the desert. It helps that José Fernández has excelled since his promotion and that newcomer Nolan Arenado went from an ice-cold start to a red-hot streak of run production.

9. Milwaukee Brewers (Preseason Rank: 9)

March/April Record: 16-14

The Brewers are yet another team that’s been forced to battle through injuries, but they’ve remained in the thick of things despite the odds being stacked against them. In typical Brewers fashion, they’re 28th in home runs, but second in baseball in stolen bases, sixth in runs scored, and then sixth in ERA as well.

Brice Turang has a case to be baseball’s best second baseman and Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, and Chad Patrick give Milwaukee a rock-solid trio in the rotation. This team only needs a few turnarounds from players like Sal Frelick and Trevor Megill to start climbing rankings like this.

8. Seattle Mariners (Preseason Rank: 3)

March/April Record: 16-16

It’s hard to write off the Mariners after previously having them as our third-best team in baseball, but they need to show some more life if they’re going to rise back up to that spot. Even if the AL West is still going to wind up being their division to lose, the Raleigh-Julio-Naylor trio needs to find their footing at the dish.

Even if three of their superstars aren’t sporting a wRC+ north of 100 yet, four of Seattle’s five starters are off to great starts, and the vast majority of their bullpen is excelling too. It just feels silly at this point to think that any other team is going to topple this giant come season’s end. They’re coming.

7. Tampa Bay Rays (Preseason Rank: 22)

March/April Record: 18-12

It’s entirely possible that the Rays are just on a hot streak and that regression is on the horizon.

For now, though, we’re going to ride the wave with them. Chandler Simpson is baseball’s peskiest player, and he’s making it work just fine.

Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda, and Yandy Díaz are about as solid a two-through-four as you’ll find in the game, and the pitching staff is doing its thing too.

Surprisingly poor showings from some of their division rivals have given the Rays an opportunity to strike in the AL East. This team consistently finds a way to show up when it matters most, so their potential to either win the division or finish last makes them an intriguing organization to watch. For now, just enjoy the fun of watching them hang with the Yankees atop the division.

6. Cincinnati Reds (Preseason Rank: 19)

March/April Record: 20-11

How about these Reds, man? Despite the fact that they’re 25th in team wRC+ and then 13th in staff ERA, Cincinnati has secured the top spot in the NL Central entering the month of May. The vibes are high right now for the Reds, and rightfully so.

Sal Stewart looks like the team’s next superstar-in-the-making, Elly De La Cruz is finally hitting lefties, and Spencer Steer’s sporting an above-average bat for the first time since 2023.

The Reds are basically the National League’s Rays, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Are we looking at an eventual playoff team, or one that’ll fall out and finish last? Who knows, but for now, they’re nine games above .500 and leading the charge in the Central.

5. San Diego Padres (Preseason Rank: 18)

March/April Record: 19-11

Entering the year, we knew the Padres’ starting rotation would be problematic and that there’d be additional pressure on the offense and bullpen to try and hide the sore spot that was the rotation. While Michael King and Randy Vásquez are doing what they can to keep this team going, the rest of the quintet has largely fallen short.

Even still, the offense, that’s only mustered a combined 97 wRC+, has kept them in games just enough for Cy Young dark horse Mason Miller and breakout righty Bradgley Rodriguez to slam the door on the opposition. The warts have been covered up enough for the Padres to be just a half-game back in the West.

The NL West is likely going to come down to just two teams once again, but the Padres have the potential to at least hang with the Dodgers long enough to capitalize on any missteps of their down the line. Once Lucas Giolito is activated, the hope is certainly that their starting rotation takes a step forward.

4. Chicago Cubs (Preseason Rank: 8)

March/April Record: 19-12

The Cubs, who enter May second in team wRC+ and third in runs scored, have been firing on (mostly) all cylinders offensively to open the new campaign. It’s no secret that Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong need to get going, but the rest of the offense has been showing out on a nightly basis.

While the Reds are hanging on to the top spot in the Central, it feels like the Cubs are ultimately going to be the team to beat. The offense is great, Shota Imanaga and Edward Cabrera are holding down the fort in the rotation, and Ben Brown’s been a sudden relief standout in the ‘pen. The pieces are all there for something special by the time we get to season’s end.

3. New York Yankees (Preseason Rank: 5)

March/April Record:

As the Blue Jays and Red Sox, two of the Yankees’ top legitimate threats in the AL East, continue to falter, the Bronx Bombers are sitting pretty. While they haven’t been able to successfully pull away in the standings just yet, they’re getting the performances they’ve needed from all of their top pieces.

While the Yankees have consistently had to utilize the injured list early on in the year, the team is extremely close to getting two massive pieces back in their rotation in the form of Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón. These reinforcements will make a pitching staff that already sports baseball’s lowest ERA (3.11) and FIP (3.48) even more filthy.

2. Atlanta Braves (Preseason Rank: 11)

March/April Record: 22-10

On paper, the Braves have been one of baseball’s best teams for years. Typically, their season-ending record backs that up, but last year was a total dud. True to form, the team is back in the win column in a huge way to kick off 2026 and is one of the best teams in the game once more.

From the superstars to the supporting staff, the Braves’ lineup has been outstanding, currently ranking first in runs scored, second in batting average, third in home runs, and fourth in team wRC+.

Backing the offense is a pitching staff with the second-lowest ERA and batting average against, and third-lowest WHIP. Both the rotation (third in ERA) and bullpen (fourth in ERA) have been solid as a rock, too, and there are just very few holes to be poked in the way this team is going right now.

Barring something wild, this team is back performing the way they’re supposed to be.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (Preseason Rank: 1)

March/April Record: 20-11

The Braves may have two more wins and one less loss than the Dodgers, but we’re just not ready to take the Boys in Blue out of the top spot yet. From top to bottom, there’s simply no team in baseball that can truly hang with these guys … yet.

As of now, the Dodgers are leading baseball in batting average and wRC+, second in home runs, fifth in runs scored, and tied for the top spot in total fWAR with the Cubs.

The pitching staff, which has been decimated by injuries, is second in FIP and third in ERA while having the ninth-most strikeouts and the fifth-lowest amount of walks issued.

Similar to the Braves, there’s just not a whole lot to complain about with the Dodgers as currently assembled. Shohei Ohtani is pitching like a Cy Young candidate and hitting like an MVP candidate (at the same time), Max Muncy won’t stop hitting homers, and both Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow are both pitching out of their minds. What’s not to like?