MLB Power Rankings: Week Six Update

The week six update of the Major League Baseball Power Rankings is fun, because I get to highlight the best division in baseball: the American League Central.

No, really guys. That wasn’t a joke.

The AL Central has dominated baseball the last week in a half. The five teams are a combined 31-11 in May, and if you take out the White Sox’s modest 4-5 record, they’re 27-6.

Multiple teams are on long winning streaks. The Tigers have notched five in a row, the Twins six, and the Royals seven. The Guardians are on a smaller three-game win streak, but are 8-2 in their last 10 and 6-2 in May.

It’s been a fun ride. And one of the Central teams has earned a spot on the list because of it.

1. Dodgers

The boys in blue from Los Angeles continue to roll. They’re 7-3 in their last ten games, taking series on the road from the Braves and capping off an impressive comeback win Friday against their division rival D-backs.

Shohei Ohtani clubbed another ninth-inning homer in Friday’s 14-11 win over the Snakes, bringing his slashline to .304/.408/.655 with his major league-leading (tie) 12 homers and four triples. Freddie Freeman has also been elite since coming back from injury, slashing a ridiculous .366/.436/.703 with eight homers.

Overall, the Dodgers are 26-13, have the best team OPS in the National League (.804) and have scored the second most runs in the majors (220) behind the Cubs. Oh, and did I mention they’ve had this success with recent injuries to Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández?

2. Mets

The Mets ran into some bad luck last week, losing two one-run games in a doubleheader to the raging hot Cardinals, in which Juan Soto was robbed of a homer.

But how have the Mets done since the day/night sweep in St. Louis? Well, they took a series against the dangerous D-backs, then went home to Queens to stifle the best offense in baseball in a 7-2 win.

The pitching continues to be elite. They have the second-best ERA in the majors (2.82) and the best overall in the NL. Meanwhile, Soto is heating up, and has five home runs in the month of May. And we’re only nine days through.

3. Tigers

I like to champion myself as a baseball guru. I consume an unhealthy amount of baseball media. Why is NO ONE talking about Detroit?

They have the third-best team ERA in baseball at 2.90. They’ve scored the fourth most (210) runs in baseball. Reigning AL Cy Young Tarik Skubal has a 2.08 ERA and leads the AL in strikeouts and K/9. Every position player in their lineup outside Justyn-Henry Malloy has an OPS+ over 100.

The Tigers are by far the best team in the AL. And they’re playing like it as well, with their 26-13 record and 7-1 mark in May.

4. Padres

The Friars had a great week. They swept the Pirates on the road, and had a close series in New York with the Yankees that resulted in a series loss.

Still, the Padres continue to play to their strengths and are 24-13. The triple-headed monster of Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, and Jeremiah Estrada continue to cominate in the pen, the rotation of Michael King, Nick Pivetta, and recently Dylan Cease are among the best in baseball, and the offense spearheaded Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado have scored just enough runs to win ball games.

The club as a whole has only scored 156 runs, which is 18th in baseball. But the club just got Jackson Merrill back, who’s slashing .539/.571/.923 with a homer in his return.

5. Cubs

The Cubs’ offense has held them up in the young 2025 season, but their flaws are starting to show.

The rotation is patched up with loose band-aids since losing Justin Steele. Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd have carried the freight, but the rest of the field has ERAs that start with four.

The result? A series loss to the Giants at home and a 7-2 loss to the Mets on the road. The offense is still the best in baseball, and has the most runs scored in the sport (225). Top-prospect Cade Horton was promoted to make a start Saturday against the Mets, and should help with his 1.33 ERA through six Triple-A starts this season.

6. Giants

San Francisco continues to keep pace with the Dodgers and Padres.

They took a four-game series at home against the Rockies, but backed it up with an impressive series win against the Cubs on the road, which included a 14-5 thumping in Game 2.

Logan Webb continues to dominate with a 2.61 ERA in eight starts, but Robbie Ray has also bounced back with an impressive 2.84 ERA and 9.3 K/9 to help anchor the rotation.

The offense has also contributed, with elite production from the trio of Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee, and Mike Yastrzemski in the outfield. They, combined with the rest of the field, have scored the 10th most runs in baseball and led the club to a 24-15 record. This team could really take off if Willy Adames started hitting. Or if they traded for a rental at first base sometime this season. Maybe Ryan Mountcastle or Ryan O’Hearn if the Orioles continue to struggle.

7. Yankees

The Yanks had two tough series losses to division rivals in the Orioles and Rays, but had a nice showing at home with a series win over the Padres.

Aaron Judge has “cooled off” in his last seven games, and I put that in quotes because despite batting only .259, the Judge is still slugging .633 with two homers in that span. The real show was stolen by Jasson Domínguez, who clubbed three homers Friday night against the Athletics. Overall, the team has a major league-leading 66 homers and .819 OPS.

The rotation has also gotten help from Carlos Rodón, who has a 2.96 ERA and 10.5 K/9 through eight starts, and Will Warren, who pitched 7 1/3 strong innings against the A’s Friday.

8. D-backs

The Snakes are an average 5-5 over their last ten games, but it’s a product of circumstance.

They’ve faced the Mets, Phillies, Mets again, and now the Dodgers to end April and kick off May. They’ve also been without A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez, and Corbin Burnes. Tough to beat some of the best teams in baseball without your three best pitchers.

Still, they took a series against the Mets on the road, and avoided series sweeps by the very same Mets at home and Phillies on the road. The offense has still scored a dominant 202 runs, but the pitching, again hurt by injury, has allowed 200. They had a promising 5-3 win against the Dodgers Thursday behind 6 1/3 scoreless innings from Brandon Pfaadt, and almost held on for a wild 8-3 comeback against the Dodgers Friday. This team will see better days once Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel aren’t pitching for the last six outs.

9. Mariners

Welcome back, Seattle!

The Mariners had another solid week, taking a series from division rivals in the Rangers and Athletics. They’ve got a +28 run differential to start Saturday morning, and are first in the AL West with a 22-15 record.

The offense has been rolling lately, despite taking a brutal Friday night loss to the Blue Jays in which the M’s left the bases loaded late with nobody out. And Andrés Muñoz hasn’t allowed an earned run in 18 innings pitched.

The M’s look like a postseason team early. And they have another threshold to unlock once the starting rotation taps into the back of their baseball cards.

10. Royals

The Royals made a massive jump from No. 16 on last week’s list to be here.

They’re on a seven-game win streak. They’ve won 16 of their last 18 games. It’s been an insane run, which has been backed by their pitching.

During this winning span, the Royals have climbed to the top and have the best team ERA in the majors (2.91). Kris Bubic in particular has been elite, pitching to a 1.69 ERA through 48 innings. Seth Lugo has also been fantastic, as usual, and has a 2.84 ERA in his age-35 season.

The bullpen has also contributed to this run, with Daniel Lynch IV, Lucas Erceg, and John Schreiber all holding ERAs below two to start Saturday morning. Carlos Estévez has also been a concrete in the closer’s role, with a 2.50 ERA and 11 saves.

The offense, on the other hand, is as expected. Bobby Witt Jr. is playing like an MVP and has a .318/.392/.519 slashline with five homers, 13 stolen bases, and 16 doubles through 40 games. The rest of the field, outside Maikel Garcia who has an .878 OPS in his third full season, has a collective OPS+ under 90. If this team sticks around the entire summer, they’ll be the prime candidate to add another bat to the lineup.

Rest of the Field

11. Phillies
12. Guardians
13. Reds
14. Red Sox
15. Astros
16. Twins
17. Braves
18. Cardinals
19. Blue Jays
20. Rangers
21. Brewers
22. Athletics
23. Rays
24. Nationals
25. Orioles
26. Pirates
27. Angels
28. Marlins
29. White Sox
30. Rockies

 

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