MLB Power Rankings: Week Eight Update

Well. Somebody woke the Phillies up.

Seriously, this team cracked our top 10 almost every week, but early struggles and offensive mediocrity forced them outside the list in the first two weeks of the season. But they’ve stormed back, have the best record in baseball Saturday morning, and sit in first place in the National League East. But that’s enough about Philadelphia. I’ll highlight them below.

On the opposite spectrum, the Padres have struggled immensely. They’re 3-7 in their last 10 games and suffered a six-game losing streak that lasted from May 16 to May 22. They bounced back with a 2-1 win over the Braves that featured a base running blunder in the bottom of the ninth, and somehow find themselves only three games behind the first-place Dodgers.

One other team that won’t get much attention or love in this article are the Angels. When looking back at 2025, this might have been their best week of the season. They swept the Dodgers on the road, swept the Athletics in four games in Sacramento, then won 7-4 against Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins Friday. They’re back to .500 and only four games behind the Mariners heading into Memorial Day.

1. Dodgers

Let’s just address this now: Yes, the Dodgers were swept this weekend by the Angels during “rivalry” week. And I put that in quotes, because the Dodgers should have played the Giants. The Red Sox play the Yankees. Anyway, I digress.

But the Dodgers are still by far the best team in baseball. They bounced back with a series win at home against the Athletics, and survived an insanely wild game at Citi Field Friday that saw a 5-2 lead disappear in the ninth, then neither they nor the Mets scored for three innings with a ghost runner at second. They’re comfortably in front of the Giants and Padres in the division, have a multitude of injuries that have held them back, along with leading the NL in homers (81) and OPS (.808), and second behind the Cubs in runs (291) and run differential (+64).

2. Phillies

Philadelphia is scorching hot right now. They’ve won eight in a row, sit in first in the NL East, and now hold the best record in baseball.

Sure, they’ve played the Pirates, Rockies, and Athletics in this stretch, but you still have to win the games. And this roster is loaded. Kyle Schwarber is having an insane contract season, slashing .251/.364/.563, and is tied for the major league lead in homers at 17. Bryce Harper‘s bat has awoken to help, and the future Hall of Famer is batting .407 with a .667 slugging percentage in his last seven games. Also, Trea Turner is quietly leading the league in hits at 63.

3. Tigers

It’s been the same recipe for the Tigers. Elite pitching and timely hitting.

The club enters Saturday with the best record in the American League and holds a comfortable four-game lead over the Guardians. They’ve got a 3.35 team ERA (6th in MLB) and have a 14-7 record in May.

4. Yankees

We’ve highlighted the Phillies as one of the hottest teams in baseball, but the Bombers are right there with them. Outside their 3-2 loss to the Rockies Friday, the club dominated last week. They barely missed sweeping the Mets, then hosted the Rangers and swept them in a series that featured Jacob deGrom‘s return to New York.

They lead a surprisingly lackluster AL East, and are 30-20 as of May 24. They’re without Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Giancarlo Stanton, and pitchers like Luis Gil and Jake Cousins, leading me to believe that the Yankees are only at the dawn of a great season.

5. Cubs

Like the Tigers, the Cubs are more or less the same: Winning games by crushing the baseball.

They scored 26 runs in a three-game weekend sweep over the White Sox, then went to Miami and scored 23 runs in a series win. Friday was no different, where they beat down on their division rival Reds in a 13-6 win.

The offense has scored the most runs in baseball (306), hit the fourth most homers (71), and has the third best team OPS (.789). Pete Crow-Armstrong has been at the forefront for the Cubbies, and has a .908 OPS with 14 bombs before June. Who saw that coming?

6. Padres

Yeesh, what a week for the Padres. They went 3-7. Withstood a six-game losing streak. Got absolutely rocked by the stale Blue Jays. It’s been befuddling.

Yet they’re still a top baseball team and hold a 28-21 record. They’ve still got a +21 run differential. This team will be okay. Friday was a nice bounceback, as the club won 2-1 over the Braves in Atlanta, and got timely homers from Gavin Sheets and Manny Machado.

7. Giants

San Francisco had another nice week to maintain ground in the NL West.

They swept their “rival” Athletics over the weekend, then lost a close series with the Royals at home. The club recovered quickly Friday with a solid 4-0 win over the Nationals in D.C., and finds themselves only three games behind the Dodgers heading into Memorial Day.

The Giants continue to win behind a veteran pitching staff, with Logan Webb (2.67 ERA) and Robbie Ray (2.67 ERA) leading the charge. Wilmer Flores has also shined for the offense, and leads the team in homers (10). It would be awesome if he were the first Giant to hit 30 homers since Barry Bonds reached the mark in 2004.

8. Mets

How the Mets hurt me so. Did anyone else go right to that Friday game from the Knicks losing at the Garden? Talk about a night that will give you a heart attack before age 40.

The Mets have struggled. There’s no witty or sly way to say it. They’re 4-6 in their last 10, got thrown around by the Yankees in Juan Soto‘s grand return over the weekend, then went to Boston but forgot their bats back in New York.

The team has scored 18 runs in seven games. And two of those games included five-run performances. It’s been a struggle. Particularly for Brandon Nimmo, who was removed from Friday’s game with a stiff neck and entered as a below-average offensive player per OPS+.

But, the Mets are still here because of the talent. Like the Phillies earlier in the season, they’re too talented to struggle this much. They still lead the majors in ERA (2.86) and are 30-21. Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are returning. The dog days for the club just might be now.

9. Twins

Minnesota could have been like the Royals, who won 16 of 18, then faded a little. But they’ve maintained their winning ways, despite losing Byron Buxton to the seven-day IL.

After their 13-game winning streak was snapped by the Brewers May 18, they took a series against the Guardians at home and then won a Friday night matchup against the Royals 3-1.

The team’s offense scores just enough to win with their elite pitching. Joe Ryan has a 2.68 ERA in 10 games, Pablo López a 2.31 ERA in nine starts, and both Chris Paddack and Bailey Ober have sub-four ERAs.

10. Cardinals

The Red Birds had an insane week to catapult themselves to 13 on our list, barely missing out on the top-10. But another solid week got them the final spot for week eight.

They took two games from the Royals on the road over the weekend, and had a close series with the Tigers, which saw them barely lose Game 2 and then the series. They don’t hit for power. Their pitching has been middle of the pack. But they keep winning games.

The club has gotten victories behind timely hitting. The team is batting .268 with runners in scoring position and doing enough to hand the ball over to a strong bullpen headed by Kyle Leahy and Ryan Helsley.

The club is very much competitive. And finds itself only three games back of the Cubs on May 24. A strong +41 run differential shows this team is for real, and could be an interesting buyer at the deadline this season.

Rest of the Field

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

 

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