MLB Power Rankings: Brewers make statement against Dodgers, Joshua Báez is here

Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, we highlight the Brewers’ series win over the Dodgers, Joshua Báez’s historic debut, the suddenly slumping Red Sox, the ridiculous AL playoff picture, what’s up with Paul Skenes, and much more.

As a reminder, this article is a combination of current performance and long-term outlook.

Let’s get into it!

⇒ Check out this week’s waiver wire recommendations in fantasy baseball

Note: Rankings are from the morning of Monday, August 17

1) Milwaukee Brewers

Last week: 1

The Brewers were our top team last week, but they only reinforced that position by taking three out of four from the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The highlights included a comeback win against Edwín Diaz on Thursday and Jacob Misiorowski striking out both Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman to escape a bases-loaded jam on Saturday.

2) Tampa Bay Rays

Last week: 2

After going 9-0 for their best roadtrip in franchise history, the Rays made their triumphant return home only to drop the first three games of their series against the Orioles. Of course that happened. Still, the Rays remain in strong position in the AL East as they welcome Shane McClanahan back from the injured list on Monday.

3) Atlanta Braves ⬆️

Last week: 4

Braves fans wanted more than Tyler Mahle to strengthen their rotation at the deadline, but he’s been an impact addition so far with just one run allowed and an 18/2 K/BB ratio in 12 innings across his first two starts. The Braves actually own the best rotation ERA (2.92) in the NL since the All-Star break. Only the Yankees (2.69 ERA) have been better in MLB.

4) Los Angeles Dodgers ⬇️

Last week: 3

Kyle Tucker went 0-for-19 during the Dodgers’ homestand against the Brewers and Royals, which now gives him a shocking .558 OPS at home this season compared to an .840 OPS on the road. With the boos raining down, Dave Roberts had Tucker on the bench on Saturday. Back in the lineup on Sunday, Tucker whiffed on this fly ball he really should have caught in the ninth inning. All will be forgiven if Tucker ends up being a postseason hero, but he appears to be in his own head right now.

5) Chicago Cubs

Last week: 5

The Cubs dropped two out of three to the Cardinals over the weekend. In addition to Edward Cabrera getting knocked around in his return from the IL on Sunday, they lost Dansby Swanson due to an oblique strain.

6) New York Yankees

Last week: 6

After being held to two runs over their previous three games, the Yankees managed to pull out Sunday’s finale against the Blue Jays. Still, the state of the offense remains problematic. The Yankees are last in the majors in batting average (.202) and runs scored (77) since the All-Star break. There’s at least some reason for optimism, though, as Cody Bellinger is closing in on a rehab assignment and Aaron Judge is starting to do some light baseball activities.

7) Philadelphia Phillies ⬆️

Last week: 9

If you build it, Kyle Schwarber will mash a home run. In something that wasn’t scripted but simply the fate of the universe, Schwarber homered to lead off the Field of Dreams Game last Thursday.

8) San Diego Padres ⬆️

Last week: 11

With their superstars performing like superstars, the Padres lead the majors in batting average (.276) and OPS (.803) since the All-Star break. They are 19-10 during that time

9) Boston Red Sox ⬇️

Last week: 7

Baseball gonna baseball. Coming off an insane 27-3 stretch, the Red Sox have dropped seven out of their last nine games. A letdown was inevitable, but it’s fair to question if this offense has what it takes.

10) Chicago White Sox

Last week: 10

Yes, yes, the White Sox swept the Tigers this weekend, but let’s not kid ourselves, the real story from the past week is the "Pope Hats." The original plan was for only 2,500 hats to be available for the fan giveaway in honor of noted White Sox fan Pope Leo, but they ended up handing out 40,000 of them.

We often see viral moments of fans fighting, which is why this “Peace Be With You” greeting among fans was so dang refreshing.

Let's try this with Eagles and Cowboys fans soon. What could go wrong?

11) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬇️

Last week: 8

Brandon Pfaadt has been nothing short of incredible since being recalled from Triple-A in late June, posting a ridiculous 1.15 ERA and 30/7 K/BB ratio across in his nine starts. The Diamondbacks are 8-1 in those starts, the latest being seven scoreless frames against the Braves as he outdueled Chris Sale.

12) Houston Astros

Last week: 12

The Astros lost two out of three to the Mariners this weekend, but Friday’s walk-off victory was as dramatic as it gets.

13) Baltimore Orioles ⬆️

Last week: 20

After taking the first three games of their series against the Rays, the Orioles somehow begin the week in playoff position. The American League is ridiculous, and maybe not in a good way.

My favorite quote of the week belongs to Pete Alonso, who got his first-ever start out of the leadoff spot on Friday.

May we all strive to be “Schwarber adjacent.”

14) Miami Marlins

Last week: 14

Much like the Orioles, the Marlins are hanging around in the playoff race despite being more in the category of a “seller” at the deadline. Eury Pérez is a major reason they’ve hung around, with back-to-back scoreless outings under his belt. The 23-year-old owns a sterling 1.80 ERA over 10 starts since returning from the IL.

15) St. Louis Cardinals ⬆️

Last week: 16

Will Joshua Báez’s MLB debut ever be topped? What would it take? A perfect game for a pitcher? Either way, the bar has officially been set.

With Báez complementing an emerging Jordan Walker and NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner JJ Wetherholt, the future looks bright in St. Louis.

16) Texas Rangers ⬇️

Last week: 13

The Rangers just blew a massive opportunity by losing five out of seven while making stops in Anaheim and Sacramento. Despite that, they are a half-game behind the Orioles for the final Wild Card spot. Redemption is possible this week with the Nationals and Angels on the schedule. Most importantly for the Rangers, they have to hope that Jacob deGrom is healthy after he left Thursday’s start early due to triceps fatigue.

17) Toronto Blue Jays ⬆️

Last week: 24

While the Blue Jays dropped Sunday’s finale to the Yankees, they’ve somehow played themselves back into the fray in the AL Wild Card race. Their schedule the rest of the way is quite favorable, so they can’t be ruled out.

18) Pittsburgh Pirates ⬆️

Last week: 21

My “Paul Skenes is fine” t-shirt has a lot of being asking if Paul Skenes is fine. After Skenes topped out at just 96.5 mph with his heater last Tuesday against the Marlins, the Pirates have pushed his next start back to Wednesday.

The situation with Skenes has taken up a lot of oxygen over the past week, but how about some appreciation for what Braxton Ashcraft pulled off against the Marlins last Thursday? A complete game three-hitter with 10 strikeouts on just 85 pitches. What the heck? Since pitch tracking first began in 1988, Ashcraft is the first pitcher to throw nine innings with 10 strikeouts on 85 or fewer pitches.

19) Detroit Tigers ⬇️

Last week: 15

It’s foolish to say the Tigers are done — points feverishly at everything going on in the AL — but it’s not looking good after getting swept by the White Sox and losing Riley Greene in the process.

20) Minnesota Twins ⬇️

Last week: 18

Similar to the Tigers, the Twins are also coming off a weekend sweep and find themselves at 4-10 this month.

21) Cleveland Guardians ⬇️

Last week: 19

The Guardians continue to go in the wrong direction, as they’ve now lost 17 out of their last 23 games. On the bright side, on Saturday we saw Cleveland became the third AL team (and 11th MLB franchise) to reach 10,000 wins in franchise history.

22) Seattle Mariners ⬆️

Last week: 23

Cal Raleigh has had a devil of a time this season — and that's putting it lightly — but his solo homer proved to the the difference in the Mariners’ win over the Astros on Sunday Night Baseball.

Nothing like the Crawford Boxes to function as a confidence-booster. What’s done is done, but Raleigh has a chance to change the conversation during the stretch run.

23) Cincinnati Reds ⬇️

Last week: 22

Hunter Greene ended up needing Tommy John surgery last week, so he can be ruled out for the entire 2027 campaign. Chase Burns has emerged as a legitimate ace this season, but it’s a demoralizing loss for this franchise.

24) Washington Nationals ⬇️

Last week: 17

The biggest news for the Nationals in recent days is C.J. Abrams’ pending move to second base. It was inevitable, as Abrams has graded out among the worst defensive shortstops in the majors. Skilled defender Nasim Nuñez will take over shortstop duties for now, but the Nationals surely hope he’s merely keeping the position warm for top prospect Eli Willits. As for Abrams, it will be interesting to see what this means for him moving forward. He’s still a tremendous hitter, and has two years of team control remaining. He’s no stranger to trade rumors, so now teams will at least get a chance to see how he fares at second base down the stretch.

25) New York Mets

Last week: 25

If the Mets were in the American League, they’d have the third spot in Wild Card race. That’s a lie, but you probably thought about checking, didn’t you?

The Mets have won 9 out of 12 and are overflowing in good vibes at the moment. Even Kodai Senga is suddenly thriving.

26) San Francisco Giants

Last week: 26

If you love a good baseball nickname, get excited. The Giants are calling up the man they call “Tugboat” as they look toward who could help the 2027 club. Acquired from the Guardians in the Patrick Bailey trade earlier this year, Matt Wilkinson is a bit of a throwback as a soft-tossing left-hander. Who knows if it will work in the majors, but the Giants want to figure out whether he’s worth protecting in the Rule 5 Draft this offseason.

Here’s hoping Wilkinson is successful, mostly because it would be pretty sweet to see some Tugboats accumulating in McCovey Cove.

27) Kansas City Royals

Last week: 27

Craig Kimbrel has seen some things in his illustrious career, so the look of sheer awe on his face from this diving Tyler Tolbert catch is something to behold.

28) Colorado Rockies ⬆️

Last week: 29

I asked in last week’s Power Rankings when Zac Veen would get his chance in the majors. Well, here he is. Veen has already slugged a couple of homers in four games, but he also showed off his speed on Sunday.

29) Athletics ⬇️

Last week: 28

Would you believe that another key member of the Athletics' lineup is injured? Tyler Soderstrom landed back on the IL on Sunday as he deals with lingering discomfort in his hip. With the A’s out of it, one wonders if he could be shut down for the remainder of the year.

30) Angels

Last week: 30

Ben Joyce casually throwing 104.5 mph while closing out games for the Angels, no big whoop.