MLB Power Rankings 11.0 (Week of June 9): Yankees hanging on to top spot even during Soto absence

The amount of parity in the National League has made these MLB power rankings all the more difficult in recent weeks. 

At least that problem does not exist in the AL. The Yankees remain the class of the junior circuit while holding on to the top spot of our power rankings for a second straight week.

2024 MLB Power Rankings 11.0

1. New York Yankees (Previous #1): The Yankees look a lot more fragile without Juan Soto in the lineup, granted, his absence came against the Dodgers. Still, it feels like one injury to a big bat like Soto or Judge could derail the Bronx Bombers even with Gerrit Cole on the cusp of returning.
   
2. Philadelphia Phillies (Previous #2): Jose Alvarado’s rare hiccup saw them squander the chance of sweeping the Mets at the London Series. It’s probably an outlier, though, as the Phillies remain the top club in the National League. 
3. Baltimore Orioles (Previous #4): There is a gulf in class between the top two clubs in the AL East and the rest of the division. The Orioles showed that with a four-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. They are hitting home runs at a dizzying rate right now and have a chance to make a big statement next week when they meet the Yankees.
4. Cleveland Guardians (Previous #3): The Guardians keep puttering along as a legitimate American League power predicated on some of the best bats in the American League. Steven Kwan and David Fry are providing one heck of a support system for Jose Ramirez. Both have OPSs over .900 this season.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous #5): The Dodgers took two of three from the shorthanded Yankees over the weekend and Teoscar Hernandez is on a heater with four homers, 10 extra-base hits, a .309 average, and a .992 OPS in his last 13 games.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (Previous #8): Milwaukee has built a healthy seven-game advantage atop the NL Central. They rebounded from getting swept by the Phillies by taking two of three from Detroit.
7. Kansas City Royals (Previous #9): The Royals are hanging with some of the best in the American League, splitting a two-game set with Cleveland last week before taking two of three from the AL West-leading Mariners. They are 11 games over and have opened a 3.5-game lead for second place in the AL Central ahead of the Twins.
8. Seattle Mariners (Previous #6): The Mariners are 7-3 in their last 10 but a series loss to the Royals suggests that there is still some work to be done for a club that took advantage of a pretty easy stretch of its schedule. Their last 13 games before the series against KC came against the Astros, Nationals, Angels, and Athletics — all of whom are near the bottom of our rankings.
9. Atlanta Braves (Previous #7): Without Ronald Acuna Jr., the Braves look mediocre at best. They are now nine games back of the Phillies after losing three of four to the Nationals. Still, they are one of just four teams in the National League who are more than one game over .500. 
10. Minnesota Twins (Previous #10): They are proving to be too inconsistent, which could doom them in an AL Central that was perceived as a winnable division as long as they stayed just above .500. Their offense went ice-cold last week, being held without a run for 22 consecutive innings.
11. San Diego Padres (Previous #13): After being swept by the Angels, they split a four-game set with the Diamondbacks. They are at .500 and Fernando Tatis Jr. looks like his old star self. 
12. Boston Red Sox (Previous #11): Boston continues to wade the .500 waters remarkably enough, though they drop just a smidge after splitting a four-game set with the embarrassingly bad White Sox. 
13. Detroit Tigers (Previous #12): Tarik Skubal is a bona fide Cy Young candidate but the rest of his team has been a mess since the start of May. Yet somehow, they enter Tuesday’s action just one game under 500.
    
14. Cincinnati Reds (Previous #21): Cincinnati takes a big jump in our ratings as it continues to be the most enigmatic team in baseball. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games after going 5-2 against the Cubs and sweeping the Rockies. After looking dead in the water just a couple weeks ago, they are in second place in the NL Central.
15. Chicago Cubs (Previous #14): The Cubs were supposed to be better than this, but the Reds showed off a lot of their faults over the past week.
16. San Francisco Giants (Previous #19): Perhaps the Giants are starting to run hot again after the streaky side lost six straight games. They have won four of their last five games to get back to within a game of .500.
17. Arizona Diamondbacks (Previous #17): The defending NL champions still look like a shell of themselves, but they have won six of their last nine and Corbin Carroll looks to be coming along. 
18. Texas Rangers (Previous #15): Thankfully for the sputtering Rangers, they are in a weak AL West in which they are in second place despite being three games under .500. They went a combined 2-4 against the Tigers and Giants across their last six. 
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (Previous #22): Winning consecutive series against the Dodgers and Twins helps the Pirates make a jump forward in our rankings. They continue to hang around the .500 mark despite being in last place in the NL Central.
20. Toronto Blue Jays (Previous #23): After splitting with the Orioles and taking two of three with the Athletics, the Jays are out of the cellar of the AL East. 
21. Tampa Bay Rays (Previous #16): Tampa’s offense went ice cold, scoring three runs or fewer in each of their four losses against the Orioles. 
22. St. Louis Cardinals (Previous #18): Sonny Gray is struggling, Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt cannot figure it out, and St. Louis has lost consecutive series to the Phillies and Astros before splitting a series with the Rockies.
    
23. New York Mets (Previous #24): A furious comeback against the Phillies to salvage a split in London has extended the good times a bit longer for the Mets. Despite being eight games under .500 entering Tuesday, they are just three games back of a Wild Card spot and have won five of seven games.
24. Washington Nationals (Previous #25): Things looked bleak for Washington after getting swept by the Mets, but they rebounded well by taking three of four from the Braves.
25. Houston Astros (Previous #20): I’m over the Astros for now. Luckily, they are in such a bad division that one hot streak can get them right back into the thick of it. Still, they are seven games under .500 and are so unimpressive.
26. Los Angeles Angels (Previous #28): After sweeping the Padres last week, they lost two of three to th Astros. 
27. Oakland Athletics (Previous #26): Oakland is 3-7 in their last 10 games and sunk to last in the AL West after a loss to San Diego on Monday.
28. Colorado Rockies (Previous #27): Colorado has lost eight of their last 10. At least Ezequiel Tovar has been on a heater over the last month. 
29. Miami Marlins (Previous #29): The Marlins have lost six of their last seven and are 6.5 games behind the Mets for fourth in the NL East, if you need to know how bad things are going down there.
30. Chicago White Sox (Previous #30): After splitting a four-game set with the Red Sox, the White Sox are now on pace to win 41 games this season. Look out, 1962 Mets, your record might be safe, after all.

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