With the first full month of baseball in the books, new MLB power rankings are beginning to appear across the landscape. There’s been a fair share of teams blowing away expectations and some that are outright disappointing through the first 30-plus games.
April delivered no shortage of memorable performances, from Jo Adell’s three home-run robberies in one game to Japanese rookie Munetaka Murakami’s power surge. There’s also been early-season shakeups with the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies firing their managers. What’s being made clear so early in the season is that there’s no runaway team; it’s a wide-open league so far.
The Atlanta Braves deserve to be either near or at the top of everyone’s MLB power rankings just based on what they’re doing with a patchwork rotation.
Even before the season started, Atlanta lost pitcher Spencer Strider, Hurston Waldrep, Spencer Schwellenbach, and AJ Smith-Shawver to injury. The team rolled into the season with one dependable pitcher in Chris Sale, along with what could be argued as four bullpen pitchers. Though JR Ritchie and Didier Fuentes were due to be called up soon, the season looked over already.
Thanks to their offense, the Braves have stayed relevant and might be the best team in baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. First baseman Matt Olson has 10 home runs and is hitting nearly 1.000 OPS, while reigning Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin continues his introduction in the majors. Ronald Acuna Jr. returned from injury, and Michael Harris II is leading the team in several offensive categories.
On the pitching side, Chris Sale is back in Cy Young form with a 2.31 ERA over 35 innings, while none of their starters outside of Grant Holmes has an ERA over 4.00. Even Martin Perez and Bryce Elder look solid in the rotation. Atlanta will have to address a potential logjam with their starting rotation once the aforementioned injured pitchers return, however.
The Tampa Bay Rays are not getting enough love in anyone’s MLB power rankings so far this season.
They’re second in a competitive American League East, led by the big power bat of Yandy Diaz and the speed of Chandler Simpson. Junior Caminero is on track to hit another 40 home runs in his age-22 season after posting 45 in 2025. Except for Cedric Mullins slow start, Tampa Bay has arguably the most well-rounded lineup out of the American League.
Nick Martinez has also been a revelation for the team’s rotation, tossing a 1.70 ERA despite only having 24 strikeouts in 37 innings. Shane McClanahan, although not a Cy Young-caliber pitcher yet, returned to the team and got right to work with a 3.10 ERA. There are some questions with their bullpen, however, as Griffin Jax is struggling.
This isn’t the same team as the 2023 Rays, who had Tyler Glasnow and Taj Bradley and were due to get paid soon, along with Shane Baz. What they’re doing with a $102 million payroll shows their front office is doing what they did earlier this decade: maximize performance and limit dollars.
The Athletics were billed as a potentially exciting team in several MLB Power Rankings lists before opening day.
Pitching was their biggest concern heading into the season, and still is as the calendar turns to May. The good news is that Jeffrey Springs and the sudden rebirth of Aaron Civale give the team a respectable 1-2 punch. Luis Severino and Jacob Lopez, on the other hand, continue to struggle. The better news is that they have a replacement in Joel Kuhnel for the closer spot, replacing Mason Miller going forward.
The big guys in their lineup are doing just fine, with Nick Kurtz leading the league with 34 walks and Jacob Wilson hitting .288 to open the season. Catcher Shea Langeliers is also hitting .964 and leads the team with eight home runs. Outfielder Lawrence Butler and designated hitter Brent Rooker, however, are struggling with a combined .530 OPS.
Luckily for the Athletics, they have a few prospects on the way in outfielder Henry Bolte, pitcher Braden Nett and, if things go right, Gage Jump. Glistening prospects Leo De Vries and Jamie Arnold likely won’t appear this year, but times are good in Sacramento.
A team that has to fire a manager this early in the season deserves to get shredded in any MLB power rankings.
Little has gone right for the Boston Red Sox so far in the 2026 season, from bad offensive play to Garrett Crochet’s lackluster start. Both Crochet and Sonny Gray, their offseason acquisition, are on the 15-day injured list, forcing rookies Connelly Early and Payton Tolle to bear the brunt. Aroldis Chapman continues his dominance in the closer role, but it’s really the only silver lining in a disorganized bullpen.
The lineup has been the biggest disappointment, with trade acquisition Caleb Durbin and rookie Marcelo Mayer struggling to find any solid footing. The good news is that Wilyer Abreu is performing at a high level, and Willson Contreras is as-advertised from the St. Louis Cardinals. There are serious issues with the lack of a leader in the clubhouse.
Ranger Suarez has turned it around for the team after a really bad start, but there are serious cracks with this team. Maybe firing Alex Cora and most of their coaching staff could be a good thing.
Everyone knew the Phillies’ window for a championship was quickly closing, but the difference in the team between last year and this year is alarming.
There are still the usual contributors in the lineup, such as Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, and Trea Turner. Everyone else, however, seems to be either hiding behind them or injured. Justin Crawford is making a name for himself, but that’s about it outside of the current core.
For the rotation, however, there’s a much bigger issue at play than what was to be expected. The team did call up Andrew Painter as expected, and he’s thrown a good game or two, but veterans like Aaron Nola and the now-cut Taijuan Walker were awful. Philadelphia barely made any effort to address the departure of Ranger Suarez or ease Painter into the rotation. There’s a reason why no one is giving them a thought in any MLB power rankings.
The 2026 season for the New York Mets will end in disaster.
David Stearns and Steve Cohen’s lineup is turning into a mess, with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor already having stints on the injured list. Marcus Semien’s offensive production issues are getting worse, and Carson Benge looks overmatched at the plate.
It’s a shame since the Mets actually have some decent pitching pieces in Nolan McLean and the newly-acquired Freddy Peralta. Clay Holmes is holding his own, and Huascar Brazoban is the arm out of the bullpen. Outside of that, very little is there to cheer about for the pitching staff. The fact that manager Carlos Mendoza is still there shows the team is complacent at this point. They deserve to be at the bottom of all MLB power rankings from any pundit.
It’s still early in the season, so all of these teams’ fortunes can change on a dime. May will be a very pivotal month for all of these teams and their playoff ambitions.
Remember, the MLB is currently wide open with no clear runaway team, with only a handful of teams surpassing the 20-win mark. For all that anyone knows, there’s always the potential for a dark horse to come storming in and shake up the season.
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