MLB Power Rankings: Red-Hot Offense Crowns New No. 1 in Week 7

Buster Olney and Alden Gonzalez analyze the Dodgers' recent struggles and how much of a threat the Braves are to Los Angeles. (2:50)

Seven weeks into our MLB Power Rankings, we have a new No. 1 team for the first time this season.

The Braves usurped the Dodgers atop our list as Atlanta continues to ride an offensive hot streak led by Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin . Los Angeles, meanwhile, has seen some of its top hitters go cold as it dropped to No. 2 in our rankings -- Shohei Ohtani went 11 games without a home run before snapping that skid on Tuesday night . The rest of the top five stood pat, with the Yankees, Cubs and Rays rounding it out.

Week 7 also brought another first -- a top 10 debut for a club that has struggled to find a rhythm over the past few seasons. The Cardinals, at No. 10 this week, split a four-game series with the Padres after taking series against the Dodgers and Pirates en route to a top 10 record in MLB.

Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we've seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Buster Olney, David Schoenfield and Alden Gonzalez to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.

Week 6 | Preseason rankings

Record: 30-13

Previous ranking: 3

The Braves continued their blitz through the first quarter of the schedule by taking two of three at Dodger Stadium, including back-to-back decisive 7-2 wins. The big highlight was Spencer Strider allowing one hit in six scoreless innings in his second start back from the injured list, looking more like the pre-Tommy John surgery Strider of 2022-23 than what we saw of him in 2025. Meanwhile, Matt Olson is playing at an MVP level, leading the NL in runs, doubles, RBIs, total bases, OPS and OPS+ heading into Wednesday's action. He also passed Gus Suhr with his 823rd consecutive game played, and now ranks 10th on the all-time list, with Eddie Yost (829) just a few days away. -- Schoenfield

Record: 25-18

Previous ranking: 1

Shohei Ohtani wasn't in the lineup again for his start day Wednesday, and he wasn't expected to be in it on Thursday, either, the first time he has been out of the lineup on back-to-back days -- minus stints on the injured and paternity lists -- since the universal designated hitter was implemented in 2022. There's a reason. Before potentially breaking out with an encouraging performance Tuesday night , Ohtani was 4-for-36 with zero home runs in his first 10 games in May. In that stretch, the Dodgers scored three runs or less on seven occasions. -- Gonzalez

Record: 27-17

Previous ranking: 2

With Carlos Rodon back and Gerrit Cole returning soon, there will likely be spillover from the Yankees' rotation into the bullpen, with Will Warren and Ryan Weathers seemingly the best candidates to shift into a relief role, if needed. (This could change if Max Fried , who will have an MRI on his left elbow on Thursday , is out for an extended time.) Additionally: Hard-throwing Carlos LaGrange could be promoted for the bullpen if his command improves, and GM Brian Cashman's history suggests he'll be hyperaggressive in adding help before the trade deadline. -- Olney

Record: 27-16

Previous ranking: 4

The Cubs reeled off their second 10-game winning streak of 2026, becoming just the 11th team in the divisional era (since 1969) to post two winning streaks of at least 10 games in the same season. Eight of the nine regulars and the top three bench players all have an OPS+ of 100 or higher -- Dansby Swanson is just under that mark -- showcasing the depth of the lineup. Pete Crow-Armstrong had a nice 10-game stretch where he hit .297/.366/.649 with three home runs and 10 RBIs while Michael Busch hit .395/.512/.667 with 12 RBIs over a 10-game stretch. The offense finally hit a rut over the weekend, however, getting shut out in consecutive games at Texas. -- Schoenfield

Record: 28-14

Previous ranking: 5

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash used the word "chaos" last week to describe the Rays' offensive attack because of all the things they do to pressure opposing defenses -- bunting, stealing, slapping hits the other way, etc. They are among the top five in steals, lead the majors in sac bunts and have the fewest strikeouts of any team. As Toronto demonstrated last fall, an offense with that kind of diversity can be dangerous. -- Olney

Record: 23-17

Previous ranking: 7

In his May 8 start against the Yankees, Jacob Misiorowski reached new velocity heights for a starting pitcher. He threw 10 fastballs at 103 mph or higher, including three that clocked 103.6, the highest velocity recorded for a starter in the Statcast era. Oh, more importantly, he won the game, allowing two hits in six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts. He's averaging 14.3 K's per nine, which would break Gerrit Cole's record of 13.8 for a starting pitcher if Misiorowski can get enough innings to qualify (he's on pace for about 162 innings). -- Schoenfield

Record: 25-17

Previous ranking: 6

The Padres find themselves in first place in the National League West, a half-game ahead of the two-time defending champion Dodgers, and Fernando Tatis Jr ., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill , the three players who are supposed to carry their offense, have all been well below league average. Instead, it has been Ty France , Xander Bogaerts and Miguel Andujar carrying the offense. That won't continue, but neither will the struggles of Tatis, Machado and Merrill. Another thing for Padres fans to look forward to: Lucas Giolito joins their rotation this weekend. -- Gonzalez

Record: 23-20

Previous ranking: 9

Obviously, Paul Skenes is pretty good. In his Tuesday start against the Rockies, he fanned the first six batters and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, losing it when Oneil Cruz just missed on a diving catch. Skenes allowed two hits in eight scoreless innings -- matching his line from his previous start and making him just the fourth pitcher since 1900 with consecutive starts of at least eight innings, no runs, two or fewer hits and no walks. Next up: How about pitching nine innings? Skenes' only complete game in the majors was an eight-inning loss on the road last season. -- Schoenfield

Record: 21-23

Previous ranking: 10

We polled those around the industry about the most intriguing topics surrounding this upcoming offseason. Kiley McDaniel &#187

On Monday, Cal Raleigh showered in full uniform , a sign that his prolonged slump had grown to the point of desperation. Maybe that worked. The following night, Raleigh hit a line-drive single that snapped an 0-for-38 skid, a source of levity among his teammates. Bryan Woo waved a towel in his direction as he came into the dugout, as if the Mariners' catcher needed to be cooled off. Josh Naylor pretended to ask for the ball as a keepsake. Raleigh followed with another single. By the end of the night, his batting average remained at just .166, second lowest among qualified hitters. But maybe it was the start of something. -- Gonzalez

Record: 24-18

Previous ranking: 12

Michael McGreevy delivered back-to-back scoreless starts, allowing just four hits over 12 innings, to lower his ERA to 2.18. He's allowed batters a .184/.232/.310 line, giving him the 10th lowest OPS among qualified starters. He doesn't whiff a lot of batters, but he's riding a low BABIP. He's held right-handed batters to a .135 average, mostly using a sinker/sweeper combo but changes that to a four-seamer/changeup/curveball/cutter arsenal against lefties. With a fastball that averages 90.9 mph, we'll see how sustainable this is but it's all working now. -- Schoenfield

Record: 20-23

Previous ranking: 15

The Phillies went 11-3 in their first 14 games under interim manager Don Mattingly, posting a 3.16 ERA while hitting .267 and averaging 5.0 runs. Of course, the schedule has factored. In a 13-game stretch in which the Phillies played only the Cubs and Braves, they went 2-11, ending with Rob Thomson getting fired. They've played the Giants, Marlins, A's, Rockies and Red Sox under Mattingly. Still, some slow starters are finally hitting: In that 14-game stretch, Alec Bohm had an .833 OPS with nine RBIs in the 11 games he played; Bryson Stott slugged .531 with 12 RBIs; and Brandon Marsh hit .457 to raise his average to an MLB-leading .350. -- Schoenfield

Record: 24-21

Previous ranking: 16

Travis Bazzana has the look of a future leadoff hitter, with his ability to command a strike zone. In his first 55 plate appearances, he drew 12 walks while striking out just eight times, and his chase rate -- how much he swings at pitches outside the strike zone -- was an extraordinary 18.5% going into play Wednesday, the fifth-lowest rate among all hitters with at least 50 plate appearances. The Guardians have loved his grittiness and speed. -- Olney

Record: 22-20

Previous ranking: 13

Henry Bolte wasn't on many people's radars for a major league call-up this season, but his success in Triple-A became too much for the A's to ignore. Bolte, a 22-year-old former second-round pick out of high school, recorded hits in 12 consecutive plate appearances at Las Vegas this month, including seven for extra bases in back-to-back games. Bolte should get some looks in center and right field with Denzel Clarke out with a bone bruise in his right foot. "He kind of forced the hand," A's manager Mark Kotsay said of Bolte. -- Gonzalez

Record: 22-21

Previous ranking: 11

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Tuesday's 10-4 loss to the Nationals was the sixth time in 11 games in May the Reds had allowed at least seven runs. That's not going to work for an offense that is near the bottom of the majors in runs scored. Indeed, despite a winning record, the Reds' run differential is among the worst as well. Chase Burns continues to be a bright spot in the rotation with a 2.11 ERA, and one run allowed over his past two starts. Andrew Abbott has also delivered consecutive scoreless starts to lower his ERA from 5.97 to 4.47. Brady Singer , however, has struggled with the home run (eight in his past four starts) while Rhett Lowder has lasted just three innings and 1 ⅓ innings in his past two outings. The Reds made the playoffs last year behind a great rotation. They haven't had a great one so far in 2026. -- Schoenfield

Record: 21-22

Previous ranking: 14

Jacob deGrom put together a vintage performance against a lethal Cubs lineup on Mother's Day, throwing seven scoreless innings and striking out 10 to lower his ERA to 2.62. Offensive production continues to be a problem for the Rangers, consistently putting pressure on the pitching staff to keep them in games. And while their bullpen has been one of the best units in the sport this year, their rotation has mostly been middle of the pack. More performances such as the one from deGrom -- and more health for Nathan Eovaldi , who was scratched from his last start with tightness in his left side -- are needed. -- Gonzalez

Record: 19-24

Previous ranking: 8

During Framber Valdez 's ugly May 5 start against the Red Sox -- which ended for him with a Trevor Story HBP and a suspension for the left-hander -- there were a lot of indications that Boston was discerning his pitch grips and relaying them to hitters. For that particular game, Valdez had worn a markedly smaller brown glove, which presumably made it a lot easier for Red Sox hitters to see his pitching hand in the set position. When Valdez played catch in K.C. over the weekend, he was back to using an oversized red glove. The guess here is he won't wear that small glove again. -- Olney

Record: 20-22

Previous ranking: 18

The D-backs officially waved goodbye to Alek Thomas earlier this week, trading him to the rival Dodgers for a teenage outfield prospect. Thomas was once considered a foundational player, but his defense didn't prove spectacular enough to make up for his sagging offense. In his pla

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