MLB Power Rankings: Unlikely Playoff Contenders Emerge

As we inch closer to the halfway point of the season, a number of teams have mostly settled into their respective places. Our top five is proof of that, as it saw no movement from last week to this one and has featured the same five teams since Week 8.

Teams outside the top five saw a bit more movement in Week 11, though, with the Cardinals rising to their highest ranking of the season at No. 9 after sweeping the Reds, who dropped to 22nd, their lowest ranking of 2026. The Phillies have risen all the way back to sixth after dropping as low as 21 in Week 5.

Things are also heating up in Chicago -- and it's not just the summer sun. After a thrilling walk-off win on Tuesday night, the White Sox sit at No. 13, not far from their crosstown rival, the Cubs, who are 11th.

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 Alden Gonzalez, Jorge Castillo and David Schoenfield to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.

Week 10 | Preseason rankings

Record: 45-23

Previous ranking: 1

Just when Ronald Acuna Jr . was resembling his peak form, another injury could sideline him. This time, the former NL MVP left Tuesday's game against the White Sox with a left hamstring injury after trying to beat a throw at first base. Acuña already was on the injured list last month with a Grade 1 strain in the same hamstring. Braves manager Walt Weiss said this setback doesn't appear as serious, but hamstring injuries are perilous. Acuña was hitting .281 with five home runs and a .913 OPS in 25 games since April 26. The Braves have plowed through various setbacks to create enough room in the standings to absorb another absence. But a dialed-in Acuña could be the difference in October. -- Castillo

Record: 43-25

Previous ranking: 2

The Dodgers are without two of their frontline starters, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow , and also their most important reliever, Edwin Diaz . And yet, their pitching staff has been dominant of late, posting a major-league-best 2.86 ERA since May 13. The Dodgers are 19-7 in that stretch, once again exerting their dominance as they run away from the rest of the National League West. The biggest bright spot of all: Roki Sasaki , who unveiled a harder version of his splitter, got back to throwing his fastball in the triple digits and is starting to look like the guy he was promised to be out of Japan. -- Gonzalez

Record: 41-25

Previous ranking: 3

One of Milwaukee's unsung heroes has been first baseman Jake Bauers , hitting .277/.376/.515 with 12 home runs and a club-leading 43 RBIs. Once a top prospect with the Padres and Rays, Bauers went to Cleveland, Seattle, Cincinnati and the Yankees before the Brewers acquired him. They kept him around even after he hit .199 in 2024. With platoon mate Andrew Vaughn crushing left-handers, Brewers first basemen rank in the top five in the majors in batting average, RBIs and OPS. -- Schoenfield

Record: 41-26

Previous ranking: 4

Losing Aaron Judge for a long stretch is never good, but the Yankees are better equipped than most clubs to handle such a setback . Outfielder Spencer Jones , one of the sport's top power prospects, was called up to replace Judge on the roster and looks more comfortable in his second major league stint. And other options are coming. Jasson Dominguez is nearing a return from a shoulder injury, and Giancarlo Stanton could come off the IL by the end of the month. The Yankees are considering Domínguez for right field -- he made his second pro start there in Triple-A on Tuesday -- but they could also have him stick to left field and move Cody Bellinger to right field. -- Castillo

Record: 40-25

Previous ranking: 5

Yandy Diaz might just be the most overlooked hitter in baseball. The designated hitter is batting an AL-best .331 with 12 home runs. His .940 OPS ranks tied for fifth in the majors, and his 160 wRC+ is tied for fourth. He's a virtual lock for his second All-Star nod. A free agent after the season, Díaz had been the subject of trade rumors the last two years as the Rays failed to reach the postseason. They've come back to Earth after a hot start to the 2026 season, but they should be fine in a mediocre American League. -- Castillo

Record: 37-31

Previous ranking: 9

The Phillies have stormed back into the wild-card race with an extremely top-heavy lineup. They had three regulars with an OPS+ over 80, and all three were well over league average: Bryce Harper , Kyle Schwarber ... and Brandon Marsh ? The bearded left fielder is en route to an All-Star appearance in his home ballpark next month with the fifth-highest batting average in the majors (.326) and a 138 wRC+ that is 13th among major league outfielders. Harper and Schwarber get the shine -- and rightfully so -- but Marsh leads Phillies position players in bWAR and has become indispensable while others, including Trea Turner , have been mired in months-long ruts. -- Castillo

Record: 36-33

Previous ranking: 6

It's been a roller coaster for the Seattle bullpen. On Sunday, Andres Munoz blew a 4-3 lead in the ninth, which was part of a blown 4-1 lead in the final three innings. It was already Munoz's fifth blown save on the season. On Tuesday, with Munoz, Eduard Bazardo and Matt Brash all unavailable, Jose Ferrer blew a 4-2 lead in the ninth. The Mariners managed to win 6-5 on Randy Arozarena 's 10th-inning home run as Nick Davila , called up that day, escaped a first-and-third, no-out jam. Part of the issue, aside from Munoz's struggles: The six-man rotation leaves the bullpen a man down, and manager Dan Wilson is reluctant to use Brash on back-to-back days, so Bazardo and Ferrer are being used heavily. -- Schoenfield

Record: 37-33

Previous ranking: 7

The Guardians' 4½-game cushion in the AL Central has turned into a half-game deficit after they've lost three of their last four series. The road ahead seems quite treacherous. The Guardians will next host a weekend series against a Detroit team that has been better lately (and might have Tarik Skubal back for it), then hit the road for a three-city trip in which they'll face the first-place Brewers, an Astros team that is rounding back into health, and, finally, the White Sox, the team that has suddenly passed them. At some point along the way, they hope to get Steven Kwan on track. His slash line is down to just .213/.323/.262. -- Gonzalez

Record: 37-28

Previous ranking: 14

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Not all of the Cardinals' young players have taken off like Jordan Walker and JJ Wetherholt . When Nathan Church returned from the IL on Tuesday, the corresponding move was to send down Victor Scott II, with Church taking over as the regular center fielder. Scott was hitting .194/.276/.258. Meanwhile, Nolan Gorman has seen his average fall under .200 without enough power to justify a spot in the lineup. He's now 26 years old and in a third straight season in which he hasn't matched his offensive level from 2022 and 2023, his first two major league seasons. Time is running out before the Cardinals consider another direction at third base. -- Schoenfield

Record: 35-33

Previous ranking: 8

The Pirates have now lost five straight Paul Skenes starts following Tuesday's 12-3 loss to the Dodgers, in which Skenes allowed two runs in six innings before the bullpen imploded in a 10-run seventh. Skenes hasn't had great run support, but he also hasn't dominated in this stretch, with a 4.50 ERA and 31 hits in 26 innings. The start against the Dodgers was the first time he completed six innings since May 12 as he has struggled with his efficiency. In his previous start against the Astros, he threw a career-high 109 pitches -- but lasted just 4⅔ innings. He went to his fastball more against the Dodgers, and it induced 11 swing-and-misses, maybe a sign that he needs to trust the fastball a little more. -- Schoenfield

Record: 34-34

Previous ranking: 12

As the losses piled up, the Cubs slid in our rankings: from fourth in Week 7 to seventh to 10th to 12th, and now back up to 11th. It has been ugly losing, too, including an 18-3 loss to the Giants on Friday. In a 2-1 loss in 10 innings on Sunday night, the Cubs had Pete Crow-Armstrong on third base with one out, but the final two batters popped out, continuing Chicago's seasonlong issues with runners in scoring position. Alex Bregman was the final out. "I need to be better with runners on base, plain and simple," Bregman said after the game , adding he has been "terrible." "They brought me here to play good baseball, and I haven't played good baseball. I need to figure it out." -- Schoenfield

Record: 34-33

Previous ranking: 11

The D-backs got some bad news recently with frontline starter Corbin Burnes experiencing a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and being ruled out until sometime around September with a teres major strain. But other reinforcements are on the way. Outfielders Jordan Lawlar and Lourdes Gurriel Jr . are expected back within the next week or two. Lefty-reliever A.J. Puk should be, too, assuming a recent setback in Triple-A doesn't evolve into a bigger deal. And closer Justin Martinez should follow shortly after the All-Star break. In short: The D-backs remain in contention and will only be getting stronger. They'll target bullpen help and left-handed bats before the trade deadline -- and hope their rotation continues to hold up. -- Gonzalez

Record: 36-31

Previous ranking: 13

It's starting to feel like a special season in the South side of Chicago, and the clearest evidence occurred Tuesday night. Braden Montgomery , another promising prospect acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade, hit a walk-off home run in his major league debut, in a win that pushed the White Sox a half-game out of first place in the AL Central. Before Montgomery, the White Sox had already received inspiring performances from other young players like Miguel Vargas , Davis Martin , Colson Montgomery , Tristan Peters and, of course, Munetaka Murakami . The future looks bright, but the present does too. -- Gonzalez

Record: 33-34

Previous ranking: 16

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The Rangers won three series in a row before this current series against Kansas City, sweeping the Royals at home and then taking two of three against each of the Cardinals and Guardians. The offense finally got going, with Josh Jung leading the way over that span, hitting .342 with two home runs and seven RBIs, while Ezequiel Duran hit .333 with nine RBIs. Both are potential All-Stars. Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford both returned to the lineup on June 5, with Seager out since May 13 and Langford out since April 21. After ranking near the bottom of the majors in runs scored through the first two-plus months, the Rangers have reason to be more optimistic moving forward. -- Schoenfield

Record: 35-32

Previous ranking: 10

The Padres beat the Dodgers in the series opener from Petco Park on May 18, taking a half-game lead in the division. Since then, they are 7-14 and their offense has posted a .615 OPS, the lowest in the majors in that stretch. Fernando Tatis Jr . hit a walk-off home run on Wednesday, but it went for just his second homer this season. Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill , meanwhile, have continued their woeful struggles. And with Ramon Laureano and Jake Cronenworth both out, the Padres' offense looks incredibly shallow these days. -- Gonzalez

Record: 33-36

Previous ranking: 15

It's June, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr . is on pace for fewer than 10 home runs on the season. Toronto's $500 million cornerstone isn't a one-trick power sour

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49009896/mlb-2026-power-rankings-week-11-braves-dodgers-yankees-cardinals-white-sox)._