2026 MLB Power Rankings: June 1st Update
The latest 2026 baseball power rankings! Monthly updates on top MLB teams, breaking down the biggest risers and fallers.
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The old saying goes that once you pass Memorial Day, you can start to judge a baseball team. Two full months of samples have given us a much better understanding of who these teams are, but there are still four months left that will give them ample time to change those impressions.
We have seen some teams that got out the gate slow, like the Philadelphia Phillies, start to round into form, while others who got off to fast starts, like the Cincinnati Reds, have now fallen back into the pack.
In this month’s updated MLB Power Rankings, there is plenty of movement, with teams shooting up and falling down as many as 10+ slots. Next to each team ranked below, you will see their previous ranking listed. If you want to compare this month’s list to last, make sure you check out our power rankings that were published on May 1st.
Top 10 Worst Teams in Major League Baseball
30. Detroit Tigers (Previous Ranking: 13)
May Record: 6-22
No team played worse baseball in the month of May than the Detroit Tigers. While missing Tarik Skubal has been a big loss, it has been the Tigers’ lineup that has been missing more than anything.
Going into play on Sunday, the Tigers had a team OPS of .602 in the month of May. No team scored fewer runs than the Tigers, who averaged less than three runs per game.
29. Colorado Rockies (Previous Ranking: 26)
May Record: 8-20
After being ranked ahead of struggling teams like the Mets and Phillies last month, the Colorado Rockies were due for a slide down the rankings this month.
For now, they at least avoid the bottom spot, as the Detroit Tigers’ disastrous month of May has kept the Rockies from being our worst-ranked team in baseball. Considering the fact that the Tigers are likely to progress to the mean a little bit, and the Rockies weren’t much better this month, it is fair to assume the bottom spot is coming their way soon enough.
28. Los Angeles Angels (Previous Ranking: 28)
May Record: 11-17
One month later and there is not much that has changed for the Los Angeles Angels in terms of our power rankings. Mike Trout continues to have an outstanding bounce back season, which is worth the price of admission if you go see the Angels.
Arrive on a day when Jose Soriano pitches, and you get a chance to see what has been one of the more dominant pitchers in baseball this season. Other than those two bright spots, along with one of the more underrated shortstops in baseball in Zach Neto, the Angels have not been a very good baseball team.
27. San Francisco Giants (Previous Ranking: 20)
May Record: 10-18
The San Francisco Giants have been one of baseball’s biggest disappointments thus far, as their roster has plenty of star-power, but they keep coming up short.
We are nearly 60 games into this season and the combination of Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers and Willy Adames has combined to hit just 15 home runs, with all three hitters sporting a wRC+ below the league average of 100. If that trio can’t turn things around, the Giants have problems that are going to stretch far beyond this season.
26. Kansas City Royals (Previous Ranking: 25)
May Record: 10-18
We are still waiting for the Kansas City Royals to get going in a division and an American League that is wide open for the taking right now. Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the best shortstops we have seen in a very long time, and he is currently pacing the league in fWAR.
Despite Witt’s efforts, the Royals can’t seem to string together wins right now. Salvador Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia were all shining in the World Baseball Classic merely a few month ago, and yet none of them is off to a good start this year. This has put Witt on an island, and the Royals in purgatory.
25. Boston Red Sox (Previous Ranking: 22)
May Record: 13-14
The Boston Red Sox offseason additions have actually panned out really well, as you have Willson Contreras leading the team with 11 home runs and a 145 wRC+, and Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray both pitching well in their starting rotation.
What hasn’t gone the Red Sox way is the performance of their holdovers from 2025, with Jarren Duran and Trevor Story in particular struggling. The Red Sox improved some compared to last month, but not nearly as much as some of the teams that shot past them on this list.
24. Athletics (Previous Ranking: 15)
May Record: 11-17
One of the biggest fallers in our power rankings, the A’s struggled mightily throughout the month of May. Shea Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, and surprisingly Carlos Cortes, have been great this year, but the rest of the Athletics lineup has left something to be desired.
Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, and Aaron Civale have all been solid enough, but none have pitched like a frontline starter. J.T. Ginn has actually been the closest thing for the A’s. But a bad bullpen can often overshadow the best efforts made by the A’s rotation.
23. Miami Marlins (Previous Ranking: 19)
May Record: 11-18
If you go to the Miami Marlins’ roster resource page right now on FanGraphs, you will see only three starting pitchers listed in their rotation. That is because Eury Perez, Robby Snelling and Janson Junk all hit the IL, with Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer being the only men left standing from their Opening Day rotation.
The Marlins have an exciting up-the-middle combination with Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez, and when they have Alcantara or Meyer on the mound, they can beat anyone. But the questions surrounding their rotation were enough to push them down a few slots, especially paired with their lackluster May record.
22. New York Mets (Previous Ranking: 30)
May Record: 16-12
Ranked dead-last after posting a 7-19 month of April, the New York Mets bounced back to post a much stronger month of May, albeit one that was still a bit up and down.
They opened the month winning 11 of their first 16 games, including a homestand where they swept the Tigers and beat the Yankees in the Subway Series. It seemed like the Mets had real momentum, then they went and dropped seven out of a eight games.
Part of that bad stretch included getting swept by the Marlins when they traveled to Miami. This past weekend, the Mets returned the favor, ending the month on a strong note by sweeping the Fish in a series where they scored 25 runs. Juan Soto is red-hot right now, and very well could carry the Mets up these rankings even more with another big month.
21. Texas Rangers (Previous Ranking: 16)
May Record: 13-15
The Texas Rangers are team that has so much potential, but has yet to hit their stride. Having Wyatt Langford and Corey Seager sidelined has not helped, and with both starting rehab assignments, their imminent return offers a real glimmer of hope for the Rangers.
Middle of the Pack
20. Houston Astros (Previous Ranking: 27)
May Record: 15-14
Having Yordan Alvarez back to being one of baseball’s very best hitters was a huge help to the Astros rising up seven spots. While the team is still seven games under .500 entering June, they remain just 4.5 GB in the AL West, and players like Alvarez and Spencer Arrighetti are going to need to continue this stretch into the new month if there’ll be any hope for Houston.
19. Baltimore Orioles (Previous Ranking: 18)
May Record: 13-16
The Orioles are doing what they can to stick around in the AL East, but it’s becoming increasingly more difficult as their rivals continue to find their footing. The team had one player on each side of the ball, Pete Alonso and Kyle Bradish, take strong steps forward in May, but so far their biggest issue has been getting everyone to play winning baseball all at the same time.
18. Minnesota Twins (Previous Ranking: 23)
May Record: 13-15
The Twins’ offense scored five or more runs 12 times in the month of May, but their pitching staff, that combined to finish 24th in the game in ERA last month, couldn’t hold their own. At the end of the day, there may not be a singular division more up for grabs than the AL Central this year, but Minnesota losing seven in a row to end the month of May is not going to do them any favors in the long run.
17. Washington Nationals (Previous Ranking: 21)
May Record: 16-12
The Nationals have been in a multi-year rebuild for a while now, but the month of May looked to be a turning point. James Wood, CJ Abrams, and Curtis Mead all stepped up to carry the offense, while Cade Cavalli and Zack Littell held their own on the mound. Washington enters June two games above .500 and in second place in the NL East, so at the very least, steps are being taken to turn this unit into a contender in the near future.
16. Toronto Blue Jays (Previous Ranking: 17)
May Record: 15-14
This is a huge theme throughout this entire list, but the Blue Jays have been absolutely decimated by injuries so far in the new campaign. Six players hit the injured list last month alone, but they’re still receiving above-average showings from nearly their entire everyday lineup.
On the pitching side of things, Patrick Corbin and Louis Varland are filling ultra-important roles, while most of the mainstays are rolling as they should be. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before last year’s AL champions climb up this list in a big way.
15. St. Louis Cardinals (Previous Ranking: 11)
May Record: 13-13
There was a chance things could have gone very poorly for the Cardinals in 2026, but so far, that hasn’t been the case. Jordan Walker’s breakout and Iván Herrera’s continued excellence have helped the offense stay afloat, and the pitching staff is coming off a really solid month of May. All five of St. Louis’s starters have been solid enough to keep the team in games, and the bullpen has been able to close the door behind them.
This doesn’t seem like a team that’s going to remain in the playoff picture for much longer, but the Cardinals deserve credit for playing competitive baseball.
14. Cincinnati Reds (Previous Ranking: 6)
May Record: 10-17
May was rough for the Reds, especially on the pitching side. Chase Burns dominated, and Andrew Abbott had a good month, but the rest of the rotation bled runs all month. The bullpen struggled too, giving up 80 runs in just over 100 innings of work.
The Reds are still above .500, but things aren’t looking great for Cincinnati these days. JJ Bleday has been powering their offense lately, and it’s hard to believe that’s going to last. What’s more, Graham Ashcraft recently hit the 60-day IL, and Elly De La Cruz might be hurt too. The Reds can still contend for a Wild Card spot, but they need more guys to step up.
13. Pittsburgh Pirates (Previous Ranking: 12)
May Record: 16-12
The Pirates mashed in May, led by the quartet of Spencer Horwitz, Brandon Lowe, Bryan Reynolds, and Konnor Griffin. We’ve spent the past couple of years talking about how Pittsburgh needed a real offense to support Paul Skenes, and it looks like that real offense has finally arrived.
Skenes was also excellent in May, as usual, and Braxton Ashcraft has been terrific. Other standout arms include lefties Gregory Soto and Evan Sisk. Soto has settled into the closer role, and Sisk is proving he deserves high-leverage opportunities of his own. Unfortunately for the Pirates, the rest of the pitching staff is why the team isn’t ranked higher on this list.
12. Seattle Mariners (Previous Ranking: 8)
May Record: 15-13
The Mariners finished May on a high note. They’ve won six straight and eight of their last 10, and their +30 run differential is the second-highest in the American League. Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley are still hot, and Julio Rodríguez has rediscovered his mojo. Top prospect Colt Emerson is off to a great start to his career too. Even without Cal Raleigh, this has been one of the better lineups in the league.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Seattle’s pitching has also been good, both out of the rotation and the bullpen. Indeed, few teams have played so well on both sides of the ball this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Mariners back in the top 10 the next time we update our power rankings.
11. San Diego Padres (Previous Ranking: 5)
May Record: 13-15
The Padres would be the top-seeded NL Wild Card team if the season ended today, but they’ve lost seven of their last 10, and no NL team has scored fewer runs this season. Their offense was particularly anemic in May, barely averaging three runs per game. And as much as Fernando Tatis Jr.’s power outage has been discussed, Tatis hasn’t been nearly as much of a problem as Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts.
Thanks to their unbelievable bullpen, the Padres don’t need to be a top-10 offense to win games. And thanks to their strong performance in April, they have a nice cushion in the Wild Card race. Still, if their hitters don’t turn things around soon, they’re only going to slip further down our rankings.
Top 10 Teams in Major League Baseball
10. Chicago White Sox (Previous Ranking: 24)
May Record: 18-10
No, you aren’t seeing things. The Chicago White Sox are a top-10 team in baseball. They’re one of only five AL teams with a record above .500 right now, and among AL clubs, only the Yankees have scored more runs. Munetaka Murakami (pre-injury), Miguel Vargas, and Colson Montgomery have been mashing, and role players like Randal Grichuk and Tristan Peters have helped the cause.
Davis Martin is still pitching like an ace, and Grant Taylor has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball. Depth has been a problem in both the rotation and the bullpen, and that’s probably not going to change. Regardless, there’s no way to describe the White Sox’s start to the season as anything other than a success.
9. Chicago Cubs (Previous Ranking: 4)
May Record: 13-16
The Cubs came out swinging in March and April, but their bats fell down to earth in May. Michael Busch has snapped out of his early-season funk and Ian Happ has been as reliable as ever, but Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki, and Moisés Ballesteros are struggling, and Alex Bregman just hasn’t been the star the Cubs thought they were signing up for.
Meanwhile, injuries have continued to decimate Chicago’s rotation, with Matthew Boyd and Edward Cabrera joining Cade Horton on the injured list. The bullpen has compensated by looking surprisingly effective, but I’m not sure that’s going to last. The Cubs are still comfortably above .500 with one of the most talented lineups in the game, but May showed how things can go wrong for this club.
8. Philadelphia Phillies (Previous Ranking: 29)
May Record: 18-10
No team shot up higher in our rankings than the Phillies. Under interim manager Don Mattingly, the Phillies have turned around their season. They’re above .500 now and back in the thick of the NL Wild Card race.
The lineup is still full of question marks beyond Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and – credit where credit’s due – Brandon Marsh. However, the pitching staff looks strong, led by co-aces Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler and closer Jhoan Duran. The Braves have the biggest division lead in baseball, but the Phillies have the talent to climb to the top of the Wild Card standings with another good month.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks (Previous Ranking: 10)
May Record: 15-12
Corbin Carroll is one of the biggest stars in the National League. In May, he got some help from Ketel Marte and Nolan Arenado, both of whom had huge months after scuffling to start the year. The Diamondbacks are still waiting for more from Geraldo Perdomo and Gabriel Moreno, but top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt has been a bright spot so far in his first few weeks of MLB action.
Zac Gallen continues to be maddeningly mediocre, but great months from arms like Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly, Michael Soroka, Paul Sewald, and Brandyn Garcia helped Arizona finish above .500 for a second month in a row.
6. Cleveland Guardians (Previous Ranking: 14)
May Record: 18-11
The Guardians are hoping they won’t need another historic comeback to win their third straight AL Central crown. Their offense hasn’t looked great, aside from a red-hot Travis Bazzana and Brayan Rocchio, but the Cleveland pitching factory continues to churn out arms. Breakout arm Parker Messick is leading a solid rotation, while Cade Smith is helping the Guardians prove they don’t need Emmanuel Clase to have one of the best bullpens in baseball.
5. New York Yankees (Previous Ranking: 3)
May Record: 16-12
The Yankees’ offense simply isn’t fair. Even with Aaron Judge in a slump, the Bronx Bombers led the majors in OPS in May. Cody Bellinger is scorching, Ben Rice is still demolishing baseballs, and the only weak link lately has been catcher Austin Wells.
It’s almost as unfair on the other side of the ball. Cam Schlitter remains the AL Cy Young favorite, while Ryan Weathers and Will Warren have helped hold up a rotation that has had to deal with injuries to all its biggest names. Speaking of those big names, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón have both looked sharp since coming off the IL. You could almost forget that this team still has a return from Max Fried to look forward to.
The Rays might have the AL’s best record, but you could make a very convincing argument that the Yankees are the AL’s best team.
4. Tampa Bay Rays (Previous Ranking: 7)
May Record: 18-8
Are the Rays for real? It still seems hard to believe, but there’s no arguing with the results: the Rays are one of the only AL teams that look like they actually want to make the playoffs in 2026. It’s a top-heavy roster, but that can work when the guys at the top are playing as well as Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz, and Jonathan Aranda (on offense) and Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, and Nick Martinez (on the mound).
3. Milwaukee Brewers (Previous Ranking: 9)
May Record: 19-7
No team had a better record this past month than the Brewers, and no individual can take more credit for that than Jacob Misiorowski. The sophomore hurler has formally entered the Cy Young race after a phenomenal month of May, in which Milwaukee won all six games he started.
The Brewers’ biggest stars on offense were more surprising. Jake Bauers and Andrew Vaughn led a lineup that scored just enough to support a pitching staff that finished May with an MLB-best 2.62 ERA. It hasn’t gone the way we expected it to, but that’s just the Milwaukee way. The Brewers are starting to build a nice cushion in the NL Central.
2. Atlanta Braves (Previous Ranking: 2)
May Record: 18-10
If you’re a Braves fan reading this, I give you permission to be mad. The Braves had the best record in baseball at the end of April, but we put them at number two on our May 1 power rankings. Now, they still have the best record in baseball at the end of May, and we still only have them at number two. The thing is, Atlanta’s failure to earn the top spot says far more about that number one team (more on them in a moment) than it does about Atlanta. The Braves have been nothing short of spectacular this year.
Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Drake Baldwin (before his oblique injury) are leading the offense, while role-players like Jorge Mateo, Dominic Smith, and Mike Yastrzemski have stepped up to lengthen the lineup. On the pitching side, Chris Sale looks as dominant as ever, and a bullpen led by Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, and Dylan Lee has been arguably the best in the sport.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous Ranking: 1)
May Record: 18-10
The Dodgers might not have the best record in baseball, but they have outperformed the Braves on both sides of the ball; L.A. has the highest OPS, the lowest ERA, and the best run differential in the majors.
Thanks to star-level performances from Shohei Ohtani (the hitter) and Shohei Ohtani (the pitcher), as well as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, and more, the Dodgers are the clear World Series favorites. What else is new?
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