Pre-June MLB PWR Rankings

DON’T COUNT THEM OUT:

10. DETROIT TIGERS (-2):

At the beginning of the season, I expected the Detroit Tigers to be a breakout team. They have a handful of talented young pitchers, and a bunch of young hitters with appealing metrics. In accordance, in my pre-season power rankings, I put the Tigers at 9. Unfortunately, the Tigers haven’t been the team I expected. A few of the key guys in their pitching staff have suffered injuries, and a few of their key hitters have been significantly underperforming. 

Three guys in their lineup will need to get going for the Tigers to figure it out. The first is Spencer Torkelson. After Torkelson was 12th in the MLB in “hard hit balls” in 2023, I expected another big season from him in 2024. As of June 2nd, Torkelson leads the Tigers in at-bats, yet he’s posted a poor .597 OPS. If he gets going, this lineup will be completely different. The second is Colt Keith. Keith was one of the top prospects in baseball and when they called him up, he expected to be a big addition to their lineup. Keith started the year poorly and has a hard time getting adjusted to the big leagues. However, he recently made a change to his leg kick and it seems to be working well. The third is Kerry Carpenter. Carpenter wasn’t having a bad season until he fractured a bone in his back and is now expected to miss a significant amount of time. Nevertheless, Detroit’s pitching is keeping their head above water, and I still have faith that their lineup will eventually come alive. Once that happens, they’ll be a legit contender.

9. KANSAS CITY ROYALS (Previously Unranked):

60 games into the season, the Kansas City Royals are 35W-25L and hold an American League wildcard spot. Their lineup has been carried by Bobby Witt and Salvador Perez. While Perez has revived his career with a .900 OPS and Witt has followed up his breakout 2023 season with a .912 OPS in 2024, I’m concerned about their depth. Witt and Salvy have been great, but they’re the only two bats in the Royals’ lineup posting an OPS above .752. Kansas City will continue playing good baseball for now, but they’ll find trouble in October.

Kansas City’s rotation has been phenomenal. At 3.58, their staff has the 9th-best ERA in the MLB. We knew that they had 3 solid young pitchers Brady Singer, Cole Ragans, and Alec Marsh. The surprise and key game changer, has been their veteran signing, Seth Lugo. In 2023, in his age-33 season, Lugo posted a 3.57 ERA in 146 innings of work. Therefore, the expectations were low and the Royals were able to sign the veteran to a cheap 3-year 45-million-dollar deal. Through 60 games, Lugo has pitched 78 innings and put up a stellar 1.72 ERA. He has completely revamped this pitching staff, and if the season ended today, he would likely win the AL Cy Young Award. 

8. TEXAS RANGERS (-4):

Coming off their first-ever World Series win, the Texas Rangers were viewed as a top-tier team to start the 2024 season. However, between Corey Seager underperforming and their pitching staff struggling with multiple injuries, they got off to a poor start. In the latter half of May, Corey Seager Finally figured it out. Seager entered the month with 28 hits, 8 RBIs, and 2 home runs. In the month of May alone, he had 27 base hits, drove in 21 runs, and launched 11 home runs. I think it’s safe to say that Seager’s back. 

The Rangers’ rotation has been missing 3 of their top 4 guys. Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Jon Gray are all currently on the IL. In their absence, Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Lorenzen have done a solid job holding down the fort, both posting a sub-3 ERA. All three injured pitchers are expected to return from the IL during the 2024 regular season. When they do, Texas will have a stellar 5-man rotation. 

LOOKING GOOD:

7. MILWAUKEE BREWERS (-1):

The Milwaukee Brewers are currently 35W-23L and in first place in the NL Central. After losing Corbin Burnes and Craig Counsell, the Brewers needed a lot of things to go right for them to continue running the central. Somehow, all but one have. Their rookie outfielder, Jackson Chourio has struggled to start his career. Aside from him, this team has been magical. Their big signing was first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who was a risk because hadn’t played in a year and a half. He’s been great so far, leading the team in home runs and posting a very solid .804 OPS. Another risk the Brewers took was signing Gary Sanchez. Sanchez had bounced around between 4 teams in the last few years and seemed to be on his way out of the MLB. Nevertheless, Sanchez has been an above-average hitter and very decent behind the plate and at first base. He’s having his best season since his All-Star campaign in 2019. Bryce Turang and Joey Ortiz were two additional hit-or-miss players on the Brewers. It was viewed as a risk for them to start two young and inexperienced players in the infield at the same time. Nonetheless, Turang and Ortiz have been great and the Brewers are looking incredible. While the average MLB hitter’s OPS this year is .698, the Milwaukee Brewers have 7 batters above .750. They have one of the deepest and best lineups in the MLB.

6. ATLANTA BRAVES (-3):

Entering the season, I was all over the Atlanta Braves hype train. They were by far the best team in the 2023 regular season, but couldn’t get it done in the playoffs. They fell in the playoffs because they lacked firepower behind Strider in the rotation. Atlanta fixed the issue by acquiring Chris Sale, who has been electric to start the season. I was sure they were on the fast track to win it all until Spencer Strider went down. After undergoing Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm, Atlanta’s ace is done for the season. After they lost Strider, I expected the Braves to repeat 2023 and moved them down to 3 in my monthly rankings. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning. In May, their best player, Ronald Acuna, went down with a torn ACL. The Braves have such a good roster that they’ll still be able to compete even after losing their best pitcher and best hitter. Yet, it’s hard for me to believe they’ll win an NLDS, even more so an NLCS, without Strider and Acuna. They simply won’t be able to match up with teams like the Phillies and Dodgers and may have trouble with the Brewers as well. The 2024 Atlanta Braves will go down as one of the biggest “What ifs…” in recent history.

5. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (Previously Unranked):

The Philadelphia Phillies couldn’t have possibly gotten off to a better start. At 41W-18L they have the best record in the entire MLB. At 3.02, their pitching staff has the best ERA in the NL, and at .748, their lineup has the 4th-best OPS in baseball. However, they’re not the team you think they are! 7 of the 9 bats in their starting lineup lack discipline and it will bite them. I discussed the matter in detail both in an article and in a debate video (Links: Article. Video.). The Phillies will soon face pitching that knows how to exploit their weakness, and they’ll be exposed. Nevertheless, they still have a great pitching staff and can hit the ball out of the yard like no one else. Even though the Philadelphia Phillies are far from the best team in baseball, they’re still a very good team. I expect them to continue looking good in the immediate future, then slow down a bit in the late summer, and eventually lose to the Dodgers in October. 

4. CLEVELAND GUARDIANS (+3):

The Cleveland Guardians are currently 39W-19L, and with the 2nd-best record in the AL, they’re in first place in the AL Central. Cleveland is another good team that isn’t quite as good as their record suggests. As I mentioned in my pre-May power rankings, the Guardians have a couple of good bats at the top of their lineup but have a serious lack behind them. Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan are two legit stars, then Josh Naylor and David Fry are solid, and the rest of the lineup is mediocre. I can’t call a team that’s starting 4 hitters with sub-.670 OPSs a contender. Two good batters don’t make a good lineup. On the pitching side, it’s more of the same. Immanuel Clase and Hunter Gladdis are two studs in the bullpen, and Ben Lively’s been a good starter. However, aside from those three, none of Cleveland’s starters have a sub-3.7 ERA, and nobody else in the bullpen has been reliable. With Detroit, Minnesota, and Kansas City all overperforming, I’m not convinced the Guardians will finish the season atop the AL Central. Cleveland hasn’t gotten past the divisional series since 2016, and I don’t think 2024 is the year that will change. 

WORLD SERIES CONTENDERS:

3. BALTIMORE ORIOLES (-1):

The Baltimore Orioles are currently 37W-19L and have the top wildcard spot in the American League. As I’ve mentioned in multiple articles, the Orioles are built for the future better than any other team in the MLB. They got their ace by trading for Corbin Burnes this past offseason. They’ve also got an incredible young lineup, and finally have the financial ability to keep their guys around. Adleuy Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and the crew will be terrorizing pitchers in the AL for the next decade. They won the AL East in 2023 and looked to take another leap forward in 2024. Yet, the New York Yankees seem to be putting a wrench in their plan. Aaron Judge took some time to get going and that was Baltimore’s opportunity to claim an early lead in the AL East. Yet, they failed to do so and the Yankees overtook them the moment Judge found his swing. Ever since, the Orioles have stayed hot, but the Yankees have been ever so slightly hotter. Every time the Orioles get a big win, the Yankees get two. Baltimore is currently 2 games behind the Yankees. There are over 100 games left in the season, so the race is far from over. What is already known, is that we’re in for an incredible race between Baltimore and New York, through October. 

2. NEW YORK YANKEES (+3):

At 41W-19L, the New York Yankees currently have the best record in the AL. Their pitching staff’s 2.74 ERA is easily the best in the MLB. That is so even though Gerrit Cole is yet to throw a pitch in the 2024 season. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner will be back in the foreseeable future. When the Yankees add Cole to their rotation alongside the dominant Luis Gil, Marcus Stroman, and their lefty duo of Carlos Rodon and nasty Nestor Cortes, this rotation will be dangerous. As good as their pitching has looked, their lineup has been better. The Yankees lead the MLB with a team OPS of .771. This is a result of the top two hitters in baseball being in their 2 and 3 spots. At 1.002 and 1.067, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are the only hitters in the MLB with an OPS above 1.000. Unlike the Guardians, the Yankees have depth behind their superstars. Aside from Soto and Judge, the Yankees have 3 batters posting an OPS above .760.

Furthermore, multi-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu, and switch-hitting super-prospect Jasson Dominguez, have recently returned from injuries. LeMahieu is already being fazed into the lineup, while Dominguez is starting in the minors. In his short stint in the MLB in 2023, Dominguez posted a .980 OPS before undergoing Tommy John Surgery. Dominguez has homered in 4 of his last 6 games, so it’s only a matter of time until the Yankees recall him. The Yankees are already 1st in the AL. If the three players returning from injury perform well, New York will be the heavy favorite to win the AL Pennant.

1. LOS ANGELES DODGERS (-):
   

The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently 37W-23L and have a 5.5-game lead in the NL West. While they might not have one of the top records in the MLB, the stats show that they will be scary come October. At .765, their lineup has the best OPS in the National League, and their rotation is built perfectly for the playoffs. In the modern format, a team advances by winning 2 out of 3 games in the wildcard series, 3 out of 5 games in the divisional series, and 4 out of 7 in the league championship and World Series. The Dodgers have 3 of the top 10 starting pitchers in baseball. Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Walker Buehler will be nearly impossible to beat in a playoff series. Between the 3-headed monster at the front of their rotation and their stellar lineup, good luck beating the Dodgers. The Phillies’ lack of discipline will play right to Los Angeles’s strengths, and nobody else in the NL is very good. Therefore, I believe the Dodgers will blow through the NL Playoffs, and most likely win the World Series.