Each week, The California Post will power rank MLB’s 30 teams and check in on one intriguing awards race. Records as of Saturday morning.
1) Dodgers (66-38)
This time last year, the Dodgers were mired in an incomprehensible slump. This year? They’ve recovered from a temporary blip (getting swept going into the All-Star break) by winning back-to-back series against the Yankees and Phillies. (Last week: 1st)
2) Brewers (64-39)
Brandon Woodruff is done for the year. But Jacob Misiorowski returned quickly from some pre-All-Star-break arm fatigue. Keeping him healthy the rest of the year has become more important than ever. (Last week: 2nd)
3) Rays (60-43)
Tampa Bay continues to pace a mediocre American League and could be on track for a No. 1 playoff seed for the first time since 2021. (Last week: 3rd)
4) Braves (61-42)
After slumping through most of June and early July, the Braves have steadied themselves, winning six of eight coming out of the All-Star break. They’re also close to finally getting Ronald Acuña Jr. back. Now if they can add some pitching at the deadline … (Last week: 7th)
5) Cubs (58-45)
Two months ago, Pete Crow-Armstrong was batting in the .220s with an OPS below .700. Now? He’s the MLB leader in wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs, more valuable than even Shohei Ohtani in his two-way role. (Last week: 6th)
6) Yankees (58-45)
We always knew the Yankees were Aaron Judge-dependent. But in his continued absence, the offense struggling this badly — they have scored more than three runs just once since the All-Star break, and more than five just twice in the last month — has nonetheless been a surprise. (Last week: 5th)
7) Phillies (56-48)
The Phillies’ sustained midseason turnaround has finally hit a little bit of a snag, after post-All-Star-break series losses to the Mets and Dodgers. Of all the league’s true contenders (basically, the first seven teams in these rankings), they might have the most to do at the deadline still. (Last week: 4th)
8) Red Sox (53-49)
What a couple weeks it’s been in Boston, where a Red Sox team that once seemed left for dead has suddenly regained October-contending life with its 15-game winning streak. This was already shaping up as one of the strangest seasons in club history. Now, it has come with one of the more joyous plot twists, too. (Last week: 17th)
9) Diamondbacks (55-49)
They haven’t done quite the same thing as the Red Sox, but the Dbacks are in the midst of their own late-July surge (wins in 8 of 10) that could have massive ramifications. Without it, the team might have had a quiet trade deadline. Now, their front office could attempt to make them more of an actual playoff threat. (Last week: 18th)
10) White Sox (54-48)
The White Sox’s feel-good season keeps on rolling, but it would feel better if Munetaka Murakami hadn’t started so slowly since returning from injury: 6-for-34 with no home runs. (Last week: 10th)
11) Guardians (54-51)
José Ramírez is back. Rookies Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter continue to have productive campaigns. And Steven Kwan has finally started to break out of his first-half slump. Don’t be surprised to see the Guardians back in first in the AL Central before long. (Last week: 11th)
12) Pirates (53-51)
Things you may not have known: The Pirates rank second in scoring this year (behind only the Nationals) and third in team batting average (trailing only the Dodgers and Rays). If they’re Paul Skenes-led pitching staff can get hot, maybe they can be a dark horse in the NL. (Last week: 14th)
13) Cardinals (52-51)
A critical couple weeks lie ahead for the Cardinals, who have started to slip in the standings (now 2 ½ games back of a wild-card spot) and find themselves firmly on the fence of buying and selling at the deadline. (Last week: 9th)
14) Rangers (52-51)
On MLB’s official standings page, there is a stat for each team’s “expected record” based on its run differential. The Rangers, by that metric, should be seven games under .500. Instead, they remain in first place in the AL West, despite having given up 29 more runs than they’ve scored. (Last week: 12th)
15) Mariners (51-53)
It’s difficult to overstate just how drastic Cal Raleigh’s regression has been from last year’s 60-homer season, with the catcher having hit just 10 home runs this term with an MLB-worst .165 average (Last week: 13th)
16) Astros (51-54)
Slowly but surely, the Astros continue to claw their way back up the standings, having pulled within two games of first place in the AL West behind Yordan Alvarez’s MVP-caliber campaign. (Last week: 16th)
17) Padres (51-53)
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado are finally playing more consistently. Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta are making progress in returns from injuries. Will that be enough to convince general manager A.J. Preller he can be a buyer? (Last week: 19th)
18) Tigers (50-54)
Speaking of teams trying to figure out a deadline approach, the Tigers are chipping away bit by bit at their wild-card deficit, back within 3 ½ games thanks to a 15-5 surge. A key reason: the return of Tarik Skubal, who is 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA and 44 strikeouts in his last five starts. Whether he stays or goes will be the biggest story in baseball over the next week. (Last week: 20th)
19) Nationals (52-52)
Attn Nationals ownership: Instead of letting CJ Abrams’ name continue to linger in trade rumors, either commit to locking him up long term or getting competitive before he becomes a free agent after 2028. Otherwise, what a waste of a potentially exciting young core this would be in DC. (Last week: 15th)
20) Marlins (52-52)
We should’ve known better than to get Fish Fever. Stunningly, the Marlins have followed up their sudden resurgence in June and early July with a 10-game losing streak that has dropped them immediately back to .500 and (for now) derailed what was shaping up to be an intriguing playoff push. (Last week: 8th)
21) Orioles (50-54)
Another team that has needed just a couple decent weeks to get back in the playoff picture, the Orioles continue to hang around — though still don’t feel like a serious threat in a crowded wild-card race. (Last week: 23rd)
22) Twins (51-54)
The Twins are finally starting to drop down the standings as long expected — just in time to begin selling pieces off at the deadline, as has also been long expected. (Last week: 22nd)
23) Reds (48-54)
After an eight-run clunker in his long-awaited return from injury, Hunter Greene has looked more like himself (including seven shutout innings with 12 strikeouts against the Cubs a couple weeks ago). But it’s almost certainly too late to save the Reds’ lost season. (Last week: 25th)
24) Blue Jays (47-57)
This Blue Jays’ season has been equal parts disappointing and disheartening, turning the good vibes from last year’s World Series run into foreboding dread that a large reset might in order, starting with a likely sell-off of popular players this coming week. (Last week: 21st)
25) Athletics (44-59)
In a year the Athletics were once looking to take a step forward, they instead have the worst run differential in the majors. (Last week: 24th)
26) Giants (43-60)
It took Tony Vitello seven years at the University of Tennessee before he lost 100 total games. In an abject Year 1 with the Giants, he can only hope he doesn’t reach that mark by the end of this season. (Last week: 28th)
27) Royals (43-62)
There’s been little to laugh about in Kansas City this year. So shoutout to the fan who jumped in the Kauffman Stadium fountains to retrieve Salvador Perez’s home run ball — then had Perez making public pleas to have his arrest for trespassing undone. (Last week: 27th)
28) Mets (43-61)
One silver lining ahead of what will be the Mets’ biggest deadline sell-off since 2023: The season after that disappointing campaign, they made a surprise run to the 2024 NLCS. Then again, they never maintained the momentum from that October, either, winding up right back where they started now. (Last week: 26th)
29) Rockies (42-63)
For a Rockies team trying to identify pieces for the future, it wouldn’t make much sense to trade an obvious one in catcher Hunter Goodman, who has been the subject of deadline rumors. Keep him in Denver and see if he can be a core piece moving forward. (Last week: 29th)
30) Angels (41-63)
Unlike the Rockies, the Angels will need to tear things down to build up again. Thus, maybe now is the time to deal someone like Zach Neto. With or without him, the Angels are not going anywhere anytime soon. (Last week: 30th)
Award Tracker: National League MVP
1) Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (.286 average, 22 home runs, 61 RBIs as hitter; 8-2 record, 1.79 ERA as pitcher)
Ohtani’s knee-injury-induced break from pitching has added the slightest bit of intrigue to the MVP race, allowing Pete Crow-Armstrong to jump him in WAR. Still, for now, it’s hard to imagine Ohtani not winding up with his fifth career MVP this season, especially because his pitching absence appears to be shorter term.
2) Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs (.285 average, 22 home runs, 56 RBIs)
As noted in the Cubs’ blurb above, Crow-Armstrong’s turnaround has been critical to his team’s playoff push this season. If he can keep this MVP race even somewhat close, prepare to hear plenty of hot takes about how he has been more “valuable” (aka, irreplaceable) to his club than any other player.
3) James Wood, Nationals (.270 average, 28 home runs, 69 RBIs)
A tip of the cap to the Nationals’ youngster, who has validated the substantial hype that has surrounded him since he (and Abrams) were the centerpiece prospects in the Juan Soto trade. The 23-year-old is second in the NL in OPS, third in home runs and third in WAR.
