Disclaimer:
Please remember this list is subjective. It is based on MY opinion and what I’ve seen so far this season, and what I expect to see the rest of the season.
30: Oakland Athletics
This team is in poverty in so many ways. Let’s start with the fact that high school baseball games are getting more people to the stadium than a pro-MLB team. They are dead last in their division after giving up the only positives on their team the previous few years. On the bright side, y’all will get a good draft pick?
29: Cincinnati Reds
You have been playing better lately, but we aren’t going to ignore your abysmal start to the season. You started the season with somewhat hopeful fans and a young team with a lot of high potential players, then lost 22 of your first 25 games. Since then you have been a .500 team like you are supposed to be, but still, rank down here due to that incredibly poor start.
28: Kansas City Royals
You have been about the same since you won the World Series back in 2015. On the bright side, you have gotten a few promising young talents, headlined by Bobby Witt Jr, to hopefully arm yourself well for the future. But still, your division hasn’t exactly been super tough compared to others, so you need to step it up. But you also will rise on this list in the coming years.
27: Baltimore Orioles
I have tried to push this team as far as I can but it comes to a stop here. This team is built incredibly well for the future. But the main reason they aren’t dead last is that they do play in the best division in the MLB by far. You are stuck playing four teams with records above .500 most of the season, which is about as hard as it gets. You do have Adley Rutschman, Cedric Mullins, and a few enticing prospects, but for now, you are stuck here.
26: Washington Nationals
Juan Soto and an older Josh Bell. I think this team had potential but they sold everything at the deadline last year. So much to the point where your generational player wants out purely due to how bad your organization has become. Strasburg can’t stay healthy anymore due to his age, Josh Bell is inconsistent and he is probably their second-best player, it’s Soto all alone. Free my man Soto.
25: Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are a very odd team. You have a mix of veterans and young guy’s with potential. You have two former number one picks on the roster in Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson, but that is looking like your few bright spots. Javier Baez is there but he has regressed since Chicago, and Miguel Cabrera was only playing to get to 3,000 hits. Oh, and Casey Mize is getting Tommy John surgery now. Detroit, the city of sports poverty.
24: Pittsburgh Pirates
Man, this team has severely over preformed. Props to them for that, but it isn’t sustainable and they will drop on this list in due time. You have Ke’Bryan Hayes on an absolute steal of a deal for the next seven years, so good job on your part. You also have an extremely strong farm system that in due time will perform. Just wait for Oneil Cruz to come up and you might have some potential.
23: Chicago Cubs
I hope I just really angered a few Pirates fans by having the Cubs ahead of them. But for this season, I think they are a bit better off. Seiya Suzuki has looked like your rookie of the year so far and Wilson Contreras has continued to play well for them. Not to mention, after unloading a few key players last season they have a refueled farm system and look good for the future.
22: Colorado Rockies
The most liked team in the MLB. When I say that, I mean no one hates them. No fanbase has an issue with them or their fans. Super chill, but that is a lot of their bright spot. They’ve lost Trevor Story, DJ Lemahieu, and most importantly Nolan Arenado, and haven’t been able to replace them since. Kris Bryant who they paid up heavily for is now in triple-A as he has struggled this season, but CJ Cron and the pitching staff have been incredibly solid in a very tough division.
21: Miami Marlins
Jazz Chisolm is the MLB’s most fun-loving and arguably most exciting player, and they try to mute him so often. It is insane to me that they keep doing this. Baseball continues to lose viewership because we are doing that to players like Chisolm. But otherwise, they have been mediocre outside of Chisolm, Sandy Alcantara, and young stud Pablo Lopez. This team could get hot later.
20: Seattle Mariners
The most starved team in the MLB. You have had nothing since Ken Griffey Jr, Ichiro, and Alex Rodriguez all left. I mean, Felix Hernandez, but not enough to make the playoffs. You went in with a lot of high-profile prospects that could make a splash. Kelenic has been mid at best to start his career, but Julio Rodriguez looks like a future stud. Ty France has also been good but that is a fluke in my opinion. Jesse Winkler is good against the Mets though.
19: Arizona Diamondbacks
Man has this team been surprising. Everyone and their mothers had this team being awful again, but they have played very well to start the season. The pitching staff got off to a very hot start and has carried them so far. Zach Gallen has looked good and with Kyle Nelson and Joe Mantiply in the bullpen, this team could be incredibly surprising down the stretch if they figure out the hitting.
18: Texas Rangers
The Rangers are another one of the MLB’s most interesting teams. They paid up heavily this past off-season going after Marcus Semien and Corey Seager. But they have underperformed so far, and last season’s surprise star Adolis Garcia has not played like he did last year. Martin Perez has come out of nowhere and has been a Cy Young award candidate so far, so that is a nice bright spot.
17: Philadelphia Phillies
You have the fifth-highest payroll in the MLB and have produced a 29-29 record? That’s not a good look. Some of that does go to Joe Girardi, but he can’t force the players to execute. Rob Thompson (Now dubbed “Philly Rob”) Is undefeated right now during his stint as manager. So maybe he could stay for the rest of the season; but, pick it up.
16: Chicago White Sox
This team was projected to be spectacular this season, even being some people’s World Series picks. But injuries have decimated their season so far. Eloy Jimenez, Tim Anderson, and Luis Robert have all been on the injury list multiple times this season and we are barely in June. But I haven’t even mentioned Tony La Russa being an absolute moron multiple times this season. Also, you traded Fernando Tatis Jr. for James Shields.
15: Los Angeles Angels
Talk about a drop-off. You looked elite to start the season and for the first time in years, there was competition for the Astros. Then, you fell apart. 14 straight is insane to lose in a row. You have the best player of this century and the best player to pitch and hit since Babe Ruth for shucks. Get Trout and Ohtani some help besides Noah Syndergaard on the mound or trade them.
14: San Francisco Giants
Now we move into some very tough ranking areas. The Giants play in MLB’s second-toughest division and it shows. The talent on that team and managerial skills are insane and they are currently only slotted in third place. With an ace in Rodon, and a couple of huge bats in Joc Pederson, Mike Yastrzemski, and Brandon Belt, this team can go far.
13: Cleveland Guardians
A lot like the Washington Commanders, I am not a huge fan of this name. But aside from that, this team has also drastically overperformed and it’s due primarily to one man. Jose Ramirez. Currently, J-Ram is tied for fourth in home runs and leads the league in RBIs. With Amed Rosario and Steven Kwan also helping, this team looks to be solid through the year.
12: Tampa Bay Rays
The 2020 AL Champs are extremely overrated. In terms of the MLB, they rank towards the bottom in the salary cap, and while it’s fun to play “Money Ball” sometimes, it won’t win you a World Series. Or sadly in their case, their division. Just way too loaded and way too injury prone to contend.
11: Milwaukee Brewers
In terms of the MLB, this is another odd team. This is the kind of team that your father and grandpa love, but you and your kids won’t. They are built on strong pitching by Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, and elite closer Josh Hader. They have a few good bats in Christian Yelich, Willy Adames, and Rowdy Tellez but I do not expect this team to make any form of a run.
10: Boston Red Sox
Kicking off our top ten is one of the most hated teams in the MLB. They looked very bad to start the season as their main bats couldn’t find themselves and starting pitching struggled. But then, Trevor Story had four home runs in two days to get everything flowing. Nathan Eovaldi has looked good, and so has Austin Davis, but this team does not have the pitching to make a deep run. They’d need to make a trade for an ace. Or if a certain lefty could stay healthy, they could be good.
9: Atlanta Braves
The former champs do come in at nine but they have looked nothing like they did last year. Pitching from Kyle Wright and Max Fried has been elite, and has been a huge catalyst as to why they’ve been so good. Aside from that, Ronald Acuña Jr, Ozzie Albies, and Dansby Swanson have looked like their former selves and this team could make a run.
8: Minnesota Twins
I have zero faith in this team. I’m a Yankees fan so in the last few years, I have seen this team in the playoffs a few times. No matter how good they are, they will not win in the playoffs. I don’t care if they have Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, or even Jorge Polanco. Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray have been good, but do not invest in this team in the slightest. I put them this high purely based off record.
7: St. Louis Cardinals
Can we talk about Adam Wainwright? How is he still doing this? The dude has a 2.84 ERA at 40 years old. That is insane. Miles Mikolas has also been great, along with Dakota Hudson. Paul Goldschmidt has also had a complete career revitalization. Nolan Arenado has been fantastic as well and Tommy Edman has been very consistent. I could see this team losing in the NLCS, but it is missing an X-Factor.
6: Houston Astros
Justin Verlander has been an absolute baller and is once again in the Cy Young race. Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve, and Jordan Alvarez have all been good for them, and they seem to have a strong future with Jeremy Peña.
5: Toronto Blue Jays
They got off to a rough start, but have seemed to have found their footing. A very young team that has an incredibly high ceiling. Of course, they have Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette, and Matt Chapman but the unsung star has been their pitching. Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman have been elite, and Adam Cimber and Jordan Romano have been all-stars out of the bullpen. They can make a very deep run in the playoffs, even as far as the World Series.
4: San Diego Padres
After Fernando Tatis Jr. was announced to miss significant time to start the season, a lot of people didn’t think they’d be nearly as good. They have probably been better than they would have been with him. Led by Manny Machado who so far has had an MVP-caliber season, Joe Musgrove also is the leader for NL Cy Young right now and Mackenzie Gore has been incredible as a rookie. When Tatis comes back, this team will only be scarier.
3: New York Mets
Not surprisingly, we all knew who’d be the top three on this list. Unfortunately for the Mets, they come in third. They are built incredibly well and have all the tools to succeed except they keep getting stupid injuries. Lindor slammed his hand in a door, and Scherzer was bitten by his dog. I mean this is ridiculous. if this team stays healthy they are contenders. But that is a very big “If”.
2: Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers. Of course, they would be at the top or I should say near it. They have all the tools to win the World Series this year. Strong pitching from Buehler, Urias, and Kershaw, and incredible hitting. MVP Candidate Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Trea Turner have all also been elite. There really isn’t much to say. Obvious contenders and will be for the next three to five years.
1: New York Yankees
If you expected any other team up here, you are wrong. Aaron Judge is by far the leader in AL MVP right now as he has an MLB-leading 24 home runs as of June 12th. Aside from Judge, Rizzo has also been electric and been incredible at first. Then the pitching has been spectacular. Nestor Cortes Jr. is first in Cy Young for the AL, Clay Holmes is third and Luis Severino has been awesome back from Tommy John surgery. This team is insane.
(Idea Credits: Robert Joseph Gomboc)
