MLB Power Rankings Week 6: Red-hot AL team makes top-5 debutplayAre Rays for real, Tigers in trouble? (2:42)Jesse Rogers and David Schoenfield examine the early-season performances of the Rays and Tigers. (2:42)ESPNMultiple AuthorsMay 6, 2026, 12:02 PM ET
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We have a new team making its top-five debut in Week 6.
The Rays, the second-best team in the American League behind the Yankees, come in at No. 5, their highest ranking of the season, which they started at No. 18.
The rest of the top five remains the same, with the Dodgers holding steady at No. 1 despite going 5-5 over their past 10 games, the Yankees retaking the No. 2 spot, the MLB-leading Braves at 3 and the Cubs fourth.
Our Week 6 list saw a number of other big movers: The Cardinals and A’s reached their highest rankings of the season, Nos. 12 and 13, respectively, while the White Sox had the biggest rise, going from No. 29 to 21.
What else has changed in the span of one week?
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 Jesse Rogers, David Schoenfield and Bradford Doolittle to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Week 5 | Preseason rankings
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 23-14
Previous ranking: 1
The Dodgers’ rotation news remains a mixed bag of excellence and injury. On the positive side of that scale, Shohei Ohtani and emergent lefty Justin Wrobleski are pitching like National League Cy Young candidates. Tyler Glasnow was near that level as well before leaving his start Wednesday because of back spasms. After the game, manager Dave Roberts stated Glasnow would undergo an MRI but was optimistic that an IL stint would be unnecessary. Glasnow has started the season 3-0 with a 2.56 ERA and has allowed less than a half a hit per inning — just 19 over 38⅔ frames. — Doolittle
2. New York Yankees
Record: 25-12
Previous ranking: 3
The Yankees made it official: They’re going to ride with Jose Caballero as their starting shortstop. After Anthony Volpe completed his minor league rehab stint, the Yankees optioned him to Triple-A, keeping Caballero as the starter. “He’s been a key factor in us getting off to a really great start this year on both sides of the ball and the basepaths,” Aaron Boone stated. Caballero has been outstanding on defense, with a 90th percentile range ranking via Statcast. While Volpe won a Gold Glove as a rookie in 2023, he struggled on defense last year and had offseason surgery on his left shoulder. He hit .271 with one home run in 14 games between Double-A and Triple-A on the rehab assignment. — Schoenfield
3. Atlanta Braves
Record: 26-12
Previous ranking: 2
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There’s no stopping the Braves, who have built an incredible, near double-digit lead in the NL East. They remain the only team above .500 in the division with no signs of slowing down. Atlanta is second in MLB in OPS and second in the NL in ERA. That combination helped the Braves to an easy series sweep of the Rockies over the weekend, just days after a series win over the Tigers and before that the Phillies. The Braves are gobbling up wins and haven’t even found their stride on the mound — or should I say Strider? Spencer Strider just returned from injury. Let’s see whether he helps take Atlanta to yet another level. — Rogers
4. Chicago Cubs
Record: 25-12
Previous ranking: 4
The Cubs are rolling, already producing two winning streaks of seven or more games. Their current eight-game winning streak includes three consecutive walk-off wins over the Reds. Cincinnati manager Terry Francona noted how deep Chicago’s lineup is when Pete Crow-Armstrong batted ninth Tuesday. It’s a sign of the times for the Cubs, who are getting contributions from all 26 players on the roster. Former Rockies hurler Ryan Rolison is the newest Cubs player to garner headlines. He has finished four games for Chicago, earning three wins along the way. The Cubs look like the class of the NL Central right now. — Rogers
5. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 24-12
Previous ranking: 8
With 12 wins in 13 games after sweeping the Blue Jays, the Rays have joined the Yankees in separating themselves from the rest of the AL. Tampa Bay’s pitching was absolutely phenomenal during this stretch, allowing just 17 runs and never more than three in one game, including three shutouts. With Ryan Pepiot out for the season because of hip surgery and Steven Matz (elbow inflammation) joining Joe Boyle on the injured list, manager Kevin Cash is reverting to an old tactic: the opener. Griffin Jax has made a couple of starts and is building up innings to go longer in games, throwing 45 pitches and 2⅔ innings in his last outing. — Schoenfield
6. San Diego Padres
Record: 22-14
Previous ranking: 5
Padres fans might have been pained when San Diego traded elite hitter Juan Soto to the Yankees, and while Soto’s star has remained bright, the deal is working out pretty well for the Friars as well. In fact, you could argue the 2026 club would be lost without the contributions of starters Michael King and Randy Vasquez, both acquired from New York in the Soto deal. King started the season with a 141 ERA+ over his first seven starts, while over the same number of outings, Vasquez was at 130. No other San Diego starter with at least two outings was above 94. — Doolittle
7. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 19-16
Previous ranking: 11
Jackson Chourio’s return from injury has been a boost for the Brewers, who already have one of the better offenses in the league. They scorched Arizona for 26 runs in two games last week but haven’t been as consistent at the plate as their numbers would indicate. Chourio should help in that department. He had four hits in his first game of the season Monday. Outside of Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee is getting healthier. Watch out for a Brewers-esque run at some point soon. — Rogers
8. Detroit Tigers
Record: 18-20
Previous ranking: 7
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The Tigers entered the season with what looked like a strong, veteran-laden starting rotation appropriate for a team with World Series aspirations. While those hopes linger, the start of the season has seen the rotation plan fall apart because of injuries (Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Justin Verlander), subpar performance (Jack Flaherty and Framber Valdez) and squirrelly behavior (Valdez). Thus, in what has become an annual ritual, manager A.J. Hinch will have to piece things together for the time being while hoping that Skubal’s elbow procedure proves to be a simple cleanup. — Doolittle
9. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 20-17
Previous ranking: 9
Konnor Griffin is heating up. Since turning 20 on April 24, he’s slashing .395/.458/.651. Speed is the name of his game. His bat speed is near the 90 percentile mark, while his sprint speed is in the 99th percentile. His hit streak has reached eight games, not long after his signature big league performance so far: a four-hit day against the Reds that was a home run shy of the cycle. Speaking of homers, he hit his first career dinger on his birthday and has added another since. He’s trending up. — Rogers
10. Seattle Mariners
Record: 18-20
Previous ranking: 10
With Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert struggling in recent outings, Emerson Hancock has emerged as the team’s top starter alongside George Kirby. Hancock had a brilliant 14-strikeout game against the Royals over the weekend, although Andres Munoz wound up blowing the save as the Mariners lost in 10 innings. Hancock leads MLB in strikeout-to-walk ratio. His sweeper, which he rarely threw last season, has turned into a major asset, and he’s throwing it 23% of the time, using it against lefties and righties. — Schoenfield
11. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 20-17
Previous ranking: 6
Some of rookie Sal Stewart’s expected stats — such as his slugging percentage — are better than his actual ones, which already earned him rookie of the month for April. Can the 22-year-old help carry a Reds team that’s reeling from some poor pitching performances? Expect Stewart to see a heavy dose of breaking pitches as he has proven he can hit fastballs. He’s hitting under .200 on at-bats that end on a breaking pitch. Once he learns to lay off some of those pitches, his sub-.250 OBP against them should increase. — Rogers
12. St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 21-15
Previous ranking: 18
The Cardinals continue to defy expectations, taking a series vs. the Dodgers then following that up with winning one against the Brewers. Those were two of the top three teams in the NL last year. St. Louis might qualify as one of the better ones so far this year, thanks to a solid all-around offense that ranks near the top of the league. The Cardinals do give up as much as they score, but they still have a winning record. High-leverage victories have been their calling card so far as they’ve hit and pitched in the clutch. Can that last? Stay tuned. — Rogers
13. Athletics
Record: 18-18
Previous ranking: 16
Nick Kurtz’s consecutive games streak with a walk ended at 20 — tied with Barry Bonds for the second longest in MLB history behind Roy Cullenbine’s record of 22. Kurtz drew a remarkable 25 walks in 94 plate appearances over that 20-game stretch. What’s interesting is that it’s not like pitchers are completely avoiding him: Kurtz ranks 39th among qualified hitters in the percentage of pitches in the strike zone, so 38 guys see fewer strikes. He’s 22nd in chase rate, so there are batters who swing less often at pitches out of the zone. He’s 16th in lowest swing rate, so he does run a lot of deep counts. Add it up and it leads to a lot of walks. — Schoenfield
14. Texas Rangers
Record: 17-19
Previous ranking: 13
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Evan Carter looked like a future star when he came up in September 2023, having just turned 21 years old, and played a key role in the Rangers’ World Series run, posting a 1.058 OPS in 23 regular-season games and then .917 in the postseason. He has battled injuries, including back problems, since then but is healthy this year and still struggling at the plate. His defense in center field and plate discipline remain excellent, so maybe that keeps him in the lineup for now, but he’s hitting too many routine fly balls rather than the line drives he hit in 2023. Carter is also 0-for-20 against left-handed pitching, continuing his career struggles against lefties. — Schoenfield
15. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 17-20
Previous ranking: 22
Could the Phillies be righting the ship under interim manager Don Mattingly? Was it bound to happen anyway? It really doesn’t matter. What matters is their record since moving on from Rob Thomson: 8-1. More important than the manager change might be the return of Zack Wheeler. He’s off to a good start after returning from injury and could be the key to the Phillies’ resurgence over the next few months. Just as important is Jesus Luzardo’s past two outings, as he gave up just two runs over 13⅓ innings. The Phillies’ lineup remains iffy — especially after the top of the lineup — so their road back to respectability is through that pitching staff. It’s coming around. — Rogers
16. Cleveland Guardians
Record: 19-19
Previous ranking: 15
Cleveland has cooled considerably over the past couple of weeks. As usual, the low-scoring Guardians have found themselves in a ton of close games, but whereas they thrived in such contests a year ago, they have not in 2026. Last season, Cleveland was plus-17 (50-33) in games decided by one or two runs, a big reason it won the AL Central despite a negative run differential. So far this season, the Guardians are once again in the red in terms of run differential, but they’re also 10-11 in games decided by two runs or less. — Doolittle
17. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 16-21
Previous ranking: 17
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting well over .300 and getting on base, but he’s not hitting the ball over the fence yet, with just two home runs on the season. His power outage is one reason the Jays are near the bottom of the majors in home runs and runs scored. His hard-hit rate is down about seven percentage points, to the lowest since his rookie season, but all his metrics are otherwise a match for last year — average launch angle, pull rate, etc. Of course, these power lapses aren’t new; remember, Guerrero didn’t hit a home run in his final 21 games of the regular season last year before heating up in the playoffs. — Schoenfield
18. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 17-18
Previous ranking: 12
It’s OK, DiMaggio fans. Joltin’ Joe’s sacred record of a 56-game hitting streak is safe from the amazing Ildemaro Vargas. The 34-year-old overnight sensation went hitless for the first time this season May 2, snapping a 27-game hitting streak that saw Vargas pushing his NL-best batting average to .404 at one point. The streak is over, but Vargas remains one of baseball’s best early stories, and it’s not just the average. He has already matched his career high with six homers and sports an OPS over 1.000. He’s not quite Roy Hobbs, but the storyline is kind of similar. — Doolittle
19. Kansas City Royals
Record: 17-20
Previous ranking: 24
After an early all-encompassing slump dropped the Royals nine games under .500, a sudden all-encompassing turnaround pushed Kansas City back toward the top of the AL Central standings. Everything that was bad — clutch hitting, high-leverage relief — suddenly turned good. Just like that, the Royals turned into the team they appeared to be on paper when the season began. Unsurprisingly, Bobby Witt Jr. has led the charge (.877 OPS with Platinum Glove-level defense since April 16), but just important has been the uptick in stuff and success from back-end relievers Lucas Erceg and Daniel Lynch IV. — Doolittle
20. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 17-20
Previous ranking: 14
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For all the talk about Mason Miller’s dominance, he hasn’t been the toughest reliever to hit in 2026: That honor belongs to Rico Garcia, the 32-year-old journeyman who has allowed one hit in his first 17 innings for an .020 batting average against. Garcia was waived three times last season — by the Mets, Yankees and then Mets again before the Orioles claimed him in August. He has spent time in the majors with the Rockies, Giants, Orioles (in 2022), A’s, Nationals, Mets, Yankees and now Orioles again, but he had just 70 innings in the majors prior to 2026. With Ryan Helsley sidelined, Garcia is suddenly a key player in Baltimore’s pen. — Schoenfield
21. Chicago White Sox
Record: 17-20
Previous ranking: 29
As the White Sox continue as one of 2026’s early surprise teams, no member has caught as many observers off guard as starter Davis Martin. The 29-year-old entered the season with a 10-21 career record and 95 ERA+ but has emerged as one of the AL’s top starters thus far, going 5-1 with a 1.64 ERA. Martin has ramped up the use of the cutters and curveballs he mostly deploys against lefty hitters, and the effects have been evident. In 2025, lefty swingers put up a .777 OPS against Martin; in 2026 so far, it’s just .646. — Doolittle
22. Miami Marlins
Record: 16-21
Previous ranking: 20
Starter Janson Junk is making strides in Miami after a nondescript career to date. His past three outings have been stellar: He has tossed 16⅓ innings, giving up just one run, a solo shot to Bryce Harper that won the Phillies the game Monday. Junk has been effective by allowing the opposition to put the ball in play, but they haven’t been able to square him up. He’s part of a Marlins rotation that is turning on as of late. In fact, over the past two weeks, it ranks first in the NL in ERA. It has helped keep Miami afloat in a division that’s mediocre outside of the Braves. — Rogers
23. Boston Red Sox
Record: 16-21
Previous ranking: 19
Maybe Tuesday’s 10-3 win over the Tigers will be the spark the Red Sox need. After Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu hit back-to-back home runs off Framber Valdez, the Detroit lefty plunked Trevor Story in the back and the bench emptied. Valdez claimed it wasn’t on purpose, but the Red Sox disagreed. “I thought it was weak,” Boston manager Chad Tracy stated. More importantly, after Jovani Moran allowed two runs as the opener, the struggling Brayan Bello entered and allowed one run in seven innings. With Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray on the IL and Ranger Suarez in limbo after leaving his last start because of a hamstring injury, the Sox need Bello to turn it around. — Schoenfield
24. New York Mets
Record: 14-22
Previous ranking: 25
Juan Soto went 0-for-5 on Monday but has still been a mini spark for the Mets since returning from an injury late last month. He had gotten on base in every game since his return until Monday, while the team went 5-6 during that timeframe. It’s all about baby steps for the Mets, who are continuing to navigate the season without Francisco Lindor. There’s just not a lot of offense happening after the top of the order. Brett Baty, Marcus Semien and Carson Benge aren’t picking up much slack, forcing the players on higher-priced contracts to carry the team. It hasn’t happened so far. Of course, Semien is one of those player on a high-priced contract. Can he find any rhythm at the plate? — Rogers
25. Minnesota Twins
Record: 16-21
Previous ranking: 21
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The Twins and their fans can exhale a little with news that the elbow issue that took Joe Ryan out during the first inning of his last start does not appear to be serious. Scans did not reveal any structural damage, and there was even hope that Ryan might be able to avoid the IL. Whew! The news is a relief for Minnesota on two fronts. First, if the Twins are able to mount a long-shot run at a postseason spot, Ryan would likely be a big part of it. And if they don’t, Ryan figures to be one of the most alluring trade targets during the in-season swap market. Suffice to say, Twins fans are rooting more for the first scenario than the second. — Doolittle
26. Houston Astros
Record: 15-23
Previous ranking: 26
The Astros walked an incredible 192 batters in their first 36 games, a season pace of 864. That includes 18 games with at least six walks. The record for walks in a season belongs to the woeful 1915 Philadelphia Athletics, who walked 827 batters while finishing 43-109. The record during the 162-game era belongs to the woeful 1996 Tigers, who walked 784 batters in finishing 53-109. Along the way, the Astros have already churned through 12 different starting pitchers. If there’s any hope for this club, it starts with fewer walks. Next week’s homestand against Seattle and Texas is vital to turning things around. — Schoenfield
27. Washington Nationals
Record: 17-20
Previous ranking: 28
CJ Abrams had a good week, going 9-for-21 before an 0-for-4 performance against the Twins on Tuesday. Could this be the year he puts it all together? If the season ended this week, he’d have career highs in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. His biggest improvement has come against fastballs — he’s hitting near .400 in at-bats that end in four-seamers. He’s also making more contact off those pitches, resulting in a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio. It’s 1.59 compared to 3.38 last year. — Rogers
28. San Francisco Giants
Record: 14-23
Previous ranking: 23
The Giants’ offense hasn’t just been arguably the worst in the NL, it has been utterly boring — no matter how you judge such things. In terms of bottom-line performance, San Francisco hitters have posted an OPS+ of 84, better than only the Mets across MLB, but the Mets have scored more runs. That’s probably because the Giants’ attack does nothing. Like plate discipline? They’re last in walks. Dig the long ball? They’re last in that, too. Like daring-do on the basepaths? No team has fewer steals than the Giants. This is baseball nihilism. — Doolittle
29. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 15-23
Previous ranking: 27
A 2-11 stretch has quickly curbed the enthusiasm for what had been an exciting start with Jose Soriano’s dominance and Mike Trout’s resurgence. The Angels scored two or fewer runs in seven of those 12 games and, after a win Saturday, scored one run in their next two games. The shine has even worn off Soriano over his past two starts, as he allowed eight runs in nine innings, including two home runs in each start. After allowing just one run over his first six starts, he saw his ERA rise from 0.24 … all the way to 1.74. Still, with Skubal joining Crochet on the IL, the AL Cy Young race is wide open — and Soriano still projects as a strong contender. — Schoenfield
30. Colorado Rockies
Record: 14-23
Previous ranking: 30
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Oh Mickey, you’re so fine! OK, it’s an old reference about a very old song — but it’s Mickey Moniak we’re referring to here. We don’t know the Mickey the song referred to. Had to be Mantle, right? Moniak, the top pick of the 2016 draft, is enjoying the kind of season the Phillies had in mind when they picked him so high. He has clubbed 11 early homers, and his .720 slugging percentage leads the NL. Sure, nine of the 11 dingers have come at Coors Field, but that just makes Moniak the perfect Rockie. Mickey! — Doolittle
