After a shortened 60-game 2020 MLB season, we’re already past that point in baseball’s return to a 162-game schedule with the All-Star break now less than a month away. What does that mean for your favorite team in our Week 11 MLB Power Rankings?
The Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox both suffered significant injuries this week, but was that enough to drop them from the two top spots on our list? Which of the AL West’s red-hot teams — the Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels — made the biggest leap? And how far did another rough stretch from their struggling offense drop the New York Yankees?
Here is what our eight-voter expert panel decided based on what we’ve seen in the first two-plus months of the season. We also asked ESPN baseball experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle, Joon Lee, Jesse Rogers and Alden Gonzalez to weigh in with one Week 11 observation based on what they have seen recently for all 30 teams.
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Record: 43-26
Previous ranking: 1
The loss of Tyler Glasnow to a UCL injury is a big blow to Tampa Bay, which will now have to rely heavily on Rich Hill, Ryan Yarbrough, Shane McClanahan and Michael Wacha. Randy Arozarena continues to have a strong season, while Austin Meadows has bounced back from his lackluster 2020 season, although his .234 batting average could use some improvement. — Lee
Record: 43-25
Previous ranking: 2
The upside of the news that Nick Madrigal‘s hamstring injury is a season-ender is that the White Sox at least know they need a rest-of-the-season solution at second base, not just a stopgap. In the short term, the White Sox will continue to use utility players Danny Mendick and Leury Garcia at the position. In the minors, the White Sox have veterans Marco Hernandez and Tim Beckham both playing for Triple-A Charlotte. One out-of-the-box idea is to move Yoan Moncada back to the keystone and recall prospect Jake Burger, who is hitting well in the minors. That notion probably causes more problems than it solves. Chicago is likely going to be attached to any middle infielder on the trade rumor mill, with the ideal fit being Pittsburgh’s Adam Frazier, who offers a Madrigal-like skill set. — Doolittle
Record: 41-27
Previous ranking: 5
When the Dodgers first signed Albert Pujols, he was a luxury — a future Hall of Famer who would be used mostly for late-game pinch-hitting. But since that surprise acquisition, the Dodgers have lost Corey Seager, Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger to the injured list, prompting extended first-base time for the 41-year-old Pujols. Muncy (oblique) and Bellinger (hamstring) could both return from short stints next week, but Pujols will continue to be counted on. And so far, he’s contributing. In his first 70 plate appearances with the Dodgers, Pujols hit .273/.314/.530 with five home runs and 13 RBIs. — Gonzalez
Record: 43-25
Previous ranking: 3
It has become increasingly clear, despite what their preseason projections might have looked like, that the Giants need to be active in acquiring veteran players at the trade deadline instead of transitioning into the next phase of their development. Given that, the Giants will undoubtedly take a strong look at the ninth inning. Jake McGee and Tyler Rogers have basically split the closer’s role and combined for a WHIP below 1.00. But the Giants have already blown 14 saves this season and need to do better there if they hope to stay relevant in the hyper-competitive National League West. — Gonzalez
Record: 43-27
Previous ranking: 7
Oakland continues to bounce back in May following a lackluster June with an 11-2 record in the month. Mark Canha continues to lead the way for the team, hitting .256/.380/.467 with 11 homers, while Matt Olson looks like one of the best hitters in the sport, hitting .289/.373/.600. Olson’s 18 homers are tied with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani for third across baseball, behind only Fernando Tatis Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — Lee
Record: 39-28
Previous ranking: 8
Houston fans have been treated to a vintage Astros offense in recent weeks. The offense has rolled up more than six runs per game during June, and as of recent yore, Houston does it by doing everything well. During this time of morbidly depressed batting averages, Astros batsmen are hitting a combined .304 this month, easily the best mark in baseball. But Houston also leads the majors in all the percentages — on-base, slugging, OPS, isolated power, wOBA. Some of the faces have changed, but this Houston attack appears to be as potent as ever. — Doolittle
Record: 42-27
Previous ranking: 6
Boston remains neck and neck with the Rays in American League East race, but the issues around starting pitching are starting to reveal themselves. After leading the team through the early part of the season, the back-end rotation trio of Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards and Martin Perez have come back down to earth. Meanwhile, Eduardo Rodriguez, considered the potential ace of this rotation in the absence of Chris Sale, continues to struggle, posting a 6.21 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP and a -0.5 bWAR. Rodriguez’s FIP of 3.63 suggests some bad luck at play, but results are results. — Lee
Record: 38-32
Previous ranking: 4
The Padres began June with 10 losses in their first 14 games and were OPSing only .594 through that stretch, dead last in the majors. Fernando Tatis Jr. is putting together a dynamic offensive season, with a National League-leading 20 home runs and 13 stolen bases through his first 51 games. But Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers, among others, are performing below expectations. Somehow, the Padres’ loaded lineup ranks below those of the Mariners, Tigers and Diamondbacks in slugging percentage. — Gonzalez
Record: 38-30
Previous ranking: 10
It was a strange week for the Cubs, but they kept pace with the Milwaukee Brewers atop the NL Central. They swept the Cardinals in a weekend series at home, scoring 17 runs in the three games, but overall their numbers at the plate weren’t great. The Cubs hit just .186 for the week ending on Tuesday. A healthy return to the lineup for Nico Hoerner and Matt Duffy should help those numbers. — Rogers
Record: 35-25
Previous ranking: 11
It’s not just the starting rotation that is doing the job. The bullpen has been solid, ranking eighth in the majors in ERA, tied for third in fWAR and ninth in win probability added. Edwin Diaz is 13-for-14 in save chances, and Seth Lugo, excellent since his return from the IL, picked up a two-inning save on Tuesday. — Schoenfield
11. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 38-30
Previous ranking: 9
Milwaukee’s offense finally started to heat up with Christian Yelich looking a little more like his old self, while Daniel Vogelbach has had some key hits. Willy Adames has been a difference-maker since Milwaukee acquired the shortstop from Tampa Bay. — Rogers
Record: 33-33
Previous ranking: 12
The Blue Jays held their own against the Boston Red Sox and White Sox over the weekend, and are sitting at a similar spot in the division with the Yankees. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in the conversation for the Triple Crown two months into the season, while the team continues to get strong performances from Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette. — Lee
Record: 37-28
Previous ranking: 13
While Cleveland has enjoyed good injury luck for the most part this season, at least relative to what has happened elsewhere in the majors, the rotation has been thinned by the absences of, first, Zach Plesac and, second, reigning AL Cy Young Shane Bieber, who is down with a shoulder problem. If Bieber is out for any length of time, that’s obviously a major problem. But Cleveland has had some good news of late, too. Cal Quantrill has shown signs of becoming a viable rotation option while working through the process of being stretched out from relief work. And among the position players, Bobby Bradley seems intent on taking advantage of his latest crack at a regular big league role, with three homers, 10 RBIs and a 1.361 OPS in eight games since being recalled from Triple-A. — Doolittle
Record: 35-32
Previous ranking: 11
The optimism around Luis Severino coming back dissipated when manager Aaron Boone announced that the righty was diagnosed with a low Grade 2 groin strain, delaying his return to the Yankees rotation by a month. Severino suffered the injury during his second rehab start after February 2020 Tommy John surgery, and has not pitched in a major league game since 2019. — Lee
Record: 35-31
Previous ranking: 19
The Reds got themselves back in the NL Central race with series wins over the Rockies and Brewers this past week. Joey Votto joined Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker in carrying Cincinnati’s offense as he compiled an OPS above 1.000 while driving in an NL-high 11 runs over the last seven days. — Rogers
Record: 33-33
Previous ranking: 18
Jean Segura is looking like a potential All-Star, although he could get squeezed at a position where Pittsburgh’s Adam Frazier or Colorado’s Ryan McMahon might have to represent their teams. We’ll see if the groin injury that knocked him out of Tuesday’s game puts him on the IL. Segura made it in 2013 and 2018, but was not an All-Star in 2016, easily his best season. Entering Wednesday, he ranked eighth among NL position players in WAR, although was much lower in FanGraphs’ calculations, as the two split on his defensive value. — Schoenfield
Record: 30-35
Previous ranking: 15
Entering Wednesday, the Atlanta bullpen is 9-17 with a 4.82 ERA. Only the Twins with 18 have more bullpen losses — no surprise that both teams have disappointed. The Braves rank 26th in relief win probability added. Closer Will Smith has five losses, and this isn’t a ghost runner/extra-inning thing as all five of his losses came in the ninth inning. — Schoenfield
Record: 35-33
Previous ranking: 22
St. Louis has been in freefall since Jack Flaherty went down. A four-game home sweep by the Reds was followed shortly by a three-game sweep by the Cubs in Chicago. Winning a home series against the Marlins helped, but they need starting pitching in a bad way. Kwang Hyun Kim‘s return to the mound Tuesday was huge, as he pitched six innings while giving up just three hits. — Rogers
Record: 33-35
Previous ranking: 23
The Angels — without Mike Trout for about another month — were rolling before arriving in Oakland this week, winning six in a row and 11 of their past 14 games to get back over .500 for the first time since May 1. During that 14-game stretch, their starting rotation combined for a 3.61 ERA and seven quality starts, a major sign of improvement. But alas, that success came mostly against bad teams. The Angels don’t seem like a team that can go toe-to-toe with baseball’s best at the moment –– Gonzalez
Record: 29-39
Previous ranking: 20
As the Marlins continue to slide, they have some relief pitchers who might be of interest at the trade deadline. After a couple of bad outings to start the season, Anthony Bass has a 2.42 ERA and .176 average allowed since April 12. Dylan Floro hasn’t allowed a home run in 28 innings, and Adam Cimber hasn’t allowed one in 30.2 innings. John Curtiss has a 3.10 ERA and 33 K’s in 29 innings. Curtiss is the guy mostly likely to be kept because his salary is cost controlled for several more seasons. — Schoenfield
Record: 30-35
Previous ranking: 22
One thing you did not expect to read in 2021: Entering Wednesday’s game, Juan Soto and Victor Robles have the same number of extra-base hits (13). Soto has out-homered Robles 8-0, but Robles has 12 doubles to just four for Soto. Soto’s average exit velocity is actually up from 2020, and his hard-hit rate is slightly up as well, so look for that batting average and slugging percentage to start climbing. — Schoenfield
Record: 34-36
Previous ranking: 21
What has gotten into Jake Fraley? He’s hitting .273/.487/.527 with four home runs in 20 games, with 22 walks and 17 strikeouts (entering Wednesday). He doesn’t have enough PAs to qualify, but his 28% walk rate would easily lead the majors (Joey Gallo is at 19.4%). Maybe they will have a Rookie of the Year contender in the outfield (just not the guy everyone thought). — Schoenfield
Record: 30-37
Previous ranking: 17
The 2021 Royals have tended to follow their stretches of good play with a prolonged inability to beat pretty much anyone. Halfway through June, Kansas City’s latest lapse at least clarifies things: This team isn’t going anywhere, at least not this year. Only a 6-1 win over the A’s on June 11 prevented the Royals from posting a second 11-game losing streak during the first half of the season. The latest slump has been marked by remarkably poor clutch hitting. Since June 5, Kansas City is hitting .156 with runners in scoring position. — Doolittle
Record: 27-41
Previous ranking: 24
The good news for the Twins is that for once, they seemed to have more activations than injury replacements over the past week and Byron Buxton appears to be nearing a return to the big league lineup. The bad news is the Twins continue to get battered on the field, as the .500 mark recedes into the distance. We’ve picked on the Minnesota bullpen plenty this season, for good reason. But when a team is giving up more runs per game than any other club except for Arizona, the rotation shoulders a good deal of blame as well. The Twins have gotten decent seasons from Jose Berrios and Michael Pineda. The problem is everybody else. Minnesota starters other than Berrios and Pineda have combined for a 6.03 ERA.
Record: 28-41
Previous ranking: 26
Trevor Story has been painted as the lone star remaining in Denver, but Ryan McMahon continues to make his case to represent the Rockies when they host the upcoming All-Star Game. After a four-RBI night on Tuesday, McMahon — who has provided solid defense at second and third base — owned an .835 OPS with 16 home runs and 1.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement. — Gonzalez
Record: 25-43
Previous ranking: 27
Texas had four off days in the span of 11 — not a bad thing considering the Rangers haven’t won a series since May 23. They’re near the bottom of the AL in hitting and pitching, making them clear dealers come July. Starter Kyle Gibson could be a great catch for a contender while bringing back some prospects for Texas, as his 2.09 ERA is attractive, and he’s signed through 2022. — Rogers
Record: 29-39
Previous ranking: 25
While you wouldn’t exactly call it vintage Miguel Cabrera, the future Hall of Famer has seen an uptick since the calendar flipped to June. Cabrera is hitting .306 in 12 games so far this month, raising his season mark to .216. He has upped his career totals in hits (2,906) and homers (492) to the point we can start to count down to Miggy reaching historical milestones in those categories. The march to 3,000 hits will almost certainly continue into 2022. But the 500-homer mark is reachable this season if Cabrera can add a modest power surge to his current run of good average. With the Tigers shuffling their roster and getting young, as with this week’s DFAing of catcher Wilson Ramos, Cabrera’s quests are something for Detroit fans to root for while waiting for the rebuild to be complete.
Record: 22-45
Previous ranking: 29
With John Means on the injured list, much of the attention on this team centers around Cedric Mullins and Trey Mancini, but some of the team’s other contributors include shortstop Freddy Galvis, who is hitting .252/.313/.443 with nine homers and a 108 wRC+ this season while playing strong defense at shortstop. Galvis signed a one-year deal in the offseason and could prove to be a potential trade chip at the deadline. — Lee
Record: 23-44
Previous ranking: 28
Pittsburgh has struggled to beat anyone who isn’t also below .500. The Pirates are just 12-31 against the better teams in baseball while enduring a long losing skid over the past 10 days. For the season, the Pirates are last in OPS and 13th in ERA in the National League. — Rogers
Record: 20-49
Previous ranking: 30
Just when you thought the D-backs had hit rock bottom, Tuesday happened. The D-backs led 7-0, which is significant because no team had blown a seven-run lead all season. And they ultimately lost, 8-7, on an eighth-inning grand slam by Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. It was the D-backs’ 21st consecutive loss on the road — the third-longest road losing streak in the modern era — and their 12th consecutive loss in general. It was also the first time in 194 chances that a team blew a seven-run lead in 2021. Arizona entered that game 358-1 in franchise history when leading by seven runs in a game. Then they lost. Of course. — Gonzalez
