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MLB power rankings: Brewers, Phillies, Blue Jays lead the list, with Yankees rejoining the top 5

The marathon that is MLB’s regular season is nearing its conclusion, with three weeks remaining before the real fun begins in October. For a dozen lucky teams, this month is merely an appetizer of what’s to come in the postseason, but for the majority of squads, now’s a reasonable time to take stock of the year that was.

Our latest power rankings take a look at each team’s most valuable player over the duration of the regular season. On contending teams, these are superstars who will have the opportunity to raise their status further in the postseason. For non-playoff squads, these are players whose stellar seasons can be appreciated as evidence that they can be relied on as building blocks entering 2026.

Jump to a team by clicking on the links below:

30. Colorado Rockies (40-104)

Only Cal Raleigh has hit more home runs among catchers this season than Hunter Goodman, and before you yell “COORS!”, you should know that 16 of Goodman’s 29 long balls have come on the road. While his glovework behind the dish leaves a lot to be desired, catchers with this kind of power are rare, so credit to Colorado for identifying and developing a potential star at such a valuable position.

29. Chicago White Sox (55-89)

An exciting, young offensive core is slowly coalescing in Chicago, and 23-year-old Colson Montgomery looks to be the headlining attraction as the White Sox progress out of the depths of their rebuild. Since July 22, Montgomery has swatted 18 homers in 39 games, the most in MLB over that span. Add surprisingly plus defense at shortstop, and Montgomery looks like a budding superstar for the South Siders, even if his whiff-heavy approach hints at some offensive regression to come.

28. Washington Nationals (59-84)

Does James Wood have a realistic chance of breaking Mark Reynolds’ record for most strikeouts in a single season (223 in 2009)? Yes. Has Wood’s performance in his sophomore season as a 22-year-old been a resounding success that should have Nationals fans extremely excited about his future? Also yes. Sure, the whiffs have been plentiful, but Wood is a no-doubt offensive anchor with epic power potential, of which he’s just scratching the surface.

27. Miami Marlins (66-78)

A strained oblique put Kyle Stowers on the injured list on Aug. 17, and whether he’ll return this season is questionable, but we shouldn’t lose sight of what he accomplished in his first full year with the Fish after arriving from Baltimore via trade last summer. Stowers’ .912 OPS ranks seventh in MLB among hitters with at least 450 plate appearances this season, sandwiched between Juan Soto and Ketel Marte. Pretty good!

Which of these team MVPs will lead his squad to a World Series title this fall? (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)

26. Pittsburgh Pirates (64-80)

After finishing third in NL Cy Young voting as a rookie, Paul Skenes is on track to claim the award as a sophomore, an astonishing achievement considering how high he set the bar for himself in Year 1. With a dazzlingly deep array of pitches and a meticulous understanding of how to deploy them, by multiple measures, Skenes is off to a truly historic start to a career by a starting pitcher. On a staff with several promising young arms, Skenes stands head and shoulders above the rest as Pittsburgh’s ultimate ace.

25. Minnesota Twins (64-80)

It’s a shame that Byron Buxton has played 100-plus games in consecutive seasons for the first time in his career, only for the Twins to completely capitulate around him (not to mention trade away a ton of his teammates). Unfortunate circumstances aside, Buxton has performed at the superstar level we’ve always known him to be capable of, and that has been a treat to watch, regardless of Minnesota’s troubling trajectory.

24. Los Angeles Angels (67-77)

This is a coin flip between Zach Neto, who posted a 25 HR/25 SB season as a shortstop, and outfielder Jo Adell, whose tantalizing slugging prowess was finally on full display (35 home runs!) in his sixth major-league season. I’ll give the edge to Neto as the superior defender.

23. Athletics (66-79)

The A’s have assembled quite the collection of impact bats of varying styles, but no one has been as much of a difference-maker as first baseman Nick Kurtz, whose gargantuan numbers as a rookie suggest that we could be witnessing the start of a special career.

22. Atlanta Braves (65-79)

In the spirit of the recent celebration of the 30th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played, I’ll give the nod to modern-day ironman Matt Olson. Olson has played in 764 straight games dating to May 2, 2021, good for the 12th-longest streak in MLB history. That’s a far cry from Ripken’s mind-blowing final total of 2,632, but Olson’s dependability and reliable production have been especially appreciated amid an unpredictable and disappointing Braves season.

21. Baltimore Orioles (66-77)

Left-hander Trevor Rogers might not accrue enough innings to warrant serious AL Cy Young consideration, but here’s a fun fact: The only two pitchers since integration to make at least 15 starts in a season with a lower ERA than Rogers’ mark of 1.51 are Jacob deGrom in 2021 (1.08 ERA in 92 innings) and Bob Gibson in 1968 (1.12 ERA in 304 ⅔ innings). Does that mean Rogers is suddenly one of the greatest pitchers of all time? Probably not. But in a year when the Orioles’ pitching was a huge part of their collective downfall, Rogers’ remarkable breakout shines bright.

20. Tampa Bay Rays (71-72)

At just 22 years old, Junior Caminero is having a historic slugging season for a player his age and, perhaps more importantly for his future as the face of this franchise, has improved markedly on defense over the course of the season. For a team long defined by its collective effectiveness on the mound, Caminero’s star power with the bat cannot be overstated.

19. St. Louis Cardinals (72-73)

Although Brendan Donovan was the team’s lone All-Star, allow me to shed some light on Willson Contreras, whose transition to full-time first baseman this season has quietly gone about as well as St. Louis could’ve hoped and has opened up playing time for defensive specialist Pedro Pages behind the dish and at-bats for young slugger Ivan Herrera. Meanwhile, Contreras has continued to mash and has played some stellar defense at his new position as well.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks (72-73)

Take your pick: Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo and Ketel Marte all rank in the top 10 among NL position players in fWAR, and each could be considered Arizona’s best all-around player in 2025. That said, Perdomo’s leap forward offensively has been the most pleasant surprise among this trio of stars, and his doing so with a plus glove at the most valuable defensive position gives him a slight edge over his teammates.

17. Cleveland Guardians (73-70)

In a year that has featured no shortage of unexpected challenges and in a lineup at risk of setting a record for lowest team batting average in franchise history, Jose Ramirez just keeps chugging along at an MVP level. While Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh will prevent him from winning his first AL MVP award, Ramirez is likely headed for the seventh top-six MVP finish of his career, a significant feat that only further solidifies his Hall of Fame trajectory.

16. Kansas City Royals (73-71)

Even with a considerable fall-off offensively from his enormous MVP runner-up campaign a year ago, Bobby Witt Jr. remains the objectively correct answer here. But don’t sleep on Maikel Garcia, whose slash line (.292/.357/.469) is eerily similar to Witt’s (.294/.352/.503) with a tick less power but comparably spectacular defense at the hot corner. These two have a compelling case as the best left side of the infield in baseball.

15. Cincinnati Reds (72-72)

As much as I want to credit Elly De La Cruz for playing in every game for Cincinnati and providing both power and speed at shortstop, he has taken enough of a step back this year that I’m inclined to name Hunter Greene as the Reds’ MVP in 2025. Although injuries have limited him to 16 starts, Greene has gotten meaningfully better this season, registering a career-high strikeout rate (32%) and career-low walk rate (5.4%) with stellar run prevention (2.59 ERA) to match.

14. San Francisco Giants (73-71)

Logan Webb eclipsed 200 strikeouts for the first time in his career and is on track to lead the National League in innings pitched for the third consecutive season. While the Giants have added several high-profile hitters in recent years, Webb remains the most valuable player on this roster, and remarkably, he might still be getting better.

13. Texas Rangers (75-70)

In some cruel twist of fate — or perhaps a balancing of baseball karma — Jacob deGrom has remained healthy and durable throughout a season defined by injuries for the Rangers. And unsurprisingly, deGrom has been one of the best pitchers in the American League, even if his numbers aren’t quite as eye-popping as they were during his prime. He has been Texas’ MVP and one of the best stories of the season.

12. Seattle Mariners (76-68)

Whether or not he ultimately beats Aaron Judge for AL MVP is irrelevant to this exercise. What Cal Raleigh has meant to this Seattle club on both sides of the ball is immeasurable, even beyond the ever-growing array of statistics that demonstrate how special his season has been. He already had a case as the team’s MVP last season, before he was breaking records, so this year there is no doubt.

11. New York Mets (76-68)

Pete Alonso has been terrific, and Francisco Lindor has been 90% as good as his MVP runner-up showing a year ago. But Juan Soto is the reason this lineup projects to be especially harrowing come postseason time, and he has completely flushed that first-half cold stretch and restored his status as one of baseball’s most fearsome hitters. October will be the ultimate proving ground for this trio of stars, but Soto has done the most for this team so far.

10. Boston Red Sox (80-65)

Had he not missed so much time due to injury, Alex Bregman would probably be the pick given his impact on and off the field amid an especially turbulent Red Sox season, but Garrett Crochet has been everything Boston could’ve hoped for and more since the team acquired and extended him this past winter. It’s hard to believe anyone would be pushing Tarik Skubal for the AL Cy Young, considering how well he has been pitching, but Crochet is doing just that.

9. Houston Astros (78-66)

While shortstop Jeremy Pena has notably cooled off after a huge first half, right-hander Hunter Brown has only gotten better as the season has gone on and has started to establish himself in the inner circle of the American League’s best starting pitchers, earning him the nod here as Houston’s MVP. With Framber Valdez expected to depart in free agency this winter, Brown’s continued ascension is a tremendously important development for Houston moving forward.

8. San Diego Padres (79-65)

While Fernando Tatis Jr.’s surface-level stats are more good than great, his underlying metrics better encapsulate his elite batted-ball data, impact on the basepaths and plus-plus defense in right field. That combination of value added is enough for Tatis to earn my vote as San Diego’s MVP over Manny Machado, who continues to rake but whose defense appears to be trending in the wrong direction quickly.

7. Chicago Cubs (81-63)

His immense struggles over the past month make it difficult to peg him as the Cubs’ undisputed MVP, but Pete Crow-Armstrong was so good over the first three months that it feels disingenuous to discount how integral he was to the team’s early-season success. The recent regression has been disappointing, but the value already added was humongous. With respect to several other more stable Cubs candidates, PCA is still the pick here.

6. Detroit Tigers (82-62)

The Tigers have taken some much-needed steps forward on offense this season, but the answer is clearly still Tarik Skubal, who is on his way to becoming the first pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 1999 and 2000 to win consecutive AL Cy Young awards. As with his ace counterpart in the National League, Paul Skenes, it was difficult to fathom that Skubal could improve upon last year’s campaign by much, yet that’s exactly what he has done — and the first-place Tigers have benefited greatly from those gains.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (80-64)

Shohei Ohtani is en route to winning his fourth MVP award, something only Barry Bonds has accomplished — and Bonds didn’t win his fourth until he was five years older than Ohtani is now. Whether Ohtani ends up catching Bonds’ staggering total of seven MVPs remains to be seen, but it has been fantastic to see him return to his singular two-way exploits with the Dodgers, and the thought of him doing it in the postseason for the first time is especially enthralling.

4. New York Yankees (80-63)

Aaron Judge has an .879 OPS in 30 games since his return from the injured list, which is a stellar mark for most hitters and also a far cry from the outrageous offensive pace Judge was on before his elbow injury. Still, Judge had banked enough outlandish production to put him in strong position to beat Raleigh for what would be the Yankees’ captain’s third AL MVP in four years. And even if Raleigh ultimately wins it, there’s no debating that Judge is the team’s MVP.

3. Toronto Blue Jays (82-61)

Similar to the Mets and D-backs, the Blue Jays boast three hitters with convincing arguments in Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer. But for as good as the familiar tandem of Guerrero and Bichette have been, Springer’s shocking resurgence feels far more important to the story of Toronto’s season. This dude is about to turn 36 years old and ranks third among qualified hitters in wRC+, behind only Judge and Ohtani. That’s ridiculous — and worthy of team MVP honors.

2. Philadelphia Phillies (84-60)

Kyle Schwarber is a completely defensible answer for obvious reasons, but it’s worth noting that Trea Turner doesn’t just lead the Phillies in fWAR. He leads the entire National League — yes, even ahead of Ohtani, due in large part to Turner’s massive improvement defensively at shortstop. It’s great news that Turner’s recent hamstring strain isn’t considered to be too serious; otherwise, Philadelphia might’ve been in real trouble entering the postseason.

1. Milwaukee Brewers (89-56)

There are plenty of fun candidates to sort through on the team with baseball’s best record by a wide margin, but Freddy Peralta leveling up further is a pretty big deal, particularly as we prepare to evaluate Milwaukee’s chances of making a deep run in October. He’s hardly the only Milwaukee pitcher enjoying an excellent season, but Peralta doing it in his eighth year as a Brewer on a staff with a ton of fresh faces is an especially delightful development.

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