MLB Power Rankings: Red Sox, Astros surge ahead while Giants tumble

Welcome to the seventh edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2022 season.

1. New York Yankees

The Bronx Bombers remain the class of the league, despite getting no-hit Saturday. The offense decidedly cooled off over the past week but still averaged nearly 4.5 runs during its mini 4-4 slump. While the arbitration case of Aaron Judge got the majority of the headlines, Jose Trevino has been a quiet revelation. After trading away Gary Sanchez, it seemed as though Kyle Higashioka was the guy behind the dish. Trevino, though, who came over from the Rangers in a deal barely worth discussing at the time, has blossomed into arguably the best all-around catcher in baseball this year. His 10.4 defensive rating, according to FanGraphs, ranks first among all backstops with at least 100 plate appearances, and he's second in the AL by wRC+.

2. Houston Astros

Most importantly for the Astros these days is that they've recently run roughshod through the other two clubs in the top three of the power rankings. And, arguably, they might be a more complete club top to bottom than either the Yankees or Mets. In June, only the Blue Jays are posting a better wRC+ than the Astros, and Houston's pitching staff is authoring the second-lowest FIP in the AL. Of course, that's highlighted by Cristian Javier's recent domination of the Yanks, throwing seven innings of a combined no-hitter while racking up 13 strikeouts. But young studs Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez have been unbelievable this month, combining for 14 homers, while the ageless Justin Verlander continues to defy Father Time with a 2.56 ERA over his last five starts.

3. New York Mets

The Mets are clearly silencing critics, but they certainly haven't looked like world-beaters this past month and can thank a pretty cushy schedule for keeping them among the league's elite. They kicked off June splitting against the Dodgers in L.A., which pretty much any team would love to do, but then dropped two of three to the Padres and got swept in a two-game set to the Astros. Thankfully, though, they got to beat up on the Angels, Brewers, and Marlins while Francisco Lindor posted a measly .664 OPS. At least Pete Alonso is still mashing (nine homers this month) and Jacob deGrom is seemingly nearing his return.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers

Freddie Freeman finally got to pick up his ring, and he also got the last laugh on his old team as the Dodgers took two of three from Atlanta. Even without Mookie Betts and Walker Buehler, L.A. is continuing to fire on all cylinders. Freeman's fit in well with the Dodgers, Tony Gonsolin is emerging as a bona fide ace, and they're the only NL club with a run differential above 100. In other words, it's just another winning summer in Hollywood.

5. Atlanta Braves

The Braves have evened out a little bit since their 14-game winning streak came to an end, going 5-5 over their past 10 games. Still, they're now firmly entrenched in a playoff spot and are at least within spitting distance of the first-place Mets. Not bad for a team that didn't have its all-world star outfielder, Ronald Acuna Jr., until May and is now missing All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies long term.

6. San Diego Padres

The Padres averted a serious crisis when Manny Machado's ankle injury turned out to be less serious than it first seemed. Machado hasn't played since June 19, but the Padres kept themselves afloat by going 4-3 in his absence. Still, as their series against the Phillies showed, the Padres need their MVP candidate back - and ideally by Thursday, when a gigantic four-game series against the Dodgers in L.A. kicks off.

7. Boston Red Sox

The hottest team in baseball is suddenly atop the AL wild-card standings. The Red Sox have ridden astoundingly great pitching this month, posting a league-best 2.66 ERA. That's partly thanks to the long-awaited breakout of Nick Pivetta. The right-hander improved on an already amazing year lately, allowing one run or fewer in seven of his last 10 starts - a stretch with a 1.85 ERA. Michael Wacha, Josh Winckowski, Rich Hill, and reliever John Schreiber have also provided crucial contributions.

8. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays welcomed back Wander Franco this past weekend, and the sophomore will be counted on immediately and heavily. Without Franco, the team's had a lot of trouble generating runs in June, with 89 on the month - ranking better than only the lowly Angels, Tigers, and Athletics. Thankfully for Tampa Bay, the pitching posted the second-best ERA in the league over that span, led by Shane McClanahan and a cobbled-together bullpen of Jason Adam, Brooks Raley, and Matt Wisler. It's time for the offense to chip in.

9. Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers are keeping up with the Cardinals despite missing Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta. Corbin Burnes looks like he's the early favorite to win a second straight Cy Young. The right-handed ace has been especially sharp with Woodruff and Peralta sidelined, allowing just 12 runs over 41 2/3 innings with 57 strikeouts. Milwaukee's bullpen is also a rock, accruing the third-best fWAR in the NL thanks to Josh Hader and Devin Williams.

10. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays' biggest concern is righting a struggling rotation that's put a lot of pressure on the bullpen during a tough 5-8 stretch. The trio of Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, and Yusei Kikuchi allowed 31 runs over their last six starts combined. On a positive note, catcher Alejandro Kirk is making a strong push to start the All-Star Game, slashing .322/.409/.523 with 10 homers over 63 contests.

11. Philadelphia Phillies

One pitch from Blake Snell may have doomed the 2022 Phillies. Bryce Harper fractured his thumb Saturday when Snell's fastball hit his hand, and the team doesn't know when he'll return. Philadelphia was already facing slim odds in the NL East with the Mets pulling away and the Braves cementing themselves in second place. Without Harper, who was following up last year's MVP campaign with another quietly brilliant season, the Phillies' chances of even grabbing a wild-card spot will likely be slim at best - no matter how well they play down the stretch.

12. Minnesota Twins

The Twins briefly fell out of the AL Central lead after dropping two out of three to the Guardians. Closer Emilio Pagan gave up five earned runs over two appearances in two of the losses against the division rivals. It's been an underwhelming few weeks for Minnesota, playing .500 ball against weaker opponents such as the Mariners, Diamondbacks, and Rockies. To make matters worse, pitching coach Wes Johnson is reportedly leaving the team to take the same job at LSU.

13. St. Louis Cardinals

Paul Goldschmidt continues to pace the Cardinals as he looks for his first MVP. The six-time All-Star's 1.043 OPS, .337 batting average, and 91 hits lead the Senior Circuit. St. Louis has to be concerned with Jack Flaherty's health after he left his latest start early due to a shoulder issue. Injuries have restricted the right-hander to eight innings this season.

14. San Francisco Giants

The Giants have fallen back a bit in both the NL West and wild-card races. After dropping two of three to the lowly Reds over the weekend, San Francisco sits a half-game out of a playoff spot and six behind the first-place Dodgers. They've gone just 6-7 in 13 games since sweeping L.A. earlier in June. Fortunately for Gabe Kapler, his club has a lighter schedule heading into the All-Star break, which it'll have to take advantage of just to keep pace.

15. Cleveland Guardians

Only the Yankees and Red Sox have more wins this month in the AL than the Guardians, who were arguably the hottest team in baseball up until the four-game losing streak they're currently riding. The difficult part is deciphering how, exactly, they did it. Bluntly, it's been a stars-and-scrubs approach. Jose Ramirez has been predictably great, while Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario have really switched it on this month. That's helped insulate the team from the fact Owen Miller and Myles Straw have turned ice cold. The same can be said on the pitching side, where Shane Bieber and relief aces Emmanuel Clase and Eli Morgan are making up for Triston McKenzie's recent struggles.

16. Los Angeles Angels

So far, the Phil Nevin era of Angels baseball looks a lot like the Joe Maddon era. That's to say: Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are doing incredible things that would make "Tungsten Arm" O'Doyle proud, but the rest of the team isn't helping them out. They're only 6 1/2 games out of a playoff spot, but the deficit feels much larger.

17. Seattle Mariners

Pitching is keeping the Mariners afloat this year. Their 3.74 staff ERA ranks eighth in the majors, ahead of contenders such as the Guardians, Twins, and even the Brewers. If Seattle could find some consistent offense to help the arms, it'd be in business. Alas, it's once again stuck beating up on the lowly A's and jockeying with the Angels for third place.

18. Miami Marlins

Sandy Alcantara's work ethic and dominance have made him a throwback ace and arguably the NL Cy Young front-runner. In June, he only added to his case, posting a 1.86 ERA and 2.65 FIP over five starts while throwing an MLB-leading 38 2/3 innings. In fact, the Marlins' entire pitching staff accrued 1.9 fWAR this month, of which Alcantara is responsible for 1.1 (nearly 58%). Meanwhile, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesus Sanchez have led the offense in June, combining for 12 homers. There are things going well for one of the few clubs with a positive run differential that currently finds themselves out of a playoff spot.

19. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox won Sunday to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Orioles. Chicago lost four straight earlier in the month after returning back to .500 in what's been a trying season filled with injuries. The return of Lance Lynn gives the club one of the best rotations in the AL on paper, especially with the way Dylan Cease is pitching. The 26-year-old recorded 24 strikeouts while allowing just one earned run over his last two starts (13 innings). However, Lucas Giolito looks lost. He has a 5.40 ERA with 1.56 WHIP in 2022.

20. Texas Rangers

Corey Seager and Marcus Semien haven't lived up to expectations yet. Seager, who's tied for the club lead with 15 homers, owns a .726 OPS, while Semien has a .635 OPS. The team needs more from the duo if it plans to contend for a wild-card spot. While Matt Moore and Brock Burke don't have the same big-name recognition, the relievers surrendered a combined 13 earned runs in 68 1/3 innings.

21. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are on the rise. Baltimore hasn't lost a series since early June thanks to a mix of some solid pitching and timely hitting. Ryan Mountcastle has six multi-hit games, including two three-hit contests, since June 13. Adley Rutschman is also putting it together. The former No. 1 pick has gone deep twice with three multi-hit games during that stretch. The club's relievers own the best fWAR in the AL, which might be one of the biggest surprises in baseball.

22. Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona's bullpen has been one of the worst in the majors this season, which has cost them plenty of games recently. Joe Mantiply's been one of the few reliable relief arms for manager Torey Lovullo, and even he's come back to earth a bit lately, taking the loss to the Tigers on Saturday. It's shaping up to be another difficult summer for the D-Backs.

23. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies lost eight of 12 to slide into the NL West basement. Colorado isn't getting much offensively outside of C.J. Cron and Charlie Blackmon, who looks revitalized following four consecutive multi-hit games in mid-June. The team's biggest issue is pitching. Chad Kuhl is the only starter with a sub-4.00 ERA. Daniel Bard and Alex Colome have been solid coming out of the bullpen and could fetch a decent haul when the trade deadline rolls around.

24. Chicago Cubs

Willson Contreras, Ian Happ, and David Robertson will likely generate a lot of trade interest and be the biggest names to watch in July with the season off the rails. Contreras is slashing .268/.383/.494 with 12 round-trippers, Happ owns a .835 OPS, and Robertson has a 1.86 ERA with 12.1 K/9 this season. The speed of Chicago's rebuild may depend on what pieces the front office can get in return.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates

Jose Quintana has really come back down to earth after a hot start. Posting a 2.68 ERA through his first 10 starts, the veteran left-hander has coughed up 13 runs in his last four appearances, getting mauled for five homers. In all likelihood, the Pirates hoped to use Quintana to eat innings and were hopeful he was a trade chip at the deadline. Pittsburgh's run differential is now teetering ever close to triple digits in the wrong direction. Only the Nationals and Athletics have been worse.

26. Kansas City Royals

The Royals without Salvador Perez just don't feel like the Royals, but they'll be without their veteran catcher until late August while he recovers from thumb surgery. It's a bleak outlook, but no one would blame the Kansas City faithful for tuning out for the next couple of months until he returns. We'll fill you in when Andrew Benintendi gets traded.

27. Detroit Tigers

Javier Baez is finally starting to get some hits. The Tigers' prized free-agent signing hit .407/.448/.889 over the past week, and four of his seven homers this season have come in his last 15 games. His slight resurgence is at least one positive Detroit can take from an otherwise woeful June.

28. Cincinnati Reds

Hunter Greene's blazing fastball has gotten more of the attention in spite of his rough stat line, but it's Graham Ashcraft who's providing the Reds with some real hope. Ashcraft has the lowest ERA among Reds starters in only seven starts, and he's walked a mere seven batters across 41 1/3 innings. That's the kind of starting pitching Cincinnati can potentially build around.

29. Washington Nationals

Josiah Gray is starting to figure it out. The 24-year-old allowed just four earned runs over his last five starts (29 innings) with 31 strikeouts. He was one of the key pieces in the Trea Turner-Max Scherzer blockbuster, and now he's showing why Washington's front office was willing to pull the trigger.

30. Oakland Athletics

It's bleak. The A's rank dead last in June with a 72 wRC+, and Cristian Pache's minus-6 score (106 percentage points worse than the league average) over 16 games looks particularly awful. On the pitching side, it's even worse. Oakland ranks bottom with a minus-1 fWAR this month and also posted a 5.35 ERA and 5.05 FIP. James Kaprielian has really been going through it of late, coughing up 14 runs (13 earned) over his last 19 1/3 innings, while rookie Jared Koenig has had a real baptism by fire, also giving up 13 earned runs over his 18 1/3 frames while issuing more walks (11) than strikeouts (10). It's very, very bleak.