Who is the best team in MLB? Before diving into the MLB games today, Sportsnaut’s 2023 MLB power rankings take a weekly look across baseball, evaluating all 30 teams and separating them into tiers. From the worst MLB teams to World Series contenders, we’re evaluating every team in baseball.
Bookmark this page for weekly updates on the best and worst teams in MLB, carrying you from Opening Day 2023 through the World Series.
What’s the best MLB team right now? Let’s dive into our latest MLB power rankings at the All-Star Break.
2023 MLB power rankings: Worst MLB teams in 2023
30. Oakland Athletics (30)
The Oakland Athletics are the worst team in Major League Baseball, a tradition unlike any other. While the Athletics and Kansas City Royals both have similar records, Oakland’s run differential is nearly 90 runs worse. Let that tell you everything you need to know about the A’s.
29. Kansas City Royals (29)
We’re trying to provide a majority of the teams with something to feel good about heading into the All-Star Break. While the Kansas City Royals have been at the bottom of the 2023 MLB power rankings all season, it does mean getting a top pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and Royals’ No. 1 prospect Maikel Garcia is off to a fantastic start in the minor leagues.
Related: MLB standings
28. Washington Nationals (26)
Each day that passes is another step closer to the Washington Nationals being sold to new ownership. If that’s not enough to lift the spirits of this fan base, Washington is coming out of the 2023 MLB Draft with either Dylan Crews or Paul Skenes, which means a franchise-cornerstone talent for this team.
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27. Colorado Rockies (28)
When looking for positives from some of the teams at the bottom of the 2023 MLB power rankings, we go to the farm system. There’s nothing going on right now at Coors Field to provide these fans with a lot of hope. Down in the minor leagues, though, No. 1 prospect Adael Amador (.514 SLG, .905 OPS) is destroying High-A pitching as a 20-year-old, teenage right-handed pitcher Jordy Vargas is flashing great stuff in A-Ball (26.1% K-rate) and our favorite Rockies’prospect (Yanquiel Fernandez) is just beginning to find his form at Double-A after crushing it at High-A.
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26. St. Louis Cardinals (27)
Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are demonstrating right now why the St. Louis Cardinals shouldn’t tear things down. Pair the All-Star tandem with Jordan Walker (.792 OPS as a rookie), Brendan Donovan (.386 BA in last 30 days) and Willson Contreras (.901 OPS since June 1), you’ve got the making off a playoff-caliber lineup. Now, St. Louis must use all of its other assets to build a quality rotation. Winning in 2024 is the goal, this season is a lost cause.
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25. Chicago White Sox (25)
Luis Robert Jr. is receiving nearly enough credit for the season he’s having. The Chicago White Sox outfielder is a candidate for the Gold Glove Award in center field (7 Total Runs Saved) and he ranks top-five in MLB in FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement. Incredibly Robert Jr. has been even better as of late- 1.019 OPS since May 1 – making it a bigger shame he’s stuck in Chicago.
24. Detroit Tigers (24)
The entire MLB season doesn’t matter if the Detroit Tigers land Dylan Crews with the third pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Crews is a generational talent, someone who can be the eventual face of the Tigers’ franchise. The price to sign him doesn’t matter. If Crews is available and Detroit snags him, it will be the best thing that happens to this franchise all year.
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23. Pittsburgh Pirates (21)
The Pittsburgh Pirates have fallen back to earth since the blistering start in April, but that’s alright. Henry Davis, the catcher of the future, has already made his MLB debut. Meanwhile, fellow top prospect Endy Rodriguez is going to draw rave reviews coming out of the Futures Game. Pittsburgh can get excited about what’s coming to PNC Park in 2024 and beyond.
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22. San Diego Padres (22)
The San Diego Padres have multiple MVP candidates on their roster. Juan Soto (.915 OPS, 21.1% BB rate) remains one of the best hitters in baseball, Fernando TatÃs Jr. has been one of the best power hitters since June 1 and Ha-Seong Kim is pairing Gold Glove defense with strong run production (.757 OPS). On top of that, San Diego’s pitchers have the eighth-best ERA (3.83) and the sixth-most quality starts (40). Yet, the Padres have a losing record. Spending money is great, success is just not guaranteed.
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21. Los Angeles Angels (16)
Shohei Ohtani deserves to win AL MVP if he maintains his current pace and the Los Angeles Angels don’t make the playoffs. With that said, we’d also advise Los Angeles to trade him in July because there is not even a slim chance he re-signs with the club this winter. Unfortunately, based on the team’s trajectory, a safe projection is Ohtani stays on the roster and Los Angeles receives a compensatory pick in exchange next year.
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MLB power rankings today: New York Mets climb before All-Star Break, San Francisco Giants plummet
20. Chicago Cubs (20)
Realistically, the Chicago Cubs aren’t going to demonstrate enough to the front office to convince them on becoming buyers at the trade deadline. It’s unfortunate for Marcus Stroman, who fits well in Chicago and has been an excellent front-line starter. However, the Cubs’ ability to stay within striking distance of a .500 and the emergence of ace Justin Steele bodes well for the future.
19. New York Mets (23)
It’s a soft rise in the 2023 MLB power rankings for the New York Mets. Taking a series against the San Francisco Giants and then sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road, that’s impressive. New York’s pitching was excellent, its lineup came through in run-scoring opportunities and we saw the team everyone expected. However, we also can’t forget the club that was 36-46 on July 1. Prove it coming out of the All-Star Break and New York will climb even higher.
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18. San Francisco Giants (8)
One of the best teams in MLB from May through mid-June has suddenly collapsed. The San Francisco Giants have a 4-8 record over the last two weeks, plummeting out of the Wild Card race and raising questions about their approach at the trade deadline. For those seeking positives, LaMonte Wade Jr (137 wRC+) remains a bright spot and Patrick Bailey (119 wRC+, .290 BA in first 27 games) is showing ample promise.
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17. Cleveland Guardians (17)
The Cleveland Guardians are defeating who you’d expect them to beat and that’s all that is required to at least maintain some playoff odds in the AL Central. It’s worth keeping in mind that the Guardians still have a negative run differential and a losing record vs .500 teams this year, but they’re just as capable of winning the division as the Minnesota Twins.
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16. Minnesota Twins (15)
There’s a crucial opportunity looming for the Minnesota Twins when they return from All-Star Week. The Twins schedule in the second half includes the Athletics, White Sox, Royals and Cardinals right up to the trade deadline. If they win those series and can win at least three of seven against the Seattle Mariners, the Twins will be favorites to win the division and it should influence the front office to be buyers.
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15. Boston Red Sox (18)
The Boston Red Sox recovered nicely from losing seven of eight games at the end of June with a sweep over the Toronto Blue Jays followed by a decisive series victory against the Texas Rangers. Throw in the results at Fenway Park against the A’s, you’ve got a team that is now a safe distance from the .500 mark. Credit to a lineup that, even through cold spells, ranks top-10 in every major category at the All-Star Break.
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14. Seattle Mariners (18)
Maybe the Seattle Mariners have turned things around. They kicked July off by taking out the Tampa Bay Rays and then handed San Francisco the same fate. Next, the Mariners’ pitching staff utterly dismantled the Houston Astros lineup. This might be a slight confirmation bias, given our high expectations for Seattle in 2023, but this hot streak is exactly what it needed before the All-Star Break.
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13. New York Yankees (9)
The updates on Aaron Judge are becoming slightly more concerning. If he returns, with a healthy Carlos Rodón and eventually Frankie Montas, the New York Yankees are a World Series contender. If the reigning AL MVP is sidelined indefinitely, just know the Yankees are 30-19 with Judge in the lineup and 18-22 without him.
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12. Milwaukee Brewers (14)
Even at a time when the news isn’t promising on Brandon Woodruff and the front office was forced to demote Luis Urias, the Milwaukee Brewers keep on ticking. Milwaukee split its four-game set against Chicago, but that came in-between favorable results around it. We still think the Reds have the highest ceiling in the division, but Milwaukee can stay on the Reds’ trail.
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11. Houston Astros (11)
The Houston Astros are going to have problems if they aren’t aggressive at the trade deadline. In the last 30 days, Houston ranks 13th in OPS (.757) and 23rd in ERA (4.70). We’ve cautioned against this Astros’ rotation for months and the regression is finally here, with a 4.95 ERA in the last 27 games. Fortunately for the Astros, the American League is wide-open and the Astros’ front office knows how to build a champion quickly.
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2023 MLB power rankings: Best MLB teams right now
10. Toronto Blue Jays (12)
George Springer (.314/.360/.495) and Bo Bichette (.303/.315/.431) have been excellent in the last 30 days, making up for struggles at the plate from Daultn Varsho (.205/.256/.289) and Matt Chapman (.217/.298/.413). The big question for Toronto in the second half of the season will be which version of Alex Manoah shows up.
9. Cincinnati Reds (11)
The Cincinnati Reds’ success right now is frankly remarkable given their lack of pitching depth. Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Tejay Antone and Ben Lively are just a few of the hurlers currently on the injured list, yet Cincinnati has pushed itself 10 games above .500. Monitor the Reds during trade season, they could make some noise.
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8. Miami Marlins (6)
Luis Arraez has cooled off considerably at the plate, by his standards, with a .302/.362/.415 slash line in the last two weeks. While Garrett Cooper and Jean Segura are helping the Miami Marlins get on base, it’s only translated to the 13th-most runs in the last two weeks and that’s not enough to support a pitching staff that holds a 4.34 ERA over that stretch.
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7. Baltimore Orioles (13)
That’s exactly what the Baltimore Orioles ordered before heading into the All-Star Break. After a catastrophic fall down the 2023 MLB power rankings entering July, Baltimore responded with excellent showings against the Yankees and Twins. We’re still concerned about the rotation – 4.04 ERA since June 1 – but this recent stretch has reintroduced some confidence in the O’s.
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6. Arizona Diamondbacks (4)
The good news for the Arizona Diamondbacks is that they received the best news possible on Corbin Carroll after two injury scares. Unfortunately for Arizona, regression seems to be hitting this roster. Arizona has a 5-7 record in the last two weeks, putting it in the same company as the Athletics and Cardinals. It will be imperative coming out of the All-Star Break to get hot, especially since the Blue Jays, Reds and Atlanta Braves are on the schedule.
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5. Philadelphia Phillies (7)
Here’s why the Philadelphia Phillies are ascending up the 2023 MLB power rankings so quickly. Since June 1, the Phillies have the best record in MLB (23-9). The Phillies rotation is responsible for a 3.02 ERA in those 32 games with the lineup producing the 11th-best OPS (.748). Philadelphia has beaten the Mets, Cubs, Rays and Marlins during that stretch. This is a much closer version of the 2022 NL champions than we saw at the beginning of the season.
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4. Texas Rangers (3)
The Texas Rangers have run into a dry spell, dropping sets against the Astros and then Red Sox. It should only be a minor blip for a ballclub that leads MLB in runs scored, batting average and OPS. Although, it would be wise for Texas to keep adding to its bullpen.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (5)
Here come the Los Angeles Dodgers. After taking full advantage of their soft schedule before the All-Star Break, Los Angeles rolled into the weekend with a top-five record in the last two weeks. Now, the Dodgers are still a distant third behind the best teams in MLB, but a few additions at the deadline can narrow the gap a bit.
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2. Tampa Bay Rays (2)
Shane McClanahan is on the injured list, the latest in a season full of blows to a once-great rotation. The Tampa Bay Rays’ starters have a 4.33 ERA since June 15 (15th in MLB) and the lineup has only produced a .707 OPS (17th in MLB) during that 33-game run. That’s why Tampa Bay has gone from a historically-great start to opening up the AL for its rivals.
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1. Atlanta Braves (1)
The Atlanta Braves are the best team in MLB. Not only are the Braves the hottest team in MLB, our No. 1 team in the MLB power rankings became the first club to reach 60 wins this year. Plus, Atlanta is top-three in runs scored, slugging, OBP, team ERA and ranks eighth in batting average allowed. Bet on Atlanta to win the National League and they’re easily the World Series favorite.
Statistics via FanGraphs
Who is the best team in Major League Baseball right now?
The Atlanta Braves are the best team in Major League Baseball right now. The Braves have the highest winning percentage in MLB and are the first team to win 60 games in 2023.
What team has the worst record in baseball?
The Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals have the worst record in baseball. Entering the All-Star Break, the Athletics and Royals are the only MLB teams without 30 wins. The Colorado Rockies have the worst record in the National League.
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Which team has the most home runs in 2023?
The Atlanta Braves lead MLB in home runs. Right behind the Braves on the MLB home run leaderboard are the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays.
What are the MLB power rankings?
MLB power rankings are evaluations of all 30 teams in Major League Baseball, ranking them from best to worst based on MLB standings, stats, past success and talent.
How are MLB power rankings calculated?
Sportsnaut’s MLB power rankings are calculated by the standings, run differential, preseason expectations, 2023 performance and projections for the remainder of the regular season.
Who has the best offense in MLB 2023?
The Texas Rangers have the best MLB offense in 2023. Entering the All-Star Break, the Rangers led MLB in batting average, hits, runs scored, OBP and rank second in OPS.