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Welcome to the NBC Sports EDGE MLB Power Rankings, a weekly feature that will run every Tuesday through the end of the 2022 regular season. These rankings are not fantasy-driven in any way, though I do tend to sprinkle in fantasy-relevant nuggets here and there. Who’s hot, who’s not, who to watch -- that sort of thing. Send any and all complaints to me on Twitter: @drewsilv.
Please believe me when I tell you that I do not hate your team.
1. New York Yankees
Record: 54-20
Last Week: 1
Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton both went yard on Monday as the Yankees overcame a 5-1 deficit to earn a 9-5 victory over the Athletics. Rizzo, whose career high for home runs in a season is 32, already has 20 dingers -- and 50 RBI -- through 71 games played here in 2022. The combined 66 homers from Rizzo, Stanton, and AL MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge are the most by a trio in any team’s first 75 games since Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, and Lee May in 1970 with the Reds.
2. New York Mets
Record: 47-27
Last Week: 2
In winning two of three at Miami over the weekend, the Mets clinched a winning record in June for the first time since 2012. They are 13-10 this month after going 19-10 in May and 15-7 in April. And it would appear that Max Scherzer’s return to the rotation is imminent, assuming all goes well in his second minor league rehab start on Tuesday with Double-A Binghamton. The veteran ace had a 2.54 ERA and 59/11 K/BB ratio through 49 2/3 innings when he sustained an oblique strain on May 18.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 45-27
Last Week: 3
Tyler Anderson took his first loss of the season as the Dodgers were shut out on Monday night at Coors Field, but they won five of six last week between Cincinnati and Atlanta and still carry by far the best run differential in the National League at +128. Freddie Freeman, fresh off an emotional homecoming weekend in Truist Park, was named NL Player of the Week for June 20-26 and owns a robust .342/.413/.573 batting line over his last 92 plate appearances dating back to June 4.
4. Houston Astros
Record: 45-27
Last Week: 4
Cristian Javier, Hector Neris, and Ryan Pressly combined for a no-hitter on Saturday in the Bronx. Then came another no-no flirtation on Sunday before the Yankees marched back to win 6-3. It was ultimately a four-game split between Houston and New York in what might have been a preview of this year’s ALCS. Heading into their series opener against the Mets on Tuesday night in Queens, the Astros are a full 10 games up on first place in the American League West standings.
5. San Diego Padres
Record: 45-30
Last Week: 5
San Diego earned four wins in seven games last week against the Diamondbacks and Phillies, which is relatively impressive given that Manny Machado didn’t make a single plate appearance. Machado suffered a severe left ankle sprain when he stepped awkwardly on the first base bag last Sunday in Colorado, but he has avoided the IL and could be available in some capacity for Tuesday’s series opener at Arizona. Fernando Tatis Jr., meanwhile, has begun doing light baseball activities.
6. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 42-33
Last Week: 6
Rowdy Tellez slugged a pair of home runs on Sunday afternoon against the Blue Jays as the Brewers won the final two games of that three-game weekend series versus one of the better teams in the American League. Tellez is up to 13 homers and 45 RBI on the year and should soon top his career-best season RBI total of 54. Milwaukee will enter Tuesday night’s series opener at Tampa Bay with a half-game lead over the Cardinals for first place in the National League Central.
7. Atlanta Braves
Record: 42-32
Last Week: 8
The defending World Series champions lost two of three to the Dodgers over the weekend, but they are 19-5 overall in June and have moved to within five games of the Mets for first place in the NL East standings. Ronald Acuña Jr. rolled into the Braves’ clubhouse on a scooter ahead of Sunday’s series finale versus Los Angeles, but the expectation is that he will be able to avoid the injured list after fouling a ball hard off his left foot on Saturday. Imaging scans have ruled out any sort of fracture.
8. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 41-32
Last Week: 7
Kevin Gausman provided a brief respite for some of the pitching problems in Toronto on Monday versus the visiting Red Sox, tallying 10 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings as part of a 7-2 win for the Blue Jays. Alejandro Kirk stayed hot in that one with a double and a run scored, boosting his season slash line to .322/.411/.525 through 236 plate appearances. He is one of only three players with more walks than strikeouts and at least 10 homers. The other two: Jose Ramirez and Juan Soto.
9. Boston Red Sox
Record: 42-32
Last Week: 11
Even including their loss to the Blue Jays on Monday, the Red Sox are 19-5 in June with the third-best overall run differential (+60) in the American League, behind only the Yankees and Astros. It’s a shame that Jarren Duran and Tanner Houck couldn’t make the trip to Toronto on account of being unvaccinated from COVID-19. Duran is hitting .327/.386/.500 with four stolen bases through 13 games (57 plate appearances) here in his sophomore season. Houck has six saves this month alone.
10. Minnesota Twins
Record: 42-33
Last Week: 10
In a rather shocking bit of news, Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson has agreed to become the new pitching coach at LSU and will officially leave his post in Minnesota this Thursday. He’s reportedly going to make $380,000 per year in his new deal at the NCAA level, which is just $30,000 more than what he was earning in Minnesota. But the life of a college coach does require far less travel, and Johnson has stated that the decision is all about being able to spend more time with his family.
11. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 40-32
Last Week: 13
Tampa Bay lost two of three to the Yankees to begin last week’s slate but then rallied for a three-game weekend sweep of the visiting Pirates. Shane McClanahan got the nod in Sunday’s series finale and racked up 10 strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball, further padding his case to be the starter for the American League in next month’s All-Star Game. Boasting a 1.77 ERA and 123 strikeouts through 91 1/3 innings this season, he might also be the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award.
12. St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 42-34
Last Week: 12
St. Louis thrashed the Marlins for a 9-0 victory on Monday as Juan Yepez launched two homers and Paul Goldschmidt further built on his case for National League MVP. But there were a couple of sour notes before first pitch with Jack Flaherty landing back on the injured list due to renewed shoulder trouble and rangy center fielder Harrison Bader joining him there with a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis. Flaherty has logged only eight innings this year, and it’s hard to say when we might see him again.
13. San Francisco Giants
Record: 39-33
Last Week: 9
Dropping out of the top 10 and all the way down to No. 13 in these NBC Sports EDGE MLB Power Rankings, the Giants have lost four of their last five games and six of their last eight. Anthony DeSclafani got thrashed by the Reds on Sunday as his season ERA ballooned to 9.95. Roster depth is what helped the Giants to a franchise-record 107 regular season wins last year, but that depth is lacking so far in 2022. From the rotation to the lineup, there are too many unproductive areas.
14. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 39-35
Last Week: 14
Obviously the lead story right now in Philly is the loss of Bryce Harper. He suffered a fractured left thumb on Saturday night when he got struck by a Blake Snell fastball and is likely to be sidelined for multiple months, if not the remainder of the 2022 campaign. The 29-year-old slugger won NL MVP honors in 2021 and was batting .318/.385/.599 with 15 home runs, 48 RBI, nine stolen bases, and 49 runs scored through 64 games this season. He is irreplaceable in real life and in fantasy.
15. Cleveland Guardians
Record: 36-33
Last Week: 16
Falling quickly back to reality, the Guardians have lost five straight games versus the Twins and Red Sox. Before getting swept by Boston over the weekend, they had won six consecutive series. Triston McKenzie surrendered a career-high seven earned runs over six innings Monday in a loss to Minnesota as his season ERA climbed above 4.00. On the docket now is a Tuesday doubleheader with the Twins that could very well have serious AL Central title implications when all is said and done.
16. Chicago White Sox
Record: 34-38
Last Week: 15
Lucas Giolito put together his best start since May on Monday night in Anaheim, but the White Sox still lost and are now 11-14 in June to drop 6 1/2 games back of the Twins at the top of the American League Central standings. Luis Robert went on that impressive RBI run earlier this month, but he hasn’t driven in a run in his last four games and owns a relatively disappointing .733 OPS in 251 total plate appearances this season. At least Eloy Jimenez (hamstring) should be back soon.
17. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 35-40
Last Week: 17
Shame on Angels interim manager Phil Nevin for issuing a head-hunting directive that led to Sunday’s ugly on-field brawl with the Mariners. He was rightly suspended 10 games on Monday as part of a dozen different punishments handed out by MLB. Andrew Wantz and Ryan Tepera both got three-game suspensions and Raisel Iglesias was suspended for two. Anthony Rendon, who’s out for the season following wrist surgery, received a five-game sentence that will have to be served in 2023.
18. Texas Rangers
Record: 35-37
Last Week: 19
Martín Pérez had one of his worst outings of the year Monday at Kansas City, but the Rangers managed to pull out a 10-4 victory as Mitch Garver and Kole Calhoun each had two hits, two runs, and two RBI. Garver’s situation is interesting. He won’t be able to catch at all the rest of the way due to damage in his right forearm that is eventually going to require surgery. Does he go ahead and get that taken care of now, or does Texas aim to make a postseason push with him as the primary DH?
19. Seattle Mariners
Record: 34-41
Last Week: 21
Taking advantage of Jeremy Pena’s recent stint on the injured list, Julio Rodriguez has jumped out as the heavy betting favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors in the American League. The ultra-talented 21-year-old outfielder recorded a single and a run scored in Monday night’s blowout loss to the Orioles and is sporting a .291/.353/.538 slash line with 10 home runs, 24 RBI, nine stolen bases, and 27 runs scored over his last 41 games (173 plate appearances) going back to May 15.
20. Miami Marlins
Record: 33-38
Last Week: 22
With his third-inning single on Monday in St. Louis, speedy super-utilityman Jon Berti has now reached base safely in all 24 games that he has appeared in so far in the month of June. He then promptly swiped second base after that hit for his 18th steal this month alone. No other player in the National League has 18 stolen bases for the entire season. If he records one more base theft before the calendar flips to July, Berti will tie Luis Castillo’s franchise record for stolen bases in a single month.
21. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 35-40
Last Week: 23
It took 100 games for the Orioles to reach 35 wins last year and just 75 games to do it this year. That sure looks like progress. A big part of the organizational turnaround, Adley Rutschman went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a solo home run in Monday night’s 9-2 defeat of the Mariners. The rookie catcher posted just a .143/.226/.196 batting line across his first 62 major league plate appearances between May 21 and June 9, but he’s slashing .327/.373/.673 in 59 plate appearances since.
22. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 33-41
Last Week: 18
The offense generated 11 runs on 13 hits and eight walks on Sunday as the Diamondbacks overcame a disastrous debut from Dallas Keuchel to beat the Tigers and snap a five-game losing streak. They have dropped eight of their last 12, and that they are employing Keuchel at all serves as an indication that there is no turnaround to come. The veteran left-hander has surrendered 37 runs -- 32 earned -- in 36 1/3 innings this season between Chicago and Arizona for a 7.93 ERA.
23. Colorado Rockies
Record: 31-42
Last Week: 20
Chad Kuhl not only recorded the first shutout of his career on Monday night, but he did so against the NL West-leading Dodgers, and the game took place in the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field. The 29-year-old right-hander has emerged as an attractive trade chip for Colorado, now with a 3.49 ERA through 14 starts covering 77 1/3 innings. Or maybe the Rockies want to consider extending Kuhl seeing as he has tamed the tricky conditions in Denver with a sparkling 2.48 home ERA.
24. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 29-44
Last Week: 24
They are certainly more watchable these days as a young team on the rise, but the Pirates got swept by the Rays over the weekend and then fell 3-2 to the Nationals on Monday night in D.C. That is four straight losses to kick off a six-game road trip. Mitch Keller is worth monitoring in his next start Wednesday at Washington. Since returning to the starting rotation in late May and debuting a new sinker, the 26-year-old former top prospect has registered a 2.96 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings.
25. Detroit Tigers
Record: 28-44
Last Week: 25
Milestone watch is still on for Miguel Cabrera, who reached 3,000 career hits back on April 23 and continues to climb up the career leaderboard. His ninth-inning single in Sunday’s loss at Arizona was hit No. 3,054, lifting him past Rod Carew and putting him just one shy of Rickey Henderson for 25th all-time. Cabrera should also leapfrog Craig Biggio (3,060) and Ichiro Suzuki (3,089) before the end of the year. Dave Winfield (3,110) and Alex Rodriguez (3,115) are likely just out of reach.
26. Chicago Cubs
Record: 28-45
Last Week: 26
While they managed to win two of three against the arch-rival Cardinals this past weekend in St. Louis, the Cubs are just 5-15 over their last 20 games dating back to June 4. Jason Heyward, in the seventh year of an eight-year, $184 million deal, has sunk into a 4-for-34 (.118) slump and is batting just .204/.278/.277 with one home run in 48 total games this season. Given that he’s still owed around $33 million, Chicago might be stuck with the veteran outfielder for the remainder of that contract.
27. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 25-47
Last Week: 27
Cincinnati took two of three from the Giants over the weekend, but preceding that was a seven-game losing streak against the Diamondbacks, Brewers, and Dodgers. Luis Castillo will take the ball in Tuesday night’s series opener at Wrigley Field, looking to bounce back from a rough outing last Wednesday versus Los Angeles. Already connected to a number of contending teams, the 29-year-old right-hander seems certain to be dealt ahead of the August 2 trade deadline.
28. Washington Nationals
Record: 28-48
Last Week: 29
Since snapping that eight-game losing streak last Sunday against the Phillies, the Nats have won five of their last seven. Maybe the most encouraging aspect of this mini surge is that Luis Garcia has continued to rake. The 22-year-old went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Monday night’s 3-2 win over the Pirates and is showing a .337 batting average and .847 OPS in 25 games (101 plate appearances) since his return to the MLB level on June 1. Can he be a cornerstone for the rebuild?
29. Kansas City Royals
Record: 26-46
Last Week: 28
It took the Royals trading Carlos Santana to spur the move, but Vinnie Pasquantino is finally up in the majors. He’s been knocking on the door for at least the last month, having registered a .948 OPS with 18 home runs and 67 RBI across 69 total games played this season at Triple-A Omaha. The 24-year-old did not see the field in Kansas City’s loss to the Rangers on Monday, but he should be in the starting lineup at either first base or DH in the second game of that series on Tuesday.
30. Oakland Athletics
Record: 25-50
Last Week: 30
Lou Trivino, even with his 7.17 ERA, might be worth consideration again in deeper fantasy formats with Dany Jiménez (shoulder) still in shutdown mode. A.J. Puk and Zach Jackson were positioned as the likely fill-ins at closer when Jimenez landed on the IL earlier this month, but those two have both struggled in higher-leverage appearances. Trivino, meanwhile, earned back-to-back saves on Saturday and Sunday against the Royals. He led the Athletics in saves last year with 22.
