Editor’s Note: Now, all our premium tools for Fantasy, DFS and Betting are included in one subscription at one low price. Customers can subscribe to NBC Sports EDGE+ monthly for $9.99. Click here to learn more!
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: 61-25
Last Week: 1
With the best record in the majors and the most All-Star selections (six) of any team, the Yankees remain at the very top of these NBC Sports EDGE MLB Power Rankings. Aaron Judge will be starting in the outfield for the American League and Giancarlo Stanton will be in there as the starting DH. Jose Trevino made it as a reserve catcher and Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes will be among the pitching options for the AL squad. New closer Clay Holmes also earned his first All-Star nod.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 56-29
Last Week: 3
Coming off a perfect 7-0 week versus the Rockies and Cubs, the Dodgers have climbed back into the No. 2 spot. They’ll have at least four All-Stars on the field as they play host to the Midsummer Classic next Tuesday. Trea Turner was elected as the starting shortstop and Mookie Betts was voted in as a starting outfielder. Clayton Kershaw drew his ninth career All-Star selection, and Tony Gonsolin nailed down his first. Gonsolin is 11-0 with a 1.62 ERA through 16 starts.
3. Houston Astros
Record: 56-29
Last Week: 2
It’s a shame that Yordan Alvarez will not be able to participate in next week’s All-Star Game on account of a lingering right hand injury that forced him to the IL on Sunday afternoon. The 25-year-old AL MVP candidate will hopefully be ready for activation when the second half gets underway. He boasts a 1.058 OPS with 26 home runs and 60 RBI in 75 games played this season. The other four All-Stars for Houston: Justin Verlander, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Framber Valdez.
4. New York Mets
Record: 54-33
Last Week: 4
Max Scherzer opened this week’s monumental series at Atlanta by delivering nine strikeouts -- and no walks -- over seven innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 victory Monday for New York. He was also brilliant in his first outing off the IL last Tuesday versus Cincinnati and is now 6-1 with a 2.15 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 79/11 K/BB ratio over 62 2/3 total innings (11 starts) on the season. Entering the second of three games against the Braves, the Mets are 2 1/2 games up on first place in the NL East.
5. Atlanta Braves
Record: 52-36
Last Week: 5
William Contreras hit his 10th home run of the year last week, giving the Braves seven players with double-digit homers before the All-Star break for the first time since the franchise moved to Atlanta back in 1966. Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna, Dansby Swanson, Matt Olson, Travis d’Arnaud, and Adam Duvall are the others with a double-digit home run total. Contreras is an All-Star for the first time in his career and will actually start at DH for the NL in place of the injured Bryce Harper.
6. San Diego Padres
Record: 50-38
Last Week: 7
Keep an eye out on the Padres’ intentions for Esteury Ruiz, who was added to the taxi squad on Monday with Jurickson Profar still sitting on the 7-day concussion IL. The versatile 23-year-old has absolutely torched the upper minor leagues this season, slashing .333/.467/.560 with 13 home runs, 46 RBI, 60 stolen bases (!), and 84 runs scored (!) in 77 games between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso. Those should read as eye-popping numbers for fantasy managers seeking speed.
7. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 48-39
Last Week: 6
Milwaukee dropped two of three to both the Cubs and Pirates last week and will now finish out the first half on a six-game road trip through Minnesota and San Francisco. Corbin Burnes has earned a second straight All-Star selection with a 2.20 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 134/26 K/BB ratio in 106 1/3 innings (17 starts) this season. And closer Josh Hader is headed to the Midsummer Classic for the fourth time. He holds a 1.88 ERA over 28 2/3 frames along with an MLB-leading 26 saves.
8. Boston Red Sox
Record: 47-40
Last Week: 8
There is promising news on the injury front for Boston with Chris Sale set to make his season debut on Tuesday night against the Rays. He threw 72 pitches in his fourth and final minor league rehab start last Wednesday at Triple-A Worcester and is expected to reach close to 85 pitches as he steps into the Red Sox rotation at Tropicana Field. Nathan Eovaldi (back) and Garrett Whitlock (hip) should then be activated this weekend during a marquee three-game set at Yankee Stadium.
9. Minnesota Twins
Record: 48-40
Last Week: 10
Coming off a 3-3 road trip through Arlington, Texas and the South Side of Chicago, the Twins stand four games up on first place in the American League Central standings. Luis Arraez and Byron Buxton were both named first-time All-Stars on Sunday. Arraez leads all qualified major league hitters in batting average with a mark of .348, and his on-base percentage of .420 is tied for first with Paul Goldschmidt. Buxton, meanwhile, has already reached a new career-high in home runs with 23.
10. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 46-41
Last Week: 12
Up into the top 10, the Phillies are 24-12 under interim manager Rob Thomson after starting the season 22-29 with Joe Girardi at the helm. Zack Wheeler, who somehow did not make the NL All-Star team, has worked seven shoutout innings in each of his last two starts and boasts a 1.53 ERA with 93 strikeouts over his last 82 1/3 innings going back to April 28. Kyle Schwarber will be the only active representative for Philly at the Midsummer Classic with Bryce Harper (thumb) on the shelf.
11. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 46-40
Last Week: 11
Word came down Monday that Wander Franco needs surgery for a fractured hamate bone and will miss the next 5-8 weeks. If that timeline holds, the rising star could be sidelined anywhere from mid-August to the second week of September. It’s a big blow for the Rays, who are trying to put a stamp on one of the three AL Wild Card spots. They’ve lacked consistent offense and may have to be more aggressive at the trade deadline than their stunted financial flexibility would typically allow.
12. Seattle Mariners
Record: 45-42
Last Week:17
Seattle will ride an eight-game winning streak into Tuesday’s series opener against the Nationals, with an opportunity to further add on before the All-Star break. After a two-game set at Washington comes a four-game set at the Rangers to close out the first half. Julio Rodriguez is the only All-Star on the Mariners’ roster at the moment, but Ty France could very well be a late addition as an injury replacement. The 27-year-old is batting .306 with a .379 on-base percentage this season.
13. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 45-42
Last Week: 9
Toronto is going to put together an extended run of victories at some point, right? There is just too much talent up and down this Blue Jays roster. And yet they have managed to lose nine of their last 10 games against the Rays, Athletics, and Mariners while falling 16 1/2 games back of the Yankees in the American League East standings. There are four Jays representatives heading to the All-Star Game next week: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, George Springer, and Alek Manoah.
14. St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 47-42
Last Week: 13
In belting his 678th career double in the Cardinals’ 6-1 defeat of the Phillies on Monday night, Albert Pujols passed the great Stan Musial for third on the all-time extra-base hits leaderboard. The only two players above him on that list are Henry Aaron and Barry Bonds. Pujols then confirmed after the game that he has accepted an invitation for the Home Run Derby next Monday at Dodger Stadium. The 42-year-old will be the oldest-ever participant in the event by a good margin.
15. Chicago White Sox
Record: 41-44
Last Week: 14
It has been a messy first half for the White Sox, to say the least, but Dylan Cease being left off the American League All-Star roster was maybe the most egregious snub of all. He has a 13.01 K/9, which is tops among all qualified MLB starters, to go along with a stingy 2.45 ERA through 92 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander will make two more starts before the break -- Tuesday at Cleveland and Sunday at Minnesota -- as Chicago looks to finally make up some ground in the AL Central race.
16. San Francisco Giants
Record: 43-42
Last Week: 15
Including their 4-3 loss to the visiting Diamondbacks on Monday night, the Giants are 3-9 over their last 12 games and 6-15 over their last 21. Here in the final week before the All-Star break, they sit 13 games back of the Dodgers for first place in the National League West standings and two games behind a somewhat crowded field for the third NL Wild Card spot. There are rumblings that San Francisco might consider selling if no hint of a turnaround arrives before the August 2 deadline.
17. Cleveland Guardians
Record: 42-42
Last Week: 16
Cleveland is 3-8 so far in July and now exactly .500 for the season, but Nolan Jones is up and providing an immediate burst of excitement. The 24-year-old went 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored in the Guardians’ 8-4 win over the White Sox on Monday and stands 7-for-13 (.538) with eight total RBI across his first four major league games. That is the highest RBI total for any player in franchise history through four games since Roy Weatherly also recorded eight of them way back in 1936.
18. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 43-44
Last Week: 21
Having rattled off eight consecutive victories versus the Twins, Rangers, and Angels, the Orioles are on their longest unbeaten streak since 2005. They are suddenly just one game shy of the .500 mark as the baseball calendar steers into the middle of July. Jorge Lopez, the lone AL All-Star for Baltimore, has registered a 1.74 ERA with 47 strikeouts through 41 1/3 innings while converting 16 saves. The former starting pitching prospect has emerged as a highly-effective closer at age 29.
19. Miami Marlins
Record: 41-44
Last Week: 18
Trevor Rogers was a breakout star in 2021 and may have won National League Rookie of the Year over Jonathan India had he not missed several weeks due to off-field personal family trauma. But the 24-year-old left-hander has seemingly lost his touch here in 2022 while struggling to a 5.42 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, and 74/39 K/BB ratio through 17 starts covering 78 frames. Rogers took another loss on Monday versus the Pirates and has not completed six innings since April.
20. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 38-49
Last Week: 19
Reeling from a four-game weekend sweep at the hands of the Orioles, the Angels are just 1-8 so far in July and have a brutal 11-32 record dating back to May 25. It’s been an all-out crumble job for the Halos, who are 19 games back of the Astros in the AL West standings and seven games behind in the hunt for the third AL Wild Card spot. The trade deadline could bring a reckoning to Anaheim. Noah Syndergaard seems certain to be dealt, and some other big names might also be shopped.
21. Texas Rangers
Record: 40-44
Last Week: 20
Mitch Garver probably would have been a strong trade candidate for the Rangers in the leadup to the August 2 deadline, but he had to stop catching in mid-May because of a damaged flexor tendon in his right (throwing) arm and he is now officially done for the remainder of the 2022 season after undergoing a full surgical repair on Monday. The 31-year-old ultimately posted a .702 OPS with 10 home runs across his first 54 games for Texas. He is expected to be recovered by next spring.
22. Colorado Rockies
Record: 38-49
Last Week: 22
C.J. Cron (wrist) returned to the Rockies’ starting lineup on Monday night against the visiting Padres but could not extend his on-base streak past 20 games as Colorado fell 6-5. Cron has been named an All-Star for the first time in his career at age 32, and rightfully so with an .889 OPS, 20 home runs, and 67 RBI through 85 games played. There is also talk of the journeyman slugger participating in the Home Run Derby. “I think he’d win it,” manager Bud Black told reporters Monday.
23. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 39-48
Last Week: 23
Merrill Kelly just signed a two-year contract extension with the Diamondbacks this spring that carries very team-friendly salary figures through 2025, so he is presumably not going to be shopped real heavily before the August 2 trade deadline. But that won’t stop contending teams from at least placing a call. Kelly scattered two runs over seven solid frames in Arizona’s win at San Francisco on Monday and is 8-5 with a 3.36 ERA and 1.217 WHIP through 104 1/3 total innings for the season.
24. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 37-50
Last Week: 24
For the Pirates fans out there who have been enjoying the recent brand of better baseball, this report that the club intends to hold on to Bryan Reynolds and David Bednar through the August 2 trade deadline probably comes as a relief. Granted, a trade scenario involving Reynolds grew far more complicated on Monday when he landed on the injured list because of a right oblique strain. The 27-year-old outfielder is under Pittsburgh’s control through the conclusion of the 2025 season.
25. Detroit Tigers
Record: 36-51
Last Week: 26
After suffering through a doubleheader sweep in Kansas City on Monday, the Tigers will recall Akil Baddoo on Tuesday in the hope that he might provide a much-needed offensive boost. “Akil is playing great and we need guys who are playing good right now,” manager A.J. Hinch said late Monday night. Indeed, the 23-year-old has slashed .317/.426/.535 with three home runs and seven stolen bases over his last 28 games for Triple-A Toledo. That includes a .405/.511/.757 line in July.
26. Chicago Cubs
Record: 34-52
Last Week: 25
Willson Contreras was elected as the starting catcher for the National League in next week’s All-Star Game, and Ian Happ made the cut as a reserve outfielder. The looming question is how long those two will remain employed by the Cubs. Contreras, an impending free agent, is sure to be courted by any contender or would-be contender that needs help behind the plate. Happ, who can can reach free agency after the 2023 season, should be of interest to all teams desiring a boost of OBP.
27. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 32-54
Last Week: 27
Cincinnati entered the month of July with zero walk-off wins on the season. Then came a string of four different walk-off victories against the Mets, Pirates, and Rays in a span of one week. Heading into a six-game road trip to the Bronx and St. Louis that will close out the first half, the Reds are riding a season-high-matching four-game winning streak. Luis Castillo, the team’s lone All-Star selection with a 2.92 ERA through 71 total innings, is lined up to face the Yankees on Thursday night.
28. Kansas City Royals
Record: 34-52
Last Week: 28
In what could be called a quantity-for-potential-quality trade, the Royals just sent the 35th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft to the Braves in exchange for OF prospect Drew Waters, RHP prospect Andrew Hoffmann, and INF prospect C.J. Alexander. It’s a bit odd for a rebuilding club to be shedding draft darts, but all three of these youngsters carry some level of intrigue. Waters, with his great speed and developing power, was the preseason No. 35 overall prospect at MLB Pipeline.
29. Washington Nationals
Record: 30-58
Last Week: 29
After losing two of three at Philadelphia to open last week’s slate and then getting swept in Atlanta over the weekend, the Nats are just 7-33 against NL East opponents this year. Juan Soto will be the only representative for Washington at next week’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles, though Josh Bell probably had a case too. The 29-year-old trade chip holds a .304/.386/.491 batting line with 12 home runs and 47 RBI through 87 games (367 plate appearances) here in 2022.
30. Oakland Athletics
Record: 29-59
Last Week: 30
Frankie Montas, the A’s most crucial trade piece, has not appeared in a game since July 3 because of discomfort in his right shoulder. But he was able to play long toss on Monday and could throw a bullpen session on Wednesday as part of a tentative plan that might allow him to return to the rotation at Houston just prior to the All-Star break. Montas, who’s yet to be placed on the injured list, carries a 3.26 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 100/24 K/BB ratio through 96 2/3 innings this season.