MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers back on top, no one can slow Junior Caminero and the Rays

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Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, Mookie Betts blasts his 300th career home run, Jacob Misiorowski touching 105.5 MPH and insane power barrages from Junior Caminero and Luis Garcia Jr.

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As a reminder, this article is a combination of current performance and long-term outlook.

Greetings Power Rankings fans from around the globe, I am not D.J. Short. As our venerable leader mentioned in this space last week, I’ll be doing my best to fill in with my insight and analysis here while D.J. enjoys a well deserved vacation.

Let’s get started!

▶Check out Matthew Pouliot’s latest Top 300 ROS update for fantasy baseball!

Rankings are from the morning of Monday, June 29

1) Los Angeles Dodgers ⬆️

Last week: 2

After going 5-1 on the road against the Twins and Padres this past week, the two-time defending champions now hold the best record in all of baseball. Mookie Betts has been leading the charge on offense, hitting .350 (21-for-60) with five homers and 10 RBI over his last 15 games. That includes Wednesday’s milestone blast against the Twins where he became the 17th active player to join the 300-homer club.

2) Milwaukee Brewers ⬆️

Last week: 3

The Brewers started the week off hot with four straight victories before dropping a pair of games against the Cubs to finish out the weekend. They’ve moved to a six-man rotation for the time being to accommodate the return of Brandon Woodruff and have built up a 5.5 game lead over the Cubs atop the National League Central. Oh, and Jacob Misiorowski threw a baseball 105.5 MPH – the fastest pitch ever thrown by a starting pitcher and the third fastest pitch ever recorded (behind only Aroldis Chapman).

3) Atlanta Braves ⬇️

Last week: 1

A tough week for the Braves where they were swept by the Padres and dropped two of three to the Giants has them falling out of the top spot in the rankings. The real concern is that they scored just 13 runs over the six games on the week – including six in an extra-inning loss on Tuesday. The offense desperately misses Ronald Acuña Jr. right now and he’s still nowhere close to a return.

4) Philadelphia Phillies ⬆️

Last week: 5

The Phillies continue to rise up the rankings with a strong 5-2 week on the road against the Nationals and Mets. Derek Hill has proven to be a valuable addition to the squad, with a pair of home runs on the week and this absolutely sick catch stealing a home run away from Juan Soto.

5) Tampa Bay Rays ⬆️

Last week: 6

The Rays just won’t go away. After dropping their first two games on the week against the Royals, they rallied to win the next two to split the four-game set, then carried the momentum through the weekend as they swept the Diamondbacks. They’ve pulled a game ahead of the Yankees for the lead in the American League East and are starting to look like a team that no one is going to want to face in the postseason.

Junior Caminero is on a ridiculous heater at the moment, hitting .423 (11-for-26) with seven homers and 15 RBI over his last seven games. On Sunday he became the ninth player in Rays’ franchise history to homer in four consecutive games and his six home runs during a four-game stretch are the most by any player in team history. His last one on Sunday was a majestic blast that traveled 463 feet.

6) New York Yankees ⬇️

Last week: 4

The Yankees took two out of three from the Tigers to start the week before getting swept in a four-game series against the Red Sox for the first time since August of 2018. Oof. The vaunted Bombers’ offense scratched out just nine runs in total over that four-game set. Over the last seven games, just three Yankees’ regulars are hitting above .190 – Paul Goldschmidt (.292), Amed Rosario (.263) and Anthony Volpe (.227). Get well soon Aaron Judge.

7) Chicago Cubs ⬆️

Last week: 10

The Cubs continued their rise up the rankings with a brilliant week that included a four-game sweep of the Mets in New York before taking two of three from the division-leading Brewers in Milwaukee over the weekend. Not too shabby. Dansby Swanson drove in nine runs over the course of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Mets, with a pair of homers and seven RBI (including a grand slam) in the first game.

8) Miami Marlins ⬆️

Last week: 12

Can anyone stop the red-hot Marlins right now? Another week in which the Marlins win four out of six games, taking series from the Rangers at home and the Cardinals in St. Louis. The pitching has been the main story here, as the Marlins have allowed just 24 runs in total over their last 10 games. Sandy Alcantara, Max Meyer and Eury Perez could make the Marlins a real problem for opposing clubs in a playoff series.

9) Chicago White Sox

Last week: 9

Taking on a pair of divisional opponents at home on the week, the White Sox got right back to work and took two out of three from both the Guardians and Royals to climb into first place in the American League Central. Miguel Vargas led the charge on offense with a monster week, hitting .435 with three homers and eight RBI. Kyle Teel rejoined the offense as well and provided a boost with a homer and five RBI on the week. His blast came during a staggering 22-1 victory over the Royals on Friday night.

10) St. Louis Cardinals ⬇️

Last week: 7

The Cardinals lose a bit of ground this week despite having a six-game homestand after dropping two out of three games to both the Diamondbacks and Marlins. JJ Wetherholt has been a force atop the Cardinals’ lineup throughout the season, but he had a rough week this week, hitting just .231 (6-for-26) with zero RBI and a 6/0 K/BB ratio. The Cardinals have been a great story in the first half of the season, but we’re starting to doubt their staying power in a crowded playoff picture in the National League.

11) Cleveland Guardians ⬇️

Last week: 8

The Guardians continue to tread water without José Ramírez, going 3-3 on the week against the White Sox and Mariners. The team’s offense has been really lacking in the power department, with just one home run in total over six games on the week. That one blast came from Kahlil Watson, who has provided a major boost to the Guardians’ attack, hitting .474 (9-for-19) with a homer and eight RBI on the week.

12) Seattle Mariners ⬇️

Last week: 11

The Mariners had a rough road trip this past week, losing two out of three to the Pirates in Pittsburgh before dropping two of three against the Guardians over the weekend. Hopefully the home cooking this week against the Angels and Blue Jays allows them to make that ground back up. The M’s powerful six-man rotation showed some cracks this week, as Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert were both hit hard in losing efforts.

13) San Diego Padres

Last week: 13

The Padres stormed out of the gate this past week, sweeping a three-game set from the Braves and taking it to the Dodgers with a 7-1 victory on Friday night. Then they were clobbered for 15 runs on Saturday and dropped Sunday’s series finale to finish the week 4-2. As long as the Padres stay in the thick of the playoff race, you know that AJ Preller is going to make things interesting at the trade deadline. Walker Buehler has been a stabilizing force in the Padres’ rotation, posting a 1.71 ERA and a 27/8 K/BB ratio over 26 1/3 innings. That includes a brilliant start on Friday where he beat the Dodgers for the first time by spinning 5 1/3 innings of one-run baseball against his long-time former ballclub.

14) Washington Nationals

Last week: 14

The Nationals only went 3-4 on the week, but let’s just take a second to admire what a monstrous performance they got from Luis Garcia Jr. In six games, the 26-year-old infielder hit .526 (10-for-19) with six homers and nine RBI, including a two-homer game in Sunday’s victory over the Orioles. His unexpected power barrage has now seen him crush 13 home runs over his last 29 games.

15) Texas Rangers ⬆️

Last week: 21

The Rangers surge up the rankings on the heels of a 5-2 week that included a four-game sweep over the Blue Jays in Toronto over the weekend. Joc Pederson helped carry the load on offense this week, hitting .346 (9-for-26) with four solo homers. Unfortunately, the Rangers lost the red-hot Wyatt Langford to the injured list on Sunday with a left hamstring strain.

16) Houston Astros ⬆️

Last week: 23

The Astros thrust themselves right back into the mix for the division title in the American League West with a 5-2 road trip against the Blue Jays and Tigers that included a valiant comeback at Comerica Park on Sunday afternoon. Hunter Brown delivered another strong start in that one and looks like he’s fully back, while the Astros’ rotation should get additional reinforcements this week with the return of Cristian Javier.

17) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬇️

Last week: 15

It’s getting really hard to think the Diamondbacks are going to hang around in the playoff picture with the current state of their starting rotation. They went 2-4 on the week and Zac Gallen was clobbered yet again in Friday’s loss to the Rays, seeing his ERA rise to a cringe-inducing 6.15 in the process. The offense hasn’t been good either, scoring a total of four runs during their weekend series against the Rays.

18) Pittsburgh Pirates ⬇️

Last week: 16

The Pirates had a chance to make up ground during their six-game homestand, but wound up going 3-3 against the Mariners and Reds. The schedule is going to get a lot tougher this week, taking on the Phillies for four in Philadelphia before heading to Washington for three over the weekend. On the bright side, Esmerlyn Valdez had a monster week, hitting .533 (8-for-15) with three homers and five RBI.

19) Toronto Blue Jays ⬇️

Last week: 17

In a week in which the Blue Jays were expected to rise up the rankings, they instead dropped six consecutive games to finish the week 1-6. That includes a four-game sweep at home at the hand of the Rangers that included three one-run losses. Absolutely brutal. To add injury to insult, the Jays also lost Jesús Sánchez to the injured list on Saturday with a right ankle sprain.

20) Athletics ⬇️

Last week: 18

A tough week for the A’s as they toured around California, losing two out of three to the Giants in San Francisco and the the Angels in Los Angeles. They also lost hot-hitting infielder Zack Gelof to the injured list with a hand laceration and contusion when he was stepped on by Matt Chapman during Tuesday’s contest. Gage Jump looks like the real deal though and struck out nine over five scoreless innings against the Giants on Wednesday.

21) Minnesota Twins ⬇️

Last week: 20

The Twins were swept at home by the Dodgers to open the week before rallying to take two out of three from the hapless Rockies. Yoendrys Gómez has been an absolute revelation since joining the Twins’ bullpen, posting a 1.25 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and a 22/8 K/BB ratio over 21 2/3 innings in 24 appearances while converting each of his first seven save chances with the ballclub — including a four-pitch frame against the Rockies on Sunday to preserve a one-run advantage.

22) Cincinnati Reds ⬇️

Last week: 19

The Reds’ offense was boosted by the return of Elly De La Cruz this week, but they still dropped four of six games against the Brewers and Pirates. Hunter Greene looked extremely impressive during his latest minor league rehab start and should be cleared to rejoin the team’s rotation this week. If he keeps pitching like that, the Reds could thrust themselves right back into the mix for a Wild Card berth in the National League.

23) Baltimore Orioles ⬇️

Last week: 22

After another rough week in which the Orioles lost four out of six games, they appear to be in a freefall. The offense got a boost with the return of Adley Rutschman and Dylan Beavers from the injured list on Sunday and the rotation should follow suit as Dean Kremer could be ready to return before the week is through. Will it be enough to propel them back into the race? Only time will tell.

24) Los Angeles Angels ⬆️

Last week: 28

Those pesky Angels did what they had to do at home this week, taking two out of three from both the Orioles and Athletics. They also saw Kirby Yates record his 100th career save on Saturday evening against the A’s. Grayson Rodriguez has started his minor league rehab assignment and should rejoin the rotation soon. With the wide-open American League West, the Halos’ playoff hopes aren’t completely dashed just yet.

25) Boston Red Sox ⬆️

Last week: 26

Just when you think the Red Sox are completely out of the race and starting to consider becoming sellers at the trade deadline, they sweep the Yankees in a four-game series over the weekend to show that they do still have signs of life. With winnable series on tap against the Nationals and Angels on tap, this week will be a good measuring stick to see where the Red Sox are actually at as we head into July.

26) Detroit Tigers ⬇️

Last week: 24

The Tigers continue to flounder in a putrid American League, dropping two out of three to the Yankees in New York before losing three out of four over the weekend at home against the Astros – including blowing a 3-0 lead late in Sunday’s game. The bullpen is in shambles, the offense lacks any sort of consistency and their playoff hopes fall further into the oblivion as each day passes. Let’s just hope that Scott Harris does the right thing and moves all tradeable assets at the deadline. That means Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Kenley Jansen, Gleyber Torres, and Jack Flaherty should all be donning new uniforms in August.

27) New York Mets ⬇️

Last week: 25

An already bad season got even worse for the Mets this week as they were swept in a four-game series at home against the Cubs before losing two out of three against the Phillies over the weekend. Even the return of Francisco Lindor couldn’t inject the necessary life into the Mets’ struggling offense. The Mets now own the second worst record in the National League and sit 9.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot.

28) Kansas City Royals

Last week: 28

The Royals had a decent enough week going 3-4 against the Rays and White Sox. The offense has continued to be a real struggle though, with just 12 runs scored over their last five games. That includes an embarrassing 22-1 loss to the White Sox on Friday night. They were bit by the injury bug as well as Maikel Garcia (hand) landed on the injured list, Jac Caglianone (groin) was scratched from Sunday’s lineup and Nick Loftin was taken out by a crazy throw from teammate Daniel Lynch IV on Saturday.

29) San Francisco Giants

Last week: 29

The Giants actually played pretty good baseball this past week, winning four out of six games against the Athletics and Braves. Their offense also got a boost with the return of Heliot Ramos from the injured list on Sunday. They still have a leg up over the Rockies in the battle for fourth place in the National League West.

30) Colorado Rockies

Last week: 30

The Rockies took two out of three from the Red Sox to start the week before dropping two out of three against the Twins in Minneapolis to finish it out. Hunter Goodman did some serious work on Saturday though, with the first three-homer game of his career. The 26-year-old backstop now has 25 homers on the season and should soar past the career-high mark of 31 that he set last season.

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