It has been a long route back, but the Braves -- a team that, after they made their stunning run to win the 2021 World Series, looked like it was just getting started -- are back on top of the sport. Or atop the Power Rankings anyway, leading our list for the first time in more than three years. After two years of injuries, struggles and plain misfortune, the sun is shining on Atlanta again. And even better: It is very much not shining on its division rivals in Philadelphia and Queens.
These rankings, as always, are compiled from MLB.com contributors whose names you can find at the bottom of this (and every) piece, but the words are mine. If you dislike the rankings, yell at all of us. But if you dislike the words, feel free to yell at me.
1. Braves (previously: 3)
Seriously: Remember 2021 and '22, both years that the Braves won the NL East? (You may remember them winning the World Series the first of those years.) Well, the Braves never had a division lead either season as large as they have right now -- an 8 1/2-game lead over the Marlins -- on May 4.
2. Yankees (previously: 2)
The Yankees have had high hopes for Ben Rice ever since they drafted him in the 12th round in 2021. But did they ever see this coming? Rice isn’t just outslugging Aaron Judge … he’s outslugging every other player in baseball. His 1.214 OPS leads the entire sport. This Yankees team, especially when Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón return, sure looks like it might be the best Yankees team we’ve seen in quite a while.
3. Dodgers (previously: 1)
This is the first time all season that the Dodgers haven’t been No. 1 in the Power Rankings, after a week in which they lost four in a row before salvaging their series finale in St. Louis on Sunday. The good in Chavez Ravine? Since moving into the rotation on April 6, Justin Wrobleski has allowed just two runs in 32 innings in his five starts. The not so good? Shohei Ohtani is 0-for-his-last-14.
4. Cubs (previously: 4)
It’s never a bad day to see a game at Wrigley Field, but it’s particularly a blast for the Cubs right now. They’ve won 11 straight games at Wrigley Field, the most consecutive games they’ve won at the Friendly Confines since 2008.
5. Padres (previously: 5)
The official announcement came out Saturday afternoon: The sale of the Padres to a new ownership group led by investors and philanthropic leaders, Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano, has now gone through, subject to approval by Major League Baseball and the league’s customary closing conditions. The Seidler family owned the team since 2012. The Friars had only made the playoffs twice in 15 years before then; they’re back a lot more often these days.
6. Rays (previously: 12)
The Rays are renowned for gliding a little bit below the radar, but that has never been truer than this year, in which they have the second-best record in the American League, coming off of a weekend sweep of the Giants. Plus, don’t they look great back at the Trop?
7. Reds (previously: 6)
Is this the week Nick Lodolo returns? He made what may be his last rehab appearance on Saturday and, with the loss of Brandon Williamson to shoulder fatigue (and, of course, other pitching injuries), the Reds could definitely use him. Lodolo hasn’t been the same pitcher since he finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, but there is still reason for hope: He just turned 28.
8. Brewers (previously: 9)
The Brewers find themselves in an immediate -- and urgent -- rotation crunch, with Brandon Woodruff hitting the injured list with right shoulder inflammation and Jacob Misiorowski leaving with a hamstring cramp from a game in which he was throwing a no-hitter. (Though Misiorowski shouldn’t miss a start.) The Brewers have a few options -- rookie Shane Drohan is a possibility -- but it’s a heavy lift. Yet the Brewers always seem to find a way to make those lifts happen nonetheless.
9. Cardinals (previously: 17)
After the Cardinals were swept by the Mariners last weekend -- all close games in which they nearly ran out of pitchers -- you wondered if the fun start they got off to this year was about to come to an end. Instead, they responded by sweeping the Pirates on the road and winning two out of three against the Dodgers. There are still wild fluctuations left to come, but right now, it is impossible for Cardinals fans not to be thrilled with how purely enjoyable it is to watch this team … and how much progress the young hitters seem to have already made.
10. Pirates (previously: 7)
The Pirates are on pace for a franchise-record 189 homers, which is basically all they could have hoped for from their offense this year. They also have the seventh-best ERA in baseball. And yet they are in last place … even though they have a winning record. It’s been quite a season in the NL Central so far.
11. Guardians (previously: 11)
The Guardians are atop an AL Central that looks like it’ll be muddled and tight all year, but their biggest news of the week was the ascension of former No. 1 pick Travis Bazzana to the Majors. He had gotten off to a sort of slow start, but he earned his first big league hit on Saturday, a two-run single. Also a good sign: He's drawn seven walks (one intentional) in his first five games.
12. Tigers (previously: 8)
The rotation was supposed to be the Tigers’ strength this year, with Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander atop it, but it ran dangerously short on innings this week due to injuries to Casey Mize and Verlander and a rough start from Jack Flaherty that only lasted 3 2/3 innings.
It’s putting strain on the entire staff: “Obviously, the 'pen has been leaned on quite a bit,” said manager A.J. Hinch. “There are guys that are not feeling at their best.”
13. A’s (previously: 14)
Nick Kurtz’s walk streak ended at 20 games on Saturday against the Guardians, but the funny thing about a walk streak ending is that you can do a whole bunch of other good stuff when you are not walking: Kurtz went 2-for-5 with an RBI. He has also reached base in 28 straight games, which, after all, is the point.
14. Blue Jays (previously: 19)
Kazuma Okamoto, perhaps stirred on by the success of fellow Japanese rookie Munetaka Murakami, has at last gotten red hot. After three straight games with a dinger, including a two-homer game on Friday, Kazuma Okamoto has seven homers and 18 RBIs in his past 15 games. For what it’s worth: That is not what Bo Bichette has done in his last 15 games.
15. Mariners (previously: 15)
The Mariners retired Randy Johnson’s No. 51 jersey on Saturday night, making him the fifth player to have his number retired by the team. He’s still connected to the Mariners today: manager Dan Wilson caught more innings from Johnson than any other backstop during his career.
16. Rangers (previously: 13)
There may be no player in baseball who has been better at his job this year than reliever Jacob Latz. The lefty has been ridiculously dominant, giving up just two runs in 13.2 innings and holding opponents to a .109 batting average. “He’s got starter stuff in high leverage,” said manager Skip Schumaker. “So, you can’t just sit on one pitch and ambush.”
17. Diamondbacks (previously: 10)
Ildemaro Vargas’ hit streak finally ended on Saturday afternoon against the Cubs, a terrific way for an exciting, unheralded player to essentially be introduced to a larger audience. The final stats on the streak: 27 games, the longest streak ever by a Venezuelan player and the second-longest by a Diamondbacks player. He is now very much heralded.
18. Orioles (previously: 16)
Every year, there’s a team that is absolutely decimated by injuries, like someone is sneaking into the clubhouse and slicing tendons and ligaments in the middle of the night. That team might be the Orioles: Closer Ryan Helsley became the 12th Oriole this week to hit the injured list. Injuries happen, of course. But considering the importance of this season to the Orioles, these injuries could not be happening at a worse time.
19. Marlins (previously: 18)
The struggles of the Mets and the Phillies, two teams expected to contend in this division, has been well-documented, but the Marlins have not exactly taken advantage to firmly establish themselves as any sort of threat to the Braves either. The main issue: They’re 5-10 on the road.
20. White Sox (previously: 28)
Don’t forget, in the midst of Muneamania, that Munetaka Murakami’s teammate is nearly matching him homer for homer. Colson Montgomery actually homered in the same game as Murakami seven times in the White Sox’s first 35 games. According to the great Sarah Langs – who had a birthday this week! – that’s the most by any teammate duo in their team’s first 35 games of a season in MLB history.
21. Phillies (previously: 25)
It was obviously a tumultuous week in Philadelphia, with the firing of manager Rob Thomson, but interim manager Don Mattingly couldn’t possibly have gotten off to a better start, winning his first four games right out of the gate. He’s been doing this for a while, after all: This weekend, Mattingly tied Cito Gaston for 79th on the all-time managerial win list.
22. Royals (previously: 29)
The success of Murakami as an AL Central slugging rookie has distracted a little bit from how good Royals rookie Carter Jensen has been. He’s tied for fifth in homers among rookies (6), and, just as important, he’s laying the groundwork behind the plate to eventually be Salvador Perez’s successor. It’s a process, but he’s getting there. “Carter is very cerebral,” Royals bench coach Paul Hoover said. “When we watch a video clip together, he’ll tell me what I’m going to say. He’s able to see it, he’s aware, and now it’s a matter of making sure we get the good reps to iron it all out so the bad reps don’t keep showing up.”
23. Nationals (previously: 27)
James Wood has gotten off to a great start in every way, dramatically increasing his walk rate (by seven percent, to 19.2) while still hitting the ball in the air more and on the ground less than last year. One thing remains consistent, though: He’s still leading the league in strikeouts. The Nationals surely do not mind.
24. Red Sox (previously: 26)
The Red Sox have had a lot of issues – though new manager Chad Tracy is off to a nice start in his tenure, maybe managing is just in the bloodlines – but one of them has absolutely not been Aroldis Chapman. Chapman has converted 21 straight save chances, including all six this year. Since joining the Red Sox, he has converted 38 of 40 save opportunities while posting a 1.12 ERA in 72 innings.
25. Twins (previously: 20)
Simeon Woods Richardson, once a stable member of the Twins rotation and a sign of a brighter future, has hit hard times of late, putting up an 8.60 ERA with 11 strikeouts and 11 walks in 23 innings in his last five starts. But as MLB.com’s Matthew Leach noted, his stuff hasn’t fallen off. It has been more about execution. “I think we’re just falling behind sometimes,” Richardson said. “Some guys put some good swings on some balls out of the zone, but sometimes we’re putting ourselves behind the zone.”
26. Astros (previously: 24)
The Astros have had a disastrous start to the season, particularly on the road, where they are 6-13, the second-worst road record in the Majors. They haven’t had a losing record in a full season since 2014 – they did have a losing record in the truncated 2020 season, but they made up for it by reaching the ALCS anyway – but they are in serious danger of that run ending if they don’t get this turned around quickly.
27. Rockies (previously: 30)
The Rockies boomlet of last week, culminating in a sweep of the Mets last weekend, hit a speed bump this week with series losses to the Reds and the Braves, but it’s undeniable that there’s more energy with this Rockies team – and this franchise – than we have seen in a while. It’s only May 4, and the Rockies are already only 28 wins away from matching their win total from last year. Sure, they were truly terrible last year, but a step forward is a step forward.
28. Giants (previously: 21)
Whatever your thoughts about manager Tony Vitello and some of the changes the Giants made this season, it is incredibly difficult to get much traction when you can’t hit. The Giants have scored the fewest runs in baseball and have been shut out seven times, two more than any other MLB team. This is not the division in which you can get away with that.
29. Mets (previously: 23)
President of baseball operations David Stearns gave a vote of confidence for manager Carlos Mendoza this week, saying, “We know our record is not what we want, and we know we are capable of more. We don’t view this as a manager problem, and we don’t intend to make a change.” People like to call such votes of confidence as ominous for managers hanging on a thread, but it should be said: Rob Thomson and Alex Cora did not receive votes of confidence this year. They just got fired. So far: Mendoza’s still here.
30. Angels (previously: 22)
It was fun for a while – and Mike Trout is still quite fun – but the bottom fell out for the Angels this week with eight losses in their last nine games, including two at the hands of the Mets, a team that had come into Anaheim very much reeling. The Angeles’ current winning percentage would, in fact, be the worst in their franchise’s history. (Despite their struggles, they have never lost 100 games.)
Voters: Jason Catania, Scott Chiusano, Dan Cichalski, Theo DeRosa, Mark Feinsand, Jason Foster, Doug Gausepohl, Jared Greenspan, Thomas Harrigan, Will Leitch, Brent Maguire, Travis Miller, Arturo Pardavila, Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Andy Werle.