The landscape of Major League Baseball continues to evolve as we enter May. The Los Angeles Dodgers have reclaimed their throne atop our weekly power rankings while the Texas Rangers took a dramatic fall. Let's examine the latest movers and shakers in the Week 7 MLB Power Rankings.
**Statistics as of Monday, May 5**
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The Dodgers ride a seven-game winning streak back to the summit, currently boasting baseball's best record. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has established himself as one of MLB's elite arms with a 0.90 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 1.5 WAR.
"You knew the sleeping giant was going to wake up and start smashing things any minute now, and that minute came this week: The Dodgers just blitzed everybody this week and are back to having the best record in baseball," writes MLB.com's Will Leitch . "During their first six wins this week, they didn't trail after a single inning!"
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The Padres vault six spots on the strength of a five-game winning streak and a 6-4 record over their last 10 games. Nick Pivetta is proving to be one of the offseason's shrewdest acquisitions.
" San Diego inked the veteran right-hander to a four-year, $55-million contract in February," writes theScore.com . "He's second in the NL with a 1.78 ERA and has held hitters to a paltry .169 batting average in six starts."
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Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has emerged as a breakout star for the Cubs , posting an .867 OPS and 140 OPS+ through 35 games.
"Check out these stats from April 13 through May 2: He led MLB with 18 RBIs and tied with Cal Raleigh for the most homers in MLB during that span with eight," notes Leitch. "His slash line? .349/.359/.857. Oh, and he plays fantastic defense and has six stolen bases."
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The Mets slide three spots after dropping consecutive series against the Diamondbacks and Cardinals , including both ends of Sunday's doubleheader in St. Louis .
"They've lost four of five, but the Mets were playing at a 113-win pace before that," writes CBS Sports' Matt Snyder . "A backslide was bound to happen."
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The Tigers maintain their position with the American League's best record (22-13) and MLB's top run differential (+63). Even more surprising, Javy Baez has rediscovered his form with an .829 OPS and 137 OPS+.
" Javier Báez is hitting .309 and playing the hell out of center field," notes Snyder. "He's already over 1.5 WAR. Last season he posted -1.1."
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Seattle's offense has surged early this season, ranking fourth in home runs (49) and eighth in runs scored (168). Catcher Cal Raleigh leads the charge with 12 home runs.
"The Mariners won six in a row before dropping Sunday's series finale in Arlington, and they scored 50 runs across those six games as the offense has been firing on all cylinders," writes Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter .
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The Giants experienced a three-game skid last week, including a two-game sweep by the Padres, before rebounding with three straight wins. They face a challenging road series against the Cubs this week.
"The Giants have more or less held the line over the last two weeks, although they sit third in the ultra-competitive NL West," notes theScore.com. "While they're in a good position and own one of the best rotations in baseball, it's still hard to know what to make of this team because of its relatively soft schedule."
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The Yankees dropped back-to-back home series against the Orioles and Rays . With Gerrit Cole sidelined for the season, Max Fried has stepped up as the rotation's anchor.
"Left-hander Max Fried has been worth every penny of his $218 million deal so far, going 6-0 with a 1.01 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 44.2 innings over his first seven starts in pinstripes," writes Reuter.
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The Phillies climb three spots after going 4-2 on their six-game homestand, welcoming back outfielder Brandon Marsh and starter Ranger Suarez from the injured list. Their success comes despite third baseman Alec Bohm's significant struggles.
"The Phillies righted the ship after a five-game skid by winning six of their last eight games. Managing to do so while getting almost no production from third baseman Alec Bohm , who owns the fifth-worst wRC+ (46) among qualified hitters, is something of a miracle," writes theScore.com. "The Phillies are a very good and talented team, but Bohm's created a gaping hole in their lineup."
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The Guardians have won five of their last seven games, securing second place in the AL Central with a 20-14 record despite a concerning -23 run differential.
"They are doing well despite Emmanuel Clase having been terrible and the rotation posting a less-than-average 4.20 ERA," writes Snyder.
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The Royals make the week's biggest jump, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. continues to excel, leading MLB with 13 doubles while posting an .872 OPS and 146 OPS+.
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Cincinnati's pitching staff, led by Hunter Greene , has powered them to a +34 run differential. However, their sub-.500 record at home remains a concern.
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The Diamondbacks face a potential setback as ace Corbin Burnes deals with right shoulder inflammation, forcing him to skip his next start.
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The Athletics have been baseball's hottest team since mid-April, recording an MLB-best 13 wins since April 15 and climbing to second place in the AL West.
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Lance McCullers Jr. made his first start since the 2022 World Series on Sunday, delivering 3⅔ scoreless innings with four strikeouts and three hits in Houston's 5-4 loss to the White Sox . The Astros now face another challenge with Yordan Alvarez landing on the injured list due to right hand inflammation.
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The Red Sox drop seven spots after consecutive series losses to the Blue Jays and Twins . Adding to their troubles, first baseman Triston Casas is out for the season after rupturing the patella tendon in his left knee.
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The Rays were swept by the surging Royals before bouncing back to win their series against the Yankees. Their offensive output remains a concern, ranking 21st in OPS (.681).
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The Brewers present an offensive enigma, ranking 10th in runs scored (165) but just 23rd in both home runs (28) and OPS (.674). Rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio's plate discipline needs improvement — he's drawn only two walks against 33 strikeouts in 153 plate appearances.
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The Braves should receive a boost soon with former NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. nearing his return from the torn ACL in his left knee suffered in May 2024.
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Will Nolan Arenado approve a trade at the deadline? The Cardinals third baseman has 12 extra-base hits (nine doubles and three home runs), to go along with a .742 OPS and 108 OPS+.
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The Rangers continue their free fall, dropping eight spots. Their hitting woes prompted the firing of their offensive coordinator, Jake Burger 's demotion to the minors, and Leody Tavares being placed on outright waivers.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shows signs of heating up, going 7-for-25 over the past seven games with two home runs, five runs scored, and six RBIs.
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James Wood, acquired from the Padres in the Juan Soto trade, has outperformed the four-time All-Star across multiple offensive categories, including home runs, doubles, hits, RBIs, total bases, OPS, and OPS+.
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Carlos Correa's early-season struggles continue to hamper the Twins . The three-time All-Star shortstop has mustered just a .560 OPS, 57 OPS+, and one home run.
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The Orioles find themselves at the bottom of the AL East, hampered by a -55 run differential that ranks fourth-worst in baseball.
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Sandy Alcantara's trade value continues to diminish. The 2022 NL Cy Young winner has struggled with an 8.31 ERA and 54 ERA+ across six starts, surrendering 24 earned runs and 17 walks in 26 innings.
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The Angels' season follows a familiar script with Mike Trout landing on the injured list, this time with a bone bruise in his left knee.
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The White Sox went 5-5 in their last 10 games, including taking two of three from the Astros.
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The Pirates have dropped eight of their last 10 games amid growing criticism that ownership and management have failed to build a competitive roster around Paul Skenes .
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The Rockies maintain their position at the bottom with MLB's worst record (6-28) and run differential.
