30. Texas Rangers

29. Pittsburgh Pirates

28. Kansas City Royals

27. Boston Red Sox

26. Arizona Diamondbacks

25. Washington Nationals

24. Cincinnati Reds

23. Los Angeles Angels

22. Seattle Mariners

21. Detroit Tigers

20. Milwaukee Brewers

19. Colorado Rockies

18. Baltimore Orioles

17. San Francisco Giants

16. Miami Marlins

15. New York Mets

14. New York Yankees

13. Philadelphia Phillies

12. Houston Astros

11. Toronto Blue Jays

10. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs still lead the division over the Cardinals by a game and a half, but I think the Cardinals will overtake them because they are the better team. After all, the Cardinals have some making up games to do. The Cubs have lost three in a row and the Cardinals have won three in a row. The tides are beginning to change at the top of this division.

9. St. Louis Cardinals

Like I just mentioned, I believe the Cardinals are about to surpass the Cubs at the top of the NL Central. They have been better lately and also have a much better run differential on the season than the Cubs, which is usually a tell-tell sign of the better teams.

8. Oakland Athletics

Leading the AL West by 3.5 games over the Astros, this is their division to lose. With the kind of year the Astros are having, I just don’t see them overtaking the A’s this season. Like always, the A’s just quietly get it done. They haven’t been great in their last ten games, with a 4-6 record, but this is a consistent enough ball club to get the job done at the end of the day. I just don’t quite see them getting over the hump and making serious playoff noise, though.

7. Minnesota Twins

The Twins, as good as they are, have slipped just a little bit and are now a game and a half behind division-leading White Sox. They are also a game behind the Indians, so they have quite the battle going on right now for the AL Central crown. All three of those teams can get the job done, but right now, the Twins are a slight notch behind those two teams.

6. Atlanta Braves

The Braves can really light up the scoreboard and are the third highest run-scoring team on the season so far, behind the Dodgers and Padres. They’re just three games up on Philadelphia right now, but I don’t think anyone besides Phillies fans would predict anything other than the Braves taking the division. The question, like always, is are they going to finally win a playoff series this year? I would feel a lot better about that if they had their #1 starter in Mike Soroka healthy. It would also bump them up a notch or two on this list. But they don’t.

5. Chicago White Sox

I know the White Sox currently lead the division right now over the Indians, but I think the Indians are the better team. I would definitely have more confidence in the Indians making a serious run in the playoffs over the White Sox. But Chicago’s Southside team is trending in the right direction right now and will be a team to beat for years with all of their young talent. Before it’s all said and done though, the Indians will take the Central.

4. San Diego Padres

Led by their superstar Tatis Jr., the Padres are finally on the big stage in a big way. They’ve scored the most runs across the Major Leagues this season with a total of 238 and they’ve got a solid defense to back them up. They are a really fun team to watch right now, and while they are more than capable of making a big playoff run, it’s not quite their time because there’s still another team, a few hours north of them, standing in their way. But soon enough Padres fans, soon enough…

3. Cleveland Indians

I’m a big believer in the Indians. Why? Their pitching. Pitching wins championships and the Indians can roll out some arms. They’ve given up the fewest runs in Major League Baseball this season, one less than the St. Louis Cardinals who’ve played eight less games. That’s pretty good. Actually, that’s better than pretty good. Don’t be surprised if the Indians win the entire thing this year. They’re my pick to represent the American League in the World Series.

2. Tampa Bay Rays

If the Indians don’t make it to the World Series, I fully expect the Rays to be there. This team can always play defense, but this year their offense has been a spark plug. That’s why they lead the AL East by 5.5 games and are in the driver’s seat for an October run.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Once again, the Dodgers take the top spot. They’ve scored the second most runs out of any team this year and have given up one of the lowest totals. Their run differential of +98 on the season puts every other team’s to shame. The Dodgers are a complete team and I’ve pretty much run out of things to say about them over the last two seasons. They just have to win the World Series now.

MLB Power Ranking (September 7)