The calendar has officially turned to May, meaning we are well into the 2024 Major League Baseball season.
Some of the teams who got off to surprising starts are coming back down to earth, while some of the league's more talented rosters and players are finally starting to figure things out. Not all of them, though.
The Houston Astros remain one of the bigger anomalies of April, getting off to a dreadful 10-19 start. They now elected to option one of their highest-paid veterans to the minor leagues in a shocking move. Also in the American League West, the struggling Los Angeles Angels received another huge blow, with Mike Trout going on the injured list for the foreseeable future with a torn meniscus.
On the flip side, the league's best teams from a week ago continued their strong play, giving us an unchanged top four for the first time this season.
Here are Newsweek's new Power Rankings, with updated records as of Wednesday morning:
1. Atlanta Braves (19-9)
2. Cleveland Guardians (19-10)
3. Baltimore Orioles (19-10)
4. New York Yankees (19-12)
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (19-13)
6. Philadelphia Phillies (20-11)
7. Kansas City Royals (18-13)
8. Chicago Cubs (18-12)
9. Milwaukee Brewers (18-11)
10. Boston Red Sox (17-13)
11. Cincinnati Reds (16-14)
12. Texas Rangers (16-14)
13. Seattle Mariners (17-13)
14. Detroit Tigers (17-13)
15. Minnesota Twins (16-13)
16. New York Mets (15-14)
17. Toronto Blue Jays (15-16)
18. San Francisco Giants (14-16)
19. Washington Nationals (14-15)
20. Arizona Diamondbacks (14-17)
21. San Diego Padres (15-18)
22. St. Louis Cardinals (14-16)
23. Tampa Bay Rays (14-16)
24. Pittsburgh Pirates (14-17)
25. Houston Astros (10-19)
26. Oakland Athletics (14-17)
27. Los Angeles Angels (11-19)
28. Colorado Rockies (7-22)
29. Chicago White Sox (6-24)
30. Miami Marlins (7-24)
Biggest Risers
Minnesota Twins (+9)
The Twins, who plummeted all the way down to No. 24 last week, put together an incredible string of baseball this week — albeit against bad teams. The Twins swept the White Sox in a four-game series, then swept the Angels in a three-game series in Anaheim. They've followed that up with two more wins against Chicago, bringing a nine-game winning streak into May. The Twins didn't make their own schedule, but they're sure taking advantage of it.
Seattle Mariners (+6)
The Mariners have turned things around after a very slow start to the year that saw them rank No. 23 in the first and second editions of these power rankings. They've won five straight series against the Reds, Rockies, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and most recently, Braves, after winning the first two games of their three-game series this week. They've catapulted all the way to the top of the American League West.
Los Angeles Dodgers (+4)
The Dodgers finally started playing up to their payroll this past week, going on a season-high six-game winning streak that ended Sunday. Shortstop Mookie Betts and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani are playing out of their minds, while starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow is looking like a steal of the offseason (although Ryan Pepiot, who they traded to Tampa Bay, is looking like a steal in his own right).
Biggest Fallers
Pittsburgh Pirates (-9)
The Pirates got off to a 9-2 start and were ranked as high as No. 9 in these rankings. Then reality set in. The Pirates endured losing streaks of six and three games over the last few weeks, and find themselves fighting to stay out of the cellar in the National League Central. They're currently in the midst of another three-game losing streak after losing a game to the Giants and the first two of the series to the Athletics.
San Diego Padres (-5)
The Padres have allowed last year's inconsistencies to bleed into this season. The team has had a three-game winning streak, three-game losing streak and five-game losing streak all in the last couple weeks. They finally broke that latter streak on Tuesday night.
Milwaukee Brewers (-4)
The Brewers' fall from the top five has less to do with them and more to do with the other teams around them playing great baseball. Milwaukee continues to overachieve this season, as they look to compete with the Cubs and Reds all year long in what should be a fun NL Central race. Their mini three-game skid over the weekend didn't help them avoid falling in these rankings, though.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Noah Camras graduated from USC in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and minor in Sports Media Studies. He's worked ... Read more
