MLB Power Rankings: Cardinals still top team, Royals climb into top 3

1. St. Louis Cardinals (45-24, previous No. 1) – Another week, another week at the top for the Cardinals as they keep on rolling. They now lead the NL Central by six games over the Pirates. Michael Wacha has solidified the top of the rotation with Adam Wainwright’s season-ending injury with nine wins, the second-most in the NL.

2. Houston Astros (41-31, previous No. 3)– The Astros are indeed for real. It’s now the end of June and the Astros are among the best teams in the American League and lead the AL West. Houston has received a boost offensively by Luis Valbuena, whose 17 home runs are fifth in the AL.

3. Kansas City Royals (40-27, previous No. 6)– Kansas City is starting to separate itself from the rest of the AL Central as they now lead the division by 3.5 games. Mike Moustakas has emerged as one of the better hitters in the AL, as his .328 average is fourth in the league. The Royals’ plus-53 run differential is second-best in the AL.

4. Tampa Bay Rays (40-32, previous No. 5)– What a month for the Rays as they have been on a tear and now lead the AL East by a game over the Yankees. Their two-game losing streak shouldn’t affect how well they’ve played of late. Chris Archer has led the way with eight wins, tied for second in the AL and his 2.18 ERA, also second in the AL.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates (39-30, previous No. 4)– After a week-long unbeaten streak, the Pirates have dropped three straight games, but remain six games back of the Cardinals in the NL Central. Gerrit Cole has emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball, as his 11 wins are tops in the league and his 1.78 ERA is second in the NL.

6. Los Angeles Dodgers (39-32, previous No. 2)– The Dodgers have struggled of late, dropping seven of their last 10 games to now only lead the NL West by a game over the Giants. Adrian Gonzalez’s production has dropped, as he’s now out of the top five in the major batting categories.

7. Chicago Cubs (38-30, previous No. 8)– Although the Cubs have won three games in a row, they still remain 6.5 games out of first in the NL Central behind the Cardinals and Pirates. While the Cubs are much improved than where they have been in years past, the postseason is still on their minds.

8. New York Yankees (38-32, previous No. 10)– The Yankees have lost two straight games to give up first place in the AL East to the Rays. The headlines with the Yankees this week were surrounded around Alex Rodriguez and his 3,000^thcareer hit.

9. Minnesota Twins (38-32, previous No. 9)– Minnesota continues to be one of the biggest surprises in baseball, as they are still hanging close with the Royals in the AL Central. Glen Perkins is one of the best closers in baseball, as the left-hander’s 23 saves are tied for the most in the game.

10. San Francisco Giants (38-33, previous No. 14)– San Francisco is just a game behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West, but the Giants have failed to take advantage of the Dodgers’ poor play of late as they have won just four of their last 10 games. This appears to be a race that should come down to the final weeks of the year.

11. Toronto Blue Jays (38-34, previous No. 13)– The Blue Jays have the best run differential in baseball at plus-81, but still are in third place in the AL East, although just two games out of first place. Jose Bautista’s 50 RBIs are third in the American League to pace the offense.

12. Texas Rangers (37-33, previous No. 11)– It’s been a strange year for the AL West, as the two worst teams in the division last year are at the top this year. Prince Fielder is hitting a remarkable .340 in late June, which is third in the American League. Being three games behind the Astros, the division is certainly there for the taking.

13. Washington Nationals (37-33, previous No. 15)– Led by their pitching, the Nationals are back on top of the NL East standings. Winners of three straight games they lead the Mets by 1.5 games. Max Scherzer’s 1.76 ERA is the best in baseball.

14. Baltimore Orioles (36-33, previous No. 16)– Here come the Orioles, as Baltimore has won seven of 10 games and they now have turned the AL East into a four-team neck-and-neck race. Baltimore is in fourth place, but just 2.5 games out of first. If they can get their pitching to come around, the Orioles could make a big-time second half run.

15. Detroit Tigers (36-34, previous No. 12)– At two games above .500, it’s been a disappointing start for the Tigers, who are in third place in the AL Central, 5.5 games back of the Royals. Their pitching has been the biggest issue with the departures of their best pitchers in the offseason. Miguel Cabrera is batting .350, the best mark in the AL.

16. New York Mets (36-35, previous No. 7)– Things aren’t going well for the Mets as they have dropped five straight games and are now just a game over .500. Their minus-16 run differential is a concern, as well as their 10-24 road record. It’s a big next week or so for New York as they look to get back on the winning track.

17. Los Angeles Angels (36-35, previous No. 17)– The Angels will be in need of a huge second-half push as they are just a game over .500 and sit in third place in the AL West, 4.5 games behind the first place Astros. They do hit the long ball as well as any other team in baseball as Albert Pujols leads the AL with 23 and Mike Trout is fourth with 18.

18. Atlanta Braves (35-35, previous No. 20)– With the NL East not being as strong as its been in years past, the Braves are using that to their advantage as being .500 as them just two games out of first place. Shelby Miller’s 1.99 ERA is fourth in the National League.

19. Arizona Diamondbacks (34-35, previous No. 19)– After a terrible start, the Diamondbacks have played exceptionally well of late and how are four games behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West. Paul Goldschmidt is leading the way with his .356 batting average, which is the best mark in baseball.

20. San Diego Padres (34-38, previous No. 18)– The manager change hasn’t done much for the Padres as they have lost seven of their last 10 games and have fallen5.5 games out of first in the NL West. James Shields has been a positive for the Padres as his seven wins are fifth in the NL.

21. Cincinnati Reds (32-36, previous No. 23)– Although the Reds have been playing better of late, they are still 12.5 games out of first place in the NL Central, primarily because of their poor start. Todd Frazier has been the lone bright spot, as his 3.8 WAR is third in the AL.

22. Cleveland Indians (32-37, previous No. 21)– Even with Jason Kipnis’ .347 batting average, the second-best in the AL, the Indians are still nine games out of first place in the AL Central. The biggest problem for Cleveland is its record at home, being just 14-22.

23. Seattle Mariners (32-39, previous No. 22)– A miserable minus-51 run differential has the Mariners 8.5 games behind the Astros for first in the AL West. Felix Hernandez has struggled in his last two outings, which hasn’t helped Seattle’s cause.

24. Boston Red Sox (31-40, previous No. 26)– Taking two out of three from Kansas City over the weekend on the road gives Red Sox fans hope that a turnaround could be coming, but it needs to come soon as they are 8.5 games out of first place in the AL East. They do have a chance to make up ground with all their games over the next two weeks against division opponents.

25. Colorado Rockies (30-39, previous No. 24)– Like other teams in the NL, they have been playing well of late, but their bad start to the season is coming back to bite them. Colorado is eight games out of first, even with winning two straight. Their minus-43 run differential is third-worst in the NL.

26. Chicago White Sox (30-39, previous No. 28)– Many pegged the White Sox as a team that could surprise people, but they haven’t performed this season, as they currently have the second-to-worst record in the American League.

27. Miami Marlins (30-41, previous No. 25)– Many thought this would be the year for the Marlins to get back to the postseason, but because of injuries among other things it doesn’t appear to be happening. Giancarlo Stanton does lead the NL in homers and RBIs, which does give fans some reason to tune in on a nightly basis.

28. Oakland Athletics (31-41, previous No. 27)– The biggest disappointment so far in the AL has to be the A’s. A year after playing in the play-in game in the postseason now has the worst record in the AL.

29. Milwaukee Brewers (25-46, previous No. 29)– Their minus-87 run differential would be the worst mark in baseball if it weren’t for the Phillies coming in at minus-119. Milwaukee got off to a miserable start and they haven’t been able to overcome it.

30. Philadelphia Phillies (25-47, previous No. 30)– The Phillies are officially the worst team in baseball and now the rumors have heated up again with the possibility of the team dealing Cole Hamels, this time to the Rangers.