MLB Power Rankings

Two teams in last week's top five have taken a stumble. Can they recover? Who will step up to the plate and challenge their place in baseball hierarchy?

1. Houston Astros (last week: 1): Jose Altuve is the top vote-getter in the American League for the All Star Game at 2,460,967 votes. Considering the year he's having (.343 BA, .402 OBP, .893 OPS, 41 RBIs, 11 stolen bases), he definitely deserves the honor.
2. New York Yankees (2): The trio of Aaron Judge (.954 OPS, 20 homers, 52 RBIs), Giancarlo Stanton (.859 OPS, 19 homers, 46 RBIs), and Didi Gregorius (.805 OPS, 14 homers, 42 RBIs) have proven to be unstoppable all season. Adding new blood like Miguel Andujar (.823 OPS, 35 RBIs) will make the Yankees even more dangerous.
3. Boston Red Sox (4): After a tough series with the Mariners, the Red Sox get to feast on an emaciated Angels team. This will set them up for a challenging road trip featuring the Yankees and the Nationals. After that, the Red Sox will revert back to easy competition heading into the All-Star break.
4. Atlanta Braves (7): Yes, this may seem like a stretch to put the Braves at No. 4. However, Atlanta is starting to establish themselves not only as an NL East contender, but as a contender of the National League altogether. Watch out for Freddie Freeman (.370 BABIP, 15 homers, 53 RBIs, .969 OPS, .557 SLG) as an MVP candidate for the National League.
5. Seattle Mariners (3): The 13-game stretch that Seattle just endured against the Angels, Yankees, and Red Sox went... okay. They did excellent in the home stand (5-2), but struggled mightily in the road portion (1-5). James Paxton has to fix the hard contact that comes off his pitches (44.7% hard hit rate in the past 30 days).
6. Milwaukee Brewers (6): The Brewers have a chance to put some distance between them and the Chicago Cubs. The only series against a team above .500 is a four-game set against Atlanta, with that series being at home.
7. Chicago Cubs (5): Like the Mariners, the Cubs have fallen into a rough patch, losing five straight. The trip out to Dodger Stadium won't make things easier for the Cubs. To make things worse, Kris Bryant was just placed on the 10-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation.
8. Los Angeles Dodgers (9): The Dodgers are starting to hit their stride. Winners of four straight, Los Angeles seems poised to make a major move in the NL West. Matt Kemp's (.315 BA, 47 RBIs, .899 OPS, 144 wRC+) resurgence has helped the Dodgers during a rough period of injuries and underperforming players.
9. Arizona Diamondbacks (8): Zach Greinke has been to go-to guy for the D-Backs in the rotation, but he isn't alone. Patrick Corbin (3.24 ERA, 129 SO, 1.00 WHIP, 11.61 K/9) has been reliable for Arizona. The Diamondbacks will also be getting Robbie Ray (oblique) back in the fold, which also helps.
   
10. Cleveland Indians (-): Jose Ramirez continues to build his case as an AL MVP candidate. What's helped him the most has been his patience at the plate; his BB/K rate sits at 1.28 (good for third in the MLB) and his BB% sits at 15%, good for 11th in the majors.
    

In The Hunt: Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels