MLB Power Rankings

Can the Chicago Cubs usurp the Milwaukee Brewers from their NL Central perch? Is Seattle a legitimate threat to Houston in the AL West?

1. New York Yankees (last week: 2): New York is 22-9 (best in MLB) at home this season to go with the best record in baseball. That's good news for the Bronx Bombers since nine of their next 10 games are at home.
   
2. Boston Red Sox (1): The Red Sox will activate Mookie Betts from the disabled list, forgoing a single minor league rehab assignment to get inserted into the lineup. They have also seen Steven Wright step in nicely for injured starter Drew Pomeranz.
   
3. Chicago Cubs (6): Jason Heyward is batting .390 in his last 10 games, bumping up his stat line to .268/.331/.401 as of Saturday. Heyward's splits against right-handed pitching have also been spectacular: his stat line for hitting against right handers this year's .307/.366/.831.
   
4. Seattle Mariners (4): The Mariners managed to hang with AL West top dog Houston, routing them in the first match-up by a score of 7-1 and fighting them in a losing effort in the second, 7-5. The Mariners will be tested in the next two weeks, with match-ups against the Angels, Red Sox, and Yankees.
   
5. Houston Astros (3): Despite winning their last five games, the Astros have fallen to fifth in the rankings. Houston's schedule heading up to the All-Star break should be easy, which will give Dallas Keuchel (4.45 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 6.99 K/9) some time to figure out his recent control issues.
   
6. Milwaukee Brewers (4): Milwaukee's series with the Cubs won't be the only critical divisional series they have in the future: they'll face off in three of their next four series against divisional foes, including St. Louis and Pittsburgh. Having Eric Thames back in their lineup should help the Brewers with their divisional stretch.
   
7. Washington Nationals (8): The city of Washington, D.C. is celebrating a Stanley Cup victory and Washington's return atop the NL East perch will leave fans in the nation's capital satisfied. Having Daniel Murphy back in the lineup for the Nationals will leave Washington satisfied as well.
   
8. Atlanta Braves (7): The Braves have fallen from atop the NL East. However, their next 14 games will be against teams below .500, giving them time to prep for a brutal 10-game road trip featuring the Cardinals and Yankees.
   
9. Los Angeles Angels (10): There was some bad news on the Angels front, as Shohei Ohtani was placed on the DL with a sprained UCL. They will have a bit of a challenge ahead of them as well, facing off against divisional rivals Seattle and Oakland in the next six games.
   
10. Cleveland Indians (-): Cleveland starters have an ERA of 1.72 in their last five games. The Indians seem to be hitting their stride, which is good considering how weak the AL Central is this year. Watch out for Jose Ramirez (.292 BA, 19 homers, 43 RBIs, .617 SLG, 1.007 OPS) in the race for AL MVP this season.
    

In The Hunt: St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies