Updated MLB power rankings three months into the 2022 season

Now that July has arrived, it’s the perfect time to share our MLB power rankings for 2022. Even if the all-star break isn’t here, most teams are roughly halfway through their schedule, meaning there is no better time to give updated MLB power rankings.

Admittedly, there is a lot of time left in the season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look at the MLB power rankings today.

MLB Power Rankings 2022

In a way, it’s rather obvious who the best MLB teams right now are. It’s easy to look at the standings and see what teams are at the top. But baseball power rankings require a little more thought, especially since we wanted to rank all 30 teams from worst to best.

Granted, we expect there to be plenty of debate about our rankings, not to mention changes in the months to come. But at the midway point of the season, here are our MLB power rankings for 2022.

30. A’s

Somehow, the A’s might be worse than we anticipated, even after they parted ways with so many key players during the offseason. The worst part is that their fans have responded by simply not attending the team’s home games, helping make Oakland atrocious at home.

If you can’t post a decent record at home, things are bound to get ugly, which is exactly what’s happened to the A’s this season.

29. Royals

Among American League teams, the Royals were the first team to reach the 400 runs conceded threshold, which is why they are behind every other team other than Oakland in our power rankings. Not only is Kansas City’s pitching staff problematic but the Royals are also failing to get consistent production from the team’s best offensive players.

Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield are both having down seasons while promising rookie Bobby Witt Jr. has taken some time to get going. Even Andrew Benintendi has an OPS under .800 despite batting over .300 as the team’s only silver lining. We thought the Royals might take a bigger step forward this year, but that hasn’t happened.

28. Tigers

Signing Javier Baez and keeping Jonathan Schoop hasn’t worked out as planned for the Tigers. Both players have struggled, taking the Detroit lineup down with them.

The Tigers have scored the fewest runs in the majors this season with a large chunk of their lineup every day batting under .200 or barely staying above the Mendoza line. The young rotation hasn’t seen as much progress either, which is going to put the Tigers at risk of a 100-loss season.

27. Reds

It’s hard to know who the real Reds are. Is it the team that had just three wins at the end of April? Is it the team that looked good for large stretches of May? Is it the team that became a dumpster fire once again in late June?

While there have been a few signs of promise in Cincinnati, the Reds are still the last-place team in a bad division, so we have to be careful about placing them ahead of too many teams in the power rankings.

26. Nationals

The Nats are another team that’s been atrocious at home this year, which is keeping closer to the bottom than the middle of the pack. In Washington’s defense, if you take away their dreadful record against their NL East rivals, the Nats are close to a .500 team.

But that’s not enough to give them a respectable spot in our power rankings. Everyone but Juan Soto and Josh Bell has struggled, and even Soto is having a subpar year by his standards. Meanwhile, Washington’s pitching has been a disaster with Patrick Corbin getting lit up regularly and Stephen Strasburg barely pitching.

25. Pirates

There have been a few bright moments for Pittsburgh. They’ve actually given the Dodgers a lot of trouble, winning five of six head-to-head games against Los Angeles.

But this team is still a long way from being able to compete consistently. However, finishing third in the NL Central this season isn’t too far-fetched.

24. Cubs

The friendly confines of Wrigley Field have been unfriendly for the home team this year, as the Cubs have been one of the worst teams in baseball when playing at home. Not as bad as Oakland or Washington, but still bad.

Oddly enough, Willson Contreras and Ian Happ have both had all-star caliber seasons on the North Side. But with Marcus Stroman and Kyle Hendricks failing to get it done, the Cubs lack the pitching to accomplish anything in 2022.

23. Rockies

This has been a typical season for the Rockies. They’ve been good at home because they can score runs at Coors Field. But they are among the worst teams in baseball when playing on the road.

The signing of Kris Bryant hasn’t paid off, nor has the trade for Randal Grichuk. If those two can get it going, the Rox might not be half bad. But it’s hard to envision Colorado making much noise during the second half of the season. 

22. Angels

What happened to the Angels? They were doing so well until they lost 14 in a row at the end of May and early June.

Things have stabilized a little for the Halos, but they haven’t been able to get back on track. In theory, they have the pieces to turn things around with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani leading the way. But we have to base their spot in the power rankings off what we’ve seen lately, and it’s not been good.

21. Orioles

Believe it or not, the Orioles haven’t been that bad this year. For bettors, they actually have the best record in baseball against the spread, which means they’re losing a lot of one-run games.

Also, despite being in last place, Baltimore isn’t as far from a Wild Card spot as you might think. The rotation isn’t good enough for the Orioles to string together wins, although the Baltimore lineup has some promise, especially if they can get Trey Mancini and Cedric Mullins going during the second half of the season.

20. Mariners

The Mariners can’t seem to do anything better than hovering around .500. To their credit, Seattle has a good record when facing teams with a losing record.

If nothing else, the Mariners have proven that they’re better than some of the bottom feeders in baseball. But there’s nothing about Seattle’s season that should convince anyone that the Mariners are a better-than-average team.

19. Diamondbacks

Arizona has been a little like Jekyll and Hyde this season, making it hard to think of them as a sleeper in the second half.

There is plenty of power in the lineup, so they can create problems for opposing teams in that area. They also have four starting pitchers with an ERA under 4.00, so there might be something there.

18. White Sox

It’s not a stretch to call the White Sox one of the most disappointing teams in baseball. In their defense, Chicago has had some injuries that have set the team back. Surprisingly, the White Sox are still hovering around .500 and are very much in contention in both the AL Central and the Wild Card race.

In fact, they have a winning record on the road, which is actually a good sign for the White Sox if they can get healthy and find some more consistency.

17. Marlins

Miami’s pitching has been good enough to keep the Marlins on the periphery of contention this year. Unfortunately, some of the offseason acquisitions the Marlins made to boost their offense haven’t paid off as expected, especially Avisail Garcia, who barely has an OPS over .600.

But they’ve been able to scratch out enough wins that nobody should write them off just yet.

16. Rangers

For a while, the Rangers looked like a lost cause after their spending spree during the winter. But Texas has turned the tide after a poor April and looks like a team with serious power in its lineup.

The bullpen also shows some promise, even if the Texas rotation is weak on the back end. We’re not sold on them as a serious playoff contender, but the Rangers are a better team than their record indicates. 

15. Giants

The Giants may have hit a brick wall in late June and early July, causing them to tumble in the MLB power rankings in 2022.

It almost makes us think that San Francisco’s success in 2021 was done with smoke and mirrors. In fairness, this could be just a rough patch for the Giants. But there’s something about them that makes them hard to take seriously as a contender in the National League.

14. Guardians

Even with a new name and logo, the song remains the same in Cleveland. The Guardians have the kind of pitching that’s going to help them stick around over 162 games. But the offense just isn’t producing enough to think that Cleveland can match up against the best teams in the American League.

Jose Ramirez is going to need a lot more help during the second half of the season to change that.

13. Phillies

Firing Joe Girardi turned out to be a good move for the Phillies, who turned into one of the best teams in baseball for large parts of June after parting ways with the veteran manager.

The caveat is that their bullpen is bad and the rotation is unreliable once you get past Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Plus, the Phillies now have to slug their way to wins with Bryce Harper unavailable for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, this is a team that has some promise.

12. Brewers

It’s a little surprising to see the Brewers in first place right now. Milwaukee’s bullpen has led the way while the rotation has taken a slight step back compared to what we’ve seen in recent years.

However, the Brewers are lacking impact players offensively because none of their regulars have an OPS that’s over .800, so scoring runs could become a problem for them moving forward.

11. Cardinals

Even if the Cardinals aren’t in first place, they are a little better than their record suggests. The St. Louis rotation isn’t perfect, but Adam Wainwright and Miles Mikolas have been great. The Cards also have a lineup with serious potential thanks to MVP contender Paul Goldschmidt and a strong supporting cast that includes Nolan Arenado.

There are some rough spots on the roster, but this should be an interesting team to watch coming down the stretch.

10. Blue Jays

There’s something about this Toronto team that just doesn’t seem right. They’re one of the best offensive teams in baseball, although they aren’t the juggernaut we were expecting. The Toronto rotation has also underperformed with Hyun Jin Ryu hurt and Jose Berrios struggling to find himself.

Granted, Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah give the Blue Jays two aces, but we’ve yet to see a stretch where the Blue Jays genuinely look like a championship-caliber team.

9. Twins

Minnesota deserves a lot of credit for holding onto a lead atop the AL Central for most of the season. Outside of Byron Buxton, the Twins haven’t showcased a lot of power. They’ve also had to dig deep into their rotation because of injuries, although Sonny Gray, Chris Archer, and others have stepped up.

It’s a little concerning that they have a losing record against teams with a winning record. But they still look like a team that will be tough to catch in the AL Central, even if they aren’t likely to run away with the division crown.

8. Red Sox

The Red Sox got hot in early June, helping them make a serious move in the AL East and the Wild Card race. They owe a lot of that to Nick Pivetta and Michael Wacha pitching far better than expected.

Even with some key position players having disappointing seasons, the Red Sox have scored plenty of runs this year and have plenty of fire power. That should help them make a dangerous team during the second half of the season, even if a Wild Card spot is a best-case scenario for them.

7. Rays

The Rays certainly haven’t had a bad season by any stretch, but Tampa is falling a little short of expectations. Both Randy Arozarena and Wander Franco have posted disappointing numbers during the first half of the season based on what was expected of them, which has held back the Rays.

On the other hand, Tampa’s pitching has been outstanding, not far from some of the elite teams in baseball, which certainly helps their case.

6. Padres

When you consider the Padres have been without Fernando Tatis Jr. all season, things couldn’t have gone much better for San Diego during the first half of the season.

Manny Machado has had to carry the offense at times, occasionally getting outside help. Meanwhile, the San Diego rotation has arguably been the deepest in baseball, and that’s without getting anything positive from Blake Snell. That has the Padres on the cusp of being one of the elite teams in baseball despite not being at full strength this year.

5. Braves

Atlanta’s red-hot June was a good reminder that the Braves are still the reigning champs and a threat to repeat.

Last year, it was a revamped outfield that led the way, but in 2022, the Braves are winning behind their infield. Meanwhile, some of the younger members of their rotation have been making the biggest impact, helping the Braves look like contenders once again.

4. Dodgers

While they may not be the overwhelming favorites to win the World Series, the Dodgers still look like they could be a special team in 2022.

The rotation is deep, even with Walker Buehler sidelined. Offensively, even when the Dodgers aren’t clicking on all cylinders, Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner have done enough to keep the line moving, positioning the Dodgers to make another World Series run.

3. Mets

We thought the Mets would dominate teams behind Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. But those two combined for eight starts in New York’s first 80 games, yet the Mets are still one of the best teams in baseball.

Injuries to the starting rotation have extended beyond those two aces, but the Mets have kept on winning. They haven’t even had a hot streak yet; instead, the Mets just keep winning almost every series, which is the sign of a consistent team.

2. Astros

They might still be the most hated team in baseball, but the Astros also remain one of the best teams in baseball.

Justin Verlander has come back from Tommy John in great form, leading an outstanding pitching staff. The Astros have also had no trouble carrying on without Carlos Correa thanks to his replacement Jeremy Pena, as well as Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez, who looks like an MVP candidate.

1. Yankees

There is no question the Yankees are at the top of the MLB power rankings in 2022.

They’ve been the best team in baseball all season, dominating teams with both their hitting and their pitching. They’ve been nearly impossible to beat while playing at home and have even been able to survive with a few players underperforming. It’s only half a season, but the Yankees are undoubtedly the team to beat right now.