After three weeks wherein Detroit dominated our rankings, the Dodgers are again on prime in Week 13.
That is not the one massive change in our prime 10, because the Mets fall from third to No. 7 after dropping 10** of their previous 12 video games and the Astros crack the highest 5 for the primary time this season. Plus, Milwaukee makes its top-10 debut as rookie pitcher Jacob Misiorowski continues his blazing begin to his MLB profession.
Our professional panel has ranked each crew based mostly on a mix of what we have seen to this point and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that may be a full baseball season.
And with groups taking part in their 81st video games this week — marking the official halfway level of the 2025 season — we requested ESPN MLB specialists Buster Olney, Alden Gonzalez and Jesse Rogers to outline the primary half for all 30 groups, whether or not that is a stat, pattern, participant or second. Here is what they needed to say.
Week 12 | Preseason rankings
File: 50-31
Earlier rating: 2
The 2025 Dodgers have been outlined by the identical circumstances that outlined the 2024 group: pitching accidents — and thriving regardless of them. The Dodgers maintain the Nationwide League’s finest document although 4 key members of their rotation — Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Tony Gonsolin — are out with accidents. Their bullpen additionally has been a large number at instances. However they’ve discovered a manner. Snell and Glasnow are working their manner again. And Shohei Ohtani is taking common turns — albeit quick ones — on the mound. Their finest baseball may be forward of them. — Gonzalez
File: 50-31
Earlier rating: 1
The Yankees’ Aaron Boone would be the supervisor for the American League All-Stars, and he has the choice of selecting his man, Max Fried, to start out the Midsummer Basic. Or he might think about Boston’s Garrett Crochet. However the numbers for Detroit’s Tarik Skubal are daunting: He leads the AL in fWAR at 3.8 and in anticipated fielding unbiased pitching (xFIP) at 2.46 and is second in fewest walks per 9 innings (1.15) and strikeouts per 9 innings (11.03). Skubal will take the ball towards the Twins on “Sunday Night time Baseball” this weekend. — Olney
File: 47-33
Earlier rating: 6
When Pete Alonso’s free company dragged into spring coaching, Bryce Harper made it clear to his agent, Scott Boras (who additionally represents Alonso), that he was prepared to maneuver to the outfield if the Phillies had curiosity in signing a primary baseman. Harper continues to speak this to the entrance workplace: If the Phillies really feel they’ll improve the crew by including a primary baseman, Harper is ready to maneuver to the outfield. — Olney
File: 47-33
Earlier rating: 4
Could 23. That is the day Pete Crow-Armstrong arrived on the nationwide stage, hitting two house runs towards the Reds, together with a go-ahead grand slam within the seventh inning. It was one second in a highlight-reel first half for Crow-Armstrong, who has completed it together with his energy and pace, each on the bases and within the outfield. In one other defining second, he made a diving catch to finish a menace from the Brewers in a one-run recreation then adopted it by main off the following inning with a monster 452-foot house run. He has been the entire bundle to this point for the Cubs. — Rogers
File: 47-33
Earlier rating: 8
The one fixed in a season of change for the first-place Astros is lefty Framber Valdez. If his newest outing — a seven-inning shutout efficiency versus Philadelphia — wasn’t his signature second, that is solely as a result of he has had just a few of them. Maybe none was higher than his 83-pitch full recreation towards the Rays in late Could. He struck out 9 that day then adopted it up with 11- and 12-strikeout outings. However he is also profitable when producing weak contact; he solely whiffed three in every of his previous two begins, each wins. Valdez has outlined the Astros’ journey to first place; they’ve received his previous 9 begins. — Rogers
File: 46-34
Earlier rating: 5
Aaron Choose has been the middle round which the Yankees — and baseball, actually — have orbited. He completed the month of Could in a reliable chase for .400, all whereas amassing 21 house runs and placing up an absurd OPS of 1.268. June has seen Choose go from godlike to merely nice in slashing .265/.382/.566. Behind that, the Yankees have gone simply 11-12 and seen a once-massive lead within the AL East shrink to virtually nothing. Of their previous 14 video games, they’ve gathered three runs or fewer on 9 events. — Gonzalez
File: 47-34
Earlier rating: 3
When the Mets met with Francisco Alvarez on Sunday morning to say he was being demoted to the minors, the message was easy: In so many phrases, supervisor Carlos Mendoza informed Alvarez to get some reps and to seek out himself. That will imply rediscovering the ability that distinguished Alvarez as he rose via the minor leagues and initially established himself within the massive leagues. In his first full season within the majors in 2023, the then-21-year-old blasted 25 homers and gathered a .437 slugging proportion. On the time of his demotion, his slugging proportion was .333. — Olney
File: 44-36
Earlier rating: 7
It was all about Buster Posey, the brand new head of baseball operations, heading into the season; and it is all about Rafael Devers, the premier slugger acquired from the Pink Sox, for the time being. However in between, it is the pitching that has made the Giants one among this season’s most nice surprises. Logan Webb and Robbie Ray have mixed for a 2.66 ERA out of the rotation, making them top-of-the-line one-two punches within the sport. The bullpen, in the meantime, continues to be one of the best within the majors. If Devers might help their offense match their pitching, the Giants may simply vie for a championship. — Gonzalez
File: 45-35
Earlier rating: 9
Loads was made in regards to the potential of a wholesome Rays rotation heading into 2025, however clearly not sufficient was made in regards to the potential power of their lineup. Jonathan Aranda has been one of many season’s largest influence performers whereas rating fifth within the majors in weighted runs created plus. However in June — a month that has seen the Rays win 15 of twenty-two video games and outscore opponents by a mixed 35 runs — Yandy Diaz, Christopher Morel and Junior Caminero have joined him, making this some of the well-rounded groups within the sport. — Gonzalez
File: 45-36
Earlier rating: 11
Jacob Misiorowski pitched 11 innings earlier than giving up successful to start his MLB profession, and he’s the most recent in a line of promising hurlers to come back via the Brewers’ system over the previous few years. Beating Paul Skenes on Wednesday was simply one other step to potential stardom for the 23-year-old Misiorowski. A second-round decide in 2022, he has been lighting up the radar gun since getting known as up earlier this month, coinciding with a pleasant run by the Brewers, who are actually within the wild-card hunt and threatening the Cubs for the division lead. — Rogers
File: 44-37
Earlier rating: 16
In mid-December, it turned recognized that Nolan Arenado had turned down a commerce to the Astros. His staying in St. Louis maybe cemented what the Cardinals needed to do in 2025: compete for a playoff spot. And compete they’ve. They have not been flashy whereas shifting into wild-card competition; they merely do loads of issues properly, together with hitting house runs (Arenado has 10 of them), which they’ve hit extra of because the season has gone on. Over simply the previous two weeks, they’ve hit greater than all however 4 groups. The commerce that did not occur may be the distinction for the Playing cards this season. — Rogers
File: 44-36
Earlier rating: 10
Star gamers have come and gone whereas others have run cold and hot, however Manny Machado continues to set the tone. For the reason that begin of Could, he typically has appeared to hold this offense single-handedly. He’s a shoo-in for his seventh All-Star Sport, is on tempo to tie the very best full-season batting common of his profession (.298) and sits simply 9 hits away from 2,000 for his profession. The Padres must get Yu Darvish and Michael King again wholesome, they usually want Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts to provide extra persistently. Within the meantime, Machado has helped to maintain San Diego related. — Gonzalez
File: 41-38
Earlier rating: 14
One title has outlined the Mariners’ first half: Cal Raleigh. The 28-year-old catcher has taken the league by storm, main all hitters in house runs and RBIs. He is only one of three gamers with an OPS over 1.000, however he is doing it at a place that is not recognized for its offense. That clearly is not the case for Raleigh, who has been actually good at pitcher-friendly T-Cellular Park, with 14 house runs. The remainder have come on the highway, the place his OPS is properly over 1.100. There’s seemingly no gap in his swing, as pitchers have come to comprehend to this point. — Rogers
File: 42-37
Earlier rating: 12
The Blue Jays discover themselves within the thick of a instantly tight AL East race, thanks largely to an offense that does one thing more and more tough on this sport. It places the ball in play. The Blue Jays boast the lowest strikeout charge within the majors at 17.8%, with Alejandro Kirk, Ernie Clement, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette main the way in which. Within the midst of that, George Springer is having considerably of an offensive renaissance, with 11 house runs and an .825 OPS. However Toronto nonetheless must get Anthony Santander wholesome. — Gonzalez
File: 42-39
Earlier rating: 13
The Reds’ rotation has an ERA of three.76, which ranks within the prime half of the NL. And that is with only one outing from Chase Burns, the No. 2 decide within the 2024 draft who seemed dominant earlier than giving up some late runs in his first MLB begin on Tuesday. The beginning workers has proved to be the power of the Reds as they give the impression of being poised for a second-half run. Lefty Andrew Abbott may be the least talked about elite pitcher in both league just because he does not keep within the recreation for greater than two instances via the order. Nonetheless, his 7-1 document and 1.79 ERA are spectacular. Abbott and Hunter Greene make for a sneaky good one-two punch in Cincinnati. — Rogers
File: 41-39
Earlier rating: 15
The D-backs have principally been outlined by accidents to key gamers all through this primary half. First, it was Corbin Burnes present process season-ending elbow surgical procedure, absolutely the very last thing an underperforming beginning rotation wanted. Then Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk, the 2 most necessary members of the bullpen, suffered the identical destiny. Extra just lately, Corbin Carroll, who had been placing up MVP numbers, was recognized with a chip fracture in his left wrist. Basic supervisor Mike Hazen retains fielding calls about his pending free brokers, however he is not prepared to surrender on the 2025 season. If Carroll does not return rapidly, although, Hazen may need to. — Gonzalez
File: 40-38
Earlier rating: 20
Cleveland is slogging via what has been a tough June, with the offense actually struggling; the Guardians have averaged about three runs per recreation this month, whereas dropping 12 of the primary 21 video games. Listed below are among the gamers who’re batting beneath .200 for June: Carlos Santana, Angel Martinez, Gabriel Arias, Bo Naylor, David Fry. Cleveland will not emerge from the AL mud lavatory until that adjustments.— Olney
File: 40-42
Earlier rating: 17
The Pink Sox have spent the higher a part of the previous 4 months engulfed in drama, most of it centered round their former franchise participant, Rafael Devers, who annoyed crew officers over an unwillingness to be a extra public-facing determine and, extra so, a refusal to play first base. The Pink Sox parted methods with Devers — and his large contract that runs via 2033 — by sending him to San Francisco. And now, after following that up by going 3-6 on a three-city journey, the Pink Sox are merely a crew mired in mediocrity. They consider they’ll win, however they’re working out of time. — Gonzalez
File: 37-42
Earlier rating: 21
When Ronald Acuna Jr. has participated within the House Run Derby, he has distinguished himself together with his all-fields method. A lot of the Derby sluggers attempt to deal with hitting the ball in a single a part of the strike zone and driving it to a specific a part of the park. However when Acuna was within the Derby in 2019 and once more three years later, he sprayed deep drives in all instructions, hitting the ball wherever it was thrown within the strike zone. With the All-Star Sport in Atlanta subsequent month, Acuna has turn out to be the primary participant to formally decide to taking part within the Derby. (He was eradicated by Pete Alonso through the 2019 and 2022 editions.) — Olney
File: 40-41
Earlier rating: 19
For 2 seasons now — since successful the World Collection in 2023 — the Rangers merely have not been in a position to rating sufficient runs to be ultracompetitive. At simply 3.64 runs per recreation, they rank twenty sixth in MLB. There’s loads of blame to go round, however veterans Joc Pederson (.131 BA), Marcus Semien (.229 BA) and even Corey Seager (.715 OPS) stand out**. Among the youthful gamers are holding their very own, however none of them seems close to the highest in any statistical class. Josh Smith’s .764 OPS is 72nd in MLB — and that simply is not adequate for the hitting-starved Rangers. — Rogers
File: 38-42
Earlier rating: 22
With this yr’s commerce market anticipated to be extremely skinny in expertise, groups will likely be tempted to be opportunists and benefit from the supplier’s market. Seth Lugo is 35 and has a $15 million participant choice for 2026, so it will make sense for him to search for a brand new deal. If the Royals proceed to fade — they’re 14-26 since Could 10 — it will be logical to aim to increase Lugo or dangle him out there and weigh curiosity. — Olney
File: 40-40
Earlier rating: 23
Christian Moore deserves recognition for what he did Tuesday. The 22-year-old second baseman, a 2024 first-round decide, tied the rating towards the Pink Sox with an eighth-inning house run then walked it off with one other one whereas his crew was trailing 2-1 within the tenth. His three RBIs was all of the scoring L.A. received — and wanted — within the unbelievable win. It was only one recreation in a surprisingly good first half for the Angels, who discipline a crew affected by their very own latest draft picks. It stays to be seen if they’ll stick with it, however extra robust play from Moore definitely will assist. — Rogers
File: 38-42
Earlier rating: 18
There have been indicators this month that Brooks Lee, the eighth participant taken within the first spherical of the 2022 draft, is discovering traction within the massive leagues. Lee is batting .364 with a slugging proportion of .519 in June. Over the course of his 4 skilled seasons, he has been getting the ball within the air way more persistently; he had a 2.23 ground-ball-to-fly-ball charge within the minors 2022, and that ratio has improved to 0.93 in MLB this yr. — Olney
File: 34-46
Earlier rating: 24
There isn’t a greater disappointment via this season’s first half than the Orioles, and it most likely is not even shut. They fired supervisor Brandon Hyde lower than two months in. A beginning rotation that was inadequately addressed by the entrance workplace over the winter has been a large number, with three starters — Cade Povich, Charlie Morton and Zach Eflin — every contributing ERAs over 5. Most stunning of all, an offense that was speculated to dominate has vacillated between mediocre and unhealthy — although Jackson Holliday has rebounded from a tough rookie season and Ryan O’Hearn is producing like an All-Star. — Gonzalez
File: 33-48
Earlier rating: 25
Final summer season, the Nationals listened to gives for reliever Kyle Finnegan earlier than deciding to maintain him moderately than flip him for an uninspiring commerce return. He has had a very good season to this point in 2025, leaving the crew in the same place with the veteran right-hander because the commerce deadline nears. Presumably, they are going to hope some contending crew steps up and makes an intriguing supply. But when that does not occur, Finnegan will not price the Nationals a lot to maintain; he is making $5.38 million this yr, earlier than reaching free company within the fall. — Olney
File: 32-50
Earlier rating: 26
Paul Skenes’ ERA rose to 2.12 on Wednesday after he gave up 4 runs in 4 innings, however that should not take away from his dominant first half after being named NL Rookie of the 12 months final season. He continues to be about the one purpose to observe the lowly Pirates nowadays as, as soon as once more, they discover themselves removed from the playoff race after having fired supervisor Derek Shelton final month. Skenes leads the majors in innings pitched and is one among simply three certified starters with a WHIP beneath 1.00. The Cy Younger Award may be his subsequent honor after a sure-thing All-Star look. — Rogers
File: 33-45
Earlier rating: 28
Contending groups attempt to flip over each rock to seek out assist round this time of the season, and it stands to purpose that some will ask the Marlins about Ronny Henriquez, their 25-year-old right-handed reliever who was plucked off waivers from the Twins in February. Henriquez has taken on extra accountability because the marketing campaign has performed out, selecting up a few saves whereas working in higher-leverage conditions. Over 23⅓ innings for the reason that begin of Could, he has struck out 33 batters and walked simply six. He additionally has pushed his common fastball velocity to a career-best 96.2 mph. — Olney
File: 33-49
Earlier rating: 27
5.41. That is the season ERA of the A’s pitching workers after a horrendous stretch from late Could into June led to a double-digit dropping skid — and it ranks simply forward of the Rockies for worst in baseball. The previous month or so has been particularly unhealthy, highlighted by a WHIP determine that has been far and away the worst within the majors at over 1.50. — Rogers
File: 26-55
Earlier rating: 29
Andrew Benintendi has the kind of expertise that may intrigue different groups earlier than the commerce deadline, and his manufacturing towards right-handed pitching is OK, with an OPS over .700. His contract, nonetheless, discourages curiosity. He’s owed about $40 million over the rest of his contract (via 2027), that means the White Sox most likely must eat an enormous portion of his future wage with a purpose to deal him or tackle a foul contract themselves in any proposed deal. — Olney
File: 18-62
Earlier rating: 30
The Rockies went the primary 30 years of their franchise’s quirky historical past with out succumbing to a 100-loss season. Then they did it back-to-back, in 2023 and 2024. Now, they’re trending towards a a lot greater low: probably the most losses in main league historical past. Regardless of two — sure, two — successful streaks of three-plus video games this month, the Rockies are on tempo for 126 losses, 5 greater than the White Sox dropped in 2024 to set the brand new single-season loss document. The largest offender has been a well-recognized one: The pitching workers ranks lifeless final within the majors with a 5.54 ERA. — Gonzalez
