The baseball world will soon pause to watch some of the biggest names in the sport participate in the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game in Philadelphia next week.
A number of teams might welcome the reset that comes with the All-Star break. Powerhouses such as the Braves and Yankees have struggled of late, while the Red Sox and Mets continue to not be able to dig themselves out of their below-.500 holes. On the other hand, red-hot clubs such as the Marlins (debuting at No. 8 this week) and Brewers and the steadily-rising Rays and Cubs will hope to ride their momentum into the second half.
Where do all 30 teams stand ahead of some of the most anticipated baseball events of the summer?
Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Jorge Castillo and Alden Gonzalez to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Record: 61-33
Previous ranking: 1
Kyle Tucker, their big free agent signing, has basically performed like an average player. Edwin Diaz, their other big free agent signing, has been out for a prolonged period. The same can be said for Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, two of their frontline starting pitchers. Mookie Betts, one of the future Hall of Famers who dot their roster, got off to a really slow start. The result: The Dodgers still rule the sport, boasting the best winning percentage, highest run differential and largest division lead. It helps to underscore an important point about the Dodgers, relevant at a time when MLB is pushing for a salary cap: They’re so much more than their payroll. — Gonzalez
Record: 58-34
Previous ranking: 2
We’ve all seen this movie before. The external “experts” wonder if the Brewers can really overcome another talent exodus, ultimately pick another team to win the NL Central in the preseason, and then watch the club in the sport’s smallest market defy expectations. The Brewers can’t stop churning out major league talent and winning regular-season games.
Jacob Misiorowski is the best pitcher in baseball. Kyle Harrison has been a revelation and Brandon Sproat, another offseason acquisition, appears on that path. The offense doesn’t feature any traditional superstar boppers — the Brewers rank 28th in the majors in home runs — but they’re fifth in the majors in runs scored anyway. Second baseman Brice Turang, whose 3.1 fWAR is tied for seventh in the NL, not making the All-Star team is criminal. The Brewers are a regular-season win machine. But the jury is still out on October. — Castillo
Record: 54-36
Previous ranking: 3
It has been a grand homecoming for the Rays. Last season, as Steinbrenner Field tenants, the Rays went 41-40 playing their home games at the Yankees’ outdoor spring training home. This year, they’re back at their nonretractable domed palace known as The Trop and they’re thriving. Tampa Bay is an MLB-best 33-13 at home. Tropicana Field, despite ranking near the bottom of the majors in attendance again, remains a true home-field advantage. And, as it stands, the Rays are on a path to the mediocre American League’s No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the postseason until the World Series. — Castillo
Record: 53-38
Previous ranking: 4
Atlanta continues to see its lead over the Phillies shrink as the Braves have won only one of their eight previous series before this week’s showdown against Pittsburgh. They split with the Mets, losing 10-9 on Sunday (coming up short after scoring six runs in the bottom of the ninth) and then losing 7-6 on Monday when Raisel Iglesias gave up a go-ahead, three-run, two-out homer to Juan Soto in the ninth and then, after Matt Olson tied it with a home run in the bottom of the ninth, lost it in the 10th.
Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin will start the All-Star Game, while Olson, Iglesias and Chris Sale made the roster as well. Iglesias is a first-time All-Star in his 12th season in the majors. In a crowded field of NL outfielders, Michael Harris II didn’t make the team despite an All-Star-worthy first half. — Schoenfield
Record: 50-42
Previous ranking: 5
The Yankees say they believe this is their deepest team in years and they’re probably right, but losing Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Max Fried simultaneously to injuries for an extended stretch has proved too costly. The Yankees went 9-4 in their first 13 games without Judge in early June. Since then, they’ve lost 15 of 20 games and the offense has cratered. They haven’t scored more than five runs in a game since June 17.
This week, against the Rays, they struck out 17 times in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. While Fried is about to begin a rehab assignment, Judge and Stanton aren’t returning anytime soon. The Yankees must figure out how to consistently manufacture runs without them to stay within striking distance of the Rays in the AL East. — Castillo
Record: 51-42
Previous ranking: 6
Cristopher Sanchez is still the likely All-Star starter for the NL with the game in Philadelphia and Jacob Misiorowski already replaced on the roster since he’s scheduled to start Sunday, but Sanchez’s Cy Young chances took a big hit Monday when he gave up nine runs in Kansas City as the Royals pounded 12 hits in 3⅓ innings. His ERA climbed from 2.00 to 2.62. Oddly, Sanchez has now had games of 12, 12 and 11 hits allowed this season after not giving up more than eight in any start in 2025. — Schoenfield
Record: 52-40
Previous ranking: 7
The Cubs might’ve had the strangest first half in baseball. They rattled off two 10-game winning streaks only to trudge through a 10-game losing streak. An entire rotation — and a great one at that — sits on the injured list. Three key relievers, including closer Daniel Palencia, are there too. Pete Crow-Armstrong started slow before embracing his villain status and making those overrated chants sound ridiculous with a historic June tear. Dansby Swanson went from batting .175 with seven home runs and a .587 OPS through June 16 to batting .333 with nine home runs and a 1.153 OPS over his next 18 games. The Cubs are good, but they really need to address their pitching staff at the deadline for a shot to dethrone the Dodgers in October. — Castillo
Record: 51-42
Previous ranking: 9
The Marlins made headlines when manager Clayton McCullough removed Eury Perez after seven perfect innings Sunday. Was it the right move? Yes. Perez had thrown 92 pitches in his third start back from the IL, and he would have needed an incredibly efficient final two innings to avoid throwing 120 pitches or so — and Miami was never going to let the fragile Perez throw that many pitches so soon after an injury. Meanwhile, the Marlins continue to play well. But with top pitching prospects Robby Snelling and Thomas White both out for the season, they need to acquire some starting pitching depth. — Schoenfield
Record: 47-46
Previous ranking: 10
The Mariners had five All-Stars last season (Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Bryan Woo, Randy Arozarena and Andres Munoz), but Arozarena was the only Mariner to make the original roster this year. Raleigh’s struggles have been well documented, but J-Rod, Woo and Munoz have also seen worse production, with Rodriguez landing on the seven-day IL because of a concussion. Woo’s year has been perplexing. He is 6-0 with a 2.10 ERA at home, throwing 32 consecutive scoreless innings at one point, but he’s 1-6 with a 6.28 ERA on the road. — Schoenfield
Record: 47-44
Previous ranking: 8
There is perhaps no bigger surprise in baseball than this year’s White Sox, who lost a combined 324 games over the past three years and seemed headed for another last-place finish. Their turnaround began with the emergence of Munetaka Murakami, the power-hitting corner infielder who got little love in free agency and went on a home-run binge immediately after debuting on the South Side. Several young position players — Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Sam Antonacci, Tristan Peters — subsequently emerged, 29-year-old starting pitcher Davis Martin became a revelation, and suddenly the White Sox, with the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, turned into contenders. — Gonzalez
Record: 48-43
Previous ranking: 13
Jordan Walker is 24 years old. That’s worth pointing out since it feels as if he has been around forever, after spending the past three seasons failing to live up to the hype surrounding him as a top prospect. Now, in his fourth year, Walker is a well-deserved All-Star for a team exceeding expectations. The right fielder has 21 home runs with an .889 OPS, leads the majors with 70 RBIs and has a 143 wRC+ that ranks sixth in the NL. It’s a real breakout. The question is are the Cardinals for real? They’ve stumbled of late, losing four straight games before winning on Wednesday, but they’re only two games behind the Marlins for the NL’s third wild-card spot — and that’s significantly better than projected for a club that is supposedly in a rebuilding year. — Castillo
Record: 47-46
Previous ranking: 12
The Guardians remain among the worst slugging teams in the major leagues, but they’re also right back in the mix for a division title thanks, in large part, to the emergence of two rookies. One is second baseman Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 pick in 2024 who has been an immediate catalyst at the top of their lineup. The other is Parker Messick, who has put up a 2.80 ERA in 18 starts. Both are headed to the All-Star Game. Shortly after that, the Guardians hope, Jose Ramirez will return from a hamate fracture. They might need everything they can get from those three to stave off the surprising White Sox in the AL Central. — Gonzalez
Record: 47-46
Previous ranking: 15
It’s a bizarro world in Pittsburgh. After two seasons of Paul Skenes dominating and the team failing to capitalize on it due to an anemic offense, the Pirates remain in the postseason hunt behind a potent lineup despite Skenes’ relative struggles. Pittsburgh was 0-9 in Skenes’ past nine starts before beating the Braves with Skenes on the mound Tuesday. The right-hander held Atlanta to two runs over six innings in the win after giving up 11 runs across nine innings in his previous two outings. He now has a 3.58 ERA in 19 starts — an output most of his peers would gladly take. But Skenes is not your typical pitcher. And if the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner can regain his previous form, the Pirates might just find themselves playing postseason baseball. — Castillo
Record: 46-46
Previous ranking: 11
The Rangers’ lone All-Star is reliever Jacob Latz and he’s quite a story. A fifth-round pick in 2017 out of Kent State, this is his first full season in the majors at the age of 30. He reached the majors for one game in 2021 but spent all of 2022 in the minors, when he also sat out time because of a shoulder injury. Converting full time to relief in 2024, the lefty has a four-pitch starter’s repertoire and his four-seamer (.115 average against) and changeup (.095) have been nearly untouchable this season. — Schoenfield
Record: 48-46
Previous ranking: 16
The fans voted CJ Abrams as the starting shortstop for the NL, making him the first Nationals position player to start an All-Star Game since Bryce Harper in 2018 (Max Scherzer started in 2021). James Wood also earned his second straight All-Star selection following his huge first half. As the Nationals continue to lead the majors in runs, they will need Wood to avoid the second-half slump he suffered last season. Luis Garcia Jr. didn’t make the All-Star team, but he has been on a tear, slugging nine home runs in 12 games from June 22 through July 5. — Schoenfield
Record: 45-47
Previous ranking: 17
The D-backs figured their injury-ravaged pitching staff might have a tough time getting through these first three to four months. What they probably didn’t expect, though, was for their offense to be bad. And yet, despite getting typical production from superstar outfielder Corbin Carroll, the D-backs have the fifth-lowest OPS and rank 20th in runs per game. In the meantime, frontline starter Corbin Burnes and late-inning reliever A.J. Puk, both expected to provide second-half boosts to a needy pitching staff, suffered setbacks in their recoveries. Ryne Nelson and Michael Soroka, who have combined for 30 starts, landed on the IL shortly thereafter. The D-backs have a tough road ahead. — Gonzalez
Record: 46-49
Previous ranking: 18
Let’s call it the year of Yordan, as Yordan Alvarez is seemingly keeping the Astros in the division race all by himself. A Triple Crown chase is certainly in the works as he’s battling Yandy Diaz for the batting title, has a three-homer edge over Junior Caminero and a one-RBI lead over Nick Kurtz. He has a big lead in OPS over the No. 2 hitter in the majors (Juan Soto) and an enormous lead of over points on Caminero, the No. 2 guy in the AL. — Schoenfield
Record: 46-46
Previous ranking: 14
The Padres were one of the most pleasant early season surprises, winning 31 of their first 51 games even though their starting rotation was suspect and their offense was underperforming. It has since caught up to them. The Padres are a major league-worst 14-26 since then and recently lost eight in a row. Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta remain out, and their starting rotation is not nearly talented enough to pick up the slack. Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Jackson Merrill are trending toward their worst seasons, and the lineup doesn’t have nearly enough depth to make up for it. At this point, not even the Padres’ standout bullpen can save them. — Gonzalez
Record: 46-47
Previous ranking: 20
No team was more aggressive trading veteran players last summer than the Twins. This year, that might not be the case. Tom Pohland has replaced his uncle, Jim, as the Twins’ control person and reportedly wants to appease a fan base that has grown frustrated by the group’s cost-cutting measures in recent years by giving the team a chance in the stretch run. A wide-open AL has helped that. Led by longtime center fielder Byron Buxton and budding ace Joe Ryan, the Twins find themselves only two games back in the AL Central and a half game back of a wild-card spot despite a losing record. — Gonzalez
Record: 44-49
Previous ranking: 19
There are several reasons for the Blue Jays’ unsatisfying start to the season, beginning with their spate of injuries. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s performance is perhaps the most glaring. The first baseman has only five home runs with a .694 OPS in 373 plate appearances. Though Guerrero has never been a prototypical home run hitter — he hasn’t clubbed more than 32 home runs in a season since swatting 48 in 2021 — his power has effectively vanished in the first year of his 14-year, $500 million contract extension. He has been dealing with a nagging back injury, which he cited as reason to skip the All-Star Game after fans elected him a starter, so maybe some rest is what he needs to regain his usual form. — Castillo
Record: 42-48
Previous ranking: 22
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow operated in the offseason expecting Roman Anthony to carry a significant offensive load in his first full season as a big leaguer. It was a risk that is costing Boston. Anthony dazzled when he reached the majors as the sport’s top-ranked prospect last May, but he also went on the IL in early September because of a strained oblique and never returned as the Red Sox lost to the Yankees in the wild-card series. This year, he has been out because of an unusual finger injury since early May and the offense has been a problem. The Red Sox — despite Willson Contreras‘ career season — rank 28th in runs scored and last in home runs. — Castillo
Record: 42-50
Previous ranking: 25
The Tigers eschewed trade offers for Tarik Skubal over the offseason and doubled down on their roster, most notably signing fellow starter Framber Valdez to a $115 million contract. If this was going to be their last year with a generational pitcher, they were going to do their best to secure a championship. Instead, they’ve flopped. The Tigers went 6-22 in May and sat nine games out of first place by the end of June. July has started with five wins in six games, giving Tigers fans faint hopes in a diluted AL. But it probably won’t be enough. If Skubal isn’t traded before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, many will be surprised. — Gonzalez
Record: 42-51
Previous ranking: 24
Remember when the Orioles reached the postseason in consecutive years with a bright future ahead centered on a hyped young core? That feels like forever ago. Last season’s 75-87 record registered as a massive disappointment, prompted a midseason managerial change and pushed president of baseball operations Mike Elias to become more aggressive during the ensuing offseason. The problem is the Orioles are a game worse through 93 games this season than they were last year. Elias said he planned to be an adder at the trade deadline. Whatever he decides, he needs to get it right in his eighth season for a franchise without a playoff win since 2012. — Castillo
Record: 42-49
Previous ranking: 23
One would think a team playing half of its games in the bandbox known as Great American Ballpark would mean offense isn’t an issue, but the 2026 Reds are defying that logic. Their offense is bad. They rank 23rd in runs scored and 30th in wRC+. On Tuesday, Zack Wheeler mowed them down with 14 strikeouts in seven innings in Cincinnati. The Reds finished with 18 strikeouts, lost 4-1 and are an MLB-worst 12-21 since June 1. Now comfortably in last place, their fast start is a distant memory and a teardown at the trade deadline is most definitely on the table. — Castillo
Record: 41-51
Previous ranking: 21
The pitching was serviceable for much of the first half but is struggling of late. Heading into this week’s series against the Tigers, the A’s failed to win any of their previous six series, splitting a four-game set against the Angels and losing the other five. The Marlins swept the A’s over the weekend, scoring 28 games in three games. Going back to that 23-9 loss to Colorado in Las Vegas on June 14, the A’s had a 6.79 ERA over a 20-game stretch. The good news: Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz will start the All-Star Game, with Kurtz starting in place of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who pulled out of the contest. — Schoenfield
Record: 39-54
Previous ranking: 26
In a season of despair for the Mets, Juan Soto is quietly having an outstanding campaign. The fans voted him in as an All-Star starter and he has climbed into second place among MLB leaders in OPS. In fact, his 171 OPS+ would be highest in franchise history, ahead of Howard Johnson’s 169 in 1989. Mike Piazza holds the club record for raw OPS at 1.012 in 2000 and Darryl Strawberry in 1988 is the only Mets player to lead the NL in OPS. — Schoenfield
Record: 38-54
Previous ranking: 27
Bloated contracts, an inexperienced head of baseball operations and a manager straight from college. What could possibly go wrong? Well, as the 2026 Giants have shown, everything. Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman, on deals totaling nearly $650 million, got off to brutal starts. And though Devers has turned it around recently, it hasn’t been nearly enough to make up for a roster that doesn’t have nearly enough pitching to contend. In the meantime, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey fumbled the team’s public messaging on Pride Night and manager Tony Vitello has often looked like precisely what he is — a college coach experiencing the big leagues for the first time. — Gonzalez
Record: 38-55
Previous ranking: 29
How good must one be to win an MVP on a bad team? That’s the question that surrounds Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who has an opening with Aaron Judge sitting out time because of a rib injury but is also at the center of a woeful season in Kansas City. Witt’s home run power was surprisingly absent at the start of the season, but he currently leads the AL in FanGraphs WAR while slashing .289/.360/.458, stealing 30 bases, compiling 12 home runs and playing excellent defense. But the offense is not good enough around him, and the pitching has been a disaster. — Gonzalez
Record: 38-56
Previous ranking: 30
The Rockies are still quite bad, but under a new Paul DePodesta-led front office, it seems they’re making strides. Hunter Goodman, their young catcher, is a worthy All-Star. Young corner infielders TJ Rumfield and Kyle Karros have shown promise, as has center fielder Cole Carrigg. The Rockies remain the worst pitching team in the sport and have lost their best young arm, Chase Dollander, to an elbow sprain. But they’ve played a more competitive brand of baseball and are on pace to finish with a winning percentage above .400 for the first time since 2022. They’ll take the small victories at this point. — Gonzalez
Record: 37-56
Previous ranking: 28
Mike Trout was voted an All-Star starter for the 11th time in his career, becoming only the 11th player elected by the fans to start at least 11 times (fan voting has been conducted continuously since 1970). Trout is still aiming to play in the game since it will take place in Philadelphia, just 40 miles from his hometown. He last played in the Midsummer Classic in 2019, sitting out too many games because of injuries in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and not being chosen in 2024 and 2025. — Schoenfield
