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MLB midseason power rankings: San Francisco Giants take back No. 1 spot at the break

Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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Coming out of the All-Star break, the San Francisco Giants have MLB’s best record at 57-32 and a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, earning themselves the No. 1 spot in the midseason USA TODAY Sports power rankings.

Baseball’s other division leaders are the Boston Red Sox (AL East), Chicago White Sox (AL Central), Houston Astros (AL West), New York Mets (NL East) and Milwaukee Brewers (NL Central).

With the trade deadline on July 30, contenders only have two more weeks to make improvements for the stretch run.

Here's how our seven-person panel voted this week:

Giants players and coaches celebrate a win against the Cardinals.
Giants players and coaches celebrate a win against the Cardinals.

RANK (movement from last week)

1. San Francisco Giants (+1)

  • The NL West leaders come out of the break with three in St. Louis then four at Dodger Stadium.

2. Houston Astros (-1)

  • MLB's highest scoring team is expecting Alex Bregman back in coming weeks.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (–)

  • Break came at a good time for Cody Bellinger, who went 4-for-40 to start July.

4. Boston Red Sox (–)

  • Help is on the way for AL East leaders: Chris Sale begins his rehab assignment.

5. Chicago White Sox (+2)

  • Eight-game advantage in the AL Central is baseball's biggest division lead.

6. Tampa Bay Rays (+2)

7. San Diego Padres (-1)

  • Padres' second half starts with cross-country trip to Washington, Atlanta and Miami.

8. Oakland Athletics (+1)

  • Ace Chris Bassitt tied for the AL lead with 10 wins in the first half.

9. Milwaukee Brewers (-4)

  • Luis Urias had 12 home runs with 42 RBI before the break – playing 2B, SS and 3B.

10. New York Mets (–)

11. Cincinnati Reds (+2)

  • Four games back in the NL Central after winning 9 of 11 to start July.

12. Toronto Blue Jays (-1)

  • Robbie Ray walked 45 batters in 51.2 innings in 2020. He has walked just 24 through 100.2 this year.

13. Cleveland (-1)

  • Bobby Bradley has 10 home runs in 31 games since his promotion.

14. Philadelphia Phillies (+5)

  • Phillies start the second half playing 12 of 14 games at home.

15. New York Yankees (+1)

  • They'll get a chance to make up ground with eight of 10 games upcoming vs. Red Sox.

16. Seattle Mariners (+1)

17. Atlanta Braves (-3)

  • How will the team respond to Ronald Acuña Jr.'s season-ending injury?

18. Los Angeles Angels (+3)

  • Jo Adell has 18 home runs and 51 RBI in 57 games at Double-A.

19. Chicago Cubs (-4)

  • June-July swoon may have buried the Cubs in NL Central.

20. Washington Nationals (-2)

Juan Soto's 520-foot blast was the longest homer in the Derby.

21. St. Louis Cardinals (-1)

Adam Wainwright, turning 40 in August, leads the team in starts, innings and strikeouts.

22. Miami Marlins (–)

  • Sixto Sanchez will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.

23. Colorado Rockies (+1)

  • Trevor Story gets the All-Star Game but won't call Coors Field home much longer.

24. Detroit Tigers (-1)

25. Minnesota Twins (+1)

  • Will Twins trade Jose Berrios before the deadline?

26. Kansas City Royals (-1)

  • Prospect Bobby Witt Jr. (13 HRs, 41, RBI, .927 OPS) pushing for a promotion to Triple-A

27. Texas Rangers (–)

  • Ian Kennedy converted 15 of 16 save opportunities in the first half.

28. Pittsburgh Pirates (–)

  • Rodolfo Castro homered three times in his first six big -league games.

29. Baltimore Orioles (–)

  • Cedric Mullins starts the All-Star Game in center field.

30. Arizona Diamondbacks (–)

  • Eduardo Escobar will be a hot commodity on the trade market.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB power rankings: Giants take top spot at All-Star break