20. Athletics
Record (15-14), Division Standing (3rd in AL West), Last Power Ranking (26)
The Athletics have a power hitter no one talked about before the season.
Tyler Soderstrom has exploded onto the MLB scene this season. This will be his first full season in the big leagues, and no one expected the production he has already delivered. Last season, he had 189 at-bats, hit nine home runs, scored 18 runs, and drove in 26 runs.
This season, in 110 at-bats, the 23-year-old has hit nine home runs, has scored 20 runs, and has 24 runs batted in. He's well on his way to the first All-Star nod of his young career.
19. Tampa Bay Rays
Record (14-14), Division Standing (3rd in AL East), Last Power Ranking (22)
The Rays had a lot of hype surrounding their young starting rotation before the season, but this hasn't been the start the team was hoping for.
Drew Rasmussen is carrying a rotation that has had Shane McClanahan on the injured list all season. Rasmussen has a 2.10 ERA over 25 2/3 innings while posting 9.47 strikeouts per nine innings. Shane Baz is the only other starter with an ERA under 4.00 (2.45).
On offense, Jonathan Aranda has come out of nowhere. Over his four partial big league seasons, the 26-year-old has never played more than 44 games in a season. He has an impressive 184 wRC+ and a .968 OPS so far this year.
The designated hitter must continue carrying the top half of the lineup while Brandon Lowe and Yandy DÃaz work out their early-season struggles.
18. Kansas City Royals
Record (14-15), Division Standing (3rd in AL Central), Last Power Ranking (17)
The Royals had high hopes to return to the postseason in 2025, but struggles on both sides of the ball have the team in the middle of the pack in the AL Central.
Offensively, Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, and Drew Waters are the only players with a wRC+ exceeding 100 (league average). The next closest is Salvador Perez's 77, but the starting rotation has also struggled.
Kris Bubic is the lone standout, with a 2.25 ERA through 36 innings. Cole Ragans has a 4.40 ERA, though he's at least rocking a 13.50 K/9. Both sides need vast improvements for the Royals to make another Wild Card appearance.
17. Toronto Blue Jays
Record (13-15), Division Standing (4th in AL East), Last Power Ranking (20)
Where has all the power production gone in Toronto?
The Blue Jays' offense has been underperforming this year, but the team remains just two games below a .500 record and only three games behind the New York Yankees for the division lead. The offense ranks 26th in runs scored (93), 23rd in OPS (.656), and has a -27 run differential.
No hitter has more than three home runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got his new contract, but he only has two home runs in 103 at-bats.
At least Chris Bassitt has been unhittable on the mound this season. He has posted a 2.62 ERA over 34 1/3 innings, and his 10.22 strikeouts per nine innings look downright unfair compared against his scant 1.83 walks per nine innings.
16. Milwaukee Brewers
Record (14-15), Division Standing (3rd in NL Central), Last Power Ranking (14)
Despite having six starting pitchers on the injured list, the Brewers have the eighth-best team ERA in MLB (3.63).
With all the injuries in the starting rotation, the Brewers acquired Jose Quintana in free agency. He is sporting an impressive 1.14 ERA. He joins Freddy Peralta's 2.43 ERA and Chad Patrick's 2.45 ERA to form a formidable rotation. It will be interesting to see how the rotation looks when Aaron Ashby, Aaron Civale, and Brandon Woodruff return from injury. Â