Every week,​ we​ ask a selected group of our baseball​ writers​ — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.

When teams report to their complexes in Arizona and Florida in February, hope springs eternal. In some camps, the prevailing thought is “This is the year.” In other camps, the prevailing thought is “This is the year … our prospects take a leap.” Optimism is plentiful, in one form or another.

At this point in the schedule, a few months later, that faith may be getting tested. There’s enough of a sample to make some evaluations and ponder what lies ahead. Is your team playing up to its potential? Is that 20-year-old shortstop at Double A meeting your expectations?

At Power Rankings HQ, we’re always wearing rose-colored glasses. This week, we’re highlighting one reason to believe in each team. As the fictional Ted Lasso once eloquently declared, “Belief doesn’t just happen because you hang something on a wall. It comes from (your heart and head and gut).”

All stats are through Monday unless otherwise noted.

Record: 28-13
Last Power Ranking: 1

One reason to believe in this team: Just one?

It’s not hard to believe in the team that’s No.1 in our Power Rankings, so I guess the question is: Is there reason to believe this is going to last? I’ll answer with another question: What about this strong start is unsustainable? Bryce Elder is a surprise Cy Young candidate, but he was an All-Star in 2023. It’s not like he’s come out of nowhere. Matt Olson is off to a career-best pace, but he led the league in doubles last year and in homers in 2023. Even if he slips a bit, there’s room for Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley to pick up the slack. Raisel Iglesias has returned from the IL; Ha-Seong Kim was activated on Monday; Acuña is running again; and Spencer Schwellenbach could return this summer. The Braves are winning basically at the pace their run differential would suggest. This isn’t luck. The Braves are good, with enough talent to stay that way. — Chad Jennings

Record: 26-16
Last Power Ranking: 2

One reason to believe in this team: The pieces are there, and they look good, too

Carlos Rodón returned from the IL this weekend and averaged almost 96 mph on his fastball. Gerrit Cole just made his fifth minor league rehab start and got up to 77 pitches. The Yankees could soon have both of them in a rotation that already has Max Fried and Cam Schlittler pitching as well as anyone in the American League. Offensively, Aaron Judge is as good as ever, Cody Bellinger is even better than he was last season, and Ben Rice leads the majors in wRC+.

The Yankees would like their lineup to be a little deeper, but the trade deadline could fix that. FanGraphs already considers the Yankees near locks to make the playoffs, and they have the second-best odds to win the World Series (better, even, than the Braves). When most of the American League is an absolute mess, why not believe in the Yankees? — Jennings

Record: 24-17
Last Power Ranking: 3

One reason to believe in this team: Plenty’s going wrong for them, and they’re still in first

You can tell that something’s going wrong with the Dodgers because they have competition. The Padres are matching them win for win, which isn’t part of the plan. The Dodgers are supposed to be five games ahead by now, with an eye toward keeping their relievers fresh for the postseason. But Shohei Ohtani has been in an extended slump (.683 OPS since April 19), Kyle Tucker has been underwhelming and Tyler Glasnow is on the IL.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything going right for the Dodgers — Andy Pages is still raking, and Max Muncy is off to his strongest start in years — but this is a team that is dealing with unexpected performance issues, and it’s still near the top. Imagine what happens when, say, Ohtani really starts hitting. — Grant Brisbee

Record: 27-14
Last Power Ranking: 

One reason to believe in this team: The lineup can shoulder the burden

The Cubs rank fifth in batting average, first in on-base percentage and fifth in slugging percentage, so it’s no surprise, then, that they’ve scored the third-most runs in the league. And with Cade Horton out for the year and Matthew Boyd sitting in injury timeout, they certainly need the offensive support. The Cubs employ nine hitters with an OPS better than .715. The three outcasts are Alex Bregman, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson, who all have the talent and track records to make you think they’ll ultimately get to that level, too. The NL Central is really good and really deep, and that’s probably the best way to describe the Cubs’ offense, which is why they stand atop the rest. — Zack Meisel

Record: 22-16
Last Power Ranking: 6

One reason to believe in this team: The pitching staff is nails

Hey, did you hear the Brewers traded Corbin Burnes and lived to tell about it? Did you hear they traded Freddy Peralta and they didn’t get relegated? Once again, Milwaukee’s pitching staff is legitimate, even if you might not be familiar with Chad Patrick or Aaron Ashby, or you don’t mess with Shane Drohan, or you might remember Kyle Harrison and DL Hall as top prospects once upon a time and not key contributors to a group that has registered a 3.43 ERA.

Of course, you can’t discuss the Brewers’ staff without mentioning Jacob Misiorowski, who has become appointment viewing. His fastball velocity, rightfully, receives all the attention. He averaged 101.1 mph on 57 fastballs against the Yankees on Friday night, which is downright silly. No one has touched his off-speed stuff, either — probably because there’s nothing off-speed about his off-speed stuff. — Meisel

Record: 27-13
Last Power Ranking: 7

One reason to believe in this team: It has earned it over and over again

How did the Rays get this high in our Power Rankings? Even without elite strikeout totals, they have the second-best ERA in the American League. They’ve hit for very little power and have the lowest position-player fWAR in the AL, yet they’re slightly above-average in runs per game. Their defense isn’t great, but they can run. Their top three starters have a sub-3.00 ERA. Junior Caminero is hitting for power, Yandy Díaz is hitting for average and Jonathan Aranda is proving last season was not a fluke. What about that isn’t sustainable?

The Rays have weaknesses — they need Cedric Mullins to get going and Steven Matz to get healthy — but this feels like another Rays team with a sum greater than the sum of its parts, and those around the team talk about a tremendous clubhouse culture that’s making the team even better. Why believe in the Rays? Because this is what the Rays do. — Jennings

Record: 22-19
Last Power Ranking: 8

One reason to believe in this team: There’s much more than just Paul Skenes

Four teams rank in the top seven in both OPS and ERA. The Braves, Yankees and Dodgers are obvious answers, sure. The other team? The Pirates. Yeah, that’s the company you want if you’re Pittsburgh. This team is balanced. And solid. It’s not just Skenes and a bunch of nondescript dudes. The offseason additions of Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn are paying dividends. The lineup is deeper and far more daunting than it’s been in years. The pitching, as expected, has been great. You want a reason to believe in the Pirates? It’s as elementary and as complimentary as it gets: They’re pretty good at everything. — Meisel

Record: 24-16
Last Power Ranking: 10

One reason to believe in this team: It has gotten this far

The Padres are a .500 team according to Pythagorean record, and their .297 team OBP is keeping them company with the Mets and the Giants, two teams you’ll have to scroll to read about. Keep scrolling. No, farther.

So how are the Padres doing it? That’s not a rhetorical question; this article is due soon, and I need you to give me an answer, quick. Their adjusted ERA is right around the league average, and they’re rocking an 87 OPS+ as a team, which is last-place stuff. If you’re looking for a reason to believe in this team, it’s that it has gotten this far with Xander Bogaerts and his .778 OPS as the team’s best hitter. With a more reliable and predictable lineup, the Pythag record will eventually match the actual record, not the other way around. — Brisbee

Record: 19-22
Last Power Ranking: 5

One reason to believe in this team: It won’t get worse than this

If the Tigers can merely survive for now, eventually their injured list won’t be so crowded. Thankfully for the Tigers, the AL Central acts as a defibrillator, life vest and oxygen tank all rolled into one. If Detroit can weather Tarik Skubal’s absence, Framber Valdez’s antics, injuries to Casey Mize and Justin Verlander and Kerry Carpenter and Gleyber Torres and Javier Báez and Parker Meadows and Will Vest and Beau Brieske and Troy Melton and Jackson Jobe and Paws the Tiger, perhaps the club can peak at the right time. It’s just about keeping everyone’s head above water at this point. It can’t get worse than this… right? — Meisel

Record: 20-22
Last Power Ranking: 9

One reason to believe in this team: Emerson Hancock

There’s only so much a single pitcher can do for a team’s fortunes, but Hancock is an easy choice more for what he represents. He was a first-round pick with an electric arm and the strikeout rate of a sinkerballer from the 1970s, the kind of stuff-vs.-results cognitive dissonance that some pitchers never escape. And then the results started matching the stuff. It’s so simple when it works like that.

Was the Mariners’ braintrust responsible for the turnaround? You have to hope so, and it’s a sign that Seattle is still in the “making baseball players better” business. That’s just about the only one a team needs to be in, really. — Brisbee

Record: 23-17
Last Power Ranking: 11

One reason to believe in this team: Jordan Walker

The Cardinals had a dented and dinged prospect, a top-five overall consensus talent who couldn’t turn his tools into runs. They did their best not to overreact to his growing pains, keeping him in the majors last season even as his OPS sank under .600. It takes patience to stick with that plan.

But it takes a competent front office and coaching staff to understand which struggling talents deserve that kind of attention. It looks like they nailed it with Walker, who is somehow hitting better in May than he did in his breakout April. The 23-year-old is still the same age as a lot of prospects who get to make their debuts without being under a microscope. It took a circuitous route to get here, but every part of the story speaks well about what the Cardinals are trying to build. — Brisbee

Record: 19-22
Last Power Ranking: 12

One reason to believe in this team: That bullpen is elite

As Texas waits for Corey Seager to return to form, Evan Carter to break out and Wyatt Langford to heal, a bunch of relievers you might not recognize have carried the Rangers. Just because you haven’t heard of Jacob Latz doesn’t mean you can’t marvel at his opponent slash line of .074/.125/.147. He and Jacob deGrom combined on a three-hit, zero-walk shutout of the Cubs’ Big Blue Machine on Sunday. It was art.

This is a safe space; you can admit you’ve never heard of Gavin Collyer, the guy with 11 scoreless appearances. Yes, Jakob Junis is still in the league, and he owns a 1.65 ERA, thank you very much. Jalen Beeks’ name rings a bell, right? His ERA is 2.65. Texas’ pen ranks first in the league in ERA — by a lot — and has kept the club afloat. — Meisel

Record: 21-19
Last Power Ranking: T-14

One reason to believe in this team: Its old-timey, pitch-to-contact rotation

It is the year 2026, and not a single starting pitcher for the A’s is averaging more than a strikeout per inning. Walks are up and strikeouts are down around the league, but the A’s rotation is still a bit of an outlier. What’s even weirder is that this isn’t a staff filled with ground-ball pitchers; the entire staff has the 27th-lowest ground-ball percentage in baseball. The A’s pitchers throw the ball, and their fielders catch it just enough to stay in first place.

The A’s aren’t getting lucky with balls in play, so with each quality start, it’s looking like the rotation they were hoping for: One that’s just good enough to give the lineup a chance. — Brisbee

Record: 22-21
Last Power Ranking: 13

One reason to believe in this team: The kids can hang

Chase DeLauter hasn’t just been one of the best rookie hitters. He’s been one of the league’s top hitters, period. Travis Bazzana has piled up walks and stolen bases since joining him in the big leagues two weeks ago. That’s the good news. Now, Cleveland desperately needs some guys with track records — Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo and, if nitpicking, José Ramírez — to show signs of life, and the club could flaunt its most formidable offense in years. So far, in this bizarro world, Kwan and Manzardo rank as the team’s two least productive regulars, while Austin Hedges ranks as one of the most productive. Baseball is weird. — Meisel

Record: 18-23
Last Power Ranking: T-14

One reason to believe in this team: The Jays have to get healthy at some point (right?)

Addison Barger just returned from an ankle injury is back on the IL, this time with an elbow injury. He joins Alejandro Kirk, Nathan Lukes, Anthony Santander, Max Scherzer, José Berríos, Shane Bieber, Cody Ponce and Yimi García on the sidelines. Just a nightmare way to begin the season, yet the Blue Jays got through the weekend — after winning two of three against the Angels — just one game back in the wild-card race.

Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease have been good. Louis Varland has stepped into the closer role. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is off to one of those slow starts when he’s still far better than most hitters (just hasn’t hit for much power yet). Basically, the entire American League is a wreck, which makes the Blue Jays’ horrible start less damning than it might have been. — Jennings

Record: 19-22
Last Power Ranking: 17

One reason to believe in this team: Three good starters, two good middle infielders, just waiting for the outfield

Quick, what’s the best middle-infield combo in baseball, and how many pairs of teammates would you guess before landing on Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards? Because, through the weekend, Lopez ranked third among major-league shortstops in fWAR (behind only Bobby Witt Jr. and Elly De La Cruz) and Edwards ranked fourth among second basemen (behind Brice Turang, Brandon Lowe and Nico Hoerner).

Sandy Alcantara, Max Meyer and Janson Junk have been a solid top three in the rotation, and the Marlins are top 10 in bullpen ERA (and expected ERA). If you believe in the inevitable surge of their young outfield — which has been awful so far — then maybe there’s room to get even better, and the NL wild-card race has plenty of room for a surprise contender like this one. — Jennings

Record: 17-23
Last Power Ranking: 26

One reason to believe in this team: The rotation could be a difference maker

Garrett Crochet is playing catch again, and when he returns from the IL, he could replace Brayan Bello (7.44 ERA) in a rotation that has four other starters with ERAs below 3.60. A rotation like that is a fine place to start turning things around, especially with Justin Slaten back from injury to improve the late innings. There’s also ample room to improve the offense if you assume that Jarren Duran and Caleb Durbin are not going to hit below .200 all season, and that Roman Anthony’s bat is inevitable.

Like a lot of other underperforming teams in the American League, the Red Sox can take comfort in looking at the standings to see that the vast majority of the AL is below .500. Get the rotation together and get a few bats going, and they can be right back in the wild card free-for-all. — Jennings

Record: 19-21
Last Power Ranking: 24

One reason to believe in this team: The White Sox have emerged from the darkness

These aren’t your slightly older sibling’s White Sox. They survived the bleak summers, with 100 (or 121) losses and little hope. Some of the prospects they’ve been amassing have reached the majors and, in the case of Colson Montgomery, have thrived. Mix in a breakout season for Davis Martin in the rotation and a jaw-dropping start for Munetaka Murakami, and maybe this situation is as simple as a young team playing free and easy and not really knowing any better.

They sit right behind the Guardians at the top of the AL Central, even if this division is still below sea level. Who’s to say the White Sox can’t be a thorn in the side of most teams they face all season? — Meisel

Record: 20-20
Last Power Ranking: 18

One reason to believe in this team: Its two best players aren’t hitting, and that should change

The Diamondbacks won’t win squat without Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo playing as well as they’re capable of. Every scenario in which the team advances toward the postseason involves its middle infield, which should be the best in baseball. Marte is grinding through a miserable slump, and Perdomo isn’t hitting for average or power, even as he’s walking more than he’s striking out.

If both of them get rolling at the same time, the Diamondbacks will win a lot more games. If that happens, they should feel lucky that their slow start didn’t bury them even further. Some of these teams are already in a hole too deep to get out of, but the Diamondbacks have hung around just enough. — Brisbee

Record: 19-22
Last Power Ranking: 23

One reason to believe in this team: The veteran pitchers still have it

Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha migrated to Kansas City from San Diego ahead of the 2024 season and spearheaded the Royals’ first trip to the postseason in nine years. The unions were so fruitful that the team eventually signed both pitchers to contract extensions. Lugo and Wacha are in their mid-30s now, but they’re still as productive as ever — and at a critical juncture, with Cole Ragans on the injured list and Noah Cameron enduring a bit of a sophomore slump. Wacha owns a 2.63 ERA, as he’s held hitters to a .188 average. Lugo’s ERA is 3.21, and he has allowed a grand total of one home run in 47 2/3 innings.— Meisel

Record: 22-19
Last Power Ranking: 16

One reason to believe in this team: Chase Burns is on his way to being an ace

For just a moment, ignore the Reds’ run differential, their standing in the twisted NL Central, their offensive shortcomings and the performance of all but one starting pitcher. Let’s focus on Burns. If you watched him pitch on April 10 against the Angels, you essentially witnessed a total solar eclipse, a rare phenomenon that doesn’t quite compute to the human brain. That’s the only time this season Burns has allowed more than two runs. He owns a 2.11 ERA and one of the league’s highest bWAR totals for a pitcher. He has lasted at least five innings in each of his eight starts. Nick Lodolo has returned, and Hunter Greene will eventually make his way back to the rotation, and all of that should help. For now, it’s Burns leading the way. — Meisel

Record: 18-23
Last Power Ranking: T-20

One reason to believe in this team: Byron Buxton is still a star

On Saturday in Cleveland, Buxton started the game with a solo homer off Tanner Bibee. In the 11th inning, he delivered a go-ahead RBI double. The Twins didn’t record a single hit in between, but they won anyway, thanks to their dynamic center fielder. The night before, he had three hits, including another homer and a double. He collected a hit, a walk and a stolen base on Sunday. As he navigates his way through his 12th big-league season, he’s still leaving his fingerprints all over the box score. He ranks among the league leaders in homers. He boasts an .868 OPS. He’s on pace for a career-best WAR total. He’s doing everything he can to keep the Twins relevant in an uninspiring AL Central. — Meisel

Record: 19-22
Last Power Ranking: T-20

One reason to believe in this team: The NL East isn’t the beast we expected (but James Wood is)

Seven teams have a run differential of negative-30 or worse. The Nationals play three of those teams in the next week and a half, and seven of those games are at home. That’s a decent opportunity to get back to .500 and back into that mix of unexpected teams that have played their way into the wild card hunt in the National League. Cutting back on the errors would help — surely they can play a little cleaner — and Zack Littell historically has been better in the second half than the first half. Frankly, the NL East isn’t the monster we thought it was going to be, so maybe there’s room for a surprise out of that division. If it’s possible to believe in the Marlins, why not the Nats? — Jennings

Record: 19-22
Last Power Ranking: 25

One reason to believe in this team: The Phillies might have already turned the corner

Look, I don’t think Rob Thomson was the problem, but maybe the Phillies needed something to grab them by the shoulders and rattle them a little bit. Since Thomson was fired on April 28, the Phillies are 10-3. Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm have been helpful hitters again, and Justin Crawford’s shown some life at the plate. Zack Wheeler is healthy, and he’s pitching well. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper can still really hit, and Cristopher Sánchez is making an early case for the Cy Young Award. This is the Phillies, more or less, as we expected them to be. Granted, the recent schedule was pretty light, but for the previous month, the Phillies played like a pushover, and for the past two weeks, they were clearly better than the cellar dwellers. Another good stretch like that, and they’ll be right in the thick of things. — Jennings

Record: 16-26
Last Power Ranking: 28

One reason to believe in this team: Mike Trout is having his best season in ages

There are levels and gradations with hopeless teams. There’s the fun kind of lowered expectations that comes with a full rebuild, and then there’s the kind of hopeless where the team is insulting your intelligence, selling you tickets to watch minor-league players at major-league prices.

Don’t forget about the bad teams with active and thriving baseball legends, though. That’s a different type of fun at the yard, and while you’re allowed to enjoy it begrudgingly — it almost feels like you’re giving ownership credit — it’s a good time out. Tickets are easy to find, the sun’s warm and the beer is cold, and a literal baseball legend is out there cooking like it was the old days. You don’t “have to hand it to” Arte Moreno, but you can appreciate the Angels being more watchable when a baseball demigod is involved. — Brisbee

Record: 16-26
Last Power Ranking: 22

One reason to believe in this team: The Astros have done it before

On May 13, 2024, the Astros were 16-25 and in last place. They were finally cooked, an unceremonious end to a long run of competitive teams, but the veterans got old and/or left, and there weren’t enough new, young players to replace them.

They won the division that year, and even if it was a struggle to get to the 88 wins to do it, it was proof that lousy starts can be overcome. The trick with the 2026 Astros is that they almost certainly aren’t as talented, whether because of defections (Framber Valdez, Kyle Tucker) or entropy (Jose Altuve), and seasons like the ’24 comeback season are exceptions, not the rule. Still, it’s happened before. That’s all they can mutter as they stare into the abyss. — Brisbee

Record: 15-25
Last Power Ranking: 29

One reason to believe in this team: How much worse can it get?

By the middle of last week, the Mets had won four of five, and maybe — maybe! — there was a corner to be turned. Then they ended the week by losing three of four while scoring a total of seven runs in those four games. So much for turning a corner. So, one reason to believe in the Mets? I mean, it can’t get worse, can it? The top of the rotation is excellent, and that’s a great place to start. Also, you have to believe Bo Bichette is going to turn things around and Francisco Lindor is going to make a difference when he returns. The Mets are in a massive hole and need to climb ahead of nine teams — nine! — to get back into a wild-card spot, but only two of those teams have a positive run differential. So, the good news is that other teams are bad, too! — Jennings

Record: 19-23
Last Power Ranking: 19

One reason to believe in this team: The Orioles still have those young hitters

To believe in the Orioles is to believe that 2023 wasn’t so long ago. The Orioles won 101 games that season, and their best players were Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Kyle Bradish, three players still with the team and still in their 20s. Rutschman is having a good year, but he’s also missed time on the IL. Henderson was good early in the season, then he went cold for a spell. Bradish is finally healthy and had 10 strikeouts in his last start.

To believe in the Orioles is to believe they’re just getting started. That Jackson Holliday has yet to even approach his peak, that Pete Alonso’s recent power surge is a sign of things to come, that Shane Baz was a good addition, that Colton Cowser is going to be good again, and that Jordan Westburg is going to play like an All-Star again when he’s healthy. To believe in the Orioles is to believe they’ve just got to be better than this. — Jennings

Record: 16-25
Last Power Ranking: 27

One reason to believe in this team: Colorado is the normal kind of bad

This is going to be a running theme throughout this season’s rankings. The Rockies are a normal kind of bad, and it’s a legitimate cause for celebration. They’re messing around with rookies and Rule 5 picks and low-cost veterans, trying to find quality players who might be around for the next good Rockies team, just like a bad team is supposed to.

If that doesn’t read like progress, remember how historically awful they were last season. This is a team that confidently started a Rule 5 pick, TJ Rumfield, and hoped it would make things better immediately and in seasons to come. It’s making them look smart, and with just that one piece of possible good news, they’ve pulled ahead of last year’s entire good-news allotment. There’s a lot of season left, too. — Brisbee

Record: 17-24
Last Power Ranking: 30

One reason to believe in this team: Dramatic changes are already being made.

The Giants aren’t rebuilding, but they’re not not rebuilding, either. They’re in a place where they have veterans who can’t feel safe, which is something you can also say about most rebuilding teams. The biggest difference is that these veterans can afford the guac at Chipotle, which makes them a little overqualified to be the happy-to-be-here veterans on most teams looking toward the future.

That doesn’t mean there are a lot of Giants veterans who feel comfortable right now. Sending your starting catcher to the American League and your erstwhile closer to the Pacific Coast League is one way to get the attention of a veteran clubhouse. The time for patience is over. It’s time to start breaking things. — Brisbee