Major League Baseball

MLB Power Rankings: Giants maintain tight grip on No. 1 spot

Updated Jul. 29, 2021 3:58 p.m. ET

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By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst

The second half of the season is well underway now and it’s time for another updated power rankings list. 

From the lowly No. 30 to the cream of the crop at No. 1, here’s how the list shakes out:

30. Arizona Diamondbacks (Previous rank: 30)

It’s just not pretty out in the desert these days. Now the record holders for the longest road losing streak in history, the D-backs lost 24 straight road games. TWENTY-FOUR!

29. Baltimore Orioles (29)

The AL East is just a really tough division to be in and being in the middle of a rebuild surrounded by four good teams doesn’t result in a lot of wins. 

28. Texas Rangers (27)

The biggest story surrounding the Rangers right now is whether Joey Gallo is going to get traded or not. 

27. Pittsburgh Pirates (28)

If you’re going to go watch them, just soak in all of the beautiful sights and sounds of their beautiful stadium. Other than that, not a lot of good stuff going on with this team. 

26. Minnesota Twins (24)

I will never understand what happened with the Twins this season. A very talented roster with very poor results. The Twins still find themselves in last place in the American League Central. 

25. Miami Marlins (25)

The Marlins have some fun players to watch, but unfortunately, they just keep getting bit by the injury bug. This is just not their year.

24. Colorado Rockies (26)

The Rockies can be fun to watch with guys like Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon in the lineup. They just don’t have the pitching to compete with anyone. In my opinion, this will be the last week we see Trevor Story on the Rockies. He will be traded before the deadline on the 30th. 

23. Kansas City Royals (22)

Look for the Royals to be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. This team has vastly underperformed. 

22. Detroit Tigers (23)

It’s starting to get exciting in Detroit. The future is here when it comes to the Tigers' rotation. The future is near when it comes to the offense. A.J. Hinch has the Tigers playing great baseball with a roster that isn’t really built to be winning a bunch of games. 

21. Washington Nationals (18)

The Nationals are a tough team to put your finger on. One second they're hot and winning a bunch of games and the next second they can’t buy a win. Currently, they are struggling big time and find themselves in fourth place in a struggling NL East. 

20. Chicago Cubs (12)

The Cubs gave it their best shot this year but now it appears a full-on fire sale is on the horizon. By the end of this week, the Cubs will look like an entirely different team. 

19. St. Louis Cardinals (20)

The Cardinals, who were pre-season favorites to win the NL Central, have really been a disappointment this year. It’s never easy when your best pitcher gets hurt and misses a bunch of time, but this team still should be better than it is.  

18. Atlanta Braves (17)

One of the strangest stories this season is the Braves not being able to get over .500. Now to pile on top of it all, Ronald Acuña Jr. is done for the year after his ACL injury.

17. Philadelphia Phillies (21)

The Phillies are hovering right around the .500 mark, but luckily for them, the Mets, who are leading the NL East, are not really pulling too far ahead. These guys are talented and in second place in the division. They could certainly make a push and win this division. 

16. Los Angeles Angels (19)

The Angels have done a great job treading water in the absence of some of their stars, most notably Mike Trout. Unfortunately, it appears Trout may have hit a little snag in his rehab and may not be back soon after all. I’ll be interested to see how this team responds when Trout gets back. 

15. Seattle Mariners (16)

It’s impressive that the Mariners have the record they do, but I’m not a believer in them just yet. Their run differential ranks 23rd in the league. The future is close for this team and it is nice to see them playing well, but it’s not their time just yet. 

14. Cincinnati Reds (15)

The Reds are a really fun team to watch right now. Their offense is electric and they are finally getting what they expected out of their ace Luis Castillo. The Reds are in second place and could potentially make a little noise in this division. 

13. Cleveland Indians (11)

The Indians are in second place but we all know the White Sox are going to win this division. At least they have their cool new name to look forward to, right?

12. New York Yankees (14)

The Yankees can’t figure it out. Either they score runs but blow the lead late, or they don’t score any runs. Not a good combo for winning games. 

11. Oakland Athletics (8)

The A’s are falling fast behind the surging Houston Astros and need to make a big move at the deadline if they want to compete and make a playoff push. 

10. Toronto Blue Jays (13)

The Blue Jays are so fun and absolutely rake on the offensive side. They are heading back home to Toronto this week after almost two years of not playing a home game there. This team is great and deserves to play in front of their home fans.  

9. New York Mets (10)

The Mets have pushed through all of their injuries this season and continue to win ball games. Atop a struggling NL East, they've separated themselves as the best of the bunch. Hopefully, Jacob deGrom can come back soon and continue his historic season.

8. San Diego Padres (4)

As I’m typing this the San Diego Padres have acquired Adam Frazier from the Pirates. They are truly going for it and I expect this exciting team to be in it until the end. Blake Snell is coming off of one of his best starts as a member of the Padres and him turning it around is vital to the success of this very talented team. 

7. White Sox (7)

The clear favorites in the AL Central sport one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball. This team will be around until the end. Once they get fully healthy, they are going to be really tough to beat. 

6. Milwaukee Brewers (9)

Since acquiring Willy Adames, the Brewers have been the best team in baseball and have really pulled away in the NL Central. The Brewers are a sleeper pick for me to win the World Series. Pitching wins in the playoffs and having Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, and Freddy Peralta at the top of the rotation is tough to beat. On top of that, Devin Williams and Josh Hader give them arguably the best back end of a bullpen in baseball. 

THE TOP FIVE

The Rays (6) just picked up a HUGE piece in Nelson Cruz to place smack dab in the middle of that lineup. He has already come over and made a big impact for them with multiple home runs. The Rays are a great team and the Cruz pick-up is a great one for them. 

The Dodgers (5) have yet to really be the team we expected them to be this year, but they're still pretty dang good. They are on the Giants' heels in the NL West and have lots of games with the Giants and Padres in the second half of the season. Will be a fun battle to keep an eye on in the NL West. 

Getting Chris Sale back in the coming weeks is essentially acquiring an elite pitcher at the trade deadline. The Red Sox (3) are poised and ready for a great finish to the season and a deep playoff run. 

The Astros (2) are the best team in the American League. Look for them to make a trade for a pitcher before the deadline coming at the end of this week to bolster their pitching staff. Pair that with the best offensive team in all of baseball and you have yourself a force to be reckoned with. 

The Giants (1) keep winning and are just coming off of a huge series victory of the NL West favorite Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants are good. The Giants are not a fluke. The Giants deserve your respect.

BIGGEST JUMP: Phillies up 4

BIGGEST DROP: Cubs ⁠down 8

Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @Verly32.

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