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The holiday season is well underway. Proper planning with gifts is always the play: Don’t wait until the last second because the last thing you want is to be caught empty-handed when it’s too late.

That’s exactly how some NHL teams are feeling right now, on the outside looking in as we approach the NHL’s holiday break. So in the spirit of giving, we’re providing a gift for all 32 teams as we unveil the updated Power Rankings for the week.

How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list.

Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Dec. 6. Points percentages are through Thursday’s games.

Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 72.41%

The gift: A Hart Trophy. Kirill Kaprizov is the favorite to win the MVP of the league this season, and with good reason: he has 43 points, behind Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov, and 18 goals through 28 games. If he stays close or exceeds the reigning Hart Trophy winner in the Art Ross race for the rest of the season, you’d think it’s a very strong, almost “lock” kind of case for Kirill the Thrill, who has helped lead his Wild to a superb 19-6-4 start.

Next seven days: vs. PHI (Dec. 14), vs. VGK (Dec. 15), vs. FLA (Dec. 18)


Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 75.00%

The gift: Rest. That’s actually what Capitals players will be getting in February, because despite being one of the best teams in the league all season, no Caps players were selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters. There was plenty of speculation about players — Tom Wilson, Logan Thompson, Dylan Strome, John Carlson, Rasmus Sandin, Jakob Chychrun — but ultimately, Washington was shut out, and maybe it will end up being a blessing in disguise.

Next seven days: vs. BUF (Dec. 14), @ DAL (Dec. 16), @ CHI (Dec. 17)


Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 69.35%

The gift: An early end to the season. The Jets had the best start to a season in NHL history, winning 15 of 16 games. Then things cooled down, as they went 7-8-0 in their past 15. Teams are catching up to their pace, but banking all of those points in the early season has kept them among the top teams in the standings.

Next seven days: vs. MTL (Dec. 14), @ SJ (Dec. 17), @ ANA (Dec. 18)


Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 70.63%

The gift: No blood from a Stone. When captain Mark Stone is healthy, the Golden Knights benefit on and off the ice. Players praise him as a terrific leader in the locker room and a two-way contributor on the ice. Injuries have consistently plagued Stone, who hasn’t played 70 games or more in a season since 2016-2017.

“On the ice, he’s a difference-maker. He plays power plays, special teams,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “They’re 1A and 1B, him and Jack Eichel when the puck runs through them. So when he’s out you miss that. It’s easier to defend against us.”

Next seven days: @ EDM (Dec. 14), @ MIN (Dec. 15), vs. VAN (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 64.06%

The gift: Consistency. It has been feast or famine for the Devils this season. They are fourth in the league in goals, and have beaten opponents by three-plus goals on nine occasions … but they’ve also been shut out five times, tied for most in the league. Head coach Sheldon Keefe told me this week that the goose egg is a talking point more than anything, and he likes how the offense is operating.

The Devils are 19-6-2 when scoring at least one goal; that includes the Tuesday tilt with the Maple Leafs, which ended in an overtime loss despite the Devils dominating most of the game.

Next seven days: vs. CHI (Dec. 14), @ STL (Dec. 17), @ CBJ (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 63.33%

The gift: Rodney Dangerfield concert album. Why? Because even though they are the reigning Stanley Cup champions, it feels as if they get no respect … no respect at all. At least not enough. They lead the Atlantic Division, are sixth in the league, but the spotlight is still being shined elsewhere when Cup favorites or threats are being discussed.

Next seven days: @ CGY (Dec. 14), @ EDM (Dec. 16), @ MIN (Dec. 18)


Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 66.07%

The gift: More packed buildings. On Tuesday, when the Canes defeated the Sharks 3-2, it marked the 82nd consecutive sellout at Lenovo Center. Hopefully that continues for the fans in Raleigh. The team continues to surpass the expectations of many, sitting third in the Metro with an 18-9-1 record.

Next seven days: vs. OTT (Dec. 13), vs. CBJ (Dec. 15), vs. NYI (Dec. 17)


Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 63.79%

The gift: More props for Anze Kopitar. The Kings’ captain recently passed 1,400 games in the NHL, becoming the 11th player in NHL history to reach that mark with one team. The 37-year-old center is both a nostalgic reminder of the Kings’ two Stanley Cup-winning teams, and a consistent, two-way force.

“To play that many games and to be playing at that level he is playing at, he is our leader on and off the ice,” goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. “He plays the game the right way his whole career. You think of him as a defensive player and then you look at how many points he has in his career. It’s pretty incredible what he has achieved. There’s not many guys that have achieved what he has.”

Next seven days: @ NYR (Dec. 14), @ PIT (Dec. 17), @ PHI (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 65.52%

The gift: More scoring. This is new territory for this iteration of the Leafs: 21st in goals for per game, for a team that is used to outscoring any challenges in the regular season. Injuries — including to Auston Matthews — have certainly been a factor. Luckily, they also have breakout goaltender Anthony Stolarz, and added key defensive personnel this offseason.

Next seven days: @ DET (Dec. 14), vs. BUF (Dec. 15), @ DAL (Dec. 18)


Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 60.71%

The gift: An interim replacement for Tyler Seguin. The veteran forward is out for the rest of the season after having left hip surgery. Seguin was having a wonderful start to the season, including 20 points in 19 games, and Dallas is 2-2 so far in his absence. A move to LTIR would free up $9.85 million in cap room, but until then, AHL players will get looks to fill the spot. Could a trade be forthcoming?

Next seven days: vs. STL (Dec. 14), vs. WSH (Dec. 16), vs. TOR (Dec. 18)


Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 62.07%

The gift: An eraser. October was another forgettable start for the Oilers, who have since corrected course and are 8-2 in their past 10, now sitting third in the Pacific. Connor McDavid recently reached 1,000 points in his career and I wouldn’t at all be surprised if he hits 2,000. Not to mention, he’s scoring his “McDavid” goals again:

Next seven days: vs. VGK (Dec. 14), vs. FLA (Dec. 16), vs. BOS (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 62.50%

The gift: A returning J.T. Miller. The veteran forward participated in his first full practice this week after taking an indefinite leave for personal reasons, and made his in-game return Thursday against the Panthers. A 103-point scorer last season, he is an integral part of Vancouver making noise again this season.

Next seven days: vs. BOS (Dec. 14), vs. COL (Dec. 16), @ UTA (Dec. 18), @ VGK (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 54.84%

The gift: Taylor Ham (or Pork Roll). That’s a debate usually reserved for residents of New Jersey, but the Avs just traded for Mackenzie Blackwood, which means they now have two former Devils goalies (who were also teammates in Jersey) as their tandem between the pipes. Scott Wedgewood recently shut out his former team 4-0, which again raised the “Why do former Devils goalies always do so well against them?” discussion.

Next seven days: vs. NSH (Dec. 14), @ VAN (Dec. 16), @ SJ (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 59.26%

The gift: The first line. It’s a gift they already have; let’s wrap up the Bolts’ top line with a festive bow. Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov have been dynamite together. In over 200 minutes as a unit, the line is 10th in the league in shot attempts (224). Kucherov has 44 points, Guentzel is at a point-per-game pace and Point is shooting at an unbelievable 36.7%. That won’t be sustained, but on many nights this line cannot be contained.

Next seven days: @ SEA (Dec. 14), vs. CBJ (Dec. 17), vs. STL (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 53.23%

The gift: A break. It has been a roller-coaster season for the Bruins already, with a coaching change, and some less-than-desirable results — the latest episode an 8-1 loss to the Jets that included the head coaches jawing and multiple fights involving players. The Bruins have struggled against the top teams in the NHL this season but remain third in the Atlantic. Perhaps they can pivot after the holiday break.

Next seven days: @ VAN (Dec. 14), @ CGY (Dec. 17), @ EDM (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 55.00%

The gift: Home cookin’. The Flames have one of the best home records in the NHL: 10-3-1. But on the road, they struggle, going 4-7-4. Luckily for them, if this trend is to continue, Calgary players will enjoy themselves until after the Christmas break, as their next four games will be at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Next seven days: vs. FLA (Dec. 14), vs. BOS (Dec. 17), vs. OTT (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 55.36%

The gift: A shovel. To dig out of the rut in which they appear to be trapped. Despite Jacob Trouba being traded and Igor Shesterkin being extended long term, things still don’t seem right on the ice, and the team is floundering (despite a win Wednesday against the Sabres). But hey, if Rangers fans believe that history repeats itself, this might give them something to look forward to:

Next seven days: vs. LA (Dec. 14), @ STL (Dec. 15), @ NSH (Dec. 17)


Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 50.00%

The gift: A fresh start. The Blues are 5-2-1 since Jim Montgomery was hired as head coach on Nov. 25 (just five days after being fired by the Bruins). Aside from the surge that a new head coach can often bring to a lineup, Dylan Holloway has been particularly strong: He didn’t have a point in five games before Montgomery’s arrival, and now has a point in every game for the new coach, with four outings being multipoint efforts.

“He’s been a pleasant surprise,” Montgomery said. “I think he is the best example of how lucky I am to be the head coach of the St. Louis Blues because the whole team has surprised me with their willingness to grow, their willingness to get better, their willingness to compete.”

Next seven days: @ DAL (Dec. 14), vs. NYR (Dec. 15), vs. NJ (Dec. 17), @ TB (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 53.33%

The gift: Jamie Drysdale. This is a holiday-season gift that the Flyers already received. Back from an upper-body injury, Drysdale — who came to Philly in the Cutter Gauthier trade — has been excellent for the Flyers in the two games since his return. “Jamie’s a great learner. He asks great questions, he’s intent, he wants to learn,” assistant coach Brad Shaw told reporters. “And that is sometimes half the battle.”

Next seven days: @ MIN (Dec. 13), @ DET (Dec. 18), vs. LA (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 51.61%

The gift: New kids on the block. Shane Wright is riding a career-high four-game goal streak, with seven goals and 13 points in his first NHL season with more than eight games played. Head coach Dan Bylsma sat the 20-year-old for three games earlier in the season, and Wright got the message. “It allowed him to come back and since he’s come back, it’s not perfect, but he’s playing [unencumbered],” head coach Dan Bylsma said. “He’s not thinking about the right and wrong. He’s not thinking about other things. He’s just playing the game.”

Next seven days: vs. TB (Dec. 14), vs. OTT (Dec. 17), @ CHI (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 53.45%

The gift: More December, less November. Captain Clayton Keller had only one goal in the month of November, and it came on the last day of the month. He already has two in December, with points in four of his past five games. Keller was left off the U.S. roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, but perhaps it will serve as motivation.

“When you’re not selected, you look yourself in the mirror and you go to work the next day with a little extra jump,” he said recently. “It’s maybe down the road the right thing for you at the time.”

Next seven days: @ SJ (Dec. 14), vs. VAN (Dec. 18)


Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 50.00%

The gift: A tight division. Four games ago, the Islanders were last in the Metro division and have since moved up two spots, and only two points away from fourth place. This is especially important since the Islanders have had a grueling stretch of games: 15 in November and their first three-day pause of the season coming in the third week of December.

Said coach Patrick Roy about Tuesday’s loss to the Kings, “[We] didn’t have our legs. I’m not looking for excuses, but the schedule’s [been] pretty tough.”

Next seven days: @ CHI (Dec. 15), @ CAR (Dec. 17)


Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 48.28%

The gift: More glow-ups. Zach Werenski was a player who wasn’t mentioned too often in 4 Nations conversations before the season started. But after a stellar start to the season — including 29 points through 28 games — he made Team USA. How he found out he was making the squad, reported by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, is also pretty hilarious.

Next seven days: vs. ANA (Dec. 14), @ CAR (Dec. 15), @ TB (Dec. 17), vs. NJ (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 50.00%

The gift: Snipping down the grapevine. Brady Tkachuk has been the subject of trade rumors, well-founded or not, for a while now. The latest was the possibility of being involved in a trade to the Rangers involving Jacob Trouba, which obviously ended up being not true, with the now former Rangers captain going to Anaheim.

Tkachuk said this about the trade talk attached to his name: “It’s happened multiple times now and obviously it’s just not true. It would just be a waste of energy to get frustrated with something I can’t control.”

Next seven days: @ CAR (Dec. 13), vs. PIT (Dec. 14), @ SEA (Dec. 17), @ CGY (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 48.39%

The gift: Cheers. The Pens have won six of their past eight games. But after a 6-2 loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday, captain Sidney Crosby seemed a little miffed about the Pittsburgh crowd jeering the team. “It did [surprise me] little bit,” Crosby said. I think there’s been some times this season when we deserved it. I don’t think tonight was one of them.”

Next seven days: @ OTT (Dec. 14), vs. LA (Dec. 17), @ NSH (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 44.83%

The gift: More Lucas Raymond magic to spread. Raymond has been a bright spot for the Red Wings this season. He leads the team with 30 points, including 13 on the power play. He is consistently Detroit’s best offensive threat in a season in which the Wings haven’t had much offense. And a bonus gift: an end to bogus rumors.

Next seven days: vs. TOR (Dec. 14), vs. PHI (Dec. 18)


Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 44.83%

The gift: Hope. Enough is enough. It feels like a broken record, but bears repeating: The great city of Buffalo and their people deserve a playoff run from their Sabres. It has been too long. No more talking about the Sabres and New York Jets in the same playoff drought conversation, Buffalo deserves this. Unfortunately, losing to the New York Rangers on Wednesday — in a game many had circled as a “last straw” kind of feeling for both fan bases — definitely doesn’t help.

Next seven days: @ WSH (Dec. 14), @ TOR (Dec. 15), @ MTL (Dec. 17)


Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 42.86%

The gift: The right rite of passage for Trouba. The Jacob Trouba trade saga ended with the former Rangers captain being sent to the Ducks, reuniting with his good friend Frank Vatrano and having hockey fans hoping this tweet got called back.

Details are still emerging about the end of his tenure in New York. Said Trouba last Friday during a media call after the trade about how it went down: “[Thursday] morning was, ‘Accept this trade or we’re scratching you,’ I said, ‘OK.’ Then it was, ‘Accept this trade or you’re going on waivers,’ and I said, ‘OK.’ And then it got to a point where I felt comfortable with Anaheim and that was a place I wanted to go. I guess you could say I’m thankful that they made that happen. Unfortunate, I think, how it all happened. It’s a rite of passage to get fired at MSG.”

Next seven days: @ CBJ (Dec. 14), vs. WPG (Dec. 18)


Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 43.10%

The gift: More from Patrik Laine. The veteran scorer has been great in his debut for the Habs; three goals and an assist through his first four games. He’s also embracing the reactions he’s getting from fans. “That was the most outrageous thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life,” he told reporters after his home debut.

Coach Martin St. Louis is excited to have him in the lineup. “I know he’s a guy who’s going to help our power play, you see when he has the puck he’s a player people respect a lot, it opens up other players,” St. Louis said. “He has great patience, he’s calculated.”

Next seven days: @ WPG (Dec. 14), vs. BUF (Dec. 17)


Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 42.19%

The gift: Admin. After 10 years, the Sharks’ social media team blessed us with another hit single for the holiday season:

play

5:07

The San Jose Sharks went all out on their holiday track

Watch the San Jose Sharks celebrate the holiday season in the video for a new tune titled “Holiday Inflatables.”

It’s superb when players, alumni, broadcasters and the team come together to make fun, silly content. The beat sounds as if it belongs in 1989, which is wonderful. The credits at the end include “Special Appearance by Mackenzie Blackwood of the Colorado Avalanche,” as he was traded before the video was released.

The song also features these instant classic bars: “I’m not a good rapper, I’m not a good rhymer, but all my inflatables are set to a timer. I don’t gotta be home to throw the switch, my holiday display blows up without a hitch.”

Next seven days: vs. UTA (Dec. 14), vs. WPG (Dec. 17), vs. COL (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 34.48%

The gift: A reset button. The Hawks fired head coach Luke Richardson last week, replacing him with interim head coach Anders Sorensen, who was bench boss for the AHL affiliate in Rockford. GM Kyle Davidson noted that the results did not match the expectations for the team, and it was time for a new voice. “I had a good relationship with Luke, he’s a really good guy,” Connor Bedard told reporters. “In the end, it’s someone losing their job. Obviously, you build relationships with those guys and it’s sad seeing anyone go, for sure.”

Next seven days: @ NJ (Dec. 14), vs. NYI (Dec. 15), vs. WSH (Dec. 17), vs. SEA (Dec. 19)


Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 36.67%

The gift: A redo on the whole season. How did we get here? The Predators, touted by many as winners of the offseason, sit near the bottom of the standings with 22 points through 30 games. Jonathan Marchessault has 17 points, Steven Stamkos has 15. When head coach Andrew Brunette was asked if he would consider scratching any of his high-ticket players, he responded: “We could scratch every guy in our lineup. But unfortunately, we need players going. At different times, it for sure crosses your mind. But they have to earn it, you can’t just do it to do it. It’s a false thing to do where you try to create something … players see right through that.”

Next seven days: @ COL (Dec. 14), vs. NYR (Dec. 17), vs. PIT (Dec. 19)

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New coach Sullivan praises Rangers ‘leadership’

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New coach Sullivan praises Rangers 'leadership'

For Mike Sullivan, the latest coach of the New York Rangers, there will be many priorities in taking over a team that missed the playoffs a season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy.

Foremost will be communication.

“I have spoken to every player on the roster over the last three days,” Sullivan said Thursday at his introductory news conference. “I think there is a fair amount of leadership in that room. There’s a lot of character in that room.”

Sullivan, the 38th coach in franchise history and fifth since 2018, agreed to lead the Rangers on May 2 after parting ways with Pittsburgh, with whom he won the Stanley Cup twice.

He replaces Peter Laviolette, who was fired April 19 after the Rangers slid 29 points to miss the postseason despite their raft of talent. It will be up to Sullivan to resuscitate a power play that fell from the league’s top echelon to 28th overall in 2024-25 and help the defense improve in front of elite goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is coming off his worst NHL season.

Sullivan spent four seasons as a Rangers assistant under then-coach John Tortorella from 2009 to 2013. He also coached current Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury during that time. They also worked together through USA Hockey at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and will be part of the U.S. contingent for the 2026 Milan Olympics.

Sullivan will have top scorers Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox on his side after years guiding Penguins stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in Pittsburgh, where he won the Cup in 2016 and 2017.

“I’ve grown so much respect over the years for the talent that the Rangers have,” said Sullivan, who lost a seven-game first-round playoff series to the Rangers in 2022. “I look forward to the opportunity to get to know these guys on a more personal level. I look forward to the opportunity to work with them, both on the ice and off the ice, to try to become the most competitive team that we can become.”

Also pressing for the 57-year-old Sullivan — who was drafted by the Rangers in 1987 and later played 709 NHL games for four other franchises — is how he will handle younger Rangers such as 22-year-old Brennan Othmann and 20-year-old Gabe Perreault, a first-round pick in 2023 who joined the team briefly at the end of last season.

“Part of coaching or the art of coaching, I guess, is trying to figure out what that daily recipe is that’s best for the player,” Sullivan said. “Sometimes it’s time in the American League as a young player, sometimes it’s time in the National League depending on the types of minutes that that player can play. What I will tell you is that I think it’s important that every player earns their opportunities, that no one’s entitled to an opportunity.”

Sullivan was joined Thursday by Drury, who was awarded a contract extension last month.

Drury’s previous two coaching hires — Laviolette and Gerard Gallant — each lasted two seasons. The 48-year-old executive expressed enthusiasm for the addition of Sullivan, the only U.S.-born coach with multiple Stanley Cup wins.

“The second Mike was available, we quickly and aggressively pursued him,” Drury said. “We are certainly thrilled that pursuit led us to this moment today. There’s a lot of work to be done.”

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MLB Power Rankings: Which red-hot AL team made its top-5 debut?

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MLB Power Rankings: Which red-hot AL team made its top-5 debut?

The battle between National League powerhouses for the No. 1 spot continues in Week 6.

The Dodgers, Mets and Padres are still duking it out for the title of best team in baseball, with Los Angeles retaking the top spot from New York on our list. The top five is rounded out by a new team, as well, with the Tigers breaking in at the No. 5 spot.

Detroit is the top American League team this week, with the Yankees coming in at No. 7, the Mariners cracking the top 10 and the Royals, the week’s biggest risers, at No. 11.

What else has changed in the span of one week?

Our expert panel has combined to rank 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 Bradford Doolittle to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.

Week 5 | Preseason rankings


Record: 25-12
Previous ranking: 2

The Dodgers are suddenly scrambling in the outfield. Teoscar Hernandez was tied for the MLB lead in RBIs when he landed on the injured list because of a groin strain that manager Dave Roberts said would keep Hernandez out for “weeks.” James Outman replaced Hernandez on the roster and started in center field Tuesday with Andy Pages sliding over to right. Meanwhile, Michael Conforto continues to struggle. With Tommy Edman also out, Roberts says he sees a lot of platooning in the short term. At least Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are both red-hot to carry the offense. — Schoenfield


Record: 24-14
Previous ranking: 1

When the Mets signed ex-Yankee Clay Holmes this past winter, it was a mild surprise. The bigger surprise was that he was inked to join the rotation. Holmes entered the 2025 season with four career starts, all during his debut season for Pittsburgh in 2018 — whereas he has played a relief role in 307 games over eight MLB seasons. Seven starts into his Mets career, Holmes looks like a bona fide rotation fixture. He’s 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA and 2.18 FIP. His strikeout and walk ratios are matches for what he posted last season as a reliever, and he has yet to give up a homer to 156 batters faced. — Doolittle


Record: 23-13
Previous ranking: 4

Michael King and Nick Pivetta continue to team for one of the best duos in the majors, going a combined 9-2 with a 2.12 ERA. King returned to the Bronx — where he played for the Yankees for four seasons — and pitched another gem Tuesday, giving up three hits and two runs in six innings (although the Padres’ bullpen had a rare meltdown and proceeded to give up 10 runs in the seventh inning). After a poor outing on Opening Day, King has a 1.71 ERA over his past seven starts. — Schoenfield


Record: 22-16
Previous ranking: 5

The Cubs’ offense has been a force, but the team is facing adversity among its starting pitchers. First, Justin Steele needed Tommy John surgery and was lost for the season. Then Javier Assad, out because of an oblique strain to begin the season, sustained another oblique strain during a rehab start and was shut down. Finally, on Monday, Shota Imanaga was put on the IL because of a strained hamstring. The Cubs haven’t provided a timetable for Imanaga’s return. It’ll be on Matthew Boyd (2.75 ERA), Colin Rea (2.43 ERA) and Jameson Taillon (3.86 ERA) to hold down the rotation for now. — Castillo


Record: 23-13
Previous ranking: 7

The Tigers have flourished in a number of ways during the season’s opening weeks but one thing that really stands out is the degree to which they have dominated at Comerica Park. They’ve started 13-3 at home with a net per-game differential of plus-2.81 runs, the best in baseball. To put it another way, that differential translates to an .819 expected winning percentage, or 133 wins over 162 games. Not unrelated: Detroit has also moved into the early lead in the chase for the AL’s top postseason seed, which of course carries with it home-field advantage in October. — Doolittle


Record: 24-14
Previous ranking: 6

Logan Webb just keeps rolling along as one of the most underrated starters in MLB. He led the majors in innings pitched in 2023, ranked second in 2024 and again ranks among the league leaders this season. He has given up only one home run in 48⅓ innings and is producing a career-high strikeout rate (up eight percentage points from last season). He has used his sweeper more this year, but his changeup has been much more effective than it was in 2024, perhaps because he’s throwing it less often. — Schoenfield


Record: 21-16
Previous ranking: 3

Max Fried has been exceptional as a Yankee, posting a 1.05 ERA through eight starts. Carlos Rodón has rebounded from a choppy early stretch and sports a 2.96 ERA in eight outings. Outside of those two, the Yankees’ rotation is iffy at best without Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil. Clarke Schmidt recorded his best start of the season Tuesday against the Padres after dealing with injuries. Will Warren has a 5.65 ERA. Carlos Carrasco was designated for assignment. Marcus Stroman is out indefinitely. While Gil is progressing in his recovery from a lat strain, the Yankees need Fried and Rodón to continue registering quality starts. — Castillo


Record: 21-15
Previous ranking: 8

Bryce Harper‘s homer during the Phillies’ wild 11-9 loss to Arizona on Tuesday ended a 13-game long-ball drought. That’s far from Harper’s longest homerless streak — he went 38 games without one in 2023 — but it still highlighted an uneven start for Philly’s marquee player. Harper has started every game thus far for manager Rob Thomson. Does he need a rest? Should the Phils be worried? Probably not. Harper’s BABIP has cratered but that’s one indicator that tends to regress to career norms. His power numbers are down but, per Statcast, his bat speed is actually up from 2024. He’ll be fine. — Doolittle


Record: 22-14
Previous ranking: 11

And finally Cal Raleigh rested … almost. Raleigh had started the first 34 games of the season, either at catcher or DH. His two-homer, five-RBI game Saturday against the Rangers helped power the Mariners to their eighth consecutive series victory. Against the Athletics on Tuesday, Raleigh was on the bench … until the ninth inning. Trailing 3-2 with the bases loaded and one out, Raleigh pinch hit for Mitch Garver and delivered a go-ahead two-run single in a 5-3 victory. His 12 home runs are tied with Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead. — Schoenfield


Record: 19-18
Previous ranking: 9

Geraldo Perdomo continues to rake, including a 4-for-5 game with two doubles and three RBIs in Sunday’s wild 11-9 win over the Phillies. Perdomo has more walks than strikeouts, is 9-for-9 stealing bases, has a 99th percentile ranking in outs above average at shortstop and has already produced 2.2 fWAR compared to 2.0 all of 2024. That figure puts him in a five-way tie for the third-highest fWAR — behind only Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso. — Schoenfield


Record: 22-16
Previous ranking: 19

The Royals’ offense has been moving in the right direction, aiding a recent torrid stretch that was driven by elite run prevention. Bobby Witt Jr. has produced all along but, as good as he is, he can’t do it alone. Help has arrived in the form of Maikel Garcia, whose surge has brought his season numbers into lockstep with Witt. Garcia’s swing decisions have improved by leaps and bounds, lowering his already-solid strikeout rate and lifting his walk rate well over league average. Garcia, who has started at four different positions, will merit All-Star consideration if he maintains this pace. — Doolittle


Record: 19-19
Previous ranking: 10

Boston received a huge blow over the weekend, losing Triston Casas for the season because of a ruptured patellar tendon. Now the Red Sox have to figure out who will play first base. The current answer is a combination of Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro, but that probably isn’t permanent — and Gonzalez exited Wednesday night’s win after a collision on the base path and is day-to-day. Boston could move Rafael Devers to first base and have Masataka Yoshida, who hasn’t played this season because a shoulder injury is inhibiting his ability to throw, as its DH. The Red Sox could shift rookie Kristian Campbell from second base. They could seek external help. They could even call up one of their top two prospects, Roman Anthony or Marcelo Mayer, to play first. They have options. — Castillo


Record: 22-15
Previous ranking: 16

The Guardians have stayed afloat in the standings thanks to a spate of comeback wins and one-run victories. Eventually they’ll need some of their underperforming positions to produce. Steven Kwan has arguably been the best at his position in left field but his outfield partners have collectively been among the worst. Right fielder Jhonkensy Noel has sputtered along with a sub-.500 OPS while, in center, Opening Day starter Lane Thomas had an OPS under .400 before hitting the IL because of a bruised wrist. Cleveland needs numbers from both before the close-game luck begins to run out. — Doolittle


Record: 17-19
Previous ranking: 13

As a group, the Braves’ outfield ranks in the bottom five by wins above average. The fixes: get Ronald Acuña Jr. back, get Michael Harris II going and navigate the weeks until Jurickson Profar returns from suspension. On the latter front, a promising left-field platoon might be taking shape in Alex Verdugo and Eli White. For now, both are needed to man the outfield corners, but that will change when Acuña returns. At the plate, Verdugo has a career .783 OPS against righties; meanwhile, after struggling early in his career against southpaws, White has crushed them in limited time the past two seasons. — Doolittle


Record: 19-19
Previous ranking: 14

The Reds’ season continues to be strange. Their plus-30 run differential ranks eighth in the majors and suggests a 22-16 record. Instead, they remain tethered to .500 territory. The offense’s inconsistency is the main culprit. After scoring 22 runs in a three-game sweep of the Rockies in Denver, Cincinnati tallied three or fewer runs in six of their next nine games. Jose Trevino and Gavin Lux have been crucial contributors in their first seasons in Cincinnati, but the Reds need more from Elly De La Cruz, one of the sport’s most dynamic talents who has been about a league-average hitter so far. — Castillo


Record: 18-18
Previous ranking: 12

As the Astros struggle to score runs, it won’t help that Yordan Alvarez landed on the IL because of hand inflammation. The All-Star slugger was already off to the worst start of his career, hitting .210/.306/.340 with only three home runs and seven extra-base hits in 29 games, when he was scratched from Saturday’s lineup and then didn’t play Sunday before the Astros finally put him on the IL. Alvarez isn’t the only Astros hitter struggling as Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker have sub-.300 OBPs, and Jose Altuve is scuffling with sub-100 OPS+, his lowest since 2013. — Schoenfield


Record: 19-19
Previous ranking: 18

Joey Ortiz, acquired before last season in the trade for Corbin Burnes, put together a 3.1 fWAR rookie campaign in 2024, hitting 11 home runs with a 104 wRC+ and good defense at third base. That’s what makes his production in 2025 so shocking. Now playing shortstop as Willy Adames’ replacement, Ortiz has compiled -0.6 fWAR in 37 games this season. He’s batting .175 without a home run and a .206 slugging percentage. His 27 wRC+ ranks 160th out of 161 qualified players and has hampered the offense, which as a whole has a 90 wRC+, the seventh-lowest mark in the majors. — Castillo


Record: 20-18
Previous ranking: 20

The A’s got to within one game of first place and had a chance to tie Seattle on Tuesday but blew a ninth-inning lead. It was the second blown save in four games for the A’s. On Saturday, Mason Miller had a rare bad outing, serving up a walk-off grand slam to Miami’s Kyle Stowers. With Miller unavailable Tuesday after throwing 55 pitches over three days, Tyler Ferguson came on for the save — his fourth appearance in four days — and gave up a 3-2 lead. It was the first time an A’s pitcher threw four days in a row since 2015. — Schoenfield


Record: 18-19
Previous ranking: 15

Looking to turn around a moribund offense, the Rangers hired former All-Star Bret Boone as the team’s hitting coach, while firing offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker. At the time of the move, the Rangers ranked 25th in the majors in batting average, 25th in slugging and 29th in both runs and walk rate. Previous hitting coach Justin Viele and assistant hitting coach Seth Conner remain on staff. Texas then erupted for 16 hits Tuesday in Boone’s first game, winning consecutive games for the first time since April 17. Evan Carter returned to the majors and went 2-for-5. — Schoenfield


Record: 16-20
Previous ranking: 17

Steinbrenner Field has not been very kind to the Rays so far. They’re 9-15 in their temporary digs and 7-5 elsewhere. The stadium has played as expected, as a hitters’ haven. Opponents have taken better advantage of that with 35 home runs and a .256/.313/.418 slash line. Meanwhile, the Rays have hit 22 home runs at home. They’re built to win games with pitching and defense. That combination so far hasn’t been suited for Steinbrenner Field. — Castillo


Record: 16-20
Previous ranking: 22

The Blue Jays made four major offseason acquisitions. Three — Anthony Santander, Andres Gimenez and Max Scherzer — have been colossal disappointments. Santander has a 75 wRC+ as the team’s primary DH. Gimenez is a defense-first second baseman, but he began the year as the team’s cleanup hitter and has a 68 wRC+. Scherzer has thrown three innings. But Jeff Hoffman has established himself as one of the top closers in baseball after two teams nixed agreements with him during the winter due to concerns about his shoulder health. The right-hander gave up two runs over his first 14 appearances, recording a 1.10 ERA, until his three-run hiccup Tuesday against the Angels. — Castillo


Record: 17-20
Previous ranking: 21

A Twins offense that has floundered for much of the season received a much-needed boost when oft-injured Royce Lewis finally made his season debut. Lewis went down because of a hamstring strain in mid-March and sat out the first five-plus weeks. That was nothing new for a talented player whose career high in games is 82. When he has played, he has produced, posting a 124 career OPS+ with 35 homers and 110 RBIs per 162 games played. Now that Lewis is back, the spotlight falls on shortstop Carlos Correa, who continues to limp along with career-worst percentages. — Doolittle


Record: 19-19
Previous ranking: 24

By most metrics, the Cardinals have by far deployed the best defense in baseball. In the middle of it is center fielder Victor Scott II. Coming off a disastrous rookie season in 2024, in which he posted a 40 OPS+ in 53 games, Scott is thriving as a contact-first speedster with elite defense at a premium position. He’s tied for fourth in the majors in defensive runs saved and outs above average while batting .289 with 11 steals in 12 attempts. At 24, Scott is solidifying himself as a centerpiece of the Cardinals’ rebuild. — Castillo


Record: 17-21
Previous ranking: 25

In the middle of April, the Nationals’ bullpen performance was so off-the-charts bad that manager Dave Martinez called a meeting in his office just to address the relievers. Did it work? At the time, their relief ERA was an astounding 7.21. Three weeks later, that number is … 7.22. The irony is that closer Kyle Finnegan, who was non-tendered by Washington last fall before signing back late in the offseason, has been pretty good (3.07 ERA over 15 appearances with 12 saves in 14 chances). That tells you a little about how badly the rest of the bullpen has struggled. — Doolittle


Record: 13-22
Previous ranking: 23

General manager Mike Elias took blame for the team’s ghastly start and voiced his support for manager Brandon Hyde last Friday. Elias’ offseason decision-making and the subsequent injuries have tanked the starting rotation, but the vaunted offense isn’t doing its part. Cedric Mullins, Jackson Holliday and Ryan O’Hearn have been bright spots, but Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, Heston Kjerstad and Jordan Westburg all have an OPS+ under 100. Gunnar Henderson, slowed by an intercostal strain to begin the season, isn’t playing like the MVP candidate he was in 2024. Tyler O’Neill is on the IL again. Baltimore ranks 23rd in runs scored and that isn’t good enough to overcome the rotation’s warts. — Castillo


Record: 12-26
Previous ranking: 28

It has been a disastrous season for the Pirates, on and off the field. There was the controversy surrounding the franchise’s decision to replace a Roberto Clemente logo with a hard iced tea ad at PNC Park. Last week, a fan broke his neck, clavicle and back when he fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall onto the field. This week, a video of a PNC Park usher fighting a fan went viral. On the field, the Pirates are in last place in the NL Central again with one of the worst offenses in the majors. — Castillo


Record: 14-22
Previous ranking: 27

The Marlins have been competitive in some facets this season, but the area that decidedly does not fit that bill has been a glaringly awful starting rotation. Miami’s 6.35 rotation ERA ranks ahead of only the 6-29 Rockies. The Marlins have always been built on strong rotations when they’ve been good — but in 2025, they’ve produced only five quality starts in 36 games. Surely their starter ERA will move in the right direction from here (right?), but if it doesn’t, the franchise nadir (a 5.58 rotation ERA in 2007) could be in jeopardy. — Doolittle


Record: 15-20
Previous ranking: 26

Part of the problem with the slumping Angels: a defense that ranks second worst in the majors in defensive runs saved (ahead of only the A’s). Catcher Logan O’Hoppe, first baseman Nolan Schanuel and third baseman Luis Rengifo all rank as the worst at their positions via defensive runs saved. Schanuel and Rengifo also rank near the bottom in Statcast’s outs above average, as does center fielder Jo Adell. (Kyren Paris has been getting more time there of late.) The Angels back up that bad defense with the worst team OBP in the majors. — Schoenfield


Record: 10-27
Previous ranking: 29

The White Sox aren’t what analysts would label as “good,” but their record would be less terrible if not for an amazing 2-10 start in one-run games. Five of the losses were last-inning road defeats, including Tuesday’s debacle that featured rookie Chase Meidroth getting bonked on the head by a routine pop-up. Chicago’s saves leader is Brandon Eisert — with one. That’s right: After six weeks of the season, the White Sox have recorded exactly one save. The late-game failings undermine a club that, by and large, has cleared the low bar of playing better than it did in 2024. — Doolittle


Record: 6-29
Previous ranking: 30

The Rockies actually won two games in a row last week, beating the Braves 2-1 behind a solid outing from Chase Dollander and then beating the Giants 4-3 with two runs in the eighth inning. Alas, the losing picked right back up and the Rockies’ wRC+ fell to 64 (100 is average). The MLB low since 1901 is 68 (by the 1920 Philadelphia A’s) and even last year’s woeful White Sox came in at 75. So, yes, we’re looking at one of the worst offenses of all time. — Schoenfield

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Five early-season MLB surprises — and why they’re happening

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Five early-season MLB surprises -- and why they're happening

We’re six weeks into the 2025 MLB season, long enough to gather some meaningful intel but short enough to wonder how much of it actually matters.

Pete Alonso has gone from unwanted free agent to MVP front-runner, only one team in the typically mighty American League East boasts a winning record, and some of the game’s best closers — Devin Williams, Alexis Díaz, Ryan Pressly and Emmanuel Clase, in particular — are suddenly not.

Those are just a few of the notable surprises through the first 23% or so of this season. Below are five others, and the reasons behind them.


Spencer Torkelson is suddenly hitting like a No. 1 pick

Spencer Torkelson was the Detroit Tigers’ No. 1 draft pick out of Arizona State University in 2020, billed as a can’t-miss bat. The 2024 season was supposed to be the stage for his breakout. Instead, he found himself back in the minor leagues.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch texted Torkelson almost daily after the team sent him down to Triple-A in June. At one point, the two even met up for breakfast. Hinch wanted to assure Torkelson that the Tigers were thinking about him and still valued him. But what Torkelson might have needed most, some of those around him believe, was to see the team succeed without him. He needed the urgency to change.

“Coming out of college, I felt like I had it figured out, was the greatest hitter ever,” Torkelson said. “And I got humbled.”

Torkelson struggled so profoundly last year — a .669 OPS, 10 homers and 105 strikeouts in 92 games — that he entered 2025 without a clear path for playing time. Now, early in his age-25 season, he looks like the feared hitter so many expected to see. Through 36 games, Torkelson has already equaled last year’s home run total. He’s drawing walks at a significantly higher rate, OPS’ing .879 and ranking within the top 5% in expected slugging percentage — a stat in which he finished 211th among 252 hitters last year.

Torkelson entered this season with a 361-game sample of inconsistency, but scouts don’t see his sudden success as an early-season fluke — they see it as the result of an elite hitter making consequential adjustments.

Torkelson is more athletic and in rhythm in his stance this year, whereas previously he looked “statuesque,” in the words of one Tigers source. He has more bend in his knees, plants his feet closer together and has implemented a slight crouch. But it’s not really a change. It’s how he hit right up until the time he reached the majors.

“You watch any swing in my entire life,” Torkelson said, “I kinda look exactly the way I look right now.”

The taller stance Torkelson fell into at the big league level was what he described as “a Band-Aid.” The high fastball gave him trouble early on, so Torkelson did what felt obvious: make that high fastball seem less high.

“And it worked,” Torkelson said. “I got away with it. I hit 31 homers and I didn’t even feel that great.”

But those 31 home runs, accumulated in his second year in 2023, masked other deficiencies that showed up the following summer. Torkelson slashed just .205/.271/.337 through the end of May in 2024. Shortly after, he was sent back to Triple-A for what became an 11-week stint. He returned in mid-August, produced a more respectable .781 OPS over his last 38 regular-season games, then went into the offseason vowing to hit the way he used to. He took a lesson from studying one of his favorite hitters, Mike Trout, who has built a Hall of Fame career despite struggling against the high fastball.

“We don’t get paid to hammer the high fastball,” Torkelson said. “We get paid to hammer the mistakes.”

The Tigers signed veteran second baseman Gleyber Torres to a one-year, $15 million deal in late December, then announced Colt Keith would move to first base. Torkelson came into spring training having to fight just to get at-bats at designated hitter.

Then everything changed. Torkelson hit his way into a starting role at first base in 31 of the Tigers’ 36 games. His production — along with that of Javier Baez, who has produced an .827 OPS while transitioning to center field — has given the Tigers some much-needed right-handed power and helped them climb to the top of the AL Central.

“I’m seeing the ball better, and I feel dangerous at the plate,” Torkelson said. “As a hitter, that’s all you can ask for. You’re not going to hit 1.000. But when you’re feeling dangerous and you’re seeing the ball well, you feel like you can’t be beat. You’re going to get beat, but it gives you the best shot.”


The Angels’ lineup is trending toward the worst type of history

Last year, the lowly offenses of the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox posted two of the 12 worst walk-to-strikeout ratios in major league history. Now the Los Angeles Angels, who entered 2025 with hopes of finally being competitive again, are making an early run at the all-time mark.

The Angels’ offense has accumulated 81 walks through its first 35 games this season, the lowest total in the majors. Their hitters have struck out 338 times (third most). Before tying their season high with six walks in a walk-off win on Wednesday night, their 0.23 walk-to-strikeout rate was on pace to be the worst in baseball history. It has since improved to a mere 0.24, tied with the 2019 White Sox for the lowest ever.

It’s probably not surprising to learn that the full-season bottom 10 in that category has taken place over the past dozen years, at a time when hitters strike out more often than ever. It’s probably also not surprising to learn that seven of those 10 teams lost at least 100 games.

The Angels’ offense has been that bad. Since putting up 11 runs at the spring training facility where the Tampa Bay Rays play on April 10, they rank 29th in batting average, 27th in slugging percentage, and last in each of the following categories: on-base percentage, strikeout rate, walk rate and runs per game.

And though there’s still plenty of time to turn this around, it’s hard to envision how that historically low walk-to-strikeout rate — an important barometer of success on both sides — significantly improves. (Their pitching strikeout-to-walk rate, ranked 27th at 1.90, isn’t much better.)

On Tuesday, the Angels were happy to welcome back Yoan Moncada, who is capable of drawing walks but also strikes out at an exceedingly high rate. A return from Mike Trout, whose latest knee injury is not considered serious, would certainly help, though he reached base at only a .264 clip during his first 29 games. Taylor Ward, meanwhile, is much better than a .180/.225/.376 hitter.

But then there’s Jo Adell, whose career .639 OPS ranks 100th among the 114 players in Angels history with at least 1,000 plate appearances. And Logan O’Hoppe, who had the fifth-highest strikeout rate in the majors last year. And Jorge Soler, a prodigious power hitter who naturally carries a lot of swing-and-miss. And, notably, Kyren Paris, who looked like a breakout star early on but lately looks overmatched; since a two-hit game put his OPS at 1.514 on April 11, Paris has eight hits, three walks and 32 strikeouts in 66 plate appearances.

The Angels’ coaches have been trying to emphasize a two-strike approach with their hitters, but there’s only so much they can do.

“When you’ve got guys that’s capable of hitting the ball out the ballpark, it’s hard to tell them to cut their swing down because they don’t know what that is,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “And when you’ve got guys in the lineup that don’t have a lot of experience and you say, ‘Cut the swing down,’ they don’t know what that is. There’s a lot of baseball to be gathered around here, man.”

Washington paused for a moment and smiled. Before being hired by the Angels in November 2023, Washington spent seven years as the third-base coach and infield instructor on Atlanta Braves teams brimming with veteran, championship-caliber players. This Angels team is not that. It’s young and inexperienced, and Washington has to remind himself of that constantly.

He is a teacher at heart, and often that requires patience. His is being tested like never before.


The Brewers’ injury-riddled rotation has somehow found a way

Three Milwaukee Brewers starting pitchers — DL Hall, Tobias Myers and Aaron Ashby — landed on the injured list with soft-tissue injuries during spring training. Two more, Aaron Civale and Nestor Cortes, went on the shelf within the regular season’s first week. By that point, the list of starting pitchers on the IL stretched to seven. And yet, in the most Brewers way possible, their rotation followed with a miraculous run.

From April 6-22, the foursome of Freddy Peralta, Chad Patrick, Jose Quintana and Quinn Priester combined for a 1.55 ERA over 63⅔ innings. The Brewers began the season by allowing 47 runs in 33 innings, but since then, their starting rotation boasts the fifth-lowest ERA in the majors at 3.08.

Peralta is a bona fide top-of-the-rotation starter, but Quintana is a 36-year-old who signed for a mere $4 million in March; Priester is a failed first-round pick acquired in a minor trade early last month; and Patrick is a 26-year-old rookie who wasn’t on anybody’s radar when the season began.

But the Brewers have built a reputation for employing pitchers who overachieve. Because they can’t afford the high-ceiling arms who cost a fortune in free agency, they hammer their depth to raise their floor as much as possible. And to do so, they apply a simple concept: develop and acquire pitchers who fit their environment. More specifically, pitchers who benefit most from a strong infield defense.

Quintana, who can throw his sinker with more conviction with better defense behind him, posted a 1.14 ERA in his first four starts before allowing six runs to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Patrick, who boasts an elite cutter with two different shapes, has a 3.08 ERA in his first seven turns through the rotation. Priester, the 18th pick in 2019, had a 6.23 ERA in 99⅔ major league innings heading into 2025. But the Brewers were intrigued by a minor league track record in which he had roughly average strikeout and walk rates and kept more than half the batted balls against him on the ground. Priester maintained a 1.93 ERA through his first three starts before allowing 12 runs over his next 9⅓ innings.

That rough patch aside, Priester helped stabilize a Brewers rotation that was in dire straits when the season began. A key reinforcement could come by the end of this week, when Brandon Woodruff makes his long-awaited return from shoulder surgery. Woodruff has been fully healthy, pitching without restrictions, but his velocity has been down, his fastball sitting in the 92- to 94-mph range as opposed to the upper-90s heat he featured while pitching like an ace. When Woodruff returns, he might have to pitch differently.

The Brewers will probably figure it out.


The next hitting star on the Rays is actually … Jonathan Aranda?

The Tampa Bay Rays exceeded their international bonus pool in 2014, restricting them to signing players for no more than $300,000 over the next two years. And yet, leading up to the 2015 signing period, assistant general manager Carlos Rodríguez and then-international scouting supervisor Eddie Díaz traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, to watch a Cuban outfielder they could not afford: Randy Arozarena.

The trip proved to be beneficial years later, when the Rays acquired Arozarena from the St. Louis Cardinals and helped him become a star. But it was beneficial for another reason: It helped them discover Jonathan Aranda.

Rodríguez, at that time the director of Latin American scouting, asked Díaz to line up other prospects to see during the trip. Aranda was in that group and caught their eye. The Rays signed him for $130,000 in July 2015. Ten years later, they’re watching him blossom.

Aranda, a 26-year-old left-handed hitter, ranks third with 182 weighted runs created plus this season, behind only Aaron Judge and Alonso. He’s slashing .317/.417/.554 with 14 extra-base hits. And so far, at least, he’s stealing the spotlight from Junior Caminero, widely hailed as the Rays’ next hitting phenom. It’s easy to be skeptical — Aranda’s .971 OPS is 279 points higher than his career mark in 110 games going into 2025 — but those who know him best are adamant that this is real.

Aranda has always been an elite hitter. The question was how the Rays would fit him into their major league roster. He came up as a shortstop at around the same time Wander Franco surged through the system. By the time he was on the cusp of the major leagues, the likes of Yandy Diaz, Isaac Paredes, Brandon Lowe and Ji-man Choi occupied the other infield positions.

At one point, the Rays had Aranda try catching in hopes of getting his bat to the big leagues quicker. They felt he might have the arm and the hands for it. Aranda went back to Mexico and caught a handful of bullpen sessions but decided against it. He expressed confidence that his bat would eventually be enough to reach the majors.

It looked like it would in 2024. Aranda slashed .371/.421/.571 in 13 Grapefruit League games that spring and was primed to crack the Opening Day roster. But then he broke his right ring finger fielding a grounder, missed about five weeks and struggled for most of the ensuing season. It prompted a stint in winter ball, where he made small mechanical tweaks that have helped him thrive in the early part of 2025.

But mostly, Rays officials believe, Aranda’s success stems from finally having a pathway for consistent playing time, largely as the stronger half of a DH platoon. His splits are quite drastic — 1.066 OPS against righties, three hits in 18 at-bats against lefties — but Aranda profiles as a 20-plus home run hitter who can rack up doubles and control the strike zone. It just took him a bit to get there.


Max Muncy suddenly can’t hit home runs

Max Muncy went 106 plate appearances before finally hitting his first home run of 2025 on the final day of April. It marked the longest single-season homerless streak of his career, easily topping the 80-plate-appearance rut from 2022, according to ESPN Research.

His biggest issue was one that plagues many left-handed hitters who throw right-handed.

“He gets out on his front side pretty quickly,” Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates explained. “Part of the challenge for him is when he needs to start his leg kick and how to maintain balance as he’s striding forward. Because he throws with his right hand and hits lefty, the right side of his body kind of dominates his swing moving toward the pitcher, which is pretty common for a lot of guys. You look at Corey Seager, he’s pretty balanced. But a lot of times, when you have a lefty-righty-combo guy, they get kind of pulled that way. So that’s something that he has to constantly battle, and he has his whole career. When he’s synced up and he’s right, it’s great. And when he’s out of whack, he’s got to work to get it right.”

Muncy spent the better part of the first month working to sync up his timing, specifically when he drives his momentum forward. Few major league hitters stay on their back side through their entire load, Aaron Judge being a notable exception. But for most of this season, Muncy was getting to his front side too early, which resulted in fouling off hittable fastballs and struggling against breaking pitches.

“When you don’t trust yourself as a hitter, you don’t wanna get beat, and so you get off your backside sooner,” Bates said. “So it’s like the chicken or the egg.”

When Muncy settled into the batter’s box in the second inning on April 30, 305 players had already homered in the major leagues this season. Muncy, with four 35-plus-homer seasons on his résumé, was not one of them. That day, he debuted prescription eyeglasses he had been testing out during pregame workouts to combat astigmatism in his right eye. The hope, Muncy told reporters, was that the glasses would make him less left-eye dominant.

But the biggest issue was a swing he had tweaked to produce low line drives instead of fly balls but wound up making him drift forward too early. Getting his weight shift back to normal proved to be a slow process. But to Bates, an encouraging sign arrived two days before Muncy’s first home run — when he stayed back on a sinker and dumped an opposite-field line drive into left-center.

Muncy has produced just the one home run — putting him in the same boat as Alec Bohm, Bo Bichette and Xander Bogaerts, and one ahead of Joc Pederson, Tommy Pham and Gabriel Moreno — and still doesn’t seem fully in sync. But he’s carrying a slightly more respectable .750 OPS since the start of that game on April 30. He’s drawing walks, displaying some power, and at some point, Bates believes, the home runs will come in bunches.

“It can be any at-bat,” Bates said, “he’s homering.”

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