We’re just three weeks into the 2025 MLB season, and the standings are already giving us plenty to chew on, from the NL West’s collective excellence to Atlanta’s shockingly slow start to an American League that appears entirely up for grabs.
One of the best things about April in any season is the emergence of players who were barely on the radar when the season began, in turn altering our idea of their importance and role on the roster. This week’s power rankings take a look at those surprise contributors across the league so far in 2025.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (14-6)
On a roster practically overflowing with superstars, how about Jack Dreyer, a 26-year-old rookie who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2021, becoming one of Dave Roberts’ most trusted bullpen options? He doesn’t throw nearly as hard as the higher-profile hurlers on the L.A. pitching staff, but Dreyer has been every bit as effective (0.75 ERA, 16 strikeouts in 12 innings), and his developmental arc is a nice reminder that the Dodgers do a lot of things well beyond spending boatloads of cash.
2. San Diego Padres (15-4)
Can Randy Vásquez keep getting away with it? The right-hander has a 1.74 ERA through four starts and 20 ⅔ innings, but his poor peripherals (14 walks, just eight strikeouts) suggest some harsh regression might be coming soon. Vásquez’s concerningly low strikeout rate in 2024 seemingly put his rotation spot in jeopardy, but injuries have necessitated a return to the role in 2025. He has completely overhauled his repertoire, dramatically reducing his four-seam fastball usage in favor of more cutters and sweepers. The underlying metrics aren’t pretty, but the results have been there so far. Let’s see if he can keep it up.
3. San Francisco Giants (13-6)
Wilmer Flores being tied for the NL home run lead and leading MLB in RBI stands out, but Randy Rodriguez looks like an absolute weapon in the late innings for manager Bob Melvin’s bullpen, and his dominant start to the season feels far more sustainable than Flores’ gaudy production. Rodriguez’s strike-throwing has notably improved as a sophomore, allowing his incredible raw stuff to play up further. He has had some trouble with inherited runners but has been outstanding otherwise, striking out 13 batters across 8 ⅔ innings with zero walks and just six hits allowed. Rodriguez leads all relievers in fWAR.
4. Philadelphia Phillies (11-8)
If Taijuan Walker can prove capable of being a respectable No. 5 starter — as opposed to maybe the worst pitcher in baseball, as he was a year ago — that would be a huge boon for this Phillies pitching staff, especially amidst Aaron Nola’s early struggles and Ranger Suarez still being on the IL. Walker has done his part in the early going, with scoreless outings in two of his three starts.
5. Chicago Cubs (12-9)
A year after Cubs backstops ranked 27th in wRC+ and 29th in fWAR, Miguel Amaya and free-agent signing Carson Kelly have been one of the most productive catching tandems in baseball this season, slashing a combined .314/.405/.614 through three weeks of play. Amaya settling in as Chicago’s primary catcher has been a long time coming, but Kelly’s offensive surge has been a pleasant surprise, considering his .681 career OPS entering the season.
6. New York Yankees (12-7)
The Yankees don’t have Juan Soto anymore, but one part of that trade is still making a difference in the outfield: Trent Grisham. Grisham was reasonably productive when called upon in 2024, but he was a complete nonfactor down the stretch and in October, suggesting that his role on the 2025 team would be minimal, if he even remained on the roster. It’d still be foolish to count on his OPS staying above 1.000 for long, but it’s clear now that there is a place for Grisham on this team, and he should continue to provide a solid center-field glove and the occasional big swing at the plate.
7. New York Mets (12-7)
Griffin Canning was pretty far down the list of notable offseason acquisitions for the Mets, yet he has proven to be a wholly dependable rotation option while Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas work their way back from injury. Canning allowed more earned runs than any other American League pitcher while with the Angels in 2024 but showed flashes of mid-rotation upside earlier in his career; he seems to be rediscovering that form in Queens.
8. Arizona Diamondbacks (12-7)
Shelby Miller bounced among six (!) teams after his first stint as a D-back ended following the 2018 season and now has remarkably found his way back to the desert, where he has been a key contributor for Arizona’s surprisingly stout bullpen. It’s a cool story for the 34-year-old, whose elite underlying metrics indicate that he has been every bit as dominant as his 0.00 ERA would suggest.
9. Detroit Tigers (11-8)
Jake Rogers’ oblique injury opened the door for 26-year-old Dillon Dingler to get some consistent run as Detroit’s regular backstop, and Dingler has responded well. Whereas Rogers’ carrying trait is his advanced defensive acumen, Dingler — who also played a lot of center field in college — offers rare athleticism for the position and a much higher ceiling with the bat. It’ll be interesting to see how AJ Hinch chooses to split the playing time once Rogers returns.
10. Toronto Blue Jays (11-8)
For all the understandable focus on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. amidst his historic extension and Bo Bichette with his free agency looming, it has been George Springer leading the charge offensively for the Blue Jays. The 35-year-old is hitting .375/.436/.604 and has even filled in some in center field with Daulton Varsho working his way back from shoulder surgery. Hopefully the wrist injury Springer suffered on a swing last Sunday won’t derail his hot start.
11. Seattle Mariners (10-9)
After a forgettable first year as a Mariner, Jorge Polanco has been the team’s best hitter in the early going of his second season with Seattle. An oblique injury is currently limiting the switch-hitter to DH duties and only swinging lefty, yet he has made a huge difference when inserted into the lineup.
12. Texas Rangers (12-7)
While Jacob deGrom has thus far been a minor disappointment in his full-season return from Tommy John surgery, Tyler Mahle — who had elbow surgery a few weeks before deGrom in 2023 — has been excellent, already exceeding the modest expectations for his role as a mid-rotation starter. He has allowed just two total runs across his four starts and is the only starting pitcher to complete seven innings against the high-powered Cubs offense in 2025.
13. Milwaukee Brewers (10-9)
Making a ton of contact and playing excellent defense have been Sal Frelick’s bread and butter since early in his career, but he might be on the verge of leveling up in an exciting way in his age-25 season. Frelick’s .862 OPS leads all Brewers bats, and he has reached base at least once in 17 of his 18 starts. This is the caliber of player Milwaukee hoped it was getting when it selected Frelick 15th in the 2021 draft.
14. Boston Red Sox (10-10)
As one of baseball’s top overall prospects, Kristian Campbell winning Boston’s second-base job to open the season wasn’t a massive shock. But for him to already be one of Boston’s most consistent and productive hitters (156 wRC+) in a lineup loaded with accomplished bats? That’s damn impressive and only further validates Boston’s decision to sign him to a long-term extension just a handful of games into his big-league career.
15. Tampa Bay Rays (8-11)
Apparently Kameron Misner’s walk-off home run on Opening Day was not merely a fluky highlight for an unremarkable role player but instead a sign of big things to come. The 27-year-old has grabbed hold of the Rays’ center-field job and continued to mash, even moving up to the leadoff spot in Thursday’s series opener against the Yankees. In Misner and Jonathan Aranda, the Rays boast two of the more out-of-nowhere impact bats of 2025 thus far.
Can the Padres or Giants usurp the Dodgers atop our MLB power rankings?
(Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)
16. Baltimore Orioles (8-10)
With free agency looming this winter, Cedric Mullins is one of the more intriguing characters for the Orioles this season, and even more so now with his spectacular start to the year, in which he leads Baltimore in virtually every offensive category. Mullins has been open about his desire to remain an Oriole long-term; we’ll see if the extension-shy Orioles reciprocate that interest before Mullins reaches the open market.
17. Cleveland Guardians (9-9)
Gabriel Arias’ physical tools have impressed for years, but he has struggled to translate them into production at the highest level. The surprising offseason trade of Andres Gimenez opened up playing time for Arias to prove he can be an important part of Cleveland’s future. Early returns have been encouraging, with Arias tied for the team lead in home runs with four, albeit with a ton of swing-and-miss along the way.
18. Houston Astros (8-10)
Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith were the co-headliners in the trade return for Kyle Tucker, but don’t sleep on Hayden Wesneski as a sneaky important third member of that blockbuster deal. The 27-year-old right-hander earned a spot in the rotation in spring training and has looked the part so far, striking out 21 batters compared to just three walks across 18 innings. If he can do a better job of limiting the long ball, he could become a really important part of this Astros pitching staff.
19. Atlanta Braves (5-13)
Spencer Schwellenbach deserves a mention, even after his rough outing in Toronto earlier this week, considering how sharp he looked in his first three starts. If Reynaldo Lopez is going to be out for most or all of the remainder of the season and Chris Sale isn’t going to pitch at a Cy Young level again, Schwellenbach’s importance cannot be overstated if the Braves want to have any chance of climbing back into the NL East race.
20. Cincinnati Reds (9-10)
Thursday’s collective meltdown against the Mariners aside, the Reds’ relief corps has been fairly reliable in the early going, even with closer Alexis Diaz missing most of the first few weeks due to injury. Graham Ashcraft has looked particularly sharp in his long-expected transition to a relief role after struggling to harness his stuff effectively as a starter in his first three big-league seasons.
21. St. Louis Cardinals (9-10)
The Cardinals were the last team to sign a major-league free agent this past offseason, agreeing to a one-year deal with reliever Phil Maton in March. That’s hardly the most exhilarating hot stove move that a team could make, but give credit where credit is due: Maton has been tremendous so far, recording 10 scoreless outings with 10 strikeouts and zero walks.
22. Kansas City Royals (8-12)
A rotation that features two pitchers coming off top-four AL Cy Young finishes (Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans) is currently being led in innings and ERA by Kris Bubic. It has been a fantastic transition back into a rotation role for the 27-year-old southpaw, who spent last season excelling out of the bullpen as he worked his way back from elbow surgery. This Royals pitching staff is legit, but it might not matter if the offense can’t score enough runs.
23. Los Angeles Angels (9-9)
He has already cooled off considerably since his scorching start, but Kyren Paris launching five home runs after hitting .167 with four home runs across 60 minor-league games in 2024 is a rather astonishing development. If he can cut down on the strikeouts and continue to access his power while demonstrating defensive versatility, Paris could establish himself as a key member of the Angels’ position-player core.
24. Minnesota Twins (7-12)
Free-agent signings Ty France and Harrison Bader have both been rare bright spots for an offense that has shown very little promise otherwise. It’s nice to see France back on track after his career started to go sideways following his All-Star campaign in 2023, and any offense the Twins can get from Bader feels like a bonus, considering his terrific outfield glove.
25. Athletics (9-10)
Tyler Soderstrom is on pace to hit 76 home runs. Need I say more? This A’s lineup had serious potential entering the season, on the basis of Brent Rooker’s and Lawrence Butler’s breakouts in 2024, but Jacob Wilson’s arrival and Soderstrom’s epic power surge might have raised the ceiling even further.
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26. Pittsburgh Pirates (8-12)
A disastrous first week from the two relievers thought to be atop the Buccos’ bullpen hierarchy (David Bednar and Colin Holderman) has been somewhat redeemed by the steadiness of four lower-profile bullpen arms. Dennis Santana, Caleb Ferguson, Joey Wentz, and Justin Lawrence have combined for a 1.21 ERA across 37 ⅓ innings of work.
27. Miami Marlins (8-10)
Matt Mervis always mashed in the minors while coming up through the Cubs’ system, but he was squeezed off the roster and traded to Miami after struggling in his brief big-league stints over the past two years. Now he’s getting consistent playing time at 1B and DH for the Fightin’ Fish and demonstrating the gigantic raw power that made him an appealing prospect: Six of his 11 hits have left the yard, putting him in a tie atop the NL home run leaderboard.
28. Washington Nationals (7-12)
Coming off a solid debut campaign in which he ranked fourth among rookie hurlers in innings pitched, Mitchell Parker has continued to be a steady presence in the Washington rotation. He has completed at least six innings in all four of his starts, and his 1.85 ERA ranks eighth-lowest among 74 MLB arms with at least 20 innings pitched.
29. Chicago White Sox (4-14)
Any Rule 5 pick who can immediately look like a competent big leaguer is a success in and of itself, and right-hander Shane Smith has certainly met that standard through his first three starts. In an organization with a lot of exciting homegrown pitching on the way, Smith’s high-octane stuff might warrant him sticking in this rotation long-term.
30. Colorado Rockies (3-15)
With so many young players getting substantial playing time, it’s definitely not a good sign that veteran utilityman Kyle Farmer has been Colorado’s most consistent hitter. We’ll see if new hitting coach Clint Hurdle (!) can help spark some offense beyond Farmer’s surprising contributions.
