MLB Power Rankings: Fastball On SI Poll (July 1)

The Houston Astros made a big jump in Tuesday's Fastball On SI MLB power rankings poll after series wins over the Phillies and Cubs. Check out the full list below.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs at Daikin Park.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs at Daikin Park. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

All 30 MLB teams have officially passed the halfway point of the 2025 season as the calendar turns to July.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers are tied for the best record in MLB at 53-32, and both hold the largest leads in their respective divisions at 7.5 games and 11.5 games. The Dodgers finished the month strong, winning six of seven games against the Nationals, Rockies and Royals. The Tigers picked up series wins over the Athletics and Twins, heading into a six-game road trip.

The other division races remain tight heading into July. Though they've lost three of their last four games, the Rays went 17-10 in June and sit just 1.5 games behind the Yankees for the AL East lead. The Blue Jays have made a push, too, just two games back. There's a similar dynamic in the NL Central, as the Cubs' .500 record in June allowed the Brewers ad Cardinals to each come within three games of first place.

The Astros were the biggest risers in this week's power rankings, thanks to a 5-1 run against the Phillies and Cubs. The Phillies were still able to maintain their lead in the NL East, though, as the Mets have gone an abysmal 3-13 since June 13.

Here are the Fastball On SI MLB power rankings for July 1.

(This poll takes into account votes from four Fastball On SI MLB writers: Tom Brew, Jack Ankony, Teren Kowatsch and Sam Connon. First-place votes are worth 30 points, and last-place votes are worth one point. Ties broken by highest vote or votes, then overall record. Total points and first-place votes in parentheses.)

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers (119) (3)
  2. Detroit Tigers (117) (1)
  3. Houston Astros (111)
  4. Philadelphia Phillies (107)
  5. Chicago Cubs (104)
  6. New York Yankees (97)
  7. Tampa Bay Rays (97)
  8. New York Mets (91)
  9. Milwaukee Brewers (90)
  10. St. Louis Cardinals (83)
  11. Toronto Blue Jays (79)
  12. San Diego Padres (78)
  13. Cincinnati Reds (70)
  14. San Francisco Giants (68)
  15. Seattle Mariners (68)
  16. Texas Rangers (55)
  17. Los Angeles Angels (52)
  18. Arizona Diamondbacks (52)
  19. Cleveland Guardians (51)
  20. Boston Red Sox (46)
  21. Minnesota Twins (39)
  22. Atlanta Braves (35)
  23. Kansas City Royals (33)
  24. Baltimore Orioles (29)
  25. Miami Marlins (27)
  26. Pittsburgh Pirates (20)
  27. Washington Nationals (17)
  28. Athletics (12)
  29. Chicago White Sox (8)
  30. Colorado Rockies (4)
Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) celebrates with right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) after hitting a solo home run at Kauffman Stadium. | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Here's how each writer voted.

Tom Brew

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers
  2. Detroit Tigers
  3. Houston Astros 
  4. Philadelphia Phillies
  5. New York Yankees
  6. Chicago Cubs
  7. Tampa Bay Rays 
  8. Milwaukee Brewers
  9. New York Mets
  10. Toronto Blue Jays
  11. San Diego Padres 
  12. St. Louis Cardinals
  13. Cincinnati Reds
  14. San Francisco Giants
  15. Seattle Mariners
  16. Texas Rangers
  17. Arizona Diamondbacks
  18. Cleveland Guardians
  19. Los Angeles Angels
  20. Boston Red Sox 
  21. Baltimore Orioles
  22. Minnesota Twins
  23. Kansas City Royals
  24. Atlanta Braves
  25. Miami Marlins
  26. Pittsburgh Pirates
  27. Washington Nationals
  28. The Athletics
  29. Chicago White Sox 
  30. Colorado Rockies

Comments: OK, I'm finally caving and moving the Los Angeles Dodgers into the No. 1 spot over the Detroit Tigers. Detroit's just 13-11 since June 3, so I'm moving them down a notch. I still think they are the best team in the American League, and Tarik Skubal pitched another gem this weekend. 

Kudos to the Pittsburgh Pirates for moving up a few notches after they embarrassed the New York Mets over the weekend, outscoring them 30-4. And that was with Paul Skenes NOT pitching. Glad to see the Pirates showing some signs of life. I've dropped the Mets six spots in two weeks and, frankly, it should have been more. But these are full season rankings, so they're still getting a little love for their hot start.

I've got Houston all the way up to No. 3 now, and I have to admit, they are the surprise team of the year for me. I thought losing Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker was going to crush them offensively, and Yordan Alvarez has been out two months. The pitching has been great, and their 19-7 record in June is impressive. 

Tampa Bay Ray
Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Christopher Morel (24) celebrates with first baseman Curtis Mead (25) after defeating the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Jack Ankony

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers
  2. Detroit Tigers
  3. Houston Astros
  4. Chicago Cubs
  5. Philadelphia Phillies
  6. Tampa Bay Rays
  7. New York Mets
  8. New York Yankees
  9. Milwaukee Brewers
  10. St. Louis Cardinals
  11. Toronto Blue Jays
  12. Cincinnati Reds
  13. San Diego Padres
  14. Seattle Mariners
  15. San Francisco Giants
  16. Texas Rangers
  17. Cleveland Guardians
  18. Atlanta Braves
  19. Los Angeles Angels
  20. Boston Red Sox
  21. Arizona Diamondbacks
  22. Minnesota Twins
  23. Kansas City Royals
  24. Miami Marlins
  25. Pittsburgh Pirates
  26. Baltimore Orioles
  27. Washington Nationals
  28. The Athletics
  29. Chicago White Sox
  30. Colorado Rockies

Comments: My top two remain the same from last week, but the Houston Astros made a big jump from No. 7 to No. 3. They won five of six home games against the Cubs and Phillies, who haven’t played their best lately but still lead their respective divisions. The Cubs grew their division lead to 6.5 games not too long ago, but it’s back down to two, as the Brewers, Cardinals and Reds each have better records in June.

I chalked up the Mets’ struggles last week to playing tough competition, but my concern for them ticked up this week after getting swept in Pittsburgh and splitting a four-game set at home against the Braves. The Dodgers have created some breathing room atop the NL West, thanks to the Giants losing five of six to the Marlins and White Sox and the Padres dropping a series in Cincinnati. It was also a good week for some of the teams that have sat at the bottom of our rankings for most of the season: the White sox, Orioles, Pirates and Marlins.

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) high-fives shortstop Bo Bichette (11) after scoring a run against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Teren Kowatsch

  1. Detroit Tigers
  2.  Los Angeles Dodgers
  3. Philadelphia Phillies
  4. Houston Astros
  5. Chicago Cubs
  6. New York Mets
  7. Tampa Bay Rays
  8. New York Yankees
  9. Milwaukee Brewers
  10. St. Louis Cardinals
  11. Toronto Blue Jays
  12. San Diego Padres
  13. Seattle Mariners
  14. Cincinnati Reds
  15. San Francisco Giants
  16. Los Angeles Angels
  17. Arizona Diamondbacks
  18. Cleveland Guardians
  19. Boston Red Sox
  20. Minnesota Twins
  21. Texas Rangers
  22. Atlanta Braves
  23. Kansas City Royals
  24. Miami Marlins
  25. Baltimore Orioles
  26. Washington Nationals
  27. Pittsburgh Pirates
  28. The Athletics
  29. Chicago White Sox
  30. Colorado Rockies

Comments: Two weeks out of the All-Star Break, there's finally some separation being created across the majors. The Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers have started to pull away from the rest of the clubs in their division.

The NL Central, NL East and AL East have become more competitive than most would have thought the month ago. For teams not in first place in the less competitive divisions, it's starting to become Wild Card or bust.

Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (22) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Colorado Rockies at American Family Field. | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Sam Connon

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers
  2. Detroit Tigers
  3. Houston Astros
  4. Chicago Cubs
  5. Philadelphia Phillies
  6. New York Yankees
  7. Tampa Bay Rays
  8. Milwaukee Brewers
  9. St. Louis Cardinals
  10. San Diego Padres
  11. New York Mets
  12. San Francisco Giants
  13. Toronto Blue Jays
  14. Seattle Mariners
  15. Cincinnati Reds
  16. Texas Rangers
  17. Arizona Diamondbacks
  18. Los Angeles Angels
  19. Boston Red Sox
  20. Cleveland Guardians
  21. Minnesota Twins
  22. Kansas City Royals
  23. Baltimore Orioles
  24. Miami Marlins
  25. Atlanta Braves
  26. Pittsburgh Pirates
  27. Washington Nationals
  28. Athletics
  29. Chicago White Sox
  30. Colorado Rockies

Comments: Besides the Mets' continued free fall, the top few tiers of contenders remained relatively stable this past week. The Cubs now have company in the NL Central, while the Marlins' emergence on the road has seemingly elevated them from the cellars. On top of that, the Pirates, Nationals and Athletics all playing .500 ball as of late basically just means there are fewer cream puffs left for teams to rack up empty wins against.

Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson (30) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off single to beat the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Related MLB stories

  • PCA, TUCKER MAKE HISTORY: Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker are the first duo in over 100 years to each record at least 30 extra-base hits and 20 stolen bases entering July. CLICK HERE
  • TIGERS HOLD COMMANDING LEAD: The Tigers have an 11.5-game lead in the AL Central, tied for the sixth-largest division lead entering July since divisions began in 1969. CLICK HERE
  • JUDGE'S HISTORIC FEAT: The New York Yankees' slugger recorded 30 home runs and 110 hits by the end of June, a first-time accomplishment in MLB history. CLICK HERE

Published | Modified
Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony covers baseball for “Fastball on SI.” He has been with the Sports Illustrated network since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism in 2022. Follow Jack on Twitter @ankony_jack