The 30: Astros stay on top while an unlikely slugger is powering the Yankees

Brett Gardner is doing his best Aaron Judge impression and helping New York to first place in the AL East and No. 2 in SI's baseball power rankings.

Jonah Keri

The 30: Astros stay on top while an unlikely slugger is powering the Yankees

The Astros are the hottest team in baseball, the Baby Bombers are getting help from an unlikely source, and the American League Central looks like a battle of attrition.

It’s the AL edition of The 30. Enjoy.

Note: Rankings are based on a combination of records, run differential, strength of schedule, recent performance, team health, and overall talent. “Last Time” reflects the rankings from the most recent edition of The 30, two weeks ago. We’ll be running The 30 every two weeks all season long, alternating between profiles of all American League teams, and all National League teams.

30. Philadelphia Phillies (19–35 record, minus-64 run differential, last time: 28)

29. San Francisco Giants (23–35, minus-64, LT: 26)

28. San Diego Padres (23–35, minus-94, LT: 30)

Jonah Keri

Jonah Keri is a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated and SI.com. He is the author of two books: Up, Up, And Away on the Montreal Expos and The New York Times bestseller The Extra 2% on the Tampa Bay Rays.