2023 Vendetta MLB Power Rankings: July
We are roughly at the halfway point of the 2023 MLB season, with the 2023 All-Star break being next season. We won’t spoil it below–even though you probably have a good idea of who it is–but we even have a new King of the Hill this month! O.K., enough chitter chatter, let’s hop into our 2023 July MLB Power Rankings!
30. Oakland Athletics
Last month: 30
Average: 30
(Matt Hanifan 30, Julian Casciano 30, Jack Sabin 30)
The Athletics are still the worst team in MLB and come in last in our July power rankings, even though they had one of the most enjoyable seven-game win streaks you’ll see this season. They also proved that their fanbase legitimately cares! That’s a different topic for a different day, however.
29. Kansas City Royals
Last month: 29
Average: 29
(Matt 29, Julian 29, Jack 29)
Even after taking two of three from the Dodgers over the weekend, this team is still a disaster. Arguably their best hitter up to this point was Vinnie Pasquantino, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury earlier in June. But the Royals have not gotten a productive sum from its young players thus far and don’t have many tradeable assets come the deadline, which is an issue.
28. Colorado Rockies
Last month: 27
Average: 28
(Matt 28, Julian 28, Jack 28)
I won’t waste a lot of time here. The Rockies, who come in as the worst NL squad in this month’s power rankings, simply aren’t good and won’t be any time soon. Ownership doesn’t know what it’s doing and it’s destroying this team. The signing of Kris Bryant will never make sense to me and signifies that this team doesn’t want to truly rebuild. They need a lot to happen before they can even be good. Let’s hope they have some prospects that pan out because there isn’t a whole lot else. — Sabin
27. Washington Nationals
Last month: 28
Average: 26.33
(Matt 27, Julian 27, Jack 25)
There isn’t too much to say about this Nationals team that wasn’t mentioned in June. This team just is not good right now and is clearly building for the future. Josiah Gray earned his first All-Star appearance so good for him I suppose. But aside from that there isn’t a whole lot going on with this team. Kiebert Ruiz continues to struggle with MacKenzie Gore not doing much better–something Nationals fans can’t stand. Guys like those are the future but right now they simply aren’t playing like it. — Sabin
26. Detroit Tigers
Last month: 25
Average: 25.67
(Matt 24, Julian 26, Jack 27)
It’s been a roller coaster for the Tigers this season, who have lost one series since June 15, especially with the number of injuries that have hit their rotation and lineup. Kerry Carpenter has emerged onto the scene and has a .905 OPS over his last 23 games, but the rest of the lineup hasn’t consistently performed well outside of a healthy Riley Greene. It’s been a better season than what many expected of Detroit up to this point, but they’re still going to be sellers at the deadline. It’s just a matter of who they sell, and for what?
25. Chicago White Sox
Last month: 26
Average: 24.67
(Matt 26, Julian 25, Jack 23)
The Luis Robert Jr. surge has been a joy to watch. He’s slashing .327/.397/.740 (1.132) over his last 27 games with 12 home runs and 19 RBIs; over his last 12, his OPS buoys to 1.259 with seven home runs and 11 RBIs. The rest of the lineup has been subpar outside of Jake Burger and Eloy Jimenez, when he’s been healthy. This is also a bottom-10 pitching staff, even though Lucas Giolito has looked serviceable after a rocky first couple of starts.
24. St. Louis Cardinals
Last month: 22
Average: 24.33
(Matt 25, Julian 24, Jack 24)
What on God’s green earth is happening to this Cardinals team? Early in the season many of us thought this was just a rut that they would eventually work through. But at this point, I think this is just what the Cardinals are: A bad baseball team. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt just can’t do enough to carry this team and the pitching has just been horrible. Miles Mikolas looked like he was getting on track before he had a few more horrible starts. It’s confusing because this team isn’t much different from the one that was in the playoffs just last year. I know technically there is time but I’m about ready to stick a fork into this Cardinals team. — Sabin
23. Chicago Cubs
Last month: 23
Average: 21.67
(Matt 21, Julian 18, Jack 26)
While the Cubs haven’t been as bad as they were during that terrible month of May. There still hasn’t been a drastic improvement. This team isn’t bad but also isn’t very good. Marcus Stroman has turned himself into an ace but it won’t be enough to take this team to the playoffs. The future does look somewhat bright for the Cubs but as of this season, it’s been a whole lot of meh. — Sabin
22. Pittsburgh Pirates
Last month: 17
Average: 20.67
(Matt 23, Julian 23, Jack 16)
Remember when the Pirates were in the top 5 on these power rankings and leading the NL Central?? I know I do and frankly, I’m still surprised it ever happened. Nonetheless, we are back to reality and for this Pirates team, and reality is not a good thing. This Pirates team just isn’t good and it’s clear that they still need a few years before they make serious noise. — Sabin
21. Boston Red Sox
Last month: 16
Average: 20.67
(Matt 18, Julian 22, Jack 22)
The Red Sox swept the Blue Jays on the road?? The Red Sox swept the Blue Jays on the road! While the squad has been mediocre for practically the entire season, Brayan Bello and rookie Masataka Yoshida look like the realest of deals. Jarren Duran is also having a very strong bounce-back season, slashing .310/.360/.495 with 26 doubles in 65 games. I’m not sure what Boston’s direction plans to go as the trade deadline, but there have been bright spots to an otherwise bleh season.
20. New York Mets
Last month: 11
Average: 20.33
(Matt 22, Julian 19, Jack 20)
Well, that couldn’t have gone any worse for the New York Mets. What a disastrous month. One game, it’s the starters. One game, it’s the bullpen. Then the defense makes an error and the game falls apart. Words cannot describe how badly this team underperformed in the month of June. A 7-19 record for a team with the highest payroll in MLB history is embarrassing. They lost games in disastrous fashion. Starling Marte is a shell of himself and needs to be moved regardless of how the team does in July. Justin Verlander hasn’t had back-to-back quality starts this season. The young guns, Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez, have both cooled off at the plate. Every button that Buck Showalter pressed is firing back in his face. This team desperately misses Edwin Diaz, as the lack of bullpen depth continued to show itself this month. The Mets need to act fast this season, as they sit seven games under .500. In my opinion, Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Diaz are the only “untouchables” on this team- everyone else can be traded if the team keeps losing. — Casciano
19. San Diego Padres
Last month: 18
Average: 20
(Matt 20, Julian 21, Jack 19)
Similarly to the Mets and Cardinals, the Padres are another National League playoff team from last year with a high payroll that has simply fallen apart. Back-to-back walk-offs against one of the teams they’re chasing, the Giants, really sting. When the Padres dropped a series at home against Washington, Xander Bogaerts took to the media to say: “C’mon, man, we’re playing the Nationals.” Honestly, this quote is indicative of what San Diego has been this season–disappointing. If your star player is saying that, that means there’s no motivation in the clubhouse. I’m not ready to declare them done, but the Giants, Dodgers and D-Backs have proven themselves to be strong contenders to win the division, and the Padres haven’t. — Casciano
18. Seattle Mariners
Last month: 14
Average: 19
(Matt 19, Julian 20, Jack 18)
It’s been an uneven first half for the Mariners despite having high hopes heading into the season. They have won four straight by a combined 13 runs, but are a dead even 42-42 with four games at Houston before the All-Star break They’re striking out at the second-highest clip in baseball and Julio Rodriguez and Ty France have largely been disappointments relative to their preseason expectations. They’re
17. Cleveland Guardians
Last month: 20
Average: 18
(Matt 17, Julian 16, Jack 21)
The Guardians’ offense is alive! They had MLB’s worst wRC+ over the first two months but have been No. 12 after scorching hot months from none other than Jose Ramirez (go figure), Will Brennan and Josh Naylor. The trio has combined for a .324/.370/.517 (141 wRC+) slash line with 37 extra-base hits, 12 home runs and 58 RBIs since the start of June. Keep an eye on the newest Guardians wunderkind Gavin Williams as well.
16. Minnesota Twins
Last month: 12
Average: 16.67
(Matt 16, Julian 17, Jack 17)
Ever since a promising April, the Twins have gone 12-15 each of the last two months. Joe Ryan spearheads a stellar rotation, but the lineup has been painfully average–that might be putting it lightly. Only two hitters with at least 200 plate appearances have a wRC+ of 110 or better: Donovan Solano (125) and Joey Gallo (118), even though he’s barely getting on base at a 31 percent clip. Only the Brewers (Christian Yelich) have fewer than two. Minnesota leads MLB in strikeout rate (26.8) and is in the bottom third in runs scored. If they want to compete in a brutal AL Central, they’re going to need more offense from their best bats, namely Carlos Correa.
15. Los Angeles Angels
Last month: 13
Average: 14.33
(Matt 15, Julian 13, Jack 15)
Shohei Ohtani posted a 1.444 OPS in June–the 12th-highest for any player in a single month in MLB history with at least 125 plate appearances in a given month, per Stathead. He also leads all of baseball with 31 home runs. He’s much-watch TV. It’s unfortunate that he and Mike Trout both suffered injuries in recent days, but the Angels still find themselves competing for a playoff spot and acquired Mike Moustakas on the same day they blew out Moustakas’ Rockies 25-1.
14. Milwaukee Brewers
Last month: 10
Average: 14.33
(Matt 14, Julian 15, Jack 14)
This Brewers team is a very weird one, but crack the top half of our July power rankings! Their offense is quite poor and struggles to put runs on the board. But their pitching up to this point has been elite and allows them to win many games they probably shouldn’t. I don’t think this recipe is one that is very sustainable and some changes need to be made to add some offense into this lineup. Despite all this, the Brewers are tied for first in the NL Central and will likely be buyers at the deadline. Let’s just hope for their sake that buying includes an upgraded bat. — Sabin
13. Cincinnati Reds
Last month: 24
Average: 12.33
(Matt 13, Julian 12, Jack 12)
Thanks to a 12-game winning streak, the Cincinnati Reds are rolling. This team is really good again, having won 21 of their last 27, and it’s thanks to the young superstars oozing out of every facet of this roster. Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Andrew Abbott, and TJ Friedl amongst many others. The farm is also strong. Alexis Diaz hasn’t blown a save this season. Joey Votto came back to the lineup and homered in his first game back. The NL Central leaders are fun, they’re winning and they’re selling out baseball games again at Great American Ballpark. — Casciano
12. Philadelphia Phillies
Last month: 21
Average: 11.33
(Matt 12, Julian 14, Jack 8)
After yet another slow start to the season, the Phillies find themselves getting hot in the month of July. Kyle Schwarber is doing his usual July with guys like Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper continuing to hit at an elite level. Taijuan Walker and Ranger Suarez have been lights out in July and it’s led to a lot of wins for this team. The talent is there for this Phillies team, they just have to make sure they don’t get too streaky and rely too much on one aspect of the game. — Sabin
11. Toronto Blue Jays
Last month: 9
Average: 11
(Matt 11, Julian 11, Jack 11)
We’re all still waiting for the Blue Jays to scorch the earth … right?? Right?!?! Well, I guess it’s unfair to be dismissive of their May 26-June 8 stretch when they won 10 of 13 with series wins over the Twins, Brewers, Mets and Astros. They also had three series wins over the red-hot Miami Marlins, Athletics and Giants, but got swept by the mediocre Red Sox over the weekend at home. It’s been a befuddling season for the Jays, to say the least, and they’re still just outside the top 10 in this month’s power rankings!
10. New York Yankees
Last month: 7
Average: 10.33
(Matt 8, Julian 10, Jack 13)
While the bats have muddled without star outfielder Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ pitching staff has been very good this season. Carlos Rodon is nearing his debut in pinstripes and their bullpen leads MLB in ERA and are top-5 in FIP. After a slow start, Anthony Volpe sports a .985 OPS over his last 19 games, including a 1.104 OPS over his last nine games.
9. Houston Astros
Last month: 5
Average: 9.33
(Matt 9, Julian 9, Jack 10)
The Astros are second in ERA (3.68) and are seventh in both FIP (4.01) and xFIP (4.02) across MLB. The offense has been a top 5 unit since the start of June despite missing Yordan Alvarez missing most of that stretch. Kyle Tucker, Chas McCormick, Yanier Diaz, Jose Abreu and Corey Julks have all stepped up offensively in Alvarez’s absence. The reigning champs are looking #dangerous once again and have inched the Rangers’ AL West lead over the last several weeks. Once again, you’ve been warned.
8. San Francisco Giants
Last month: 19
Average: 8.67
(Matt 10, Julian 7, Jack 9)
The Giants had a really big June with a 18-9 record. Logan Webb has been this team’s superstar pitcher, providing a ton of innings as the workhorse ace. Camilo Doval leads the National League in saves. The team is winning with guys like Joc Pederson, J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto, and LaMonte Wade Jr. The bottom line with the Giants is that the NL West is elite, and they need to improve their roster as well. I’m thinking another starter would do this team wonders. Don’t sleep on the Giants. — Casciano
7. Los Angeles Dodgers
Last month: 4
Average: 7.33
(Matt 7, Julian 8, Jack 7)
The Dodgers had a 12-13 month, with most notably, a shellacking given to them by the rival San Francisco Giants. Since SF swept them, however, they overtook the second-place spot in the division once again. Luckily for Los Angeles, the Dodgers’ schedule gets really light heading into the All-Star break. They’ll face the Royals, Pirates and Angels right before the break. Aside from the team’s play, Mookie Betts had an excellent month and Freddie Freeman reached the 2,000-hit milestone. Expect the Dodgers to shop at the deadline, as this team has room for improvement. Watch for this squad to grab an outfielder and a reliever. — Casciano
6. Miami Marlins
Last month: 15
Average: 6
(Matt 6, Julian 6, Jack 6)
Even without Sandy Alcantara pitching at his best, the Marlins have had amongst the best ERAs of any staff in the league. Eury Perez has been a big part of that, with a 2.47 ERA in seven starts. Miami went 19-8 in the month and is 2-2 to begin the new month. Do you know what good teams do? They take advantage of inferior opponents. That’s exactly what the Miami Marlins did in June when they went 14-2 against the A’s, Nationals, Pirates and Royals. Watch out for Miami come deadline time, because there are some holes on the roster to be filled. Expect Miami to continue to fight for an NL Wild card spot down the stretch this season. — Casciano
5. Baltimore Orioles
Last month: 6
Average: 4.67
(Matt 5, Julian 4, Jack 5)
The Orioles have come back to earth and are now just two games ahead of the Yankees for second place in the AL East. The offense has been slightly below average for the last month (96 wRC+), but has squeezed good production from Aaron Hicks, who got showered with boos in his return to Yankee Stadium over the weekend. Hicks has a .873 OPS (143 OPS+) with eight extra-base hits, four home runs and 12 RBIs in 26 games since signing.
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
Last month: 8
Average: 4
(Matt 4, Julian 5, Jack 3)
Arizona had another nice month. Playing over .500 is a big deal in the NL West, and going 17-10 is very solid. Corbin Carroll is starting in the All-Star game in his first full season of big-league play, and if it weren’t for Mookie Betts, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. would be starting as well. Ketel Marte had a flaming hot month. This lineup looks ferocious with 2 aces on the bump, although the team will be without Merrill Kelly for a stretch. I wouldn’t want to face them in a series come October. Oh, and by the way, the D-Backs are getting 2010-level production from Evan Longoria, who has a 134 OPS+! — Casciano
3. Texas Rangers
Last month: 3
Average: 3.33
(Matt 3, Julian 3, Jack 4)
The Rangers have dropped seven of their last 11, but still come in 3rd in this month’s power rankings. They were still the second-best offense in MLB in the month of June and got on base at a near 35 percent clip. The Rangers are still four games ahead of the Astros for the AL West lead and will be looking for more pitching help in the bullpen and rotation ahead of the trade deadline. The lineup–headed by Marcus Semien and Corey Seager–is as lethal as any in the sport, which is why they’re one of four teams in baseball with 50 wins.
2. Tampa Bay Rays
Last month: 1
Average: 2
(Matt 2, Julian 2, Jack 2)
The Rays have been buoyed by their offense this season, which has been one of the best in MLB this season, despite the injuries that have mauled their pitching staff–most recently to Shane McClanahan. They lead all of MLB in wRC+ and are top 3 in on-base percentage, slugging and isolated power with a slightly above-average strikeout rate. The Tampa Bay Rays have been a factory of pitching for the last several years, but they will need a bullpen arm or two before the end of the deadline.
1. Atlanta Braves
Last month: 2
Average: 1
(Matt 1, Julian 1, Jack 1)
We have a new power rankings leader! What a month for the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta ran through the month of June with an astounding 22-4 record. They didn’t lose a series in the month. When they played the most important division opponents like the Mets and Marlins, the lineup feasted. Matt Olson leads the National League in home runs. Ronald Acuna Jr. is running away with the NL MVP award … no, literally, he has 41 stolen bases already. Not to mention ace Spencer Strider has the most strikeouts in MLB by a wide margin. There isn’t a more complete team in the league than Atlanta, and all signs point to the Braves winning their sixth straight NL East title. — Casciano
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