SAN FRANCISCO -- With the MLB season approaching the one-third mark, heated division races might be somewhat a thing of the past.
Three of the six division leaders already have a cushion of at least 7 1/2 games, with the New York Mets leading the Atlanta Braves by 8 1/2 games and the Houston Astros holding a similar edge over the free-falling Los Angeles Angels. In the AL East, which was supposed to be the best and tightest race, the New York Yankees are running away from the pack.
The most intense races in September could be for the new third Wild Card spot. In the AL, six teams are currently separated by three games in the race for that final entry. In the NL, the Giants, fresh off a disappointing 5-5 road trip, have the Atlanta Braves coming up fast.
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The new playoff spot could lead to a lot of drama in September. For now, here are our first power rankings of June:
30. Kansas City Royals (17-35): We have a new team bringing up the rear. The Royals have the worst winning percentage in baseball, the worst run differential (minus-81) and have to be wondering what they did wrong with Jakob Junis, who had a 4.82 ERA in five seasons in Kansas City but is currently at 2.51 for the Giants.
29. Cincinnati Reds (18-35): It's pretty amazing how good big league hitters have gotten at smacking around 100-mph pitches. Rookie Hunter Greene averages 98.6 mph with his fastball, but opposing hitters are batting .383 against the pitch.
28. A's (20-36): They've lost six in a row and they're already 16 games out in the AL West. Some team is going to jump the market and sell well before the deadline, and it might as well be the A's, who could get a very nice package back for Frankie Montas.
27. Washington Nationals (21-35): President of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said they're not trading Juan Soto, and perhaps that freed him up a bit. Soto hit three homers as they took three straight from the Reds over the weekend.
26. Detroit Tigers (21-33): Reliever Alex Lange, in his second year in the big leagues, is starting to show off some of the nastiest stuff in the game:
25. Colorado Rockies (23-31): For just the second time in Coors Field history, the Rockies played a game that was scoreless into extra innings. It was 0-0 through nine with the Braves on Friday, but the Manfred Runner led to some wildness in the 10th and the Braves won 4-1.
24. Baltimore Orioles (23-33): Look, being a rookie catcher is hard. Adley Rutschman, the best prospect in the minors coming into this season, has a .137/.228/.196 slash line with no homers through his first 13 games.
23. Pittsburgh Pirates (24-28): The Pirates are owners of the single most shocking result of the season when they swept the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Their social media team (probably rightfully) treated it like it was the World Series:
22. Chicago Cubs (23-32): Caleb Kilian, the right-hander who was one of two Giants prospects sent over for Kris Bryant last July, made his MLB debut on Saturday. Kilian gave up three earned in five innings and struck out six while showing the kind of stuff that has the Cubs so excited about his potential. He's someone the Giants might one day miss.
21. Seattle Mariners (24-30): Donovan Walton has worked out well for the Giants, but the Mariners have seen some good early signs from Prelander Berroa, the pitcher they got back. He has 13 walks in 15 2/3 innings since the trade but also 24 strikeouts.
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20: Miami Marlins (22-30): As the Giants saw on Thursday, right-hander Sandy Alcantara is the current frontrunner for the NL Cy Young Award. Alcantara leads the league in innings and opponents' average, ranks second in ERA and wins, and is third in strikeouts.
19. Texas Rangers (25-28): The steal of the offseason was left-hander Martin Perez, who signed for $4 million and has a 1.56 ERA through 11 starts.
18. Chicago White Sox (25-27): A year ago, it seemed like they had an unfair amount of young talent. But they're currently 28th in the majors in OPS.
17. Arizona Diamondbacks (26-29): The strikeout rate is a career low and the walk rate a career high, but Madison Bumgarner is doing a good job of limiting hits and damage. Through 11 starts, he has a 3.31 ERA, which would be his lowest since 2018.
16. Los Angeles Angels (27-28): Turns out Mike Trout is human. He's hitless in his last 26 at-bats and, on a related note, the Angels have lost 11 straight.
15. Cleveland Guardians (24-25): Man, it would have been cool to see Jose Ramirez on a real contender. He's third in the majors in OPS (1.025), behind only Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt.
14. Philadelphia Phillies (25-29): Their problems go well beyond the managerial chair, but firing Joe Girardi at least gave them a jolt. They responded by sweeping the slumping Angels, and Bryce Harper provided a reminder on Sunday that the Giants were absolutely right to walk him with the game on the line earlier in the week:
13. Boston Red Sox (27-27): A reminder -- for whenever the Juan Soto Sweepstakes restart -- that you should always trade the prospects if you're getting the superstar: Alex Verdugo has a .246/.288/.361 slash line in his third season in Boston, while Mookie Betts might end up being NL MVP.
12. Atlanta Braves (28-27): The reigning champs have won five straight to get back into the race in the NL. It might be tough for them to catch the Mets, but they certainly look capable of making life more difficult for the Giants, who have been chilling in that third Wild Card spot through all their struggles the last month.
11. Tampa Bay Rays (31-23): It's incredible how they just keep churning out good relief pitchers. J.P. Feyereisen came over in the Willy Adames trade last year and currently is working on 22 consecutive appearances to start the year without an earned run. The right-hander had allowed just seven hits in his 24 1/3 innings.
10. Giants (29-24): At the start of their road trip, it looked like they were about to fall hopelessly behind in the NL West race. But they did okay on the back end and the Dodgers had a 2-5 homestand, so the Giants return home just 5 1/2 out, and they have the Dodgers coming to town this weekend. First, three games against the last-place Rockies.
9. Toronto Blue Jays (31-22): Former A's star Matt Chapman is struggling with his move to the AL East. He's hitting just .315 with a .680 OPS.
8. Minnesota Twins (32-24): Maybe Carlos Correa won't end up opting out after the first season of his three-year deal? He has a .751 OPS and just three homers through his first 35 games in Minnesota.
7. St. Louis Cardinals (32-23): In Paul Goldschmidt, Tommy Edman and Nolan Arenado, they currently have three of the top five in the NL in Wins Above Replacement.
6. San Diego Padres (33-21): It sounds like it'll be a while before they have superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. back in the lineup. He has been slow to recover from wrist surgery and hasn't swung a bat yet, meaning those optimistic projections of a late June return appear to be out the window.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (33-23): Josh Hader this season: 17 2/3 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 6 walks, 28 strikeouts. He recently saved both ends of a doubleheader against the Cubs. The game's best reliever, and there's no reason to even really discuss anyone else.
4. Houston Astros (35-19): Mauricio Dubon has struggled to get going in Houston, going 4-for-24 through his first 11 appearances. Nearly all of his action has come in center field.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (35-19): With Walker Buehler not looking like himself and Clayton Kershaw and Andrew Heaney on the IL, they have been absolutely saved by one-time Giant Tyler Anderson. He hasn't allowed a run in his last 26 innings and is 7-0 with a 2.59 ERA.
2. New York Mets (37-19): Owner Steve Cohen will likely never let Pete Alonso hit free agency, but if he does somehow test the market, the Giants and Padres should hold a bidding war. Alonso has seven homers and 16 RBI in a dozen career games at Dodger Stadium.
1. New York Yankees (35-19): Their five starters currently have ERAs of 1.50, 2.30, 2.78, 2.95 and 3.02. Their new closer, Clay Holmes, has allowed one run this season. The Bronx Bombers very quietly built the best pitching staff in baseball.