Every week, the Pitcher List team will publish an update to our power rankings, highlighting three teams among the different tiers of contention. As always, the full rankings can be found at the bottom of this article, but where’s the fun in that?
With a little over two weeks of play, it all points to another season of parity in Major League Baseball, with only a few extremes and plenty of teams hanging around the fringes of contention, at least in the early going. A simple look at the standings shows that there is nary a division leader with a commanding cushion, and we will enter this week with no active winning or losing streak above four games. This constant exchange of wins and losses could give us a fun summer and hope for more than a few beleaguered fan bases, but it could also deprive us of seeing a truly dominant team (Dodgers excepted, of course).
In this even ecosystem, we will highlight three teams that are making a case for having more (or way less) than met the eye during the preseason. The Cubs and Blue Jays have navigated tough early schedules to jump to the top of their divisions, while the Twins have fallen into a troubling early hole that could prove insurmountable, especially when you consider their array of injuries. Let’s dive into what makes them our picks for this week.
Contender
No. 4 – Chicago Cubs
Record: 11-7
Following a disappointing 2024, it may have been easy to overlook the Cubs as a legit contender for this season. After all, this was a team that openly discussed their lack of intentions to invest in payroll and even subtracted from their roster. The acquisition of Kyle Tucker looked more like a one-year opportunity for him to raise his profile and then sign elsewhere, which has become part of Chicago’s latest identity. Instead, we may be seeing a true powerhouse starting to emerge in the Friendly Confines.
Chicago’s 11 wins make them one of only five teams in double digits at this point, but the quality of their opponents is what makes this start all the more impressive. Outside of a three-game set against the enigmatic A’s, the Cubs have only faced presumed contenders and more than held their own so far. The latest week finished with an impressive 4-2 road trip that included series wins against the Rangers and Dodgers, full of quality pitching but especially impressive hitting.
Tonight was a hit 😌
— Chicago Cubs (@cubsbot.bsky.social) 2025-04-13T04:03:37.000Z
Saturday’s 16-0 win over the Dodgers could prove to be the most shocking result of 2025. It was Chicago’s league-leading fifth game with at least 10 runs, and it handed LA their worst home shutout in franchise history. The Cubs are comfortably in the league’s top five in terms of OPS, homers, and doubles, while also being at the top in runs scored and stolen bases. A year after being sluggish, the offense can now go quickly from dynamic to overpowering, with Tucker leading the way but several other complementary pieces joining in on the fun. Veteran Carson Kelly has been a revelation, Michael Busch has a .926 OPS, and Pete Crow-Armstrong finished the Dodger series with an impressive two-homer game that also included a triple for good measure.
The week’s only blemish came in the form of an injury, as lefty Justin Steele will miss the rest of 2025. However, other pieces of the rotation have started to come around. Shota Imanaga is proving that there should be no sophomore slump in his repertoire, while Matthew Boyd is the owner of a 1.59 ERA. New closer Ryan Pressly has stabilized a bullpen that has overcome their early-season struggles, as manager Craig Counsell is back to his old ways of being a master of relief moves.
This momentum should be key for the Cubs, as the schedule-makers did them no favors. Their upcoming two weeks feature yet another murderers’ row of teams, as Chicago will close their season series against the Padres in San Diego, only to return home for an eight-game stand versus the Dbacks, Phillies, and those mighty Dodgers yet again. With no other NL Central team looking capable of matching their firepower, the Cubs are in prime position to navigate this early going before taking advantage of their weak divisional foes.
Steele’s injury should make the front office aggressive when it comes to adding a new starter to make up for his absence, as 2025 could become a pivotal season for the franchise. With Tucker also becoming a clear fan favorite, there will be pressure to keep him around for the long term, as expensive as that might be. Just like DJ Khaled, the Cubs could be victims of their own success, but that is exactly what the Wrigley faithful are hoping for.
The Middle
No. 11 – Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 9-7
For many years, the fate of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the dominant topic around Toronto, as the young star was the subject of all kinds of speculation. While the Blue Jays could have traded him for a massive haul as early as last year, it became clear that keeping Vladdy became almost a matter of civic pride in Canada, as the Montreal-born Guerrero had the chance of becoming the most important player in franchise history. Following an offseason that failed to produce an extension, it looked as if Guerrero would play out an awkward walk year in 2025, just as the franchise was on the outskirts of contention in the league’s closest division.
Instead, the front office ponied up the dough and delivered the best bit of news in years for the fanbase, as Guerrero was finally locked up to a massive deal. Despite his slow start to the season, Vladdy signed a $500-million extension that will likely keep him a Blue Jay for the rest of his career. The massive announcement has appeared to rally the troops in Toronto, as the team is coming off a banner week that reminded everyone how they can be a contender.
Believe in yourselves the way Vladimir Guerrero Jr. believes in himself. #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@keeganmatheson.bsky.social) 2025-04-08T22:52:50.516Z
The week kicked off with a tough four-game set in Boston, in which a late-game blown lead prevented the Blue Jays from having an impressive sweep. Nevertheless, Toronto outscored the Red Sox 17-8 in the series, including a win over their ace Garrett Crochet. A rainout cut the weekend’s matchup against the Orioles to only two games, which produced a series split for a very respectable 4-2 road trip that has placed Toronto atop the AL East for the time being.
The Jays have done this despite being dead last in homers, with several notorious players still searching for their first long ball, including Guerrero, Bo Bichette, and Alejandro Kirk. At the same time, they stand at 11th place in terms of OPS, meaning that they are getting on base and being opportunistic. New addition Andrés Giménez has been a surprise contributor as the clean-up man, while George Springer has emerged as one of the AL’s best all-around hitters, leading the league with a .400 batting average.
Pitching has been the team’s forte, though, with their veteran rotation leading the way. The ever-underrated Chris Bassitt sports a 0.98 ERA despite only having one win, while Kevin Gausman remains his reliable self. José Berríos’s slow start (4.58 ERA) has almost been offset by the surprising contribution of Easton Lucas, who has yet to allow a run and already has two wins. At this point, the early absence of Max Scherzer appears irrelevant, while new closer Jeff Hoffman has been better than advertised, with two wins, three saves, and a sub-one ERA. Following a season that featured an unreliable bullpen, having a frontline stopper was paramount for Toronto’s aspirations.
With the East projected to be a dogfight year-round, the rest of April will be anything but easy sailing for Toronto, but the early returns are certainly promising. Guerrero will certainly start mashing at some point, as slow starts are par for his course, while Bichette could become the true X-factor for this offense. Moreover, it seems apparent that Toronto may have the division’s top rotation, and that will go a long way in deciding who comes out on top. With their franchise player now secured for life, good days should be ahead for this team.
No. 25 – Minnesota Twins
Record: 5-11
On Sunday, the Twins held a special ceremony to unveil a new bronze statue outside their stadium, immortalizing their latest Hall of Fame player, Joe Mauer. The legendary catcher was joined by other franchise luminaries, including Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, and Kirby Puckett, while the current Twins rounded out the festive day by defeating the visiting Tigers via a commanding 5-1 win. Alas, this was a rare positive moment for a team that is experiencing a difficult start to 2025.
After the late-season collapse that ended with the team missing the playoffs, it was natural to think that the front office would try to complement a solid core and try to bounce back in the ever-winnable AL Central. Instead, ownership announced their intention to sell the franchise, which in turn stalled any potential investments on the roster. The Pohlad family is reportedly looking for $1.7 billion, even as the initial window to find a buyer came and went unsuccessfully. This uncertainty has appeared to affect what the Twins are trying to accomplish on the field.
After starting the season 0-4, Minnesota has struggled mightily to score runs and find consistency, leading to three separate losing streaks of at least three games. The latest week was particularly frustrating, starting with a series loss against the Royals in which they only allowed nine runs over four games but still managed to blow two late leads in one-run affairs. The aforementioned win against Detroit served to avoid a home sweep but only improved the team’s record to a paltry 5-11, having mostly played against division rivals.
Even as the offense has enjoyed good health from the oft-injured Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, both of them are hitting well below the Mendoza Line, while Royce Lewis is still on the IL. As a whole, the Twins are 26th in the league in terms of team OPS, with only 12 homers and plenty of struggling veterans trying to find their footing. Some underlying stats suggest that the Twins are making solid contact and should find better luck, but it sure is frustrating to see them trying.
To add a literal injury to this insulting 2025, the past week also included the announcement that staff ace Pablo López would be heading to the IL with a hamstring issue. Even as this injury does not appear serious, it puts a damper on Minnesota’s quest to start climbing out of their hole. The team’s overall pitching has been uneven but solid, with Lopez and Joe Ryan sporting sparkly ERAs, unlike their counterparts Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack, and Simeon Woods Richardson, who have combined for a 1-4 record. The bullpen is one of two in the league that have not recorded a save, which seems almost impossible at this point.
Minnesota’s outlook could become even more grim during the upcoming week, as consecutive series against the Mets and Atlanta look particularly tough. While the talent base is undeniable and positive regression could start working in their favor, the lack of offseason acquisitions and the franchise’s overall state have clearly affected the results on the field. With other AL Central teams finding their footing, Minnesota would need a quick turnaround to contend for the playoffs, even as the mere existence of the White Sox means that they will not finish in last place.
Full Week 3 Power Rankings
