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?
Following Mother’s Day, there appears to be more clarity in terms of MLB contenders and pretenders, albeit with the necessary surprises to keep us honest. Just a week ago, teams like the Twins and Cardinals were clear representations of disappointment, only to string out eight-game winning streaks out of nowhere. At the same time, the Pirates and Rockies fired their managers in what looks like a band-aid for franchises that have deeper root causes for their misery.
Otherwise, there were few movements at the top, as the NL West continues its strong start, the Tigers have solidified their status as the AL’s best team, and the Yankees show plenty of flair in the middle of a few concerning cracks. After seven full weeks in the season, we take a look at some of these trends as we wonder what is more likely: a .400 season from Aaron Judge or 130 losses for the Rockies?
Contender
No. 5 – New York Yankees (23-17, +75)
As it usually happens, the New York Yankees are making headlines. After a big series win in Sacramento in which they scored 27 runs over three games, the Bombers stand alone at the top in terms of run differential, suggesting that their 23-17 record is not enough for a team capable of scoring these many runs. Simultaneously, the eye test suggests that these Yankees may not actually be this good of a team, and have made the most of a few series against embattled pitching staffs. Trying to determine the true nature of the Yankees will certainly become a fascinating topic as the summer goes along.
Giddy up…Aaron Judge with a .409 batting averageYankees Batting .400+ Through 40 Team Games1956 Mickey Mantle .4301994 Paul O'Neill .4652025 Aaron Judge .409MLB's highest AVG at the 40-game mark since David Wright's .409 with the Mets in 2012
— James Smyth (@jamessmyth621.bsky.social) 2025-05-11T23:02:27.418Z
For starters, there is no denying that Aaron Judge has reached another level and is the clear best player in the sport. His weekend demolishing of the A’s has now given him the league lead in WAR, homers, RBI, runs scored, and OPS, while getting his batting average over .400. By his side, free agent acquisition Max Fried has emerged as the AL Cy Young frontrunner, posting a 6-0 record with a 1.05 ERA over his first eight starts. Teams that have clear MVP and Cy Young candidates are few and far between, which makes the Yankees’ recent struggles to win consistently all the more confounding.
New York did win consecutive series against quality opponents in the A’s and Padres, but that came immediately after dropping sets versus the Rays and Orioles. A closer look at how the Yankees have fared this season shows a clear tendency to win big (11-1 when they score at least 8 runs), while also struggling against better opponents. The top-heavy approach in both the lineup and on the mound has masked some of the team’s weak spots, including slow starts from Austin Wells, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Cody Bellinger, while the rotation has a steep drop-off following Fried and Carlos Rodón (4-3 with a 3.29 ERA). The acquisition of all-world closer Devin Williams has been a dud so far, creating more anguish for a bullpen that has been otherwise excellent.
The good news for New York is that despite these question marks, they appear to be the clear best team in a division where every other team has more glaring deficiencies. The emergence of Ben Rice has added a much-needed lefty power threat in the lineup, while surprising contributions like Trent Grisham’s (10 homers in 112 plate appearances) continue to provide coverage for Judge, at least until opposing managers finally decide to give him the full-on Bondsian treatment.
New York’s upcoming schedule features three series against premium pitching staffs (Texas, Seattle, and the Mets), and that should provide a better idea of where this team stands. For all of Judge’s exploits and Fried’s dominance, the AL Central and West have surprised in terms of depth and competitiveness, creating a scenario where the East is limited to one playoff spot. The Yankees may still have the upper hand if it comes around to that, but it is clear that some reinforcements are needed.
The Middle
No. 14 – St. Louis Cardinals (22-19, +24)
For many years, the Cardinals were one of the most predictably boring franchises in the sport, albeit in a good way. Between 2000 and 2022, there were no losing seasons in St. Louis – a stretch that included a couple of championships and a state of constant reliability that extended to its players, fans, and management. However, the most recent seasons around the Arc have descended into sheer boredom. Even as the team climbed back to 83 wins in 2024, their lack of action during the offseason suggested a long season in 2025. It was all working out that way until the Cardinals suddenly started winning, as they currently sport an eight-game winning streak that came out of nowhere.
The St. Louis Cardinals are one (1) game out of first place.
— Joe Sheehan (@sheehannewsletter.bsky.social) 2025-05-11T20:11:15.231Z
This streak marks the best run for the franchise since 2022, adding a level of intrigue that was absent for the Cardinals in their recent past. St. Louis’ playoff odds have climbed accordingly … all the way to 20%. Projections are seeing this as nothing more than a fluke, a product of facing weak teams like the Pirates and Nationals at just the right time, but is there more to the Cardinals than this recent run of success?
St. Louis’ winning streak has been built on the strength of a stable staff, as the Cardinals have featured enough injury luck to only need six starters so far in 2025, with five of them making at least seven starts. Matthew Liberatore has been the clear leading man, but the team has also seen an improvement with veterans like Sonny Gray and Erick Fedde. While Andre Pallante and Miles Mikolas are no world-beaters, they have proven competent, especially in a weak division. This combination of adequacy has made the Cardinals the 15th-best staff in terms of ERA while also allowing the third-fewest homers, but they are also a bottom-third team in terms of strikeout rate, which could come back to bite them against better competition.
Even if the season ends up falling by the wayside, the front office’s approach of prioritizing youth should end up paying dividends in the long run. The team’s best hitters so far have been on the younger side, with Lars Nootbaar and Victor Scott II blossoming into good all-around players, and Brendan Donovan turning into a hitting machine. The Nolan Arenado non-trade could end up becoming a blessing in disguise if the Cardinals manage to stay in the division race, while at the same time, he could become a valuable chip should a contender come knocking around the deadline.
With the Cubs slumping, there is a chance that the Cardinals can climb into the NL Central’s top spot for a few days, but the rest of May will be brutal. Outside of a three-game set against the Orioles, the month will be full of contenders to face, which should slow down the Cardinals for a while. If they manage to remain competitive, especially as the Reds have failed to launch, St. Louis could become the only threat to Chicago in the division, which is certainly more than was expected when the season began.
Wait ’til 2026
No. 30 – Colorado Rockies (7-33, -128)
It’s sad, but we need to talk about the Rockies. Just a year removed from seeing the literal worst team in modern MLB history with the White Sox, Colorado asked the world to hold their proverbial beer and see just how bad a team can become. At 7-33, nearly five games behind the second-worst team in baseball, the Rockies are now on pace to shatter Chicago’s loss record, as unlikely as that may be. The team’s seventh win broke an eight-game losing streak and came on the heels of an embarrassing 21-0 home loss to the Padres, which was the final straw in manager Bud Black’s tenure.
In the end, though, Black’s inevitable dismissal screams of nothing more than a scapegoat situation. In what was his ninth season at the helm, the veteran manager had endured the absolute decadence of this franchise, as he started his tenure with consecutive playoff appearances, only to see how the front office left the team out to dry and get to this point of utter irrelevance. That is ultimately the onus on this team, as the Rockies appear to have no plan or direction, unlike other bad MLB teams that are at least trying to rebuild from scratch.
I usually watch the MLB highlights of the Rockies games the next day. Lately, I've been watching House Committee meetings instead.
Taking a glimpse at Colorado’s team page in 2025 is an exercise in morbid curiosity, as some of the numbers this team has amassed are truly a sight to behold. The Rockies have had four losing streaks of at least five games, while their pitching staff has posted a league-worst 5.77 ERA. At the same time, the offense is a bottom-10 unit in terms of raw numbers, which is hard to do playing half your games at Coors Field. Adjusted numbers like OPS+ suggest that the 2025 Rockies are threatening to become one of the all-time worst lineups, as the offense as a whole has posted a -2.6 WAR mark.
While it is easy to pile on the oft-injured Kris Bryant, the number of Colorado players who have contributed next to nothing for this team in 2025 is astounding, but that was probably expected when the front office put this roster together. So far, the Rockies come around 20th in terms of team age and payroll, which is frankly malpractice in this age of analytics and modern team building. Considering that the team also comes in the bottom half of farm system rankings, there appears to be no end in sight for this dark era of Colorado baseball.
If there is a silver lining in this mess, early attendance for the Rockies has dropped significantly, suggesting that the local fans are finally taking a stand. For years, Colorado’s strong turnout at Coors Field (over the last decade, Coors Field averaged well over 2.5 million fans per season) portended a franchise that was content with losing as long as the turnstiles remained active, but that may be finally changing. With no exciting prospects, losses piling up, and a change in manager, it looks like rock bottom, even if it ends up lasting throughout the whole 2025 season.
