MLB Power Rankings Week 20: Bubble teams on the brink? - ESPN

As we hit mid-August, there's still plenty of baseball left to play. Still, that doesn't mean we're not starting to see which bubble teams are truly contenders — and which, well, aren't. For some clubs, September will be a race for a wild-card spot or even a division title. For others, it'll be a month of sober reflection and planning ahead for 2024.

Into which category does your favorite team fall — at least right now?

Our expert panel has combined to rank every team in baseball based on a combination of what we've seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle, Jesse Rogers and Alden Gonzalez to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.

Week 19 | Second-half preview | Preseason rankings

Record: 78-42Previous ranking: 1

Inside Ronald Acuna Jr.'s return to MVP form. Alden Gonzalez »

Lost in the wave of Ronald Acuna Jr.'s spectacular season and Matt Olson's barrage of home runs and RBIs is that Austin Riley is quietly having another excellent season after a bit of a slow start. He's up to 29 home runs and 4.2 WAR as he could be headed for a third straight 30-homer, five-WAR season. Only 12 third basemen have ever had at least three such seasons — including Chipper Jones, who had five. Riley hit .266 with a .775 OPS and 16 home runs in the first half but has hit .318 with a 1.070 and 13 home runs since the All-Star break. Ozzie Albies did land on the IL with a hamstring strain, after not missing a game all season, but trade deadline acquisition Nicky Lopez went 7-for-14 to start his tenure with the Braves and is a plus defender. — Schoenfield

Record: 74-47Previous ranking: 2

The Orioles still