MLB Power Rankings Week 9: Who's No. 1 in final May edition? - ESPN

We're now more than two months into the 2026 season — and past Memorial Day, when baseball fans traditionally say you can finally check the standings — which means the top of our rankings is starting to become more consistent.

The Dodgers and Braves have been the only two teams to hold the No. 1 spot so far this season, with L.A. not falling beyond No. 2. The Yankees have been in the top five every week of the 2026 season, and have been joined by the division-rival Rays the past four weeks. Arizona has made its top-10 debut this week, and Cleveland lands at No. 6, its highest ranking of the season.

What else changed from Week 8 to Week 9? And where does every club stand in our final May edition?

Our expert panel has ranked every team 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 Jorge Castillo, Buster Olney and Alden Gonzalez to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.

Week 8 | Preseason rankings

Record: 37-19
Previous ranking: 1

The Braves know all too well from their experience the past two years how injuries can derail a season, and some significant hits to their everyday lineup have slowed the pace of their production. Drake Baldwin was off to a blistering start to this season, and since he went down because of an oblique injury — this after Sean Murphy was sidelined by a hip problem — Atlanta's run production has waned. The Braves scored only six runs in the three-game series against Washington… before they pushed back with a 7-spot in Boston on Monday. — Olney

Record: 36-20
Previous ranking: 2

You can certainly make the case that the most valuable player on the Dodgers outside of Shohei