MLB Power Rankings: Mets, Blue Jays Drop as Contenders Plummet
Misryoum MLB Power Rankings turn on steep slides by preseason hopefuls, spotlighting why pitching upside hasn’t fully offset offense struggles for teams like the Mets and Blue Jays.
The latest Misryoum MLB Power Rankings shake up preseason expectations fast, with multiple “contenders” taking a major step back.
At the bottom of the list in this update are teams that look structurally shaky right now—either because the offense hasn’t quite found consistency. the pitching staff hasn’t stabilized the way early performances suggested. or both.. For fans watching the race heat up. the message is clear: early season form can vanish quickly. and recovery plans have to be real. not just theoretical.
In the Misryoum Power Rankings, the Texas Rangers slide to No.. 15, a sharp dip that reflects more than one tough week.. Their 11–11 record tells a story of uneven fundamentals: moments of promise. followed by offensive stretches that don’t yet carry the staff the way a playoff-caliber lineup should.. Josh Jung’s week—10-for-28 with six doubles. two home runs and seven RBI—was exactly the kind of production that can pull an offense out of a rut.. Jake Burger added his own spark with three homers and ten RBI across 8-for-27 hitting. and the Rangers also got encouraging signs from Wyatt Langford. who looks like he’s starting to turn a very early funk into something closer to his upside.
The pitching has been better than many expected. which is why this drop stings less than it might have for teams with both weak bats and weak arms.. Even so, baseball doesn’t forgive holes for long.. The Rangers need their lineup to stay reliable over time. not just show bursts. because their ability to contend depends on whether they can score consistently enough to give their starters and bullpen room to work.
Misryoum has Minnesota at No.. 14, another telling entry for teams that were supposed to be farther along.. The Twins were once climbing—winning eight of nine—but the momentum evaporated over the weekend.. They were swept by the Reds, and now they’re entering the week riding a season-long four-game losing streak.
Minnesota’s situation is also a reminder that pitching excellence can buy you time. but it can’t eliminate scoring problems forever.. Taj Bradley stands out as a major reason the Twins have had competitive outings—five starts. a 3–0 record. a 1.63 ERA. 34 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. and his third quality start on Saturday.. Yet baseball is rarely a one-pitch, one-player equation.. When the offense goes quiet. even elite stretches from a starter can feel like holding the door closed during a storm.
The Misryoum ranking keeps tightening the spotlight on Tampa Bay as well, with the Rays slipping to No.. 13.. Their 12–9 record masks a more uncomfortable reality: their team ERA sits at 4.47. ranking 22nd in the majors. and they’ve produced only five quality starts in 21 games.. In other words, the Rays haven’t gotten enough control over the innings that separate “competitive” from “dangerous.”
What has kept Tampa afloat is offense—so far.. But that’s where the real tension lives.. The question for the Rays isn’t whether they can score; it’s whether scoring can keep offsetting a pitching staff that still hasn’t consistently delivered stops when it matters.. Misryoum points to a matchup test right away: this week’s slate includes games against a red-hot Reds team starting Monday.
For preseason contenders, those types of weeks are where the narrative flips.. A tough stretch doesn’t always mean the roster is broken.. Sometimes it means the margin for error is smaller than fans realize—bullpens taxed. lineups inconsistent. starters throwing to thin leads. and scouting adjustments exposing patterns.. When you add that to the reality of baseball’s grind. a single series can reshape expectations faster than any offseason hype package ever could.
Look at the pattern across Misryoum’s bottom half so far: Texas shows promise in individual bats. Minnesota leans on pitching performances even as results slide. and Tampa is thriving offensively while pitching lags behind.. Those are different problems. but they point to the same need—teams that want to contend must connect the dots between talent and repeatable execution.
And that’s why the preseason “floor” for certain teams now looks unstable. The Misryoum Power Rankings will likely keep reflecting who can turn short-term momentum into longer-term rhythm, especially once opponents start planning for what teams are actually doing—not what they did on one good week.
2026 NFL Draft Picks Tracker: Full Team-By-Team List
Arsenal title slip feels like a ‘virus’: the pressure behind the wobble