Hot starts: Ranking the top teams and players in MLB

We’ve seen the reigning champs get off to a historic start — yet find themselves in second place in their division. 

The National League West seems daunting, the Yankees offense seem overpowering, the Braves seem out of sorts and torpedo bats seem to be the talk of the sport. 

Mostly, though, we don’t know a whole lot yet. It’s far too early to draw any sweeping conclusions a week and a half into the season, but our first power rankings of the year at least provide a starting point for conversation, taking into account the early results while also factoring in rest-of-season expectations. 

Be on the lookout for new rankings every week, each with a slightly different theme. This week’s power rankings look at who’s off to a hot start on all 30 teams.

Hot start: Martín Perez 

Perez has allowed just one run in 12.1 innings. Beyond that, hey, things are at least (slightly) better than last year.

Hot start: The Kyles (Farmer and Freeland) 

Let’s focus on the positives here: Farmer is hitting .364, Freeland has a 2.13 ERA, and the Rockies have already turned MLB’s first triple play of 2025. Somehow, Antonio Senzatela has allowed 19 hits and only one unearned run through two starts. We won’t talk about the rest for now. 

Hot start: Paul Skenes 

The good? They have Skenes (1-0, 1.46 ERA), they lead MLB in steals, and Oneil Cruz (two homers, seven stolen bases) is exhilarating. The bad? Pretty much everything else with an offense that’s hitting .197 as a group and received no help from the front office this winter. 

Hot start: Mackenzie Gore

Gore struck out 13 batters in six scoreless innings in his 2025 debut and has a 2.45 ERA through two starts, yet the Nats lost both of those outings. 

Hot start: Max Meyer

They became the first team in more than 100 years to record three walk-off wins in their first series of the season and then put up a solid fight in their next series against the Mets. Meyer doesn’t have a win to show for it, but he has a 3.09 ERA and 15 strikeouts through two starts. 

Hot start: Pablo López

Their starting pitchers have the highest ERA in the majors (6.98), and that’s despite López allowing just three earned runs over two starts. Their offense has the lowest OPS in the American League (.581). They’re 2-1 against the White Sox and 1-5 against everyone else. 

Hot start: Jacob Wilson 

Don’t be surprised to see Wilson’s name in the Rookie of the Year conversation. He hit over .400 in the minors and is batting over .350 through his first 10 games. A trip to Colorado seemed to be a refuge for the A’s after they were obliterated in their first home series in Sacramento by the Cubs. 

Hot start: Starting rotation 

Last Wednesday, Hunter Greene allowed one run in seven innings. A day later, Nick Lodolo tossed 6.2 innings and surrendered one unearned run. It was the Reds’ third straight 1-0 defeat. They’ve dropped five of their last six games, scoring a combined four runs in those five losses. 

Hot start: José Ramírez 

Ramirez launched three homers in a series-opening win this weekend in Anaheim, but the Guardians allowed 22 runs over the three games and lost the series. Their starting rotation is 1-5 with a 6.70 ERA. 

Hot start: Logan Gilbert 

Maybe the easiest way to look at the Mariners right now: Gilbert has 18 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA through two starts … and is 0-1. The offense is hitting .132 with runners in scoring position. 

Hot start: Trevor Megill 

Things have gone much smoother since the Brewers left the Bronx, though that trip explains how they’re .500 despite a minus-22 run differential. They’ve won five of their last six games, and Megill looks terrific with the new closer’s job. He has allowed just two baserunners with six strikeouts in four appearances. 

Hot start: The offense 

Things were looking up, and then St. Louis surrendered 36 runs this weekend in Boston. You can’t blame the Cardinals’ offense, though, which has the highest batting average in MLB (.301). 

Hot start: Logan O’Hoppe/Kyren Paris

O’Hoppe has homered in four straight games and Mike Trout had homered in three straight before his streak ended Sunday, but the surprise breakout is Kyren Paris. The 23-year-old had 10 hits in 91 at-bats entering this year. He has eight hits in his first 18 ABs, including two home runs, and four steals to start the 2025 season.

Hot start: Spencer Schwellenbach

You need to squint to see any positives after this cataclysmic start, but Schwellenbach has followed last year’s breakout rookie season with 14 scoreless innings over two starts. It’s been a rough watch in Atlanta, but it’s hard to imagine they’ll stay this bad for long. 

Hot start: Drew Rasmussen/Shane Baz 

After returning from elbow surgeries late last year, Rasmussen and Baz have combined to allow one run with 18 strikeouts and one walk through three starts. 

Hot start: Maikel Garcia 

There was understandable concern about the offensive pieces around Bobby Witt Jr. But after a week, there is…well, still understandable concern about the offense around the star shortstop. The Royals have the lowest hard-hit rate in MLB, but that’s not the fault of Garcia, who has an OPS over 1.000 and has already hit a ball harder this year (108.8 mph) than he did at any point last season. 

Hot start: Andrés Giménez 

On the bright side, Giménez has three homers in his first 10 games with his new squad. On the not-so-bright side, the rest of the Blue Jays lineup has combined for two home runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is still looking to get on the board, but now, at least, Jays fans don’t have to worry about where he’ll be a year from now. 

Hot start: Jackson Holliday

Will they be able to slug their way past their starting pitching concerns? We’ll find out soon, but it’s been a rather inauspicious start. On the bright side, things are going better in year two for Holliday, who’s hitting .333 in the early going, and the return of Gunnar Henderson should be a boost. While he only had one hit over the weekend, Henderson hit three balls over 104 mph off the bat in his season debut.

Hot start: Jose Altuve 

It turns out losing Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman is not conducive to offensive success. Altuve is hitting .359 with two homers. Only three other Astros have hit a home run this year, and all three of those guys are batting under .200. The Astros scored the fewest runs in the American League and have the lowest expected slugging percentage in MLB, but perhaps Sunday’s nine-run output and series victory gets them going. 

Hot start: Spencer Torkelson 

If the former No. 1 overall pick is figuring it out — Torkelson is 11-for-34 (.324) with six extra-base hits — that would be a huge development for a team that desperately needed to find more infield pop. Meanwhile, Riley Greene (1.071 OPS) continues doing his thing and Jack Flaherty (2.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP) looks strong in his return to Detroit. 

Hot start: Corbin Carroll