As the league approaches the halfway mark, we’ve reached a point of clarity at the top and congestion in the middle. The San Francisco Giants remain the league’s most complete team, while Montreal keeps pace just behind them. Toronto continues to prove its rise was no fluke, and teams like Kansas City, St. Louis, and Cincinnati are making their push as true contenders.
Meanwhile, the logjam in the .500 range has created an environment where one hot week can vault a team into the top ten—or send them tumbling into the bottom third. Here’s how the landscape looks entering the final days of May.
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) San Francisco Giants (138.9, +)
2) Montreal Expos (125.3, -)
3) Toronto Blue Jays (125.3, ++)
4) St. Louis Cardinals (121.8, o)
5) Kansas City Royals (112.5, -)
6) Chicago Cubs (108.7, -)
7) Cincinnati Reds (108.2, o)
8) Pittsburgh Pirates (107.1, o)
9) Los Angeles Dodgers (103.4, o)
10) New York Mets (93.7, +)
11) New York Yankees (87.8, ++)
12) Texas Rangers (83.8, o)
13) Boston Red Sox (83.1, ++)
14) Washington Senators (81.8, –)
15) Seattle Pilots (80.4, o)
16) Colorado Rockies (80.3, –)
17) Minnesota Twins (79.1, -)
18) San Diego Padres (71.6, +)
19) Cleveland Spiders (67.7, +)
20) Oakland Athletics (65.1, ++)
21) Baltimore Orioles (61.3, +)
22) Chicago White Sox (61.3, –)
23) Orlando Sun Rays (58.3, -)
24) Detroit Tigers (54.5, –)
Top Tier: Giants in Command, Toronto Stays Hot
1) San Francisco Giants (139, o)
Record: 40–15 | PCT: .727 | ERA: 3.05 | AVG: .248 | Pythagorean Record: 37–18 (+3)
The Giants remain perched atop the power rankings with the league’s best record and a shutdown pitching staff. Their 3.05 team ERA leads the DBL, and their consistency shows in both actual and expected performance. San Francisco is as steady as it gets.
2) Montreal Expos (125, o)
Record: 40–17 | PCT: .702 | ERA: 3.81 | AVG: .266 | Pythagorean Record: 37–20 (+3)
Montreal continues to shadow San Francisco in both the standings and power rankings. Despite a higher batting average than the Giants, their pitching is starting to look vulnerable. Still, they’ve banked enough early wins to stay comfortably elite.
3) Toronto Blue Jays (125, o)
Record: 34–22 | PCT: .607 | ERA: 3.56 | AVG: .235 | Pythagorean Record: 32–24 (+2)
Toronto remains one of the league’s most efficient teams. While their offense doesn’t jump off the page, their pitching keeps them in every game. A top-three ERA and strong underlying metrics make them a serious long-term threat.
4) St. Louis Cardinals (122, o)
Record: 37–21 | PCT: .638 | ERA: 3.99 | AVG: .251 | Pythagorean Record: 35–23 (+2)
The Cardinals continue to post wins with a balanced, contact-heavy lineup and a reliable pitching staff. They’re not flashy, but they’ve been remarkably consistent.
5) Kansas City Royals (113, o)
Record: 35–21 | PCT: .625 | ERA: 4.08 | AVG: .275 | Pythagorean Record: 36–20 (–1)
The Royals boast the league’s best team batting average but are being held back by an ERA creeping above 4.00. Their pitching needs to tighten up if they want to maintain top-five status.
Contenders on the Rise: Balanced and Dangerous
6) Chicago Cubs (109, o)
Record: 32–23 | PCT: .582 | ERA: 3.68 | AVG: .266 | Pythagorean Record: 32–23 (0)
Chicago has the balance to compete with anyone, but they’re going to need a strong June to stay ahead in a tightly packed NL.
7) Cincinnati Reds (108, o)
Record: 33–24 | PCT: .579 | ERA: 3.73 | AVG: .246 | Pythagorean Record: 31–26 (+2)
The Reds continue to win games by executing in all phases. Their underlying numbers support their spot, and they’ve got the rotation depth to keep it going.
8) Pittsburgh Pirates (107, o)
Record: 33–23 | PCT: .589 | ERA: 3.95 | AVG: .253 | Pythagorean Record: 31–25 (+2)
Pittsburgh remains quietly effective. Not elite in any one category, but their cohesion and timely hitting keep them locked in playoff positioning.
9) Los Angeles Dodgers (103, o)
Record: 30–26 | PCT: .536 | ERA: 3.66 | AVG: .220 | Pythagorean Record: 29–27 (+1)
The Dodgers’ pitching continues to keep them relevant despite the league’s worst batting average. If the bats ever wake up, they’ll be dangerous.
10) New York Mets (94, o)
Record: 30–27 | PCT: .526 | ERA: 4.01 | AVG: .250 | Pythagorean Record: 30–27 (0)
Firmly in the middle of the pack but showing signs of stabilization. Their rotation needs to deliver more length to avoid taxing the bullpen.
Middle Tier: Searching for Identity
11) New York Yankees (88, o)
Record: 27–29 | PCT: .482 | ERA: 4.26 | AVG: .232 | Pythagorean Record: 25–31 (+2)
The Yankees are trending upward slightly, but a leaky bullpen and inconsistent offense are preventing any sustained momentum.
12) Texas Rangers (84, o)
Record: 27–29 | PCT: .482 | ERA: 4.45 | AVG: .256 | Pythagorean Record: 30–26 (–3)
Texas remains frustratingly unpredictable. Their expected record suggests they’ve underperformed, but the results haven’t improved yet.
13) Boston Red Sox (83, o)
Record: 26–31 | PCT: .456 | ERA: 3.87 | AVG: .214 | Pythagorean Record: 27–30 (–1)
The pitching is respectable, but the offense continues to drag Boston down. Their .214 team average is among the worst in the DBL.
14) Washington Senators (82, o)
Record: 27–29 | PCT: .482 | ERA: 4.22 | AVG: .236 | Pythagorean Record: 26–30 (+1)
Another team sitting in neutral. Washington isn’t making glaring mistakes, but they also lack the power to put together long winning streaks.
15) Seattle Pilots (80, o)
Record: 25–31 | PCT: .446 | ERA: 4.26 | AVG: .246 | Pythagorean Record: 27–29 (–2)
The Pilots aren’t quite rebuilding, but they’re clearly behind the playoff pace. Need to make up ground quickly to stay relevant.
16) Colorado Rockies (80, o)
Record: 27–30 | PCT: .474 | ERA: 3.88 | AVG: .234 | Pythagorean Record: 29–28 (–2)
A team that looks better than their record, but bullpen volatility continues to cost them winnable games.
Bottom Tier: Gaps Persist Despite Bright Spots
17) Minnesota Twins (79, o)
Record: 26–31 | PCT: .456 | ERA: 4.79 | AVG: .247 | Pythagorean Record: 22–35 (+4)
Their run prevention has been brutal. A league-worst ERA in May has erased any progress they made early in the season.
18) San Diego Padres (72, o)
Record: 25–33 | PCT: .431 | ERA: 3.97 | AVG: .201 | Pythagorean Record: 25–33 (0)
The Padres’ offense is officially the worst in the league by average. Their solid pitching deserves better support.
19) Cleveland Spiders (68, o)
Record: 22–34 | PCT: .393 | ERA: 5.05 | AVG: .244 | Pythagorean Record: 24–32 (–2)
The ERA speaks volumes. Until the Spiders find a fix for their rotation, they’ll remain in the DBL’s lower tier.
20) Oakland Athletics (65, o)
Record: 19–37 | PCT: .339 | ERA: 4.73 | AVG: .214 | Pythagorean Record: 20–36 (–1)
Offensively stunted and defensively shaky. The A’s need to start building for the future.
21) Baltimore Orioles (61, o)
Record: 20–36 | PCT: .357 | ERA: 4.17 | AVG: .230 | Pythagorean Record: 23–33 (–3)
A team stuck in neutral. There’s some talent here, but no phase of the game stands out enough to inspire confidence.
22) Chicago White Sox (61, o)
Record: 20–36 | PCT: .357 | ERA: 5.37 | AVG: .228 | Pythagorean Record: 20–36 (0)
Dead last in ERA. Without significant improvement from the rotation, they’ll stay in the basement.
23) Orlando Sun Rays (58, o)
Record: 20–36 | PCT: .357 | ERA: 5.13 | AVG: .247 | Pythagorean Record: 26–30 (–6)
Their peripherals suggest they’ve been unlucky, but you can’t give up five runs per game and expect to win. Defensive lapses and shaky relief work have done them in.
24) Detroit Tigers (55, o)
Record: 21–35 | PCT: .375 | ERA: 4.43 | AVG: .218 | Pythagorean Record: 22–34 (–1)
Still stuck at the bottom. The Tigers have the league’s third-worst offense and nothing in the numbers suggests a turnaround is coming.
Final Thoughts
San Francisco remains the class of the league, but Toronto and St. Louis are applying real pressure. The Cubs and Reds are quietly hanging around, while the AL East continues to look like a minefield of streaky, flawed teams. With June just days away, the contenders are beginning to separate—but there’s still time for a surge.