2023 MLB Power Rankings Week 25: Philadelphia Phillies Make Surprising Leap

The Philadelphia Phillies took another step forward in this week's MLB power rankings on Inside the Phillies.

The Philadelphia Phillies made a jump in this week's edition of our weekly MLB power rankings. The Fightin' Phils moved up even higher in the top-10, despite posting a losing record over the past week.

The Phillies dropped three of four games to the Atlanta Braves early in the week, before taking two of three from the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend. Even with a 3-4 record, Philadelphia climbed two spots in our rankings, jumping from no. 9 to no. 7.

The Phillies weren't the only team in the top-10 to see movement. This week saw a new team moving up to the no. 2 spot, and a new team reaching the top-5. Two teams fell out of the top-10, and two teams moved into the top-10.

Here's a look at our power rankings for Week 24 of the 2023 Major League Baseball season:

1) Atlanta Braves (96-53; +219 DIFF, 52-29 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 1 [no movement]) — Though they were swept in Miami over the weekend, the Braves are 43 games over .500 and are still the team to beat in Major League Baseball. This is their sixth straight week at the top of our rankings.

2) Tampa Bay Rays (92-59; +196 DIFF, 46-40 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 3 [up 1]) — Just over two weeks ago, the Rays trailed the Orioles by four games in the AL East division race. They have since closed the gap, and after splitting a four-game set in Baltimore, Tampa Bay trails by just two games. The Rays leap in front of the O's, as they have been playing slightly better as of late.

3) Baltimore Orioles (93-56; +122 DIFF, 50-37 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 2 [down 1]) — The O's drop a spot after dropping a home series to the Cardinals. They'll open a three-game series in Houston on Monday.

4) Los Angeles Dodgers (91-57; +185 DIFF, 45-36 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 4 [no movement]) — The Dodgers stay in the no. 4 spot, after sweeping the Mariners and dropping a home series to the Padres.

5) Milwaukee Brewers (84-65; +55 DIFF, 44-39 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 6 [up 1]) — The Brewers are catching fire at the right time. Their trio of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta are as good as any team's 1-2-3, and when they turn the game over to their bullpen, it's over. Come October, beware of the Brewers!

6) Houston Astros (84-66; +123 DIFF, 35-41 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 5 [down 1]) — The Astros fall after losing their last two series to the two worst teams in the sport. They still sit atop the AL West, with a 1.5-game lead over the Rangers.

7) Philadelphia Phillies (81-68; +72 DIFF, 42-44 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 9 [up 1]) — Look, the Phillies didn't play their best baseball this week. In fact, the other teams in the NL Wild Card hunt gained ground on them. But they're still a top-10 team, and they weren't quite as disappointing as other teams that occupied our top-10 last week.

8) Arizona Diamondbacks (79-72; -26 DIFF, 37-45 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 10 [up 2]) — OK, so throw out their four-game stinker last week in New York, and take a look at how badly the Snakes terrorized the Cubs. Arizona just pummeled Chicago, beating the Cubbies six of seven times, over the last 11 days. If the Diamondbacks can continue to get up for their remaining ten games, they will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

9) Texas Rangers (82-67; +151 DIFF, 40-40 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 16 [up 7]) — The Rangers looked like they had rediscovered themselves, taking all four games from the Blue Jays in a four-game series in Toronto. Then they got swept by the Guardians in Cleveland. Still, the Rangers would make the playoffs if the season ended today, and they certainly need to be in front of Toronto in our power rankings.

10) Toronto Blue Jays (83-67; +60 DIFF, 38-43 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 7 [down 3]) — Toronto has the look of the team that wins all of the games they should over inferior opponents, but when facing a worthy challenger or a superior team, they shrink. Very poor sowing this past week against an ice-cold Rangers team, as they were outscored 35-9 in a four-game sweep, at home.

11) Minnesota Twins (79-71; +90 DIFF, 34-36 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 11 [no movement]) — The Twins are a steady no. 11 team. They simply don't have as high of a ceiling as other teams in the hunt. They aren't on some remarkable run, but they haven't bottomed out either. They've done their job. This seems like the right place for them.

12) Seattle Mariners (81-68; +92 DIFF, 33-42 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 8 [down 4]) — The Mariners were surging throughout the month of August, but since they turn of the calendar, Scott Servais' club has been abysmal. The M's are 5-11 in the month of September. The Mariners' ceiling is higher than the Twins, though. If they are able to work out the kinks, look out!

13) Miami Marlins (78-72; -37 DIFF, 37-48 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 13 [no movement) — If the season ended Sunday, the Marlins would make the playoffs, dashing the Cubs' hopes in the fall for the third time since the turn of the new millennium.

14) Cincinnati Reds (78-73; -42 DIFF, 40-46 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 14 [no movement]) — The Reds have done everything they can to stay alive, and now enter a critical week with series at home against the Twins and Pirates.

15) Chicago Cubs (78-72; +86 DIFF, 38-44 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 12 [down 3]) — Regression is setting in for the Cubs, and it really isn't too surprising. A few weeks ago, the Cubs had a soft 12-game stretch where they played the White Sox, Royals, Tigers and Reds. Through the first ten games of that stretch, the Cubs had a run-differential of +2 during that time. Up to recently, the Cubs had done enough to pass the class, but not enough to earn an "A". The Cubs have dropped eight of ten and now enter a pressure-packed week with six home games against the Pirates and Rockies.

16) New York Yankees (76-74; -13 DIFF, 42-42 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 18 [up 2]) — The Yankees had a good week, winning five of seven, and moving above .500. It appears they will post a winning season for the 28th straight year. They even got the Red Sox' GM fired!

17) San Francisco Giants (76-74; -14 DIFF, 39-40 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 17 [no movement]) — The Giants are 15-25 over their last 40 games. It's doesn't look like they're coming back. But they could surely shake things up if they swept a two-game series in Arizona Tuesday and Wednesday.

18) Cleveland Guardians (72-78; -15 DIFF, 38-42 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 20 [up 2]) — This season didn't go as planned, but the Guardians sure looked impressive over the weekend, sweeping the Rangers at Progressive Field.

19) San Diego Padres (72-78; +77 DIFF, 46-55 vs. >.500. LAST WEEK: no. 21 [up 2]) — San Diego went 5-1 last week, which included a series win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Where was this all season?

20) Boston Red Sox (74-76; +11 DIFF, 47-50 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 15 [down 5]) — Boston hit rock bottom this week, firing their GM Chaim Bloom, as it is beginning to look like the Red Sox will finish in last place of the AL East for the third time in four years. Bloom didn't even get a full four years on the job! Dave Dombrowski preceded Bloom, and only served as the team's president for four years, himself. Red Sox ownership has proven to have a quick hook. Doesn't that make this job less appealing than other open general manager positions?

21) Pittsburgh Pirates (70-80; -91 DIFF, 31-59 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 22 [up 1]) — The Pirates are a team that is hungry to play spoiler. Remember when they ended April with one of the two-best records in the National League? The started the season well, and it appears they're ending the season well. The Buccos are 12-7 over their last 19 games. Next up? The Cubs.

22) New York Mets (69-80; -18 DIFF, 35-47 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 24 [up 2]) — The Mets are another club that could be a solid spoiler team here in the final weeks of the season. Their last 13 games are all against the Marlins and the Phillies. Last week, they stole series from playoff hopefuls Cincinnati and Arizona.

23) Detroit Tigers (70-79; -96 DIFF, 32-50 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 23 [no movement]) — The Tigers might be the most subpar of subpar teams. They aren't horrible, but they aren't not good, either.

24) Los Angeles Angels (68-82; -84 DIFF, 34-55 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 19 [down 5]) — Shohei Ohtani's season is over, and there isn't much of a reason to continue watching this club, this year. What a disappointing year for the Angels, who just clinched their eighth-straight losing season.

25) St. Louis Cardinals (66-83; -78 DIFF, 39-53 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 25 [no movement]) — The Cardinals are steadily the the third-worst team in the NL, once again in our rankings. They did enjoy a nice series victory over the Orioles in Baltimore last week, though.

26) Washington Nationals (66-84; -137 DIFF, 38-55 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 26 [no movement]) — The Nationals had a moment last month where they had the same record as the Padres. They've tailed off in the time since, but their future looks bright.

27) Colorado Rockies (56-93; -210 DIFF, 28-65 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 28 [up 1]) — Speaking of spoilers, how about the Rockies? Colorado went 5-2 against the Cubs and Giants over the past week, doing serious damage to the postseason hopes of both clubs.

28) Chicago White Sox (57-93; -176 DIFF, 26-56 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 27 [down 1]) — I had the joy of attending a White Sox game Saturday night, and I witnessed a rare White Sox victory! It was one of their only two wins of the week.

29) Kansas City Royals (48-102; -186 DIFF, 20-59 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 30 [up 1]) — The Royals leaped past the A's, after a solid 4-2 week. Both teams had the joy of beating up on the Astros, as Houston vies for its sixth AL West division title in seven years.

30) Oakland Athletics (46-103; -316 DIFF, 23-70 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 29 [no movement]) — All season long, the A's and Royals have been in a tight race for the worst record in Major League Baseball, as both clubs look to post the worst records in the history of their respective franchise. It could be a photo finish. Oakland is at the bottom, for now.

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