MLB Power Rankings 2024: Does the NL have the top three baseball teams?

Playoff spots are in sight for the top teams in Major League Baseball.

Several of the league's top clubs had another strong week to kick off September, moving ever closer to punching their ticket to the postseason. Meanwhile, some teams involved in wild-card battles have been in better shape in the final weeks of the regular season.

After another exciting week of baseball, here are my latest power rankings with World Series odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.

10. Kansas City Royals (79-65, not ranked last week)
World Series odds: +2900

The Royals took a big step toward their first playoff appearance in nine years over the weekend, sweeping the Minnesota Twins. While Bobby Witt Jr. had a quiet week, Kansas City's pitching staff has improved. Cole Ragan, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha all got off to good starts, giving the Royals a chance to potentially win the AL Central.

9. San Diego Padres (81-64, LW9)
World Series odds: +1500

San Diego had a decent week, splitting six games between a surging Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants. Fernando Tatis Jr. isn't quite back to form yet after missing over two months with a hamstring injury, but his presence on the team alone is a big plus. On the mound, Michael King has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball since the All-Star break, going 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA in his last eight starts.

8. New York Mets (78-65, mileage 10)
World Series odds: +3900

The Mets haven't been too bad lately, winning nine games in a row before losing to Cincinnati on Sunday to share the final wild-card spot with the Braves. While Francisco Lindor continued to stake his claim to NL MVP honors, Mark Vientos became a problem for opposing pitchers, hitting three home runs last week.

7. Cleveland Guardian (81-62, LW7)
World Series odds: +1500

The Guardians held off the Royals in the AL Central race last week, winning two of three games. But they are only 2.5 games ahead after losing two of three games to the Dodgers. Some key hitters in their lineup (Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor, Steven Kwan) are in a slump, but Tanner Bibee is still giving them strong performances on the mound.

6. Houston Astros (77-66, LW6)
World Series odds: +850

After being swept by the Reds, the Astros salvaged the week by winning two of three games against the Diamondbacks. Their lineup has been outstanding lately. Yordan Álvarez has hit seven home runs in his last 13 games, while Jose Altuve has a .393 batting average in September.

5. Baltimore Orioles (82-62, LW5)
World Series odds: +750

The Orioles had a successful week, although winning just two of three games against the Chicago White Sox could be agonizing if they lose the division race by one game. Gunnar Henderson continues to have a season that would be worthy of an MVP in many other years. Last week he hit two more home runs and now has 36. Zach Eflin has also been great down the stretch, posting a 2.37 ERA in six starts since being traded to Baltimore.

4. New York Yankees (82-61, LW4)
World Series odds: +600

Aaron Judge hasn't hit a home run in his last 12 games, but the Yankees are still atop the AL East standings. Jazz Chisholm and Gleyber Torres have put in solid performances at bat recently, finally taking some of the load off Judge and Juan Soto. Gerrit Cole has also been excellent, posting a 1.58 ERA since the start of August.

3. Milwaukee Brewers (82-61, LW3)
World Series odds: +2200

Brewers fans can start the countdown to the team's magic number to win the NL Central, which rose to 10 on Sunday. But they're just a few games away from getting one of the first-round byes as well. Rookie Tobias Myers has been a surprise that barely drew attention, and has a 2.22 ERA since the start of June.

2. Philadelphia Phillies (85-58, Left Back 2)
World Series odds: +480

The Phillies have re-established themselves as one of the most dangerous teams in baseball after some ups and downs over the summer. Almost everyone on their lineup has been a standout player of late, with Kyle Schwarber hitting five home runs in his last six games. Combine that with other strong performances from Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez and Aaron Nola, and you have a team that may be the best in baseball.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (86-57, Left Back 1)
World Series odds: +300

OK, Shohei Ohtani didn't steal a base last week, but he did hit two home runs, moving one step closer to his first ever 50/50 season. The Dodgers' rotation still has big question marks, and it's not because of their health. But Jack Flaherty has been outstanding since joining the Dodgers (2.61 ERA in seven starts), and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will return to the rotation on Tuesday. This is still the best team in baseball.

Out of: Arizona Diamondbacks (80-64, LW8); World Series odds: +2600

Ben Verlander is an MLB analyst for FOX Sports and host of the “Damn bats” Podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before joining his brother Justin in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on @BenVerlander.

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