Believe it or not, we’re almost halfway through the 2025 MLB season. There is now a big enough sample size to classify "slow starts" as something more, and teams have started to make tough decisions about players they were hoping would bring more to the table this year.
We haven’t published a power ranking of all 30 teams since Opening Day, when we highlighted a breakout candidate for every team. So it only makes sense that check back in while highlighting the lowlights of each team’s roster thus far (and yes, there is one player who appears on both lists).
A note on the rankings: It is terribly difficult to rank the league’s crowded middle class. There are nine teams within three wins or losses of .500. It’ll be interesting to see where they fall on the buyer-seller spectrum as the trade deadline approaches.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Opening Day ranking: 1
Most disappointing player: LF Michael Conforto
The Dodgers signed Conforto to a one-year, $17 million contract this offseason, and he was expected to solidify their open outfield spot next to Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages. He has been a monumental bust. In 65 games, the 32-year-old is slashing .168/.305/.277 with four home runs and 13 RBIs. He has a WAR of -0.9, making him one of the worst regulars in MLB. Despite that and yet another season filled with pitching injuries, the Dodgers entered Thursday perched atop the National League West with a chance to sweep the rival San Diego Padres in a four-game set.
2. Chicago Cubs
Opening Day ranking: 8
Most disappointing player: SP Ben Brown
Picking a most disappointing player for the best Cubs team since 2016 feels cosmically wrong, but someone has to take the crown. Brown has struggled mightily in Chicago’s rotation this year, giving up six earned runs in three of his last five starts. The former 33rd-round draft pick has a 5.57 ERA and 3.44 FIP—indicating he’s endured quite a bit of bad luck. However, he and a staff crying out for consistent depth need his fortunes to turn soon.
3. Detroit Tigers
Opening Day ranking: 12
Most disappointing player: SS Trey Sweeney
A 2021 first-round pick, Sweeney almost immediately took over Detroit’s starting shortstop gig last year after being acquired in the Jack Flaherty trade once Javier Báez went down with a season-ending injury. Sweeney held onto the gig going into this year, forcing Báez into center field, but he’s hit much like Báez did before the latter’s resurgence this season. A .222/.277/.314 slash line has made him one of the few disappointments on a strong Tigers team that has a stranglehold on the AL Central—perhaps their shortstop position is cursed?
4. New York Yankees
Opening Day ranking: 4
Most disappointing player: SS Anthony Volpe
This may be a controversial choice given Devin Williams’s ugly welcome to the Bronx. But Williams has settled in over the last month and regained the Yankees’ closer role. Volpe, meanwhile, started strong in April but has struggled over the last two months, particularly with runners in scoring position. Even more concerning is that advanced defensive metrics, as well as Volpe’s nine errors, suggest the 2023 Gold Glove winner has regressed defensively. New York has still managed to withstand his struggles and Gerrit Cole’s Tommy John surgery to record the AL’s best run differential (+101).
5. New York Mets
Opening Day ranking: 2
Most disappointing player: C Francisco Alvarez
After missing time to start the year due to a hand injury sustained in spring training, Alvarez has struggled in the batter’s box. His discipline at the plate has been disappointing, and he has 35 strikeouts and a .636 OPS in 33 games. After hitting 25 home runs just two seasons ago, Alvarez has just two home runs, five extra-base hits and 10 RBIs this season. He does deserve credit, however, for handling a pitching staff that’s exceeded expectations.
6. San Francisco Giants
Opening Day ranking: 18
Most disappointing player: SS Willy Adames
Adames set himself up for a big payday by hitting 112 home runs between 2021 and '24, and the Giants obliged by guaranteeing him $182 million over seven years during the offseason. San Francisco’s desperation to bolster its offense may have done more harm than good. In 73 games this season, Adames has produced just 0.1 WAR and slashed .207/.289/.341 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs. But reinforcements have arrived in the form of Rafael Devers for a team that’s overachieved in the first season under Buster Posey’s guidance in the front office.
7. Houston Astros
Opening Day ranking: 11
Most disappointing player: 1B Christian Walker
First base has been a black hole for the Astros for the better part of this decade. Since 2022, Houston first basemen have slugged .354, the worst mark in the majors. Walker—who signed a three-year, $60 million deal this winter—was supposed to reverse that trend. Instead, he’s joined the chorus line, hitting .216/.280/.368 with 10 homers in his first 71 games.
8. Philadelphia Phillies
Opening Day ranking: 3
Most disappointing player: SP Aaron Nola
The Phillies have been pretty solid to start the season, though the performance of starting pitcher Aaron Nola has not been. Nola, who has been out for over a month with first a sprained ankle and now a stress fracture in his ribs, owns a 1–7 record and an unsightly 6.16 ERA through his first nine starts. He’s surrendered 11 home runs in 49 2/3 innings and has been a shell of his usual self. The 32-year-old will hope to bounce back when he returns from injury, though Philadelphia moving him to the 60-day IL on Thursday indicates it may be a while.
9. Tampa Bay Rays
Opening Day ranking: 21
Most disappointing player: SP Taj Bradley
Bradley, once the Rays’ top prospect, entered 2025 was looking to reach his full potential. And while he’s been healthy after beginning last season on the IL, Bradley simply hasn’t pitched like many expected. He has allowed five earned runs or more in four of his starts this season en route to a 4.95 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. The good news? Tampa Bay’s rotation has overall more than carried its weight, and Bradley’s high ground ball rate and ability to limit hard contact could mean he has better days ahead.
10. San Diego Padres
Opening Day ranking: 15
Most disappointing player: Every left fielder they’ve tried
The Padres entered 2025 without a left fielder after losing Jurickson Profar in free agency and, somehow, that’s still true nearly halfway through the season. San Diego has run a parade of different guys out there in what’s looked like a similar effort to finding a new drummer for Spinal Tap. Padres left fielders have a collective wRC+ of 69 and an MLB-worst -1.0 WAR.
11. Seattle Mariners
Opening Day ranking: 14
Most disappointing player: SP Emerson Hancock
The Mariners’ loaded starting rotation has taken injury hits during the first half of the season, which has opened up the door for Hancock, the No. 6 pick in the 2020 draft, to establish a role for himself. The results have been middling, with the 26-year-old posting a 4.48 ERA and 4.81 FIP through 12 starts. Hancock just turned in the best start of his career on Sunday—seven shutout innings against the Cleveland Guardians—so perhaps he’s ready to take a step forward.
12. Milwaukee Brewers
Opening Day ranking: 16
Most disappointing player: SP Tobias Myers
In contrast to an airtight offense, the Brewers’ pitching staff has been scattershot; 13 different pitchers have taken the bump for Milwaukee in 2025 and the team's 3.78 ERA is a minor miracle. Myers’s regression sticks out because he was such a solid cog for the Brewers last year as a rookie with a 3.00 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 138 innings. He’s currently with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds after posting a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings with both his strikeout rate and walk rate trending the wrong way.
13. Cincinnati Reds
Opening Day ranking: 20
Most disappointing player: 2B Matt McLain
Shortstop Elly De La Cruz is holding up his end of the Reds’ middle infield with a .273/.352/.498 slash line; McLain is not doing the same. The second baseman has returned from a lost 2024 with a .191/.284/.323 dud—a far cry from his .290/.357/.507 debut in 2023. Manager Terry Francona predicted improvement on June 3 and his numbers have crept modestly upward—can he keep it up against a trying forthcoming schedule? It sure would help Cincinnati to have Hunter Greene back on the mound, but it sounds like his groin strain will keep him sidelined for a while.
14. Toronto Blue Jays
Opening Day ranking: 22
Most disappointing player: OF Anthony Santander
Santander cashed in with Toronto on a five-year, $92.5 million contract in free agency after belting a career-best 44 home runs last year. Brought in to provide much-needed protection for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Santander has instead scuffled to the tune of a .179/.273/.304 slash line. Santander is swinging and missing more while hitting more ground balls and fewer fly balls. To make matters worse, Santander is currently on the IL with shoulder inflammation. The Blue Jays currently hold the AL’s second wild-card spot and have yet to reap the rewards of signing Max Scherzer, but there’s a bunch of teams right on their tail who look more likely to reel off a hot streak.
15. Boston Red Sox
Opening Day ranking: 5
Most disappointing player: SP Walker Buehler
Embarrassing. That’s the word Walker Buehler used to describe his performance this season after he allowed a season-high eight earned runs to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Buehler had signed a one-year deal with Boston in the hopes of stabilizing the team’s rotation and building on the momentum of his strong performance in the World Series. Instead, Buehler has been plagued by walks, poor command and an ineffective fastball (typically his best pitch) en route to a 5.95 ERA. When it comes to offense, Boston owns a top-three scoring offense in the AL, but that figures to drop after the Rafael Devers trade.
16. Atlanta Braves
Opening Day ranking: 7
Most disappointing player: 2B Ozzie Albies
The Braves are at serious risk of missing the playoffs in 2025, which would be the first time they’d fail to qualify for the postseason since 2017. Several of the team’s core hitters have underperformed, but Albies stands out as someone who has endured serious struggles. The 28-year-old has a .617 OPS with only six home runs, and his .223 batting average is particularly concerning considering he’d never previously hit below .247. All that said—Atlanta finally showed signs of life this week while sweeping the Mets, and has a dangerous roster capable of getting right back in the postseason mix.
17. St. Louis Cardinals
Opening Day ranking: 25
Most disappointing player: SP Andre Pallante
The Cardinals are a bit of a negative image of the Brewers in that they’ve only needed seven starters to get through ‘25. The least effective of these starters has been Pallante, who remains a bit of an enigma four years into his big-league career. He’s given up three or more earned runs in eight of his 14 starts this season; half of those starts have come in the last month. St. Louis is by no means done in the playoff race, so we’ll see how long its patience with the 26-year-old lasts.
18. Minnesota Twins
Opening Day ranking: 17
Most disappointing player: SS Carlos Correa
The Twins are right at .500 after 74 games, just one game out of a wild-card spot. Perhaps their easiest route to a playoff push would be their franchise shortstop looking more like himself rather than posting career-worst marks in chase rate (32.8%), walk rate (5.8%) and home run rate (five in 62 games). Correa is still an excellent fielder but his age-30 campaign has been a grind at the plate.
19. Texas Rangers
Opening Day ranking: 13
Most disappointing player: DH Joc Pederson
There are a lot of Rangers hitters to choose from, but we’ll go with Pederson, who signed a two-year, $37 million deal with Texas this offseason and was hitting .131/.269/.238 in 46 games before suffering a broken hand at the end of May. Among currently healthy Rangers, Adolis García ranks 149th out of 158 qualified hitters with a .276 OBP, while Marcus Semien ranks 145th in slugging percentage (.335).
20. Cleveland Guardians
Opening Day ranking: 10
Most disappointing player: RF Jhonkensy Noel
This season has been anything but festive for the 2024 ALCS hero known as Big Christmas. Noel has regressed across the board after his breakout rookie campaign, pulling the ball more and hitting it into the ground more often, resulting in a paltry .146/.168/.223 slash line and 4 wRC+ in 46 games before he was sent down to Triple A on June 8. The Guardians are a much more fun (and dangerous) team with the 23-year-old firing on all cylinders, so they have to hope he figures out what’s ailing him before the playoff chase gets away from them.
21. Arizona Diamondbacks
Opening Day ranking: 6
Most disappointing player: SP Eduardo Rodriguez
Rodriguez is in the second season of a four-year, $80 million contract, and it's looking like the Diamondbacks will be struggling to justify that signing for a long time. He missed most of 2024 with shoulder issues and wasn't great when he returned. The 32-year-old has been even worse this season. Through 11 starts, he's 2–3 with a 6.47 ERA, a 1.59 WHIP and -0.8 WAR. He’s simply been one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball, and that’s something Arizona can ill afford with Corbin Burnes out for the year.
22. Kansas City Royals
Opening Day ranking: 19
Most disappointing player: 2B Michael Massey
The Royals are the AL’s lowest-scoring team (3.37 runs per game), so there’s plenty of blame to go around for their moribund offense—even Bobby Witt Jr. has been a bit of a letdown after last year’s AL MVP runner-up campaign. But Massey has been a black hole on offense across from Witt at second base, with a dreadful .202/.221/.258 slash line resulting in a 25 wRC+ that indicates he’s 75% worse than the average MLB hitter. Two home runs in 209 plate appearances won’t cut it, even at the keystone. Perhaps the 27-year-old will look better once he recovers from a sprained ankle that currently has him on the IL.
23. Los Angeles Angels
Opening Day ranking: 27
Most disappointing player: IF Luis Rengifo
From 2022 to ‘24, Rengifo had carved out a role as an effective super utility player in Anaheim, posting a 110 wRC+ while seeing time at six different positions. Anthony Rendon’s absence gave Rengifo a shot to be an everyday player. He’s split time at second and third base this season, but his production has fallen off a cliff. Through 66 games, Rengifo ranks second to last in OBP (.253) and owns MLB’s fourth-lowest slugging percentage (.289).
24. Baltimore Orioles
Opening Day ranking: 9
Most disappointing player: 1B Ryan Mountcastle
Mountcastle was one of the best first basemen in MLB over the last two seasons. This year hasn’t been as kind to the former first-round pick. Perhaps in response to Camden Yards’s reined-in left field fence, the right-handed Mountcastle has pulled the ball dramatically more—and not to his benefit. He owns a career-worst .678 OPS and just two home runs through 52 games. The 28-year-old did appear to be turning a corner last month … but was placed on the IL on May 31 with a hamstring strain and is expected to be sidelined until at least August. This just isn't the Orioles' year.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates
Opening Day ranking: 24
Most disappointing player: OF/DH Bryan Reynolds
In his age-30 season, the electrifying Reynolds of old has been nowhere to be found. He’s sitting on a .223/.296/.361 slash line, which might not be as damning as a -0.7 bWAR for a player previously in the value creation business. Every hot streak has seemingly been negated by a cold streak—he’s packed both a 10-for-17 tear and a 1-for-22 skid into the last month, for instance. The Pirates have him under contract until at least 2030 at a team-friendly price, but anyone performing below replacement level can’t be considered a bargain.
26. Washington Nationals
Opening Day ranking: 23
Most disappointing player: DH Josh Bell
The Nationals are continuing to develop, with some of their younger pieces emerging as quality MLB players. Veteran slugger Josh Bell, however, has been a disappointment upon his return to the nation’s capital. In 61 games, the 32-year-old has a woeful 76 OPS+ and a .187 batting average. Bell has hit nine home runs, racked up 25 RBIs and struck out 47 times. His .278 OBP is the lowest mark of his career and his -0.5 WAR is the worst among Washington’s everyday hitters. Washington's 11-game losing streak is finally over, but the team’s issues are far from solved.
27. The Athletics
Opening Day ranking: 26
Most disappointing player: CF JJ Bleday
There’s plenty of blame to go around for the last-place A’s. Bleday was among the team’s bright spots in 2024, hitting 20 homers with a 120 wRC+ as the everyday center fielder. He’s taken a big step back in ‘25, though, hitting .198/.292/.375 while ranking last among qualified center fielders in Statcast’s Outs Above Average.
28. Miami Marlins
Opening Day ranking: 30
Most disappointing player: SP Sandy Alcantara
The Marlins were not expecting to be contenders in the National League this year, so it’s not a big surprise to see them at the bottom of the NL East. Sandy Alcantara’s woes on the mound, however, are pretty concerning. The former Cy Young winner has a 6.88 ERA through his first 14 starts with 55 strikeouts, 32 walks and a 1.47 WHIP in 68 innings. It’s certainly not the return the franchise was hoping for from its former Cy Young award winner.
29. Chicago White Sox
Opening Day ranking: 29
Most disappointing player: 1B Andrew Vaughn
The No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft, Vaughn unfortunately never lived up to that billing in Chicago. The 27-year-old was already on a short leash heading into this year after four largely average seasons to begin his MLB career, and his production proceeded to fall off a cliff to the tune of a .189/.218/.314 slash line and five homers in 48 games. That led to him being optioned to Triple A in May before he was traded to the Brewers for starting pitcher Aaron Civale on June 13. Perhaps a change of scenery will help revive his career in Milwaukee.
30. Colorado Rockies
Opening Day ranking: 28
Most disappointing player: CF Brenton Doyle
Doyle looked like a revelation in 2024, when he hit .260 with 23 home runs and posted 4.0 WAR. He was expected to build on that in 2025, but instead, he’s been a disaster. Through 63 games, the 27-year-old is slashing .191/.351/.303, with five home runs and a 41 wRC+. That’s not a typo. His WAR of -1.3 is among the worst in baseball. It’s been that sort of season for the Rockies.