The quarter mark of the 2023 MLB season has come and gone, and the line between contender and pretender is starting to become clearer with each passing week.

The Pittsburgh Pirates' exciting start has proved to be smoke and mirrors, but the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks look like legitimate postseason contenders, and that means an even more crowded playoff picture in both leagues.

However, the question remains: Can anyone catch the Tampa Bay Rays?

Keep in mind, these rankings are a fluid process, with teams rising and falling based on their recent performance relative to where they landed in the previous week's rankings.

Note: Statistics and analysis reflect games through Sunday. Team records have been updated to include Monday's results.

Nos. 30-28

30. Oakland Athletics (10-39)

Previous Rank: 30

The A's picked up their fourth walk-off win of the season last Tuesday with a 9-8 victory over the Texas Rangers in extra innings. Of course, it was their only win of the week, and they are still sitting on just one series win this year when they took two of three from the Kansas City Royals earlier this month.

29. Kansas City Royals (14-35)

Previous Rank: 28

The Royals picked up just their second series win of the year last week when they took two of three from the San Diego Padres on the road, but that was followed by getting swept by the Chicago White Sox. Right-hander Carlos Hernández has a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings over his last 11 appearances, including making a pair of two-inning scoreless starts as an opener last week.

28. Cleveland Guardians (21-26)

Previous Rank: 24

The Guardians went 1-5 last week to fall to a season-low six games under .500 following Sunday's loss to the New York Mets. They rank last in the majors in OPS (.643) and home runs (28), and outside of José Ramírez (135 OPS+, 19 XBH) the entire starting lineup has failed to produce at a league-average clip.

Nos. 27-25

27. Cincinnati Reds (20-27)

Previous Rank: 23

After briefly climbing as high as No. 20 in these rankings a few weeks ago, the Reds are trending down again after going 1-5 last week with series losses to the Colorado Rockies and New York Yankees. Closer Alexis Díaz is a perfect 10-for-10 on save chances with a 2.12 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 16.4 K/9 in 18 appearances.

26. Washington Nationals (20-27)

Previous Rank: 26

The Nationals have quietly gone 10-10 with a plus-five run differential in May, and while contention will likely remain out of reach, this team has been much more competitive than expected thus far. Third baseman Jeimer Candelario is batting .571/.586/1.000 with 16 hits in his last seven games.

25. Colorado Rockies (20-28)

Previous Rank: 25

After taking two of three from the Cincinnati Reds to begin last week, the Rockies were swept on the road by the Texas Rangers over the weekend. Veteran Chase Anderson made his first start of the year last Tuesday after he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations on May 3, and he tossed five shutout innings of one-hit ball.

Nos. 24-22

24. Chicago Cubs (20-26)

Previous Rank: 21

This now marks five straight weeks the Cubs have fallen in these rankings after peaking at No. 12 in April. They were swept by the Houston Astros before losing two of three to the Philadelphia Phillies last week. With five more home runs last week, Christopher Morel has now gone deep eight times in 11 games since he was recalled from the minors on May 9.

23. Detroit Tigers (21-24)

Previous Rank: 22

The Tigers went 7-2 in their first nine games after the calendar flipped to May, but their play has fallen off again the last few weeks. A lack of offensive firepower continues to be the most glaring issue. They were shut out for the third time this month on Wednesday by Rich Hill and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

22. San Diego Padres (21-26)

Previous Rank: 19

Things went from frustratingly mediocre to downright bad for the Padres last week as they fell to 6-12 in May with series losses to the Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox. Veteran Michael Wacha has been one of the few bright spots this month, going 3-0 with a 0.36 ERA over his last four starts while allowing just 11 hits and one earned run in 25 innings.

Nos. 21-19

21. Chicago White Sox (19-30)

Previous Rank: 29

Ladies and gentlemen, the White Sox have a pulse. With a 5-1 record last week against the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals, they improved to 11-8 in May after stumbling through a 10-game losing streak at the end of April. Michael Kopech had the best start of his MLB career on Friday, allowing just one hit over eight scoreless innings while striking out 10.

20. Seattle Mariners (23-24)

Previous Rank: 17

The Mariners went 8-4 to kick off the month of May, but they suffered a pair of series losses last week against the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves. A 10-game homestand against the Athletics, Pirates and Yankees should provide a nice opportunity to climb back above the .500 mark, though they still need more from an offense that ranks 16th in the majors with 4.39 runs per game.

19. Philadelphia Phillies (22-25)

Previous Rank: 14

The Phillies lost five in a row before salvaging their weekend with back-to-back wins against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday and Sunday, but they have fallen back under .500 after briefly getting their heads above water two weeks ago. Could they take a flier on recently designated for assignment Eric Hosmer to fill the void at first base?

Nos. 18-16

18. Pittsburgh Pirates (25-22)

Previous Rank: 13

The Pirates climbed as high as No. 3 in these rankings, but with a 4-13 record and minus-31 run differential to begin the month of May, they have been in an absolute freefall the last few weeks. The offense had scored three or fewer runs in 14 of their last 17 games entering play on Monday.

17. San Francisco Giants (23-24)

Previous Rank: 27

The Giants bottomed out at No. 27 following series losses to the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks, but they quickly flipped the script with a 5-1 showing last week, sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies and taking two of three from the Miami Marlins over the weekend. Rookie Casey Schmitt is hitting .383 with six extra-base hits, nine RBI and a 165 OPS+ in 12 games since making his MLB debut on May 9.

16. Milwaukee Brewers (25-22)

Previous Rank: 12

With series losses to the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays last week, the Brewers dropped to 3-9 on the road in May. Left-hander Wade Miley landed on the injured list last Tuesday with a strained lat, and with Brandon Woodruff also watching from the sidelines, the team's starting pitch depth will be put to the test.

Nos. 15-13

15. Miami Marlins (24-24)

Previous Rank: 18

The Marlins went 4-2 last week on the strength of a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals, but they closed things out by losing two of three to the San Francisco Giants. Slugger Jorge Soler continued his bounce-back season with three more home runs last week, and he now sports a 128 OPS+ with 12 home runs after going deep just 13 times last year.

14. Minnesota Twins (25-23)

Previous Rank: 8

The Twins have not had a winning streak of more than two games since April 25, and they went 2-4 last week with a pair of series losses on a West Coast road trip against the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. On a positive note, Joe Ryan has eight quality starts in nine outings this year, going 6-1 with a 2.25 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and a 66-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 56 innings.

13. St. Louis Cardinals (21-28)

Previous Rank: 20

The Cardinals scored 32 runs in four games against the Los Angeles Dodgers to walk away with a convincing series win, and in the process they improved to 11-3 in their last 14 games following a disastrous start to the year. Former St. Louis prospect Óscar Mercado has made it full circle and returned to the organization, and he went 6-for-11 with a pair of doubles last week in his first MLB action with the Cardinals.

Nos. 12-10

12. Los Angeles Angels (26-23)

Previous Rank: 15

By taking two of three from the Minnesota Twins over the weekend, the Angels picked up their first series win since sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals to kick off May. First baseman Jared Walsh made his 2023 debut on Saturday after missing the first 46 games of the season recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery last September.

11. Toronto Blue Jays (25-23)

Previous Rank: 5

When everything is clicking, like when they swept the Atlanta Braves two weeks ago, the Blue Jays look like a legitimate World Series contender. When it's not, they look completely lost, and that was the case last week when they finished 1-6 and were outscored by 15 runs against the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. Which team will show up this week?

10. New York Mets (25-23)

Previous Rank: 16

The Mets went 5-11 to begin May and briefly dropped below .500 before rattling off five straight wins last week, including a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians. Max Scherzer (6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER) and Justin Verlander (8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER) both started on Sunday in a double-header, and they each turned in their best start of the season thus far.

Nos. 9-7

9. Boston Red Sox (26-22)

Previous Rank: 11

After dropping several spots last week, the Red Sox returned to the top 10 following series wins over the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. Ace Chris Sale has quietly strung together four straight quality starts, going 3-0 with a 2.30 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and a 32-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27.1 innings during that stretch.

8. Arizona Diamondbacks (28-20)

Previous Rank: 10

The D-backs took care of business against the Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates last week, and they continue to be one of the more pleasant surprises of the first quarter of the season. Hard-throwing Miguel Castro has stepped forward in the ninth-inning role and helped bring some stability to the bullpen pitching on a one-year, $3.5 million deal.

7. New York Yankees (29-20)

Previous Rank: 9

The Yankees are simply a different team when Aaron Judge is swinging a hot bat, and he was red-hot last week, going 11-for-29 with five home runs and 11 RBI. The team went 6-1 against the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds thanks to his production at the plate, and they are now 14-5 since falling to .500 on the year with a loss on May 1.

Nos. 6-4

6. Texas Rangers (29-18)

Previous Rank: 4

The Rangers had a string of three straight series wins broken when they lost two of three to the Atlanta Braves last week, but they quickly rebounded to sweep the Colorado Rockies over the weekend, outscoring them 31-10 in the three-game series. Shortstop Corey Seager returned to action on Wednesday after missing more than a month with a strained hamstring. He went 7-for-16 with three doubles and two home runs in his first four games back.

5. Atlanta Braves (29-18)

Previous Rank: 6

The Braves have had a few rough patches this year, including a pair of four-game losing streaks, the most recent of which came two weeks ago. However, it has never taken them long to right the ship, and that was true again last week as they responded to getting swept by the Toronto Blue Jays by picking up series wins over the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers (30-19)

Previous Rank: 2

The Dodgers lost Dustin May (strained flexor tendon) and Julio Urías (strained hamstring) in consecutive starts last week, and top pitching prospect Bobby Miller will make his MLB debut on Tuesday filling one of those open spots in the rotation. A four-game series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend halted a streak of six straight series wins.

Nos. 3-1

3. Houston Astros (28-19)

Previous Rank: 7

The Astros improved to 10-1 in their last 11 games with three-game sweeps of the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics last week, and it's hard to believe this team was a game below .500 when that hot streak began. José Altuve returned to his post at second base on Friday after missing the first 43 games with a fractured thumb he suffered during the World Baseball Classic.

2. Baltimore Orioles (31-16)

Previous Rank: 3

With a plus-41 run differential and a 16-12 record against teams with a winning record, the Orioles are looking more and more legit by the day. There is still the matter of a starting rotation that ranks 19th in the majors with a 4.76 ERA and is lacking a bona fide ace, but that hasn't slowed them down to this point. A strong showing against the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers this week could put them in position to claim the No. 1 spot.

1. Tampa Bay Rays (35-14)

Previous Rank: 1

The Rays improved to a ridiculous 21-4 at home this season with a weekend series win over the Milwaukee Brewers, and while they have leveled off a bit the last few weeks, they are still deserving of the No. 1 spot. Long known as an organization built on pitching, they lead the majors in OPS (.847), home runs (91) and stolen bases (52).

Complete Rankings

Complete Rankings

1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. Baltimore Orioles
3. Houston Astros
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Atlanta Braves
6. Texas Rangers
7. New York Yankees
8. Arizona Diamondbacks
9. Boston Red Sox
10. New York Mets
11. Toronto Blue Jays
12. Los Angeles Angels
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Minnesota Twins
15. Miami Marlins
16. Milwaukee Brewers
17. San Francisco Giants
18. Pittsburgh Pirates
19. Philadelphia Phillies
20. Seattle Mariners
21. Chicago White Sox
22. San Diego Padres
23. Detroit Tigers
24. Chicago Cubs
25. Colorado Rockies
26. Washington Nationals
27. Cincinnati Reds
28. Cleveland Guardians
29. Kansas City Royals
30. Oakland Athletics

Highlight of the Week: Ronald Acuña Jr. Becomes the First 10/10 Player of 2023

Ronald Acuña Jr. is the early favorite for NL MVP honors, hitting .344/.431/.600 while leading the National League in hits (62), runs scored (44) and total bases (108) through 46 games as he has seemingly put his torn ACL fully behind him.

He went 8-for-24 with three home runs and one stolen base last week, and in the process, he became the first player in baseball with at least 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases on the season.

The 25-year-old leads the NL with 18 steals in 20 attempts, and he has slugged 11 home runs in 209 plate appearances after going deep just 15 times in 533 trips to the plate during the 2022 season.

Acuña is on pace for 39 home runs and 63 steals, putting him on track to make a run at being the first 40/40 player since Alfonso Soriano in 2006 and the fifth in MLB history.

Team of the Week

C Cal Raleigh, SEA
(6-for-15, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI)

1B Matt Olson, ATL
(8-for-22, 4 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI)

2B Nolan Gorman, STL
(11-for-24, 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI)

3B Nolan Arenado, STL
(11-for-27, 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI)

SS Corey Seager, TEX
(7-for-16, 3 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI)

OF Aaron Judge, NYY
(11-for-29, 2 2B, 5 HR, 11 RBI)

OF Christopher Morel, CHC
(9-for-25, 2 2B, 5 HR, 8 RBI)

OF Lane Thomas, WAS
(11-for-29, 3 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI)

DH Jake Burger, CWS
(9-for-22, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI)

SP Michael Wacha, SD
(2 GS, 2 W, 13.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 15 K)

SP Michael Kopech, CWS
(1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K)

SP Charlie Morton, ATL
(1 GS, W, 6.2 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K)

SP Chris Bassitt, TOR
(1 GS, ND, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K)

SP Shane McClanahan, TB
(1 GS, ND, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K)

RP Dylan Floro, MIA
(3 G, 3/3 SV, 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K)

AL Award Rankings

AL MVP

1. Shohei Ohtani, LAA
2. Yandy Díaz, TB
3. Aaron Judge, NYY
4. Yordan Alvarez, HOU
5. Randy Arozarena, TB
6. Matt Chapman, TOR
7. Bo Bichette, TOR
8. Cedric Mullins, BAL
9. Wander Franco, TB
10. Brent Rooker, OAK

AL Cy Young

1. Sonny Gray, MIN
2. Eduardo Rodriguez, DET
3. Gerrit Cole, NYY
4. Joe Ryan, MIN
5. Shane McClanahan, TB

AL Rookie of the Year

1. Masataka Yoshida, BOS
2. Hunter Brown, HOU
3. Yennier Cano, BAL

NL Award Rankings

NL MVP

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL
2. Freddie Freeman, LAD
3. Sean Murphy, ATL
4. Nolan Gorman, STL
5. Juan Soto, SD
6. Paul Goldschmidt, STL
7. Corbin Carroll, ARI
8. Mookie Betts, LAD
9. Pete Alonso, NYM
10. Luis Arraez, MIA

NL Cy Young

1. Mitch Keller, PIT
2. Dustin May, LAD
3. Justin Steele, CHC
4. Spencer Strider, ATL
5. Zac Gallen, ARI

NL Rookie of the Year

1. Corbin Carroll, ARI
2. James Outman, LAD
3. Kodai Senga, NYM