Brewers Hold the Crown, but the Yankees Are Coming — Week 27 Power Rankings
The Story of the Week
The 2026 season is 27 weeks old, and the Milwaukee Brewers are still on top of the Earl Knows Ball power rankings. That's not a surprise — they've been there for a while — but the margin is shrinking. Milwaukee's rating sits at 1.40 after a +0.26 weekly bump, and their 103-59 record is the best in the league. But the gap between the Brewers and the pack is not what it was a month ago. The Yankees are charging, the Padres just made the biggest jump in the top five, and the Cubs and Dodgers are lurking. The story of this week isn't just who's No. 1 — it's who's coming for the throne.
The Top Five
1. Milwaukee Brewers (1.40, +0.26 wk, 103-59, SOS -0.00)
Milwaukee's rating of 1.399 runs better than average on a neutral field is the best in baseball, and their 103-59 record confirms it's no fluke. The +0.259 weekly jump is one of the largest among top teams, and the vs-market gap of 0.31 says the books still haven't fully priced them in. That's a buy signal. Their rating implies they should be laying roughly 1.4 runs on a neutral field, and the market is still catching up.
2. Chicago Cubs (1.15, +0.23 wk, 89-73, SOS 0.03)
The Cubs grade out at +1.15 runs, second in the league, and that number is trending up sharply with a +0.227 weekly jump. Their 89-73 record and thin 0.034 strength of schedule say the résumé undersells the underlying form. The market's 0.49 vs. spread gap suggests they're still undervalued. Chicago is a legitimate threat to Milwaukee's crown.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (1.06, +0.24 wk, 100-62, SOS -0.04)
The Dodgers rate at 1.062 runs better than average, up a sharp 0.242 from last week, but that's still well below their 1.404 prior-season mark. This is a team trending back toward elite rather than already there. Their -0.86 vs. the market says the number is shading them richer than this rating, so there's no edge in laying the price. The talent is real, but the value isn't.
4. New York Yankees (0.82, +0.32 wk, 93-68, SOS -0.03)
The Yankees rate at 0.82 runs, fourth in the league, and the rating is trending up sharply with a +0.315 weekly change against a near-neutral schedule. At 93-68 with no injury dock, this is a buy: the 0.82 rating sits well below their 1.239 prior-season mark, so there's room to climb. New York is the hottest team in the top five right now.
5. San Diego Padres (0.74, +0.47 wk, 91-71, SOS -0.01)
San Diego sits fifth with a 0.736 runs-neutral rating, up a strong 0.467 from last week — the biggest weekly jump in the top five. Their 91-71 record against a roughly neutral schedule backs that up. The rating is slightly below last year's 0.854 prior, so this is a solid team trending up rather than a fluke. With no key players unavailable, the Padres are a quiet buy.
Risers and Fallers
The biggest rank movers this week are the White Sox (+3), Phillies (+4), and Diamondbacks (+3) on the rise, while the Tigers (-3), Pirates (-4), and Braves (-2) slipped. But rank changes can be misleading — the real story is in the rating changes.
San Diego's +0.47 weekly jump is the largest in the top five, but Baltimore's +0.58 and San Francisco's +0.70 are the biggest overall. The Orioles climbed from 16th to 16th (no rank change) but their rating surged 0.583, and the market has already caught on at 0.15 — that's a buy getting priced in fast. The Giants, despite a 65-97 record, saw a 0.705 rating jump, but the market has them priced correctly at 0.53 vs. their number, so there's no edge.
On the faller side, the Tigers dropped three spots despite a +0.51 rating jump — that's a quirk of the teams around them moving faster. The Pirates fell four spots with a +0.47 rating gain, again a case of relative movement. The Braves dropped two spots with a +0.35 gain, but their -0.17 vs. market says the number is shading them rich. No team suffered a significant rating decline this week; the board is stable at the top, but the middle is churning.
How the Board Sets Up
New York Yankees are the team to watch. Their +0.32 weekly gain and 0.82 rating put them within striking distance of the top three, and with a prior-season rating of 1.239, there's plenty of room to climb. If they keep this up, they could challenge for No. 2 by next week.
San Diego Padres just made the biggest jump in the top five. Their 0.74 rating is still below last year's 0.854, so the arrow is pointing up. A soft schedule (-0.01) means the rating is clean. Watch for them to crack the top three if the trend continues.
Baltimore Orioles are the stealth riser. Their +0.58 weekly jump is the second-largest overall, and the market is starting to notice. At 16th with a 0.12 rating, they're not a contender yet, but the trajectory is real.
Chicago White Sox jumped three spots to No. 10 with a +0.21 weekly gain. Their 0.40 rating is a massive improvement from last year's -0.559, and the market hasn't fully caught on. They're a name to file away.
The Sign-Off
The Brewers are still the kings, but the castle walls are showing cracks. The Yankees are the hottest team in the top five, the Padres are surging, and the Cubs and Dodgers are lurking. The market hasn't fully priced in Milwaukee's dominance, but that gap is closing. If you're looking for value, the Yankees and Padres are your best bets. If you're looking for the best team, it's still Milwaukee — for now. Check back next week. — Earl