MLB Uber Power Rankings

At the All-Star Break, the Rangers and Yankees remain atop the power rankings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates continue their stunning surge to first place (while former "surprise teams" like the Dodgers and Orioles fall from grace). Last edition's rankings are in parentheses.

1 (1). Texas Rangers (52-34): This top ranking assumes their injured arms--Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz in the rotation, Alexi Ogando and Koji Uehara in the bullpen--will get healthy. The Angels are closing fast.
2 (2). New York Yankees (52-33): No team has a bigger divisional lead at the break (seven games), which is impressive considering the entire AL East is at .500 or better. Over the last 30 days, Robinson Cano is hitting .355/.425/.664.
3 (4). Washington Nationals (49-34): One of the biggest factors behind the Nationals' rise to the top of the NL East is the emergence of Ian Desmond, who's been the best shortstop in the league and an incredibly clutch hitter.
4 (7). Los Angeles Angels (48-38): At 20 years old, is Mike Trout already the best player in baseball? It's not that far-fetched to say so.
5 (9). Cincinnati Reds (47-38): Over his last three starts, co-ace Mat Latos has allowed just 2 runs and 10 hits over 25 innings, striking out 28.
6 (8). St. Louis Cardinals (46-40): They might be under-performing relative to their true talent level, but last year showed both their willingness to swing a big deadline trade and their ability to pick up steam in the second half.
7 (14). San Francisco Giants (46-40): The National League All-Star lineup includes Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Melky Cabrera, and Matt Cain, but you can make the argument that none of those players deserved to start.
8 (18). Pittsburgh Pirates (48-37): No team in the majors has a better record than Pittsburgh since May 12 (they've won 34 and lost 19). Andrew McCutchen's season line is up to .362/.414/.625.
9 (5). Atlanta Braves (46-39): The loss of Andrelton Simmons for a month will hurt more than one might expect; the talented rookie shortstop has been spectacularly defensively while hitting nearly .300.
10 (10). Chicago White Sox (47-38): Going from the worst third base production in baseball to Kevin Youkilis (.990 OPS with his new team) is a pretty massive upgrade.
11 (3). Tampa Bay Rays (45-41): The devastating injuries to Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce have simply neutered the Rays' offense, which now features Ben Zobrist as its only potent threat.
12 (6). Los Angeles Dodgers (47-40): Just like the Rays, the Dodgers can't score without their two offensive weapons, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.
13 (19). Detroit Tigers (44-42): A five-game winning streak has finally given the Tigers some momentum as Austin Jackson and Quintin Berry are doing a fantastic job of setting the table for the big bats.
14 (20). New York Mets (46-40): After being baseball's worst everyday position player to start the season, Ike Davis has caught fire of late, hitting .294/.351/.635 over the past month.
15 (12). Cleveland Indians (44-41): What to make of this up-and-down team? They'll need more consistent pitching and a right-handed bat to stay in the AL Central race.
16 (13). Baltimore Orioles (45-40): The flimsy back of the rotation has completely collapsed, leaving the Orioles very vulnerable to second-half regression if they don't trade for pitching help.
17 (15). Arizona Diamondbacks (42-43): The talented-but-struggling Justin Upton will be the biggest name in play at the trade deadline.
18 (17). Boston Red Sox (43-43): Would it surprise anyone if the Sox went on a tear in the second half and won the wild card? Of course not. But would it surprise anyone if they finished last in the AL East and completely cleaned house this winter?
19 (11). Toronto Blue Jays (43-43): Despite a dynamic offense, pitching ineffectiveness and injuries have dropped the young Jays out of the playoff race.
20 (25). Oakland Athletics (43-43): Getting Josh Reddick from Boston last offseason was a coup; the young outfielder has 20 homers, 8 steals (without being caught), and an .880 OPS.
21 (17). Miami Marlins (41-44): 21-8 in June. 12-22 since. The Marlins are neither that good nor that bad, but with Giancarlo Stanton requiring knee surgery, they're closer to 'that bad.'
22 (22). Milwaukee Brewers (40-45): Eventually they must decide between buying and selling, which will determine the fate of Zack Greinke and cause the rest of the trade dominoes to fall.
23 (21): Philadelphia Phillies (37-50): The returns of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard could not keep the Phillies from losing ten of their last eleven games entering the break, virtually dropping them out of playoff contention and putting them in a difficult situation with impending free agent Cole Hamels.
24 (24). Kansas City Royals (37-47): Unfortunately, the All-Star Game will be the highlight of the season for Kansas City fans.
25 (23). Seattle Mariners (36-51): One regular player has an OPS over .800 (John Jaso). The 2012 Seattle Mariners: Redefining Offensive Ineptitude.
26 (28). Minnesota Twins (36-49): Former terrible-utility-player Trevor Plouffe has 18 home runs since May 16th. This is probably the most improbable development in baseball this season.
27 (29). Chicago Cubs (33-52): People finally have a reason to watch the Cubs with super-prospect Anthony Rizzo (team-leading 1.055 OPS in 12 games) finally in the majors.
28 (26). Houston Astros (33-53): They were respectable for a while, but at the halfway point, they ended up where everyone expected them to be: burdened with the worst record in baseball.
29 (27). Colorado Rockies (33-52): Why hasn't anyone been fired for this debacle yet?
30 (30). San Diego Padres (34-53): No team has used more starting pitchers than the poor Padres. On a lighter note: rookie catcher Yasmani Grandal hit two home runs--one from each side of the plate--for his first major league hits in his first major league start. Not a bad first day on the job.