It's more of the same at the top of the rankings, with the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs hanging on to the top spots. Houston picked up four first-place votes, with Boston picking up the other one.
Elsewhere in the top 10, the Milwaukee Brewers moved up two spots into the top five and the red-hot Cleveland Indians jumped four places to No. 6. With another week like this, the Indians are going to be pushing the Astros, Yankees and Red Sox at the top of the American League. The only new team to enter the top 10 is the Arizona Diamondbacks (No. 8), with the Washington Nationals dropping out.
The Indians achieved the biggest move up with their four-rung leap, followed by the Diamondbacks advancing three. The biggest decline of the week was by the Mariners, whose test last week against the AL East's powerful top tandem forced a five-slot drop down to No. 10.
This week, our panel of voters is composed of David Schoenfield, Eric Karabell, Tim Kurkjian, Bradford Doolittle and Sarah Langs.
Week 11 rankings | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason
1. Houston Astros
Record: 52-27
Week 11 ranking: 1
Has anyone had a quieter season while hitting .345 than Jose Altuve? The reigning MVP leads MLB in batting average. He got his first day off of the season on Tuesday and followed that up with a two-homer game Wednesday, the third multihomer game of his career. His second home run was the last of three straight by the Astros, the first time they had gone back-to-back-to-back in a game in more than 10 seasons. -- Jacob Nitzberg, ESPN Stats & Information
2. New York Yankees
Record: 50-25
Week 11 ranking: 2
After CC Sabathia struggled to a 4.81 ERA in 2013-2015, you might have wondered how much longer his career might run. But from 2016 to 2018, the big man has shaved his ERA down to 3.69 while developing an effective cutter, generating more weak contact and popups. Seven more victories this season would move him into the Yankees' all-time top 10 in wins, while nine would get him to 250 on his career. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com
3. Boston Red Sox
Record: 52-27
Week 11 ranking: 3
The Yankees have the best record in baseball, and the Red Sox are tied for second-best with the Astros. The Yanks and Sox have had the top two records in the majors on several occasions this season -- and both teams have first-year managers. Elias Sports Bureau research tells us it's the first time since 1901, the inaugural season of the American League, that the teams with the two best records in the majors on a given day were guided by first-year managers. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information
4. Chicago Cubs
Record: 42-33
Week 11 ranking: 4
The Cubs took two of three at home from the Dodgers and looked to be set for a big week. Then they got humbled by the Reds in Cincinnati, dropping all four games of the series by a combined score of 31-13. The Cubs are 3-6 against the Reds and 16-12 against the rest of the division. Figuring out how to get wins against Cincinnati will be significant to the Cubs' division-title hopes. -- Kenneth Woolums, ESPN Stats & Information
5. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 45-32
Week 11 ranking: 7
The Brewers' leader in wins this season? None other than Brent Suter, who is 8-4 in 14 starts. Suter has won three straight turns and six of his past seven, posting a 3.12 ERA in that span. He has gone seven innings in both of his past two starts, the only Brewers pitcher with back-to-back starts of seven or more innings. -- Nitzberg
6. Cleveland Indians
Record: 43-33
Week 11 ranking: 10
Want today's fun "Jose Ramirez is even more awesome than you know" fact? His OPS marks against starting pitchers and relievers are almost identical, 1.006 and 1.035, both good for top-10 performances in that split. Only two other guys are that good or better in both splits: Mike Trout and Mookie Betts. Ramirez may not beat out either in the MVP vote, but the Tribe's hitting machine will belong in the conversation. -- Kahrl
7. Atlanta Braves
Record: 44-32
Week 11 ranking: 6
Julio Teheran has gone from potential rotation anchor in Atlanta to arguable rotation liability. In his start against the Orioles on Saturday, he gave up a grand slam to Mark Trumbo before he even got an out. He went on to give up seven runs in the start, and his season ERA sits at 4.52. -- Woolums
8. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 44-33
Week 11 ranking: 11
Paul Goldschmidt's big bounce-back at the plate in June might be the headline for the recharged Snakes offense that is second in MLB in runs per game this month with 6.1, but he's not the only big performer. David Peralta and Ketel Marte are both also cranking out OPS marks north of 1.000 -- Peralta has added eight home runs to Goldschmidt's NL-best 10, while Marte has ripped 13 extra-base hits this month. -- Kahrl
9. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 41-35
Week 10 ranking: 9
Five-and-a-half weeks ago, the Dodgers were 10 games under .500 and you might have wondered what direction their season might take. But true to last year's epic in-season rally, they've gone 25-9 since. And the best possible sign that they might just be getting started was that the rotation got both Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill back from the DL while swingman Ross Stripling is still dealing as a starter. -- Kahrl
10. Seattle Mariners
Record: 47-31
Week 11 ranking: 5
The Mariners finally hit a speed bump last week against a pair of AL powerhouses. They lost a season-high five straight games, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees. Seattle's rough patch, coupled with the Astros' 12-game winning streak, saw the Mariners fall as far out of first place as they have been all season. That said, they are still firmly in the postseason picture and will look to get back on track this week against the Orioles and Royals, who sport the two worst records in the AL. -- Paul Casella, ESPN Stats & Information
11. Washington Nationals
Record: 41-35
Week 11 ranking: 8
Juan Soto has hit cleanup for the Nationals multiple times this season. He's the first teenager to start in the cleanup spot multiple times in a season since 1964, when Ed Kranepool did so six times for the Mets and Tony Horton did so twice for the Red Sox. Because he's a frequent comparison, in terms of age, it's worth noting that Bryce Harper didn't start his first game in the cleanup spot until he was 20 years, 276 days old. -- Langs
12. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 41-37
Week 11 ranking: 12
Mike Trout surpassed the 1,000-game mark last week, all while in the midst of one of the hottest streaks of his already incredible career. He reached base safely in 32 of 42 plate appearances over a nine-game span -- and one of the 10 times he didn't reach base was on a sacrifice fly. He remains on pace for career highs nearly across the board and leads the majors in OBP, OPS and at-bats per HR. -- Casella
13. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 41-34
Week 11 ranking: 14
What a streak it was for Odubel Herrera. From June 17 through June 22, he homered in five straight games, tying the franchise record, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. In that five-game span, he hit .591 with a 1.972 OPS. He had eight RBIs and two doubles in addition to the five home runs. Elias Sports Bureau research shows that 10 members of the 500-home-run club never homered in five consecutive games during their MLB careers: Frank Robinson, Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Mickey Mantle, Willie McCovey, Eddie Mathews, Ernie Banks, Gary Sheffield and Eddie Murray. -- Langs
14. St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 40-36
Week 11 ranking: 13
Michael Wacha being placed on the disabled list was a blow to the Cardinals' pitching staff, but the Cards have a lot of other good arms in their rotation. Wacha's 3.20 ERA is tied for his career low with the 2014 season, but he made only 19 starts that year. Wacha's ERA is not the lowest among Cardinals starters though -- both Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas have each made 10 or more starts and have lower ERAs. -- Langs
15. Oakland Athletics
Record: 40-38
Week 11 ranking: 16
With five different Oakland starting pitchers on the disabled list, this was the perfect situation for Edwin Jackson to pitch for a record-tying 13th team when he takes the hill for the A's on Monday. En route to matching reliever Octavio Dotel's record for affiliations, he has won games with 10 teams. While notching 98 career wins, Jackson hasn't won more than 19 with any of them, or pitched for any team more than three seasons in his 16 years in the majors. -- Kahrl
16. Colorado Rockies
Record: 38-40
Week 11 ranking: 15
The Rockies bats are heating up with the weather, but unfortunately, their opponents' bats are as well. Colorado scored double-digit runs three times last week, but the Rockies have also allowed a dozen runs twice since June 17. Things won't get any easier between now and the All-Star break, as their next 18 games all come against postseason contenders: Giants (six games), Mariners (six), Dodgers (three) and Diamondbacks (three). -- Casella
17. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 36-41
Week 11 ranking: 17
Pittsburgh's past eight series have been against the Diamondbacks, Brewers, Reds, Diamondbacks, Cubs, Dodgers, Cardinals and Cubs. All but one of those series (Reds) was against a team that is in the top half of the NL standings. This partly explains why Pittsburgh has one of the worst records in baseball in June and has seen its hopes to keep up in the NL Central race fade. -- Woolums
18. San Francisco Giants
Record: 40-39
Week 11 ranking: 18
It took a few starts, but it finally feels like Madison Bumgarner is back. After having a 4.67 ERA in 17⅓ innings pitched in his first three starts, he went out on June 21 and threw eight scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the Padres. In true Bumgarner fashion, he also drove in a run -- and just not any run, but the first run of the game -- which ended up being the game winner in a 3-0 victory. -- Langs
19. Minnesota Twins
Record: 34-40
Week 11 ranking: 19
Jake Odorizzi initially looked like a good offseason acquisition by Minnesota. Then his past five starts happened, including a laugher against the Rangers. Odorizzi allowed six runs and failed to get out of the second inning. In his past five starts, Odorizzi owns a 9.74 ERA. -- Woolums
20. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 36-41
Week 11 ranking: 23
What hope the Blue Jays have of bouncing back from a 9-19 May may be inspired by the big June production of Teoscar Hernandez, Kendrys Morales and especially Randal Grichuk. Grichuk has hit a team-leading six home runs this month after missing all of May with a knee injury. But even with Marcus Stroman back from the DL and Josh Donaldson on the mend, it may already be too late to avoid a deadline sell-off. -- Kahrl
21. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 37-40
Week 11 ranking: 20
The Rays were impressive at times last week in the midst of their toughest 16-game stretch of the season. They held the Yankees to just one run in a victory last Sunday, then did the same against the Astros on Tuesday. The Rays then held the Yankees to no more than one run on both Friday and Saturday en route to taking the series from their division rivals. The schedule doesn't get easier this week, though -- the Rays will host the Nationals for a quick two-game series before welcoming the Astros for a four-game set. -- Casella
22. Detroit Tigers
Record: 36-42
Week 11 ranking: 23
The Tigers entered this past week on a five-game winning streak, their longest of the season. It was snapped when they went to Cincinnati and got swept by the Reds in a two-game series. That dropped the Tigers to 1-7 against the NL, the second-worst record in interleague play this season (the Rays are 0-7). The Tigers have two more interleague games before the All-Star break, July 3-4 vs. the Cubs. -- Nitzberg
23. Texas Rangers
Record: 34-45
Week 11 ranking: 26
Last week, we focused on the Rangers losing a season-high seven consecutive games. They responded to that losing streak by rattling off seven straight victories, also a season high. Shin-Soo Choo and Nomar Mazara have been red-hot over the past week, supplying the Rangers with some much-needed offensive support -- and their fans with some much-needed victories. -- Casella
24. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 32-45
Week 11 ranking: 24
After their win against the Cubs on Saturday, the Reds won three games in a series against the Cubs for the first time since Joe Maddon took over in 2015. Since June 10, Cincinnati owns the best record in the NL; one factor in their rebound has been Tyler Mahle's improvement in the rotation, as he has posted a 1.61 ERA with 20 K's in 22⅓ IP across four June starts. -- Woolums
25. San Diego Padres
Record: 35-45
Week 11 ranking: 21
Though they lost his past two outings, the Padres have to be happy with what Tyson Ross has done for them this season. Ross returned to the Padres after one season with the Rangers and has posted a 3.34 ERA over 15 starts, having allowed more than three earned runs in just two of those starts. Ross has held righties to a .152 average, second best in the majors behind only Max Scherzer. -- Nitzberg
26. New York Mets
Record: 31-44
Week 11 ranking: 25
The Mets are currently 31-44, a .413 winning percentage. This is a team that started 11-1. The lowest winning percentage by any team to start 11-1 or better through 12 games is .457 by the 2002 Indians. That Indians team is the only one to finish a season below .500 after an 11-1 or better start through 12 games. -- Langs
27. Miami Marlins
Record: 31-47
Week 11 ranking: 28
J.T. Realmuto keeps raising his trade value, producing an MLB-best OPS among catchers with a shot at career highs in average, OBP and slugging. His 3.2 WAR is already the second-best total of his career. Behind the plate, he's leading the NL's regular catchers in caught-stealing percentage. Add in that he's under club control two more years and you can bet Derek Jeter's asking price will be high. -- Kahrl
28. Chicago White Sox
Record: 26-51
Week 11 ranking: 27
The White Sox finally snapped their losing streak with a victory Friday, but not before losing a season-high eight straight games. Chicago has already had three separate losing streaks of at least seven games, the most by any team in the majors. Making matters worse, the White Sox had only three seven-game losing streaks over the previous three seasons combined. -- Casella
29. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 23-53
Week 11 ranking: 30
In large part due to a season-long nine-game losing streak that ended last week in which Baltimore failed to score five runs in any game, the Orioles have really struggled at the plate this month. That is especially pronounced with runners in scoring position, where the Orioles are producing at a historically low pace. Baltimore is hitting .219 with runners in scoring position, which would be among the three worst seasons in franchise history, along with the 1988 and 1968 teams. -- Nitzberg
30. Kansas City Royals
Record: 23-54
Week 11 ranking: 29
We might be running out of ways to discuss the Royals' lack of offense, but here's another attempt. Kansas City has scored fewer than five runs in 17 consecutive games, the longest such streak in franchise history. The Royals have the worst average of any team in the month of June and have scored the fewest runs in the league this month. It is no surprise Kansas City's 3-18 record in June is the worst in the league. -- Nitzberg