The Times’ Major League Baseball rankings

Zach Helfand ranks Major League Baseball’s 30 teams. Statistics are through Friday’s games.

1. DETROIT: Max Scherzer who? Shane Greene hasn’t given up a run in 16 innings so far this season.

2. KANSAS CITY: Royals didn’t get much love in predictions, but they apparently didn’t get the message. Must’ve been a text.

3. ST. LOUIS: Rebounded from a sluggish start and are now right on track to beat the Dodgers in the playoffs.

4. BOSTON: Hanley Ramirez, a career .300 hitter, is batting just .233 — with four home runs in 10 games.

5. DODGERS: They’re looking really good, you know, as long as Adrian Gonzalez keeps hitting .550 for the rest of the season.

6. SAN DIEGO: Outfielders Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers are fitting into the lineup just fine.

7. WASHINGTON: Nationals have lost series to the Mets, Phillies and Red Sox but have too much talent not to win.

8. BALTIMORE: Adam Jones leads the team in batting average (.415), home runs (four) and RBIs (11).

9. COLORADO: The Rockies’ infield defense could be the best in baseball. It now has a nickname to match: Coors Shield.

10. CHICAGO CUBS: Kris-mas didn’t exactly come early, but Kris Bryant is now a major leaguer.

11. ANGELS: The Josh Hamilton saga has overshadowed another brilliant start by Mike Trout.

12. TORONTO: Didn’t take long for Josh Donaldson to win over Blue Jays fans, with a walk-off homer against the Braves.

13. OAKLAND: Bet the Athletics wish they still had Josh Donaldson.

14. ATLANTA: Despite 7-4 start, they’re none too happy with Josh Donaldson, either.

15. N.Y. METS: The pitching is good. So is the record. But come on, it’s the Mets.

16. PITTSBURGH: The Pirates have already been shut out three times this season.

17. CLEVELAND: The Indians have started to right the ship after four straight losses.

18. CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Jose Abreu has three homers, meaning he’s on pace for 49, which doesn’t sound terribly off.

19. CINCINNATI: The bipolar Reds started with four straight wins, then lost six of their next seven.

20. TAMPA BAY: Evan Longoria has longest active consecutive-games streak at 254. He played Friday despite a hip injury.

21. SEATTLE: Speaking of hip, the Mariners were the hip pick to win the American League. They were swept by the Dodgers.

22. ARIZONA: Good news: Paul Goldschmidt is off to a great start. Bad news: Diamondbacks can’t compete in the West.

23. TEXAS: The Rangers still haven’t been over .500 since June 7 of last year.

24. HOUSTON: Dallas Keuchel continues to perplex hitters (ask Angels). He has given up two runs in 20 innings.

25. MINNESOTA: The worst earned-run average in the¿ majors belongs to the Twins.

26. MIAMI: The Marlins lost six of their first seven games. How long until the traditional fire sale?

27. N.Y. YANKEES: Good news: Alex Rodriguez is hitting with a lot of power. Hold on, is that really good news?

28. PHILADELPHIA: Congratulations to the Phillies, who held the season’s first emergency, players-only meeting.

29. MILWAUKEE: The Brewers already have two four-game losing streaks.

30. SAN FRANCISCO: What’s that smell? This team or McCovey Cove?

Follow Zach Helfand on Twitter @zhelfand