Padres shockingly dethrone Dodgers in latest ESPN power rankings

At last, there is a new sheriff in town. The San Diego Padres are off to an unprecedented start to the 2025 season, and national outlets are finally paying close attention to their early dominance.

The Friars are 15-4 in the standings heading into a weekend series on the road against the Houston Astros, and unfortunately for the Texas squad, they have to host the best team in Major League Baseball. According to ESPN's latest power rankings, the Padres have finally jumped the Los Angeles Dodgers as the top dog, jumping from No. 3 to No. 1 on the list.

San Diego Padres are ranked No. 1 in latest ESPN power ranking

San Diego squeaked out a series win at home earlier this week against a solid Chicago Cubs squad, and even though they finally lost at home, taking two out of three against the Cubs was enough to push the Dodgers aside for now.

The Padres are now 12-1 at home. Their upcoming road trip begins in Houston and ends in Detroit, so coming out with four or five wins should keep them in the driver's seat, especially if their road record can somewhat keep pace with their onslaught at Petco Park.

What's most impressive about the Padres' start to the season isn't Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado bulldozing the opposing pitching, but other guys stepping up. With Jackson Merrill, Yu Darvish, Jake Cronenworth, and Matt Waldron on the injured list, the Padres have adopted the "next man up" mentality, and have seen guys like Nick Pivetta, Gavin Sheets, and Tyler Wade come through to help them win. Pivetta, especially, has been a crucial aspect to the Padres' early success, dialing up a 1.57 ERA in four starts. Sheets, and more recently Wade, now have trust within the coaching staff to get the job done.

What's keeping the Padres amidst the top of the leaderboard is their bullpen, too. Six relievers have a 1.29 ERA or lower this season, which is led by closer Robert Suarez. He's yet to allow a run through nine innings, dotting up a perfect eight saves in eight chances after a tumultuous spring training. Before Suarez even takes the hill, the Padres' calvalry of Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Yuki Matusi, Adrian Morejon, and Wandy Peralta have been borderline unhittable.

The Padres are still riding this wild wave to begin the regular season and it's about time some of the major outlets gave them their flowers. Some big series to keep an eye out for that could test their No. 1 ranking is a a home series against the Giants April 29-30, then a three-game slate in the Bronx from May 5-7 against the Yankees.