MLB standings by each team’s best 3 players cumulative WAR: Dodgers, Yankees dominating

MLB is known to be the ultimate team sport. You need most of the 26-man active roster to contribute to win any given game.

With that being said, teams still need star power to truly compete. Depth is important, but without high-end players, the ceiling of any given team is limited. Just look at last season's Texas Rangers. Five of their nine regulars were named All-Stars. Their ace, Nathan Eovaldi, was an All-Star as well. They even wound up trading for a pair of high-end starters at the deadline in Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery.

Having star power isn't everything, but often teams with the best players will find a way to win (unless you're the Los Angeles Angels). When looking at the standings by each team’s best 3 players' cumulative fWAR, you can see how valuable it is to have several high-end players.

Note: All records are from before games on Sunday, May 19.

MLB standings by each team’s best 3 players cumulative WAR

AL East

Not only do the New York Yankees have the best fWAR from their three best players in the American League, but they have the best overall record in the AL at 33-15. The duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge were expected to be elite, but Anthony Volpe's emergence into a budding star has helped this team take the next step and take the lead over the Baltimore Orioles.

AL Central

The Cleveland Guardians' leader in fWAR is Steven Kwan by a decent margin, and he's on the IL. Despite that, and the fact that their three best players have combined for the 16th-best fWAR in baseball, they're leading the AL Central at 30-17. They're a team winning thanks to their entire roster rather than star power. Unfortunately, a team with much more high-end talent, the Kansas City Royals, is right behind them.

AL West

After a ridiculously slow start to their season, the Houston Astros have won eight of their last ten to pull within five games of .500 thanks in large part to their high-end talent. Kyle Tucker, the AL's leader in fWAR, just hit two home runs and drove in four in Sunday's win. The Astros will need their three best players to continue to produce as they continue to attempt to climb up the ranks.

NL East

The NL East is a division dominated by the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves, and the fWAR totals from the three best players of each team prove just that. What's interesting about Atlanta's top three players is that none of Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, or Max Fried is on the list. It'll be interesting to see how long that lasts.

NL Central

You'd think that the Cincinnati Reds would be in a battle for first place in the NL Central with their fWAR total from their three best players, but they're an example of a team in need of more help from their supporting cast. Elly De La Cruz has been one of the most valuable players in baseball, but his team has really slacked.

NL West

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the Los Angeles Dodgers lead the NL West in fWAR total from their three best players, and all of baseball as well. There's a massive gap between them and the rest of the division, which is the case standings-wise as well.