The boys of summer are closing in on the final month of the season and the postseason picture is finally starting to take shape. No longer are there six or more teams fighting for the final Wild Card spot as there are about three teams in each league with a realistic shot at making the playoffs. Although teams have dropped out of making the playoffs there wasn’t a lot of large rises or falls in the power rankings, but there are two teams who made large leaps into the top 10.
30. Texas Rangers (Last Time 29, Down 1)
Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for the Rangers Shin-Soo Choo is done for the season and it is likely that Yu Darvish is too. Health derailed what was once a promising season for the Rangers and if they’re healthy next season this will all be in the past.
29. Colorado Rockies (Last Time 30, Up 1)
While the Rangers season was derailed by injuries the Rockies are derailed by injuries every year. After another poor finish it might be a realistic question to ask what the Rockies can get for Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez in the offseason before their inability to stay on the field leads to another disappointing season.
28. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last Time 27, Down 1)
If the D-Backs had a healthy Mark Trumbo and Paul Goldschmidt they would have had one of the best offenses. Unfortunately they were rarely on the field at the same time and the pitching was a nightmare. They’ll be playing in September just to try and save the jobs of management.
27. Houston Astros (Last Time 28, Up 1)
At times Bo Porter looks incompetent in his role as manager, but even so there is no arguing the improvement of this team. This team is starting to come into its own and while they may not have a shot at the playoffs this season they have a shot to impact the race with eight games left against the top two teams in the American League West.
26. Boston Red Sox (Last Time 25, Down 1)
What a disappointing season for the defending World Series Champions. While this season has not been what they had hoped you just know that they are going to spend in the offseason and be a force in 2015.
25. Minnesota Twins (Last Time 24, Down 1)
Will Ron Gardenhire ever lose his job? It seems like he never will, but after a season where nothing seemed to work, someone needs to lose their job.
24. Chicago Cubs (Last Time 26, Up 2)
The best part about the Chicago Cubs this season is that we are getting to see some of the future stars of the game late in the season. Next season could be the year the Cubs make a leap, maybe not to contender, but out of the cellar for sure.
23. Chicago White Sox (Last Time 20, Down 3)
Jose Abreu and Chris Sale have been amazing. The rest of the team, eh. Changes will need to be made in the offseason and with Adam Dunn off of the books the money will be available, but there are so many holes to fill it might not be enough.
22. Philadelphia Phillies (Last Time 23, Up 1)
I feel like I’m beating a dead horse every time I write about the Phillies. How do they keep holding onto all of these aging stars at the deadline? When are they going to rebuild? No one knows by Ruben Amaro Jr., and maybe the problem is that he doesn’t know the answer either.
21. New York Mets (Last Time 21)
At times this season the Mets have looked like a competitive team, but they just don’t seem ready yet. They have a plethora of young pitching, and with the return of Matt Harvey in 2015, the team will improve in the coming years.
20. San Diego Padres (Last Time 22, Up 2)
The Padres are going to be overhauled in the offseason and it is about time. This team has had too much talent over the years to continue to be a bottom feeding team.
19. Tampa Bay Rays (Last Time 19)
What an up and down year it has been for the Rays. They were one of the slowest teams out of the gates this season but at one point they looked like they were going to overcome and make a run. Then they traded their best pitcher for major league talent and the winning seemed to end just like that.
18. Cincinatti Reds (Last Time 15, Down 3)
Like the Rays the Reds started slow and got hot, but it was injuries that led to their start. They got healthy and made a run towards the division lead but superstar first baseman Joey Votto hasn’t been able to get back onto the field.
17. Miami Marlins (Last Time 18, Up 1)
Giancarlo Stanton is a front runner for the National League Most Valuable Player and the Marlins have improved as a team by leaps and bounds, but they will just be playing spoiler in September. 2015 is looking bright for them, though.
16. Toronto Blue Jays (Last Time 13, Down 3)
The Jays still have an outside chance to make a run at the second Wild Card spot. They were once the best offense in the league and when the pitching was solid they looked like the best team in the league. With a healthy Edwin Encarnacion they can it, but it’s going to need to be a near perfect final month if they are going to make it happen.
15. Cleveland Indians (Last Time 17, Up 2)
The Tribe are an interesting team. They have seemed to be solid all the way around and Corey Kluber has been a revelation, but they just can’t seem to win consistently.
14. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last Time 10, Down 5)
At one point the Pirates were the biggest disappointment in the entire league, and now they are only sitting two games out of the second Wild Card spot. Andrew McCutchen has not been playing up to the high standards he has set, but where he has lacked some others have stepped up and the Pirates could be a team to be afraid of if they can make the playoffs.
13. New York Yankees (Last Time 12, Down 1)
It's hard to believe it but the Yankees still have a shot at the playoffs with their best two pitchers on the disabled list for a large portion of the season.It'll take a great run down the stretch for them to win that final spot, but I won't count them out in Derek Jeter's final season.
12. Atlanta Braves (Last Time 16, Up 4)
For a large part of the season it appeared that the Braves would overcome losing two starting pitchers to Tommy John surgery, but the surge of the Washington Nationals paired with an inconsistent offense has sunk them to battling for the Wild Card.
11. San Francisco Giants (Last Time 8, Down 3)
Never count out the Giants. As bad as this team has looked at times they know that all they need to do is get in the playoffs and if they do they've got the experience factor on their side.
10. St. Louis Cardinals (Last Time 9, Down 1)
Much like the Giants, who they very well could play in the Wild Card game, the Cards know what it takes to win a championship. Expect them to get in the playoffs somehow and make some noise.
9. Detroit Tigers (Last Time 7, Down 2)
How the mighty have fallen. At the trade deadline the Tigers were making moves to counteract the moves made by their playoff rival Oakland Athletics, but one month later they're struggling just to stay in the bottom Wild Card spot.
8. Seattle Mariners (Last Time 14, Up 6)
The American League West could be this year's National League Central and send three teams to the playoffs because of the improvement of the M's. Robinson Cano will get MVP consideration and Felix Hernandez should win the Cy Young, but they'll still have their hands full holding off the Tigers.
7. Milwaukee Brewers (Last Time 5, Down 2)
The Brewers have had a kung-fu grip on the top spot in the National League Central, but the Cardinals are breathing down their necks at only two games back with the Pittsburgh Pirates right behind them. It would be easy to say the Cardinals will pass the Brewers up, but this team has proven everyone wrong all season long and I don’t expect them to stop now.
6. Kansas City Royals (Last Time 11, Up 5)
The lead is slim in the American League Central, but the Royals have it and that is all that matters. The Royals have really turned it on in the second half and they will have the chance to extend this lead with two series left against the Tigers who sit only one half of a game back.
5. Washington Nationals (Last Time 6, Up 1)
Quite possibly the best team in the National League and the team with the biggest division lead in the NL. This team is not only going to be hard to beat down the stretch but will be a handful in the playoffs when teams have to face off against a team that has Doug Fister as their number four starter.
4. Baltimore Orioles (Last Time 4)
The O’s have the biggest division lead in the American League yet sit fourth in the power rankings. Pitching has been interesting all season for the O’s but they have had the best defense all season long. There may be some holes now with Chris Davis playing third base, but this team is going to be able to virtually coast into the playoffs and have a month to figure out the issues before they get there.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last Time 2, Down 1)
The Dodgers are the best team in the National League. There are a lot of reasons why they hold the top spot, but the real reason is Clayton Kershaw. There are a lot of arguments to be made against a pitcher winning the MVP, but this guy missed two months of the season and is blowing every other pitcher out of the water.
2. Oakland Athletics (Last Time 1, Down 1)
The mighty have fallen, but not far. They still have the second best record in the league but the struggles of the offense is enough for any fan to worry. Yes, they can throw out any of their top four pitchers in a one game playoff and have a chance to win, but if the offense can’t score they aren’t going to win a single game playoff.
1. Los Angeles Angels (Last Time 3, Up 2)
Welcome in the new champions of the top spot in the power rankings. They may have lost the best pitcher in their rotation, but guys are stepping up and the bullpen finally seems to be solidified. It is hard to find a hole in this team with Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson getting steady again and this team is going to be dangerous not just down the stretch, but in the playoffs as well.