The MLB Power Rankings were assembled by BoSox Injection writers Joe Meehan, Michele Pettis, and Drew Peabody.
(Last week’s ranking in parentheses.)
1.(1) LA Angels (98-63) – The Angels have clinched the best record in the AL, but have lost three of five. Jered Weaver leads the league in wins with 18, but is rarely mentioned in the Cy Young conversation, with his 3.59 ERA and 27 homers allowed. – Drew
2.(3) Washington Nationals (95-66) – Washington has won three of four and 18 of 26 in September to clinch the best record in the NL. While Ian Desmond is sixth in the league in RBI (90) and ninth in stolen bases (24), he is also tied for second in strikeouts (183). – Drew
3.(2) Baltimore Orioles (95-66) – The Orioles head into the postseason on a roll despite late-season injuries and suspensions. – Michele
4.(4) LA Dodgers (93-68) – Clayton Kershaw: NL Cy Young and MVP? – Michele
5.(5) Detroit Tigers (89-72) – The Tigers will send David Price to the hill for the Central division clinching game on Sunday. This is why they traded for him. – Joe
6.(6) St. Louis Cardinals (89-72) – Just like the Tigers, the Cardinals will have their ace going in their most important game on Sunday. Adam Wainwright has a chance to clinch the division with the Pirates lurking only one game back. – Joe
7.(7) Pittsburgh Pirates (88-73) – Josh Harrison carries a 15-game hitting streak into Sunday’s finale. He’s been a big part of the Pirates’ September surge. – Joe
8.(8) Kansas City Royals (88-73) – The Royals are headed to the playoffs for the first time in 29 years and still have a chance to win the Central with a little bit of help. – Joe
9.(9) San Francisco Giants (87-74) – The Giants are enjoying having Jake Peavy and his 2.20 ERA on the team. – Michele
10.(10) Oakland Athletics (87-74) – Oakland has clinched a tie for the wild card, but must win Sunday or hope for a Seattle loss to claim the spot outright. Jeff Samardzija has a 3.14 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 16 starts since arriving from Chicago, but has a 5-6 record to go with those numbers. – Drew
11.(11) Seattle Mariners (86-75) – Seattle can clinch a tie for the wild card with a win and an Oakland loss on Sunday. Logan Morrison has been a force behind the Mariners’ playoff push, hammering five of his 11 homers and slashing .333/.392/.653 in September. – Drew
12.(13) Cleveland Indians (84-77) – The Indians couldn’t muster another playoff push, but there are some encouraging signs for next season, including the emergence of Michael Brantley, Corey Kluber and Cody Allen. – Joe
13.(14) New York Yankees (83-78) – The Yankees will miss the playoffs for the second straight year, which hasn’t happened since the early 90’s. – Michele
14.(12) Milwaukee Brewers (82-79) – Jonathan Lucroy should finish top five in MVP voting, but the Brewers finish the year as one of the biggest disappointments after their huge drop in the standings. – Joe
15.(15) Toronto Blue Jays (83-78) – If they had held on and made the playoffs, it would have been the first time in 21 years. – Michele
16.(17) New York Mets (78-83) – The Mets have split their last six games. Bartolo Colon was involved in 27 decisions (14-13) in 30 starts, pitching 196.1 innings at the age of 41. – Drew
17.(20) San Diego Padres (77-84) – It will be a long road to recovery for the Padres, but their late season improvement is encouraging. – Michele
18.(18) Tampa Bay Rays (77-84) – Was this just a bad year or have the Rays officially turned back into a pumpkin? – Michele
19.(19) Miami Marlins (77-84) – Miami has split their last six games. Jarred Cosart was acquired at the deadline to make a playoff push that never panned out, but he did what he could in his 10 starts, posting a 2.39 ERA. – Drew
20.(16) Atlanta Braves (78-83) – Atlanta is a tire fire to close the season, losing 18 of 24, which cost GM Frank Wren his job. B.J. Upton‘s continued struggles may have been a factor, as the combination of Upton’s $75 million contract and .620 OPS and 173 strikeouts could not be ignored. – Drew
21.(22) Cincinnati Reds (75-86) – Johnny Cueto will pitch Sunday in what could be his last start in a Reds uniform. – Joe
22.(21) Chicago White Sox (73-88) – Paul Konerko didn’t get the big farewell tour like Derek Jeter, but he’s one of the classiest and most talented guys who ever played the game. – Joe
23.(26) Chicago Cubs (72-89) – The Cubs youth is obvious and a big part of youth is a lot of strikeouts; they had the most in all of baseball this season. – Joe
24.(23) Philadelphia Phillies (73-88) – Philadelphia has split their last four games. A.J. Burnett led the league in walks, struggled to an 8-18 record and 4.59 ERA, and was pitching hurt much of the season. Though he could exercise a player option for 2015, Burnett may choose retirement since he turns 38 in January. – Drew
25.(25) Boston Red Sox (71-90) – The reigning World Series champs will be at home watching to see who wins this season’s trophy. – Michele
26.(27) Minnesota Twins (70-91) – Phil Hughes may have missed out on $500k because of a rain delay, but he was a revelation this season for the Twins. – Joe
27.(24) Houston Astros (70-91) – Houston has lost four of five. Jose Altuve became the first player since Ty Cobb, in 1917, to have 55 steals, 55 extra base hits and 220 hits in a season. – Drew
28.(29) Texas Rangers (67-94) – Texas is steaming to the finish line, winning 13 of 15, including five of six against a desperate Oakland team hanging on in the wild card chase. – Drew
29.(28) Colorado Rockies (66-95) – Will Justin Morneau or Troy Tulowitzki be traded for much-needed pitching? – Michele
30.(30) Arizona Diamondbacks (64-97) – The decision to trade for Mark Trumbo hasn’t looked good, although he has shown some pop these last few weeks. – Michele
Biggest Jump: Cubs, Padres (+3)
Biggest Drop: Braves (-4)