Week 25 MLB Power Rankings

With playoff races in full swing, let's take a look at where your favorite team landed in our week 25 power rankings:

30. Texas Rangers (57-92) Last Week: 30

The Rangers are still easily the worst team in the Majors with a mere 57 wins in the middle of September. Texas did see a glimmer of hope this weekend, sweeping the Atlanta Braves at home.

29. Colorado Rockies (59-90) Last Week: 29

The Rockies join the Rangers as the only teams that haven't reached the 60-win mark yet this season. Colorado desperately needs to overhaul a pitching staff that struggled often, as performance at the plate wasn't really the issue. It's hard to believe that this team actually led the NL West standings for a short time early in the season.

28. Arizona Diamondbacks (61-88) Last Week: 28

The Diamondbacks will finish this season without a playoff appearance. This season was nothing short of a disappointment, and losing star slugger Paul Goldshmidt to a broken hand last month added to a dismal 2014 for Arizona.

27. Minnesota Twins (63-86) Last Week: 27

The Twins were still in the AL Central race after the All-Star Break, but were unable to take advantage during the second half of the season. Now, Minnesota has won just two of their last 10 games and are far out of contention in one of the toughest divisions in the American League.

26. Chicago Cubs (65-84) Last Week: 23chi-chicago-cubs-pitching-prospects-20140407-001

The Cubs took a step back this week after climbing up to the number 23 spot in last week's power rankings. Chicago's taking steps in the right direction, even after enduring a difficult stretch recently. The Cubs' future is bright at this point with the amount of young talent they possess, and it will be interesting to see how the next couple seasons play out under team president Theo Epstein.

25. Boston Red Sox (66-84) Last Week: 26

The Red Sox have been out of the race in the AL East for quite some time now, but there's still some baseball to watch for Boston fans. This week the club is expected to debut Rusney Castillo, who has drawn comparisons to other Cuban stars like Yoenis Cespedes and Jose Abreu. It will be intriguing to see if Castillo will make an impact in an interleague series where the Pittsburgh Pirates are attempting to make a playoff push.

24. Houston Astros (66-83) Last Week: 25

Astros' second baseman Jose Altuve still leads the American League in batting average. At .339, Altuve leads the Detroit Tigers' Victor Martinez by a slim eight points. If Altuve can continuing producing hits, he could become the first ever Houston Astros' player to ever receive the award.

23. San Diego Padres (68-80) Last Week: 22

The Padres have suffered from an awful September, and they've only won four games so far. San Diego proved they were more than capable on the mound this year, but the lack of offensive production will be a major issue that needs to be addressed promptly in the offseason.

22. Chicago White Sox (68-81) Last Week: 23Jose-Abreu-200x200

Jose Abreu is the obvious AL Rookie of the Year at this point. Abreu's 2014 numbers have been the best that Major League Baseball's seen in a long time. White Sox fans have to be excited about this team's future due to the amount of young talent in Chicago's lineup.

21. Philadelphia Phillies (69-80) Last Week: 21

There's been a lot of speculation over the past couple years that the Phillies would shop veteran lefty Cole Hamels. Well, this might finally be the year that rumor comes true, as the Phillies need to find a way to generate offense going into next season. Hamels' 2014 season was decent statistically, as the lefty posted an 8-7 record with a 2.51 ERA. Philadelphia's got a chance to improve the issues they've had at the plate this season if they deal Hamels wisely.

20. Cincinnati Reds (71-79) Last Week: 20

The Reds won't be able to catch the top three teams in the NL Central race, as injuries plagued Cincinnati's 2014 season. With the absence of Joey Votto for almost the entire season, the Reds offense came solely from the bat of Todd Frazier. Frazier leads the Reds in batting average, home runs, RBIs and runs scored so far this season.

19. Tampa Bay Rays (72-78) Last Week: 17

The Rays have endured growing pains this season, especially within their starting rotation. The oldest member of the rotation is right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, who turned 27 in April. This will be a fun group to watch in years to come, especially within a division that's been dominated by powerful offenses the past few seasons.

18. New York Mets (72-78) Last Week: 19

The Mets got a scare on Thursday night when Daniel Murphy was hit on the hand by a pitch. Murphy's x-rays came back negative, and he was able to return to the lineup Saturday after missing just one start. Injuries have plagued the Mets this season, as they've already shut down star third baseman David Wright due to shoulder inflammation.

17. Miami Marlins (72-76) Last Week: 18p14-mlb-a-20140913-200x200

The Marlins took a huge blow last Thursday when Giancarlo Stanton was hit by a pitch in the face, causing several cuts and multiple fractures. Stanton has played tremendously in 2014, leading the National League with 37 home runs. It's unlikely that Stanton will return to the field this season, and one's left to wonder if that was the last at-bat he'll have in a Marlins uniform.

16. Atlanta Braves (75-74) Last Week: 15

The excitement of the Braves' hot start's been matched with the frustration of Atlanta's finish to 2014. The Braves have started to make habit of disappointing fans in September the last few seasons. That being said, the Braves still have a shot at snatching the second wild card spot, as they are four games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

15. Cleveland Indians (76-72) Last Week: 11

The Indians' playoff hopes are now running out after being swept by the Detroit Tigers this weekend. The sweep puts the Indians five games behind Kansas City for the last American League wild card spot, making their chances at a postseason berth pretty slim at this point.

14. New York Yankees (76-72) Last Week: 13

The Yankees are in the same situation as the Cleveland Indians, as they'll have to catch the Kansas City Royals, who are five games ahead for the second wild card position. New York dropped three of four games against the Baltimore Orioles this weekend, and it looks like Derek Jeter's final season will end on September 28 against the Boston Red Sox.

13. Milwaukee Brewers (78-72) Last Week: 14

The Brewers allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to surge past them in the NL Central race, and are now five games behind the Cards in the NL Central standings. Milwaukee's postseason hopes are still very much alive, and they trail the Pittsburgh Pirates by just 1.5 games for the final National League wild card slot. The Brewers start a pivotal three-game series against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Tuesday.

12. Toronto Blue Jays (77-71) Last Week: 16images

The Blue Jays are 11.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East, making Toronto 's chances at winning the division seemingly impossible. The Blue Jays are just four games out in the AL Wild Card race, and it looks as though they'll battle Seattle and Kansas City for the final spot.

11. Pittsburgh Pirates (79-70) Last Week: 12

The Pirates hold the final NL Wild Card spot, trailing the St. Louis Cardinals by 3.5 games in the NL Central. Pittsburgh turned an incredible triple play on Sunday in a 7-3 win against the Chicago Cubs, the first by the Pirates at home in 21 years.

10. Seattle Mariners (80-68) Last Week:  8

The Mariners trail the Kansas City Royals by just one game for the final AL Wild Card position. Seattle's solid 2014 season didn't benefit from being in the same division as the Oakland A's or the Los Angeles Angels - if Seattle can clinch the final wild card spot, the AL West can potentially send three teams to the postseason.

9. Kansas City Royals (81-67) Last Week: 5

The Royals are in the driver's seat for the last AL Wild Card position, holding their lead on the Seattle Mariners by just one game. Kansas City trails the Detroit Tigers by just 1.5 games in the AL Central, as they start an extremely important divisional series at home against the White Sox Monday night.

8. San Francisco Giants (82-67) Last Week: 9

The Giants lost the final two games in a weekend series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, dropping them to three games behind the Dodgers in the NL West standings. San Francisco does have control on the first NL Wild Card position and has a chance to make up some ground on Los Angeles in the division when they start a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field tonight.

7. Oakland Athletics (83-66) Last Week: 6

Oakland surged to the top of the standings this summer, where they held their ground in the AL West for quite some time. The A's struggled in August and have continued to give ground in September, where they've gone just 5-8. Oakland still has control on the first AL Wild Card Spot, but it doesn't look like the A's will be able to catch the Los Angeles Angels, who lead the division by 10 games.

6. St. Louis Cardinals (83-67) Last Week: 7

One thing that's made the Cardinals such a threat over past several seasons is their ability to play great baseball in September. The Cardinals are 10-4 this month and don't appear to be ready give up their first place spot any time soon. St. Louis hosts the Brewers Tuesday to kick off a very important series that will help shape the NL Central race.

5. Detroit Tigers (83-66) Last Week: 10

The Tigers took hold of the lead in the AL Central race this past week, helping their cause by sweeping the Cleveland Indians. Detroit's collective batting average is a whopping .276, which is the best team average in Major League Baseball.

4. Washington Nationals (85-63) Last Week: 3

Once the Nationals passed the Atlanta Braves in NL East standings, they didn't look back. Washington's 6-2 record in their last eight games have helped extend their divisional lead to 10.5 games.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (85-64) Last Week: 4

The Dodgers have built themselves a three-game lead over the Giants after taking two of three from San Francisco over the weekend. Clayton Kershaw's chances of winning the NL MVP award improved after the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton was struck in the face with a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday night, ending his 2014 season prematurely. Kershaw cruised to win number 19 Sunday and is a lock to win the NL Cy Young.

2. Baltimore Orioles (89-60) Last Week: 2Unknown

The Orioles have a dominant lead in the AL East, holding a 11.5-game lead on the Toronto Blue Jays. It's safe to say that Baltimore made the biggest free agency signing in the offseason with the addition of Nelson Cruz. Cruz' 39 home runs and 102 RBIs could easily earn him the AL MVP award this season.

1. Los Angeles Angels (93-56) Last Week: 1

The Angels have been dominant over the past few weeks, and had a 10-game winning streak snapped by the Houston Astros on Sunday night. The Angels are the only team in Major League Baseball to win 90-plus games already this season, and will be the favorite to win the World Series going into the 2014 postseason.

 

Be sure to follow me on twitter @griffaldo for more sports updates and analysis!

Back to the MLB Newsfeed