Week 25 MLB Power Rankings

We are about to hit the home stretch. There are roughly three weeks left in the season which means there are only three or so of these rankings left. That is kind of sad. No more rankings. At least for baseball. In case you missed it I did my first NFL rankings last Tuesday and the new ones will be out tomorrow. Tune in for that. But, this is about baseball. So let's head back to the diamond shall we?

1. Washington Nationals (89-57) They had a chance to seal up the division this weekend in Atlanta but were swept in the three game series. They should still lock it up but the race just got a bit more interesting. (Last Week's Rank 1)

2. Cincinnati Reds (88-59) The Reds capped a 4-2 week and should be getting Aroldis Chapman back as he was shelved for a few days due to fatigue. If he is right heading into the playoffs this team will be tough to score against late. (LWR 2)

3. Texas Rangers (87-59) Texas continues to be the best team in the American League. The only problem is the 2nd best team in the AL sits right behind them in their own division.(LWR 3)

4. Oakland Athletics (84-62) As I mentioned above the A;s are sizzling. They have the 2nd best record in the AL and may actually pose a threat for the AL West division crown. This is going to be a good race. (LWR 5)

5. Atlanta Braves (84-63) They followed up being swept by the scorching Milwaukee Brewers by busting out the brooms against the Nationals. They still have a shot at the NL East crown. (LWR 4)

6. New York Yankees (83-63) After a week against Baltimore and Tampa Bay the Yankees emerged atop the AL East. Oh, and they get Andy Pettite back tomorrow. A nice addition for the stretch run. (LWR 6)

7. San Francisco Giants (83-63) Last week I mentioned the Giants had a large division lead. What did they do about it? They extended it by two more games to a seemingly insurmountable 7 1/2. (LWR 8)

8. Baltimore Orioles (82-64) If the season ended today the O's would be in the playoffs. I can't help but root for them that they will be doing just that in a few weeks. (LWR 7)

9. Chicago White Sox (79-66) They can open up a four game lead over Detroit with a win in a make-up game tonight. If they do that it might be enough to win the AL Central. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Chicago wasn't it? (LWR 12)

10. Los Angeles Angels (80-67) The Angels have probably played well enough to save Mike Sciosca's job but I still think they fall short of the postseason this year. At least they will have Mike Trout for a full season next year. (LWR 9)

11. Tampa Bay Rays (78-68) Tampa has picked a poor time of year to go cold. They are surely out of the division race and must now hope they can secure a wild card spot. A week ago I would not have seen this coming. (LWR 9)

12. St. Louis Cardinals (77-70) They split an important series against the Dodgers and maintain a slim lead in the wild card race. Chris Carpenter is also due to come back this year. Talk about a shot in the arm. (LWR 11)

13. Detroit Tigers (77-69) All but out of the wild card race the Tigers face a massive test tonight in a one game series against the White Sox. A loss could put their playoff hops on life support. (LWR 13)

14. Los Angeles Dodgers (76-71) As I feared last week it looks like the Dodgers could be without their ace Clayton Kershaw until May of next year. That might be the nail in the coffin as they start a tough road series in Washington. (LWR 14)

15. Milwaukee Brewers (74-72) No Prince Fielder. No Zack Greinke. No playoffs. Right? Maybe not. The Brewers have won 20 of 26 and are only 2 1/2 games out in the wild card hunt. (LWR 17)

16. Pittsburgh Pirates (73-72) In first place at the All-star break the Pirates are now in fourth in their own division. It is like deja vu all over again. (LWR 15)

17. Philadelphia Phillies (73-74) The Phils seemed poised to make a big jump this week. Then they lost three of four in Houston. A potential crushing blow to their late season surge. (LWR 16)

18. Arizona Diamondbacks (72-74) Arizona has been playing .500 ball for what seems like all season. I guess that is why they sit at 72-74. That said they still aren't out of the race for the second wild card spot due to an easy season ending schedule. (LWR 18)

19. San Diego Padres (71-76) I have been fascinated with the fact that Seattle might finish at .500 this year. Lost in that is how well San Diego has played lately. They too could finish with a non-losing season. (LWR 20)

20. Seattle Mariners (70-77) Did I mention Seattle could finish at .500 this year? I did? Oh. Well then. (LWR 19)

21. Toronto Blue Jays (66-79) Edwin Encarnacion has reached the 40-homer club giving he Jays a player to reach that milestone in three consecutive years. (LWR 22)

22. Kansas City Royals (66-80) Who would have thought the Royals might finish the year with a better record than the Red Sox? (LWR 23)

23. New York Mets (66-80) It seems all the Mets have left is the hope that R.A. Dickey will take home the Cy Young. With an injury to Kershaw and Johnny Cueto getting knocked around it is a possibility. (LWR 21)

24. Boston Red Sox (66-81) Unless they win out the Sox will have a losing season. One has to think that this will be Bobby Valentine's only season as skipper. (LWR 25)

25. Miami Marlins (65-82) Owner Jeff Loria was quoted as saying he thinks his team will contend next year if they "add the right players" in the offseason. He might not want to let that secret out if that is all it takes to contend. (LWR 24)

26. Cleveland Indians (61-86) Cleveland has been on a horrific 17-45 skid. That is Astro-like. That is not a good thing. (LWR 26)

27. Minnesota Twins (60-87) They have the worst record in the AL but should avoid losing 100 for the second season in a row. (LWR 27)

28. Chicago Cubs (58-88) The Cubs have won seven of ten and may have played spoiler by manhandling Pittsburgh over the last week. They can still go out on a high note. (LWR 29)

29. Colorado Rockies (58-87) They have allowed a league high 792 runs. I would say pitching and defense are where the Rockies might want to look in the ofseason. (LWR 28)

30. Houston Astros (48-99) By taking three or four from the Phillies they put off their 100th loss a few more days and may have snuffed out Philly's playoff hopes as well. (LWR 30)