MLB Power Rankings for week of September 22

We have come to the final week of the MLB regular season, which means, after Sunday, we will say goodbye to 18 of the 30 teams in these rankings. Most of them have already been eliminated; the rest will fall away as the week goes along. But they all still have stories: They all have their own tales to tell. In the final Power Rankings with all 30 teams of the regular season, we’ll give you a little season recap for each team. The teams still with World Series hopes? Well, their stories are yet to be told as well. But everybody’s got a story.

These rankings, as always, are compiled from rankings from MLB.com contributors whose names you can find at the bottom of this (and every) piece, but the words are mine. If you dislike the rankings, yell at all of us. But if you dislike the words, feel free to yell at me.

1. Dodgers (previously: 2).
Season high: 1 | Season low: 6
The Dodgers have had one goal since the season began, the reason they made all their offseason moves, the thing they’ve been building toward. It’s World Series title or bust for the Dodgers. It has been an excellent season. But other than Shohei Ohtani’s historic numbers, the real story of the season will be told in October.

2. Phillies (previously: 1).
Season high: 1 | Season low: 8
The Phillies have a team stacked with veterans who have put together terrific careers full of accolades and honors. But other than Kyle Schwarber (2016 with the Cubs) and Trea Turner (2019 with the Nationals), none of them have won a World Series. They may have no better opportunity to do so than they have right now.

3. Yankees (previously: 3).
Season high: 1 | Season low: 7
Can you be a true Yankee if you’ve never won a World Series? You probably can’t, right? Aaron Judge has had one of the best seasons in Yankees history, but this is still a team that, as you may have heard, has not made a World Series in 15 years — far, far too long for this franchise. So much has been built around this year being their ideal breakthrough. Let’s see if it is.

4. Guardians (previously: 5).
Season high: 2 | Season low: 21
The AL Central champion Guardians didn’t look appreciably different on Opening Day than they did during their disappointing 2023 season, but the results sure have been different. They haven’t reached the ALCS since their World Series season of 2016, despite four different postseason bites of the apple. It’s a dogfight in the American League: With an improving AL Central, is this the best shot they’ll have in a while?

5. Brewers (previously: 4).
Season high: 4 | Season low: 19
This was supposed to be the season it fell apart for the Brewers, the year after they lost their manager and the Cy Young-winning ace. Instead, they breezed to the NL Central title and will reach the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years. They haven’t won a postseason series since 2018, the first of those appearances. Can that change this year?

6. Astros (previously: 8).
Season high: 5 | Season low: 26
It looked hairy there for a while for the Astros … but only for a while. The core guys are all still here as they look to reach a truly shocking eighth straight ALCS.

7. Padres (previously: 6).
Season high: 7 | Season low: 21
It has been a rather glorious turnaround for the Padres after a brutally disappointing 2023 season; it’s fair to call “improving after you lost Juan Soto and Blake Snell,” well, impressive. But this is still a team looking for its first title and first World Series appearance in 26 years: That’s the breakthrough San Diego fans are still waiting on.

8. Orioles (previously: 7).
Season high: 1 | Season low: 8
They hit a clear speed bump late in the season, and some of those young hitters haven’t developed quite the way they might have liked. But they’re getting some guys back from injury, they still have Gunnar Henderson and Corbin Burnes, and they have the sort of talent that can get hot at the right time. At the very least: Let’s try to win a playoff series this time?

9. Mets (previously: 11).
Season high: 9 | Season low: 25
Can they nail down an NL Wild Card spot in the final week? It would be a truly incredible turnaround for the Mets, who had an even more despairing 2023 than the Padres did. Is everything that happens after a playoff berth just bonus? Let’s see the Mets get in there first and find out.

10. D-backs (previously: 9).
Season high: 7 | Season low: 19
Heading into the 2023 postseason, the D-backs were widely dismissed as a serious contender, if largely because they’d been outscored on the season. That hasn’t been the case this year: It has been clear for a while they’re better than they were last year — you know, the year they reached the World Series. No one is dismissing them this time.

11. Royals (previously: 10).
Season high: 6 | Season low: 24
The Royals have stumbled down the stretch with seven straight losses, but let’s not get it twisted: This has been a truly fantastic year for the Royals, with them outperforming even the most optimistic of expectations. Here is your reminder that their last three postseason appearances all ended in the World Series.

12. Braves (previously: 12).
Season high: 1 | Season low: 13
It’ll feel like a huge step backwards if the Braves miss the playoffs, and if you didn’t look too closely, you might think so. But that the Braves have hung in the NL Wild Card race at all, considering all their injuries, is actually quite impressive. It has been a valiant effort, no matter what happens, and all should return to order next year. And you never know: Maybe they’ve still got one more 2024 run in them.

13. Tigers (previously: 15).
Season high: 7 | Season low: 24
The Tigers, out of nowhere, have made the AL Wild Card chase one of the best stories of the final week of the season. Whether they end up grabbing a spot or not, they’ve showed a real proof of concept moving forward. This is a team that could make some real noise next year … especially if they are aggressive in the offseason. But we’re not there yet.

14. Twins (previously:13).
Season high: 7 | Season low: 23
The Twins are hanging on for dear life down the stretch, a team that, as always, is dealing with injuries and trying to muddle its way through. Last year was proof that they can, in fact, actually win a playoff series. Have they finally broken the seal?

15. Mariners (previously: 14).
Season high: 6 | Season low: 21
That big AL West lead they had back in June feels like decades ago. They need everything to break exactly right to sneak into the postseason this year … and if they don’t make it, there will be incredible pressure to get in there next year. Or else.

16. Cubs (previously: 16).
Season high: 8 | Season low: 22
And now … the teams who have no chance at the playoffs anymore. The Cubs take the top spot among this crew, but this season can hardly be classified as a success, despite some positive moves from their rotation. Will they make a big addition this offseason? Is there a team that would immediately benefit more from one?

17. Cardinals (previously: 18).
Season high: 12 | Season low: 27
It’s up in the air whether the Cardinals will have their first consecutive losing seasons since 1994-95. But it’s undeniable that they have stagnated in many ways, despite exciting young players like Masyn Winn and, of late, Jordan Walker. The question is not whether there will be changes this offseason. The question is: Which changes.

18. Red Sox (previously: 17).
Season high: 11 | Season low: 22
The Red Sox need to finish .500 or above the rest of the way to avoid having the same — or worse — record than last year, which would be a bummer after a season in which they seemed to take some real steps forward. This still feels like a franchise in limbo … which is just how it has felt for a while now.

19. Rays (previously: 19).
Season high: 9 | Season low: 24
This season likely ends the five-year run of consecutive postseason appearances for the Rays, and for the first time in many a moon, their pitching was a bigger problem than their hitting. There are young players here to build around … but it does feel like there are slightly fewer than there have been in the past.

20. Giants (previously: 22).
Season high: 12 | Season low: 23
The all-in season full of big free agency signings didn’t pay off for the Giants, who look even more in the weeds than they did heading into the year. Now that 2021 looks like a bit of a fluke — the Giants haven’t finished over .500 since — you can understand why this front office is feeling some heat.

21. Reds (previously: 21).
Season high: 11 | Season low: 25
The Reds got a huge step-forward season from Elly De La Cruz — who sure looks like he’s going to win an MVP one day — and felt like a team that was playing worse than its talent all year. It’s a franchise that needs to teach its young talent to win. In the NL Central, there may be real opportunities.

22. Rangers (previously: 21).
Season high: 4 | Season low: 23
This isn’t the title defense that anyone was hoping for: While the Rangers were hoping to just tread water until their rotation reinforcements showed up by the end of the season, it just never felt quite right for the reigning champs in 2024. Good news, though: 2023 still totally happened.

23. Blue Jays (previously: 23).
Season high: 8 | Season low: 25
So, that was a bit of a disaster. The wheels fell off for the Blue Jays in 2023, to the point that many wondered at the Trade Deadline if they’d not only punt ’23 but also ’24. They didn’t, and they played better in the last couple of months, but it remains to be seen if ’24 will end up being worth their restraint.

24. Pirates (previously: 25).
Season high: 9 | Season low: 25
It was Paul Skenes Arrival Season, which it sure seems that’s how 2024 will forever be remembered. Now it’s up to the Pirates to make sure they surround him with the support he needs and deserves. They’ve got something special in Pittsburgh. Now we must see what they’ll do with it.

25. A’s (previously: 26).
Season high: 20 | Season low: 30
Their final season in Oakland turned out to be a little bit more positive than many thought it would be, thanks in large part to the emergence of the new Bash Brothers in Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker. They’ve got some pieces to build around in Sacramento and beyond.

26. Nationals (previously: 24).
Season high: 20 | Season low: 27
The bizarre CJ Abrams situation put a damper on what was a positive season for both him and his team, which has surrounded him with young exciting players, with more on the way.

“I assure you that he’ll be better, he will be,” manager Dave Martinez said of Abrams.

27. Angels (previously: 27).
Season high: 24 | Season low: 28
This season went awry when Mike Trout once again went down with an injury. Getting him back in the lineup every day, or as many days as possible, would be the start for a franchise that had some good young players step up this year, particularly shortstop Zach Neto.

28. Rockies (previously: 28).
Season high: 27 | Season low: 29
The Rockies will likely end up with a better record than 2023, but only barely, and you can hardly be blamed if it felt like same old, same old to you. But there’s some young talent emerging here, from Ezequiel Tovar to Brenton Doyle to Michael Toglia, that might be worth getting excited about. Now, about that pitching …

29. Marlins (previously: 29).
Season high: 23 | Season low: 30
The year after their fourth postseason appearance was a rather aggressive step backward, but it’s worth noting that they have exciting young talent to build around, as well as pitching reinforcements in Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez returning from injuries next season.

30. White Sox (previously: 30).
Season high: 28 | Season low: 30
Well, obviously, this season has not gone well. But it is almost over, and they’re 11th in Pipeline’s Prospect Rankings, which means this is going to be as bad as it gets. It would have to be.

Voters: Nathalie Alonso, Anthony Castrovince, Daniel Feldman, Sarah Langs, Will Leitch, Arturo Pardavila, Manny Randhawa, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Zac Vierra.