Our MLB power rankings

1. Chicago Cubs (1, last week): Cubs won’t overlook winner of wild-card game in playoffs — they were that team last year.

2. Texas Rangers (3): Future Hall of Famers Adrian Beltre and Carlos Beltran, who’ve played a collective 38 seasons in the big leagues, are still craving first World Series championship ring.

3. Cleveland Indians (4): Bullpen-rich Tribe following blueprint — score a few runs in first five innings and turn things over to relievers — that got 2014 Giants and 2015 Royals through playoffs.

4. Boston Red Sox (6): Consecutive four-game sweeps of rivals (Yankees, Orioles) gave Sox unanticipated cushion atop AL East.

5. Washington Nationals (2): Daniel Murphy’s left leg injury putting damper on division-clinching party.

6. Los Angeles Dodgers (5): Rookie skipper Dave Roberts, who navigated injury-depleted team through June slump, emerging as favorite for NL manager of the year.

7. Toronto Blue Jays (8): If they survive as wild-card entrants, Jays have potential to go deep into playoffs.

8. Detroit Tigers (9): Justin Upton’s late-season power surge proving pivotal in Tigers’ wild-card run.

9. Baltimore Orioles (7): Steady starter Chris Tillman, counted on to prevent four-game sweep at hands of Red Sox, picked bad time for shortest outing of season.

10. New York Mets (12): Manager Terry Collins on essence of recent pregame clubhouse sermon: “It’s a 10-game season. Best team gets in.”

11. Houston Astros (14): Mariners this week will play final series on field distinguished by Tal’s Hill —Minute Maid Park’s obstacle-course quirk is scheduled to be leveled.

12. San Francisco Giants (10): Jeff Samardzija, with a 2.48 ERA in last 10 starts, delivering on $90 million contract he signed last winter.

13. Seattle Mariners (11): They’re running out of time, but Mariners’ shot at playoffs is still better than Steve Clevenger’s chance of wearing big league uniform again.

14. St. Louis Cardinals (15): Cards weren’t done any favors by schedule that has put them in Wrigley Field, where historic rivalry with Cubs is personal.

15. New York Yankees (13): Masahiro Tanaka’s slight flexor strain in right elbow not considered serious, but ace will miss critically important Monday start.

16. Kansas City Royals (16): Revised ambition — finishing above .500 for fourth straight season —“vitally important” to manager Ned Yost.

17. Pittsburgh Pirates (18): Late revival won’t be enough to make up for 2-12 slump that preceded it.

18. Miami Marlins (17): Catcher J.T. Realmuto, 25, has tools and makeup of perpetual All-Star.

19. Colorado Rockies (20): Former Rox GM Dan O’Dowd on potential free agent Jorge De La Rosa, who last week likely made final start in park where he is 53-20: “He has shown that you can pitch at Coors Field and win games there. ...You can survive just fine.”

20. Chicago White Sox (19): Chris Sale’s Cy Young candidacy took a beating last week vs. Phillies: six earned runs, three hit batters in four innings.

21. Milwaukee Brewers (21): Crew last Thursday surpassed 2015 team’s win total of 68.

22. Philadelphia Phillies (22): Closer Jeanmar Gomez has been on a six-week free fall, but it’s a little late for a back-of-the-bullpen shake-up.

23. Los Angeles Angels (24): With 116 RBIs going into penultimate weekend, Albert Pujols on pace to drive in most runs since 2009 MVP season with Cardinals.

24. Oakland Athletics (23): Tumwater resident Stephen Vogt a three-time recipient of team’s Jim “Catfish” Hunter Award, honoring player whose performance and clubhouse conduct best exemplifies that of late Hall-of-Fame pitcher.

25. Tampa Bay Rays (25): After hitting 29 homers during three seasons with Mariners, Brad Miller went into weekend with 30.

26. Arizona Diamondbacks (27): If ownership cans GM Dave Stewart, chief baseball operations officer Tony La Russa will resign as “a matter of integrity.”

27. San Diego Padres (28): Manager Andy Green on plan for call-ups promoted from PCL championship club in El Paso: “Put ’em in the fire.”

28. Cincinnati Reds (26): How bad is Reds’ starting rotation? It’s only staff in MLB history with cumulative WAR below replacement level.

29. Atlanta Braves (29): Priority over winter will be bolstering starting rotation, and weak free-agent market figures to find Braves digging into farm system stockpiled with talented arms.

30. Minnesota Twins (30): Brian Dozier among four players to hit 40 homers while playing second base. The others: Rogers Hornsby, Davey Johnson and Ryne Sandberg.

This story was originally published September 24, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Our MLB power rankings."