Week 24 MLB Power Rankings

With playoff races continuing to heat up, let's take a look at where your team landed in our week 24 power rankings:

30. Texas Rangers (54-89) Last Week: 30

Texas holds steady as the league's worst team. The Rangers made headlines when manager Ron Washington resigned from the team on Friday, citing a personal matter.

29. Colorado Rockies (59-84) Last Week: 29

The Rockies'  playoff hopes are a distant memory, but Colorado was able to extend the contract of Jorge De La Rosa for two more seasons. The two-year extension is worth $25 million for De La Rosa, who's been the Rockies' most successful pitcher this season, posting 13 wins and a 4.27 ERA.

28. Arizona Diamondbacks (59-84) Last Week: 28

The Diamondbacks made a major front-office move this past week, firing General Manager Kevin Towers. Towers' replacement has yet to be selected by the Diamondbacks, but this will be a move that's going to be rather sooner than later, as it's going to be a huge impact to the future of Arizona.

27. Minnesota Twins (61-82) Last Week: 26

The Twins drop a spot in our rankings this week, and they're sitting at the bottom in the AL Central standings. Minnesota will need to address some heavy issues with their starting rotation in the offseason, as their 4.57 ERA is the third-worst earned run average in Major League Baseball.

26. Boston Red Sox (63-80) Last Week: 25

Red Sox fans don't need to worry, as this was a transitional season for Boston after winning the World Series in 2013. The Red Sox won't be in contention for the playoffs this year, but Boston was productive in making personnel moves this season that will set them up for success in 2015.

25. Houston Astros (63-80) Last Week: 271409685331000-USATSI-8048287

Chris Carter continues to ruin opposing pitcher's days at the plate for the Astros, and he already has 36 home runs this season. Houston's future is extremely bright and will feature a lot of quality hitters in 2015. With Jose Altuve leading the American League in batting average at .340, there's a good possibility that the second baseman will bring the AL Batting Title to Houston this season.

24. Chicago White Sox (63-79) Last Week: 23

The White Sox sit with the Minnesota Twins at the bottom in the AL Central, but with a couple of moves, this could be a team to watch for in 2015. Jose Abreu's monster numbers at the plate this season count him as a "no brainer" to win the AL Rookie of the Year this season.

23. Chicago Cubs (64-79) Last Week: 24

The Cubs' organization continues to show promise for the future. This past week, Jorge Soler made a huge splash in his debut, hitting a homer in each of his first three games. Soler is just the fourth player in Major League Baseball's long history to record a RBI in at least six of his first seven professional games.

22. San Diego Padres (66-76) Last Week: 20

The Padres will definitely need to address their struggling offense going into next year's season. San Diego currently ranks in last place in practically every major offensive statistic and hasn't been able to score nearly enough runs. If the Padres can keep their pitching intact for next season and add some depth to their lineup, they might be able to contend with the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers in a brutal NL West.

21. Philadelphia Phillies (66-76) Last Week: 22

The Phillies pitching staff collaborated for the eleventh combined no-hitter in Major League history last Monday. The combined no-hitter was the first of its type since the Seattle Mariners were able to complete the feat in June of 2012 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

20. Cincinnati Reds (67-76) Last Week: 17

The Reds continue to slip in our rankings, and one could argue that this team has been the worst in baseball since the All-Star break. To make matters worse, the Reds lost starting pitcher Homer Bailey for the rest of the season, as he underwent surgery on Friday to repair a torn flexor in his elbow.

19. New York Mets (68-75) Last Week: 21

The Mets aren't far behind the San Diego Padres in terms of their offense. New York has hit for a .238 average as a team, which is the second-worst in Major League Baseball. The Mets will need to make some moves in order to provide their lineup with a spark next season, as David Wright continues to get older and more injury-prone.

18. Miami Marlins (69-72) Last Week: 19

The Marlins sit 11 games out in the NL East, and one can't help but think where this team could've wound up if Jose Fernandez would've remained healthy. Giancarlo Stanton is making an easy case for NL MVP, already blasting 36 homers and driving in 104 runs for the Marlins.

17. Tampa Bay Rays (69-75) Last Week: 18

Joe Maddon wasn't able to work his magic and get the Rays in position for a playoff run this season. This being said, the Rays went through growing pains that happen with a young group of starting pitchers, and trading ace David Price to the Detroit Tigers certainly didn't make Maddon's job any easier. If the Rays can keep their pitching staff healthy in 2015, expect Maddon's club to be a contender in the heavy-hitting AL East.

16. Toronto Blue Jays (73-69) Last Week: 16

The Blue Jays stay in the number 16 spot this week, and despite having a great year at the plate, they're are still 10 games out in the AL East race. If Toronto can't make an amazing run, they'll need to go out and put together a stronger rotation that can provide them with better pitching to sustain one of the best lineups in Major League Baseball.

15. Atlanta Braves (74-69) Last Week: 14

The Braves haven't had the best start in September, only winning two of their six games. Atlanta's disappointing offense has been the culprit of the Braves' second-half demise in the NL East race, and they'll have to try to get hot quickly in order to earn a spot in the playoffs this season.

14. Milwaukee Brewers (74-69) Last Week: 10

The Brewers have been the coldest team in the entire Majors as of late, only winning one of their last 10 games. To make matter worse, the Brewers let their NL Central lead dissolve tremendously over the past week, slipping to third place in the division standings.

13. New York Yankees (73-68) Last Week: 12WP-YankeesDerekJeter1-200x200

The Yankees sit at almost 10 games out in the AL East race, dropping two of three against the Kansas City Royals this weekend. If the Yankees aren't able to sneak into the last wild card spot, it appears as though the storied career of Derek Jeter will be coming to a close at the end of the regular season. Jeter was a star for Major League Baseball for quite some time, and outside of Boston, he'll truly be missed.

12. Pittsburgh Pirates (74-68) Last Week: 15

The Pirates swept the Chicago Cubs in a weekend series at Wrigley Field, moving them into the second spot in a very competitive NL Central race. Pittsburgh's now 4.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, and will look to re-create the postseason magic they found just a year ago.

11. Cleveland Indians (74-67) Last Week: 13

The Indians are making a determined push to earn themselves a spot in the playoffs this season. They continue to gain ground, winning seven of their last 10 games, and at 3.5 games out of the final American League wildcard spot, it will be exciting to see how this team finishes the 2014 regular season.

10. Detroit Tigers (78-65) Last Week:  8

The Tigers are just two games behind the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central standings and are just a half-game behind the Mariners for the final AL wild card spot. Detroit controls their destiny, and if they can get behind the dominant three arms of their starting rotation, they shouldn't have much trouble catching the Royals before the end of September.

9. San Francisco Giants (78-65) Last Week: 7

The Giants trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by three games going into this week, and San Francisco will get a chance to make up ground on the Dodgers when they host Los Angeles in a weekend series. The Giants currently hold the first wild card position in the National League.

8. Seattle Mariners (78-64) Last Week: 11

The Mariners move to the number eight spot this week, continuing to grind through a brutal AL West division that might put three teams in the playoffs. As of right now, the Mariners hold the second wild card spot in the American League by a half-game over the Detroit Tigers. Seattle's going to have to continue to be sharp if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive.

7. St. Louis Cardinals (79-64) Last Week: 9

The Cardinals are the hottest team in Major League Baseball this week, winning eight of their last 10 games. St. Louis was successful in claiming the top spot in the NL Central, and  the Cardinals now lead the division by 4.5 games.

6. Oakland Athletics (80-62) Last Week: 4

The A's have suffered as of late, dropping eight of their last 10. Oakland will have to find offensive production from players other than Adam Dunn if they want to make a run and reclaim the AL West pennant from the Los Angeles Angels.

5. Kansas City Royals (79-62) Last Week: 6

The Royals keep turning heads in the AL Central as they lead the Detroit Tigers by two games. Kansas City was able to spoil the Yankees formal goodbye to Derek Jeter this weekend, taking two of three games from in the Bronx.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers (81-62) Last Week: 5chi-scherzer-wins-al-cy-young-in-landslide-201-002

Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw has been incredible this season, winning 17 games while only posting a jaw-dropping 1.70 ERA. Kershaw will be an easy pick for the NL Cy Young Award, but you have to wonder if he makes a good enough case to top Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins for the NL MVP Award as well.

3. Washington Nationals (80-61) Last Week: 3

Adam LaRoche has lifted his team to a new level, homering four times in his last seven games. The Nationals now lead the Atlanta Braves by seven games in the NL East, and it'll be exciting to see how this team fares in the postseason this year.

2. Baltimore Orioles (83-59) Last Week: 2

It's hard for me to mention someone other than Nelson Cruz when talking about the Orioles. Cruz hit two home runs and tallied seven RBIs against the Rays in Sunday's 7-5 win. It's tough to even consider another name for AL MVP after Cruz's 39 home runs, which is the best total in Major League Baseball.

1. Los Angeles Angels (87-55) Last Week: 1

No surprise here. The Angels haven't looked back since gaining the lead in the AL West divisional race a couple of weeks ago. This team will be a tough matchup for any team they meet in the postseason, and the one-two punch of Albert Pujols and Mike Trout is a nightmarish duo for any pitcher to encounter.

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