Ups, downs and trends from a season of Power Rankings

September 25th, 2024

Throughout the season, MLB.com has power ranked all 30 teams, based on the votes of a panel of writers, editors and researchers. From March 18 to September 23, there were 24 editions of this feature, providing us with a wealth of data with which to track the rollercoaster ride that is the 162-game Major League schedule.

Now, with the final week of the regular season underway, it¡¯s time to take a closer look at that data and identify the ups, downs and trends that tell the story of 2024. Here is what we found:

BIGGEST RISERS

There was so much that our voters didn¡¯t know -- and would have been hard-pressed to foresee -- way back in March. To pick just a few examples: The Guardians bullpen led by Emmanuel Clase and some relatively anonymous rookies would overcome a bottom-10 starting rotation that lost Shane Bieber soon after Opening Day; that the Brewers would not lose a step following the departure of longtime manager Craig Counsell and the trade of ace Corbin Burnes; that the Royals would go from 106 losses to the brink of a postseason berth.

But that, of course, is exactly what did happen.

Comparing that first poll in mid-March with the most recent edition, three clubs improved by exactly seven spots: the Padres (14th to seventh), Mets (16th to ninth) and Tigers (20th to 13th). Only three managed a larger leap.

  1. Guardians: +17 (21st to fourth)
  2. Brewers: +14 (19th to fifth)
  3. Royals: +13 (24th to 11th)

Cleveland and Milwaukee already have clinched division titles, while Kansas City is battling a September swoon that is threatening to drop it from an AL Wild Card spot. But even if that happens, it will have been an amazing turnaround.

BIGGEST FALLERS

If some teams go up, others must go down. Such is life.

It¡¯s easy to be optimistic under the blue skies of Spring Training, when most players are healthy and visions of best-case scenarios dance in our heads. But the realities (and cruelties) of a long season can derail the plans of even the most talented teams. That¡¯s what happened to four 2023 playoff qualifiers who endured double-digit drops from our first Power Rankings to our last.

  1. Rangers: -17 (fifth to 22nd)
  2. Blue Jays: -15 (eighth to 23rd)
  3. Braves: -11 (first to 12th)
  4. Rays: -10 (ninth to 19th)

Despite this, Atlanta still has a shot to squeak into the postseason via an NL Wild Card spot after enduring a wave of injuries, including season-enders to ace starter Spencer Strider and superstar outfielder Ronald Acu?a Jr.

The other three clubs will not return to the playoffs, however. The Rangers had designs on becoming MLB¡¯s first back-to-back champs since the 2000 Yankees, but Texas didn't get its big-name rotation (including Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom) healthy enough, while the promising rookie outfield duo of Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford disappointed. The Blue Jays never got it going, either, peaking at three games over .500 in April, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr.¡¯s best season since 2021 was overwhelmed by a lost year for Bo Bichette and a disastrous bullpen, among other issues. The Rays, for once, were unable to find enough solutions to patch an injury-marred rotation and opted to sell at the Trade Deadline, although the club was not yet officially eliminated from the race entering Tuesday.

BACK WHERE THEY STARTED

As the teams above show, the season can be a wild ride. Yet three clubs were ranked in identical spots in both our first and last regular season polls.

  • Astros (sixth)
  • D-backs (10th)
  • Rockies (29th)

That¡¯s not to say that all three of these clubs ran in place all season -- far from it, in fact. (More on that below.) But, in the end, they are who we thought they were.

WIDEST RANGES

Yes, the Astros finished where they started. But in between? Well, that was a very different story. After opening the season at No. 6, Houston plummeted as far as 26th on May 6, shortly before falling to a season-worst 12 games under .500 (12-24).

But the Astros, who trailed in the AL West by as many as 10 games, turned things around under first-year manager Joe Espada. By July 8, they were back in the top 10. And on Sept. 2, they cracked the top five for the first time this season. Houston entered Tuesday on the verge of clinching yet another AL West title.

While 13 MLB teams have at least a 15-place gap between their highest and lowest rankings of the season, the Astros lead that list.

  • Astros: 21 places (fifth-26th)
  • Guardians: 19 places (second-21st)
  • Rangers: 19 places (fourth-23rd)
  • Royals: 18 places (sixth-24th)
  • Tigers: 17 places (seventh-24th)
  • Blue Jays: 17 places (eighth-25th)

NARROWEST RANGES

Not everyone bounced around a lot, however, and the teams that stand out as the most stable tend to be those that stuck either near the top or bottom of the rankings. Five clubs hovered within a range of no more than six spots all season long.

That includes the White Sox, whom our voters pegged as a bottom-three team from the beginning -- but couldn¡¯t foresee piling up an historic loss total. Ultimately, Chicago would rank last in 21 of our 24 polls, including our final 17 in a row.

  • Rockies: two places (27th-29th)
  • White Sox: two places (28th-30th)
  • Angels: four places (24th-28th)
  • Dodgers: five places (first-sixth)
  • Yankees: six places (first-seventh)

MOST NO. 1 FINISHES

It takes more than a hot streak to lead our Power Rankings. Yes, a team generally has to be playing well to earn that distinction, but voters are also factoring in how that club has looked all season and how it projects going forward.

With that in mind, it¡¯s not too surprising that -- even in a year without a single dominant behemoth -- only five teams jumped up to No. 1 at any point during the season. All five did so multiple times, and each had reached that point for the first time by no later than June 17. And two clubs in particular stood above the rest in terms of first-place finishes.

  • Phillies (10 times - most recently Sept. 16)
  • Dodgers (seven times - Sept. 23)
  • Braves (three times - April 29)
  • Orioles (two times - Aug. 12)
  • Yankees (two times - June 24)

The Braves, with high expectations, peaked early but dropped out of the top five for good by the end of May as injuries took their toll. The Orioles and Yankees made a couple of cameos apiece but couldn¡¯t find the consistency to stick. The Phillies, though, put together multiple four-week streaks atop the rankings, while the Dodgers led twice in April and four times from Aug. 26-Sept. 23.

MOST TOP-FIVE FINISHES

In addition to the five teams that tasted the No. 1 spot, four others spent time in the top five. Nobody quite managed to run the table by landing there in all 24 polls, although two clubs finished outside the top five only once each.

  • Dodgers: 23 times (Lowest finish: sixth)
  • Yankees: 23 times (seventh)
  • Orioles: 22 times (eighth)
  • Phillies: 20 times (eighth)
  • Guardians: 14 times (21st)
  • Braves: eight times (13th)
  • Brewers: five times (19th)
  • Rangers: three times (22nd)
  • Astros: two times (26th)

The Yankees¡¯ only top-five miss came in the very first poll of the season, prior to Opening Day, before a hot start quickly turned the tables. The Dodgers¡¯ nadir also came early (April 22), while the Orioles didn't drop below fifth until the final two editions of the Power Rankings. The Phillies joined the top five on May 6 and stayed there permanently.

SEASON HIGHS

The baseball season is long. Even very good teams have periods of struggle, and vice versa. So it makes sense that all but six of the 30 clubs ascended into at least the top 12 (which equates roughly to playoff position) at some point between March and September.

Here is a breakdown of each team¡¯s highest Power Rankings finish of 2024.

1 - Dodgers, Phillies, Yankees, Orioles, Braves
2 - Guardians
4 - Brewers, Rangers
5 - Astros
6 - Royals, Mariners
7 - Padres, D-backs, Tigers, Twins
8 - Cubs, Blue Jays
9 - Mets, Rays, Pirates
11 - Red Sox, Reds
12 - Cardinals, Giants
20 - A¡¯s, Nationals
23 - Marlins
24 - Angels
27 - Rockies
28 - White Sox

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com