MLB Power Rankings: This week, we’ve got an unexpected rise, a new No. 1 and no No. 30

Every week,​ we​ ask a selected group of our baseball​ writers​ — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results

There will be more baseball in the final two months of the 2026 season. This might feel like a threat to some of you. The baseball offered by your favorite team has been that awful, perhaps. Or maybe your team would make the postseason if the season ended today, and there’s more than enough time for that to change

However, there’s a way for every team to feel good about how the 2026 season ended, even if it requires a sliding scale for some of the less-competitive teams. How can the best and worst teams exit the regular season with a little organizational momentum, however they define it? Let’s find out

1. Milwaukee Brewers (Average ranking: 1.0)

Record: 74-45Last Power Ranking: 2How they can feel good about the rest of the season: To be honest, it’s not even about that anymore

Sorry to flout the premise right out of the gate, but it’s not difficult to find ways for the Brewers to feel good about the rest of their season. They’re well-versed in this, making the playoffs in seven of the preceding eight seasons. They’ve won the NL Central each of the last three years. They’re at the top of this very list that you’re reading right now! Ahead of the Dodgers! 

So I hope it doesn’t sound too negative when I say: I truly do not think the Brewers or their fans should care one whit about feeling good about the next two months. The shine of second-half feel-goods has dulled with repetition — particularly given the disappointment that has followed

2018: Lost NLCS to Dodgers (4-3)2019: Lost wild-card round to Nationals (1-0)2020: Lost wild-card series to Dodgers (2-0)2021: Lost NLDS to Braves (3-1)2022: Missed playoffs2023: Lost wild-card series to Diamondbacks (2-0)2024: Lost wild-card series to Mets (2-1)2025: Lost NLCS to Dodgers (4-0)

Heightened expectations are the burden of excellence. Nobody is criticizing the Pittsburgh Pirates for losing all these recent playoff series, you know? But the days of the plucky underdog are kinda over for the Brewers. The only way to feel good about the rest of the way is to make it matter in October. 

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (2.8)

Record: 71-48Last Power Ranking: 1How they can feel good about the rest of the season: A bullpen that doesn’t limp into the postseason

If you haven’t noticed, the Dodgers have been stepping on rakes for the last couple of weeks. After snapping a seven-game losing streak on Saturday, the Dodgers immediately lost the series to the Diamondbacks on Sunday. Also, you might be tonight’s starting catcher, if you haven’t heard. Limber up, it’s going to be a long shift

The Dodgers are a deep enough organization to weather many of these storms, even behind the plate, but they’ll still need the one thing every team needs in October: a functional bullpen. For all of their might and swagger, the make-it-up-as-we-go strategy that worked last year isn’t likely to work again. Something like, say, Edwin Díaz looking trustworthy would go a long way toward a successful final two months. Anything less, and it’ll be another white-knuckle postseason from the team that specializes in them. — Grant Brisbee

3. Atlanta Braves (3.3)

Record: 71-48Last Power Ranking: T-3How they can feel good about the rest of the season:Another burst of elite Ronald Acuña Jr

Acuña Jr. came off the IL right before the trade deadline, and the Braves almost immediately won eight straight, including sweeps of the Marlins and Nationals (two teams that, for a while, were trying to play spoiler in the NL East). That Braves lineup just looks so much more daunting with Acuña in the two-hole, and the Braves — for better or worse — are all too familiar with the kind of impact he can have in a partial season. Throughout his career, Acuña’s been at his best down the stretch (.974 career OPS in August, .929 in September), and so the Braves can feel good about having their best young player back in the lineup when it matters most. — Chad Jennings

4. Chicago Cubs (4.2)

Record: 69-50Last Power Ranking: T-3

How they can feel good about the rest of the season:Eleven(-ish) players coming off the IL

The Cubs already look dangerous. Their offense is great, and their pitching staff has been reinforced by four trades at the deadline (three starters, one reliever). That they’re this good is truly mind-boggling, given the number of injuries they’ve had this year

But it looks like the cavalry is returning from the IL soon, and it could take some creative shuffling to find roster spots for everyone

Already on a rehab assignment: Edward Cabrera, Shelby Miller, Hoby Milner, Daniel Palencia

Could return before season’s end: Ben Brown, Hunter Harvey, Gavin Hollowell, Riley Martin, Phil Maton, Matt Shaw, Justin Steele

The Cubs and their fans can already feel good about having weathered the worst of the storm. The sailing could get a little smoother soon

5. Tampa Bay Rays (4.8)

Record: 72-46Last Power Ranking: 5How they can feel good about the rest of the season: By riding an elite rotation into October

With the Rays, it’s always pitching. I mean, have you checked the AL leaderboard lately? Did you happen to notice that Drew Rasmussen has put himself into the Cy Young conversation? He’s still probably somewhere behind Dylan Cease and Cam Schlittler, but Rasmussen has been incredible, and teammate Nick Martinez has an even better ERA. Shane McClanahan’s latest injury seems relatively mild, the Rays’ fingers are crossed on Griffin Jax’s elbow, and their pitching department now has its hands on Freddy Peralta. How good could he be down the stretch? When the season started, the Rays had the lowest playoff odds in the AL East. Now, they have the best playoff odds in the American League, and that rotation will make them dangerous in October. — Jennings

6. Boston Red Sox (5.3)

Record: 64-54Last Power Ranking: 7How they can feel good about the rest of the season: [Gestures broadly at everything]

Look, I’m not much for social media. I don’t think I’ve ever shared a meme in my life, but even I know the “gestures broadly at everything” concept. I think it’s typically used in a negative context, correct? But is it socially acceptable to use it to point out rainbows, butterflies, resurgent third basemen and 23-year-old lefties striking out 14 in a game? Because the Red Sox have so many things going right — Patrick Sandoval back from injury! Brayan Bello for multiple innings out of the bullpen! Andruw Monasterio thriving in an everyday role! — that Caleb Durbin and Patrick Tolle are just the tip of the spear. Adley Rutschman is expected to join them Tuesday, Garrett Crochet could be back, too, and their once-dead-in-the-water playoff odds are now well above 90 percent. So, what do the Red Sox need to feel good about the rest of the season? Is all of this enough? — Jennings

Why the Red Sox resurgence is historic
Ken Rosenthal and Johnny Sweet

7. New York Yankees (6.7)

Record: 66-52Last Power Ranking: 6How they can feel good about the rest of the season:With a bunch of clean MRIs

As I write this, the Yankees’ playoff odds are 99.1 percent on FanGraphs. That’s close enough to Dodgers territory to start thinking ahead the way the Dodgers do when they imagine Blake Snell pitching to Will Smith in Game 2 of a playoff series. The Yankees have Carlos Rodón on a rehab assignment, Clarke Schmidt playing catch, Cody Bellinger taking batting practice, Giancarlo Stanton running and Aaron Judge ramping up his workouts enough to confidently declare he’ll “be back this season.” When those guys get healthy, they’ll join a team that’s finally solved its shortstop problem. — Jennings

T-8. Philadelphia Phillies (9.5)

Record: 64-56Last Power Ranking: 9How they can feel good about the rest of the season: Trea Turner charging into the ring, throwing haymakers

You know in professional wrestling when some gigantic, unbeatable superstar gets hit in the head with a folding chair and collapses in defeat as his opponent taunts the crowd, only for the knocked-out guy’s buddy to sprint into the ring to save the day? Well, is that Trea Turner’s music?

He’s had nine multi-hit games in the past month — the same number he had in two and a half months earlier this season — and he’s been top 20 in NL fWAR the past 30 days. The Phillies added Luis Arraez at the trade deadline, and Kyle Schwarber might hit 50 homers again, but they really need Turner to make the whole thing work. The fact he’s showing signs of life is good news for a team that has to believe it is moving in the right direction. The better Turner plays, the better the Phillies will feel. — Jennings

T-8. Arizona Diamondbacks (9.5)

Record: 64-56Last Power Ranking: T-10How they can feel good about the rest of the season:Postseason or bust … with a twist

Like most of the teams in the squishy middle, the Diamondbacks are chasing after one of the three wild cards, and their biggest problem is the number of teams chasing them — which is somewhere between eight and nine, depending on your definition of “in the race.” If they miss out, especially after leading the pack in August, it’ll be hard to spin their final two months as anything other than a failure

However, there could still be a consolation prize. If the D-Backs manage to pull off the seemingly contradictory feats of “losing too much” and “helping Geraldo Perdomo reclaim his MVP-worthy form” at the same time, they can still feel half-decent, pun intended. He’s that important to the franchise and that far below his ludicrously high ceiling, which is high enough to help the Diamondbacks compete with the Dodgers instead of the Marlins. 

10. Chicago White Sox (10.0)

Record: 61-56Last Power Ranking: 8How they can feel good about the rest of the season: Just ride the good vibes, man

Look, after the last three seasons on the South Side, everyone already feels good about this one. The team could go on to lose the rest of its games and miss the postseason entirely, and I’m pretty sure the general response would be something along the lines of, “Bummer how it ended, but at least it was so much better this year, right?”

The Sox are young, fun, and should be good for years to come. They’re currently pulling off a worst-to-first in the AL Central, heading to the playoffs a year after losing 102 games!

It already feels good, man. Just enjoy wherever this ride is going

What You Should Read Next
<img src="https://todaytrendnews7.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2272112617-1024×683-1.jpg" alt="Which MLB contenders have the toughest road to the playoffs? Breaking down the schedules”>
Which MLB contenders have the toughest road to the playoffs? Breaking down the schedules
Let’s break down each contender’s path to the playoffs, focusing on what’s on their schedule in August. Who has it easy, and who tough?

11. Detroit Tigers (11.7)

Record: 58-60Last Power Ranking: 20How they can feel good about the rest of the season: I mean … go to the playoffs, I guess?!

At the time of writing, there were 12 AL teams either in, or within 3 1/2 games of, a playoff spot. The Tigers were right there in the middle, a game behind the Rangers for the final wild-card spot. Starting with Texas, let’s look at all of those teams’ run differentials and expected win-loss records:

To quote Sesame Street: one of these things is not like the other

Detroit did play a lot of these games with Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize on the team, for sure. But they also played a lot of them without Kerry Carpenter, Wenceel Pérez, Jack Flaherty, Justin Verlander, Parker Meadows, the recently activated Jackson Jobe and new addition River Ryan, all of whom could be active before season’s end

And if you want the not-gonna-happen-but-wouldn’t-it-be-dramatic outcome: Detroit makes it into the playoffs and goes on an improbable run, and Skubal gets that World Series ring after all, despite losing Game 7

12. San Diego Padres (11.8)

Record: 63-57Last Power Ranking: 12How they can feel good about the rest of the season:It’s postseason or bust

It’s not a coincidence that several of the responses to the prompts in this middle section will be “postseason or bust.” The teams in the middle of the wide-open wild-card scrum aren’t going to feel good about consolation prizes if they come up short, especially if they were buyers at the deadline. Wanna feel good about the rest of the season? Be among the 40 percent of baseball teams in the postseason, not the 60 percent outside of it

For the Padres, though, who have leveraged so, so much of their future over the past few seasons to keep their championship hopes alive, the urgency is a little more intense. They didn’t tear the farm down (even more) to rebuild their rotation just to say “Gee whiz, get ‘em next year.” It’s playoffs or nothing until October, when it immediately pivots to World Series or nothing, even more than most teams

13. Miami Marlins (13.2)

Record: 60-59Last Power Ranking: 13How they can feel good about the rest of the season: Basking in the highlights of a young core

The Marlins could miss the playoffs and still finish with a better record than most were expecting. In fact, that’s probably what’s going to happen. So, the thing to feel good about is the fact it’s the middle of August, and Otto Lopez still looks like one of the best infielders in baseball. (His name is going to be pretty high on some NL MVP ballots.) Griffin Conine is healthy again, and he’s been hitting for a ton of power. Eury Pérez is going to pitch against Paul Skenes on Tuesday, and it’s Pérez with the better ERA and lower WHIP.  The Marlins never seemed quite ready to win this season, but they made a bit of a run, and they’re building a core that could win in the near future. Further establishing that core is enough to feel good about down the stretch. — Jennings

14. Houston Astros (14.5)

Record: 61-59Last Power Ranking: 16How they can feel good about the rest of the season:Winning the AL West

Forget this wild-card nonsense. Have some danged pride in yourself, Astros. It’s one thing for perennial loser Charlie Brown to accept a scratched-out valentine in “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown,” but when a recent World Series-winner (twice over) does it, it’s just gross. You don’t have to stoop to that level

As of this writing, the Astros have predictably stumbled out of bed to reclaim first place, but they’ll have to stay there if they want to look in the mirror. They can’t sully themselves and have to start watching Orioles box scores like a bunch of animals. The only way out of that miserable fate is to keep winning more games than the other teams in the AL West, per usual

What You Should Read Next

How Bryan Abreu returned from the abyss and reprised his role as the Astros’ setup man
Abreu has a 1.93 ERA since May 3, a stretch of 34 appearances that has saved his season and helped Houston reach the top of the AL West.

15. Washington Nationals (15.2)

Record: 59-61Last Power Ranking: 18How they can feel good about the rest of the season: Just putting CJ Abrams in the lineup

Abrams is still with the team, and that seems to be a clear sign that the Nationals don’t think they’re far from playoff relevance. New head of baseball operations Paul Toboni sold at the trade deadline, but he didn’t sell high on the 25-year-old, despite his breakout season at the plate (and Toboni certainly could have with Abrams approaching his second round of arbitration). The Nationals sold high on Luis García Jr., Curtis Mead and Foster Griffin, but not on the shortstop who could be a core piece of the next great Nationals team. The Nats aren’t quite there yet, but Jackson Kent is on his way, and the fanbase can feel good that Abrams and James Wood have a future in D.C. — Jennings

16. Pittsburgh Pirates (16.0)

Record: 58-62Last Power Ranking: T-10How they can feel good about the rest of the season:Just a little crumb of a miracle?
A healthy Paul Skenes

The Pirates haven’t won a playoff series* since 1979. So if we’re shooting for the moon, I’m sure Pirates fans would relish a storyline where the returns of Oneil Cruz (soon) and Konnor Griffin (not that soon) help put the finishing touches on an improbable return to the champagne store. What a cool surprise for the champagne store workers, who by now would almost certainly assume the Pirates had just moved away without saying goodbye. Heartwarming stuff, all around

Alas, Pittsburgh also hasn’t won a regular-season series in a while (July 18-19), so here in the real world, how about a more realistic nugget: Skenes’ average fastball velocity has gone from 98.8 (2024) to 98.2 (2025) and was all the way down to 96.5 in July

So far in August, it has crept back up to 97.1, so maybe that’s a good sign? It would definitely feel good if that’s a good sign

*They did win a one-game wild-card playoff against the Reds in 2013 … but no series

17. Cleveland Guardians (17.7)

Record: 58-61Last Power Ranking: 15How they can feel good about the rest of the season: If their young bats are, in fact, good bats

This prompt would have been easier a few weeks ago, but Cleveland entered play Monday night tied with the Twins for third place in the division. So, sure — a rapid turnaround would do the trick. But in the meantime …

The knock on the Guardians hasn’t changed. They have a pitching factory that cranks out diamond after diamond, but it’s a real shame that their hitting factory is mostly just a guy throwing hamburgers into the street while yelling about demons (and the burgers aren’t even that good)

It seems like that has begun to change, though. Here’s a list of players who entered this year with under a year of service time:

OPS+ is figured with 100 as league average, so it’s a mixed bag at best. But among players with more than 200 plate appearances this year, Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter entered play Monday night as two of just three players on the team with an OPS+ of over 100. (José Ramírez, obviously, is the third)

Is that good news? Not really! But is it good news about their ability to produce some edible burgers that don’t come with a side of apocalypse? Maybe!

18. St. Louis Cardinals (18.3)

Record: 59-60Last Power Ranking: 19How they can feel good about the rest of the season: Postseason or bust

From 2000 through 2022, the Cardinals finished under .500 just once and made the postseason 16 times. Since then, they’ve been under .500 in two out of three seasons, missing out on the playoffs each time. It’s not hyperbolic to suggest this has been the most fallow stretch of Cardinals baseball in a generation

The Cardinals are a young team with a bright future, but they’re also playing for an audience that’s used to much, much more than squeaking into the back door of the postseason. They’ll take the back door for now, but anything less would be a failure, even for a team this young

19. Texas Rangers (18.7)

Record: 60-59Last Power Ranking: 21How they can feel good about the rest of the season:Making the playoffs anyway

To properly convey the vibe here, I need you to imagine a mid-30s John Candy. (For younger readers, Shane Gillis will do the trick.) He’s playing the role of “Guy who has seen some things, but has not learned a single one of the lessons that should have accompanied those things.” The idea that the universe simply does not fold itself to accommodate your whimsical desires is so far beyond his scope of understanding that it might as well be a book written with words, rather than pictures

We’ll call him Jeff, because this character needs a name, so sure. That one works fine

Jeff walks into the Rangers front office. Nobody knows who he is or how he got in here. His eyebrows are raised hopefully, as if he anticipates being greeted as a hero rather than an interloper. His arms swing back and forth — not awkwardly, but in a manner that says “You’re gonna like what I’m about to say.” He starts to nod and smile as he claps slowly, pacing forward into the office

Jeff: “Y’all thinking what I’m thinking? Ehhh? Playoffs, right? Playoffs?? Yeaahhhhh?!!?!?”

Reality would tell you that the next thing coming in this story is a taser or a piledriver. But reality would also tell you that the Rangers aren’t a playoff team, and that winning the AL West would take a better-than-.500 record. Nothing makes sense anymore, so since we’re looking to feel good in the final two months …

Sure, Jeff. Why not? Also, can you pitch an inning of relief tonight? 

20. Seattle Mariners (18.8)

Record: 56-63Last Power Ranking: 14How they can feel good about the rest of the season:Postseason or bust

The symmetry between the Mariners and Padres continues to fascinate. The Padres have won a World Series game — “it was back in 1984, you wouldn’t know her” — but that’s the only major difference. Otherwise, they both play in West Coast cities that are too expensive because they’re too nice, both with a strong seafood game. Oh, and they’ve never won a championship, and they’re both run by the baseball executives who have a lower aversion to risk than you, I, or anyone else should probably ever have.

Also, this remains roughly the 30th consecutive year in which a Mariners-Padres World Series is simultaneously one of the most personally fascinating and unlikely combinations possible. Every move they make is built for the possibility, though, and you can’t help but respect it. Keep pushing that boulder, fellas. You’ll reach the top of the hill one day

21. Minnesota Twins (19.7)

Record: 59-61Last Power Ranking: 17How they can feel good about the rest of the season:An owner who is willing to spend?

I have no idea if the Twins will make the playoffs. Maybe so, maybe not … either way, they’re mostly in the same boat with the rest of the AL in that they’re not really built for a deep run

But regardless of whether they make it or not, they should already feel good about the fact that ownership allowed them to add payroll to make deals at the trade deadline. That bodes well for things like free agency, and “not slashing the payroll dramatically if the Twins make the playoffs, because that would be such a craven turn of events, wouldn’t it?”

22. Baltimore Orioles (21.8)

Record: 57-62Last Power Ranking: 23How they can feel good about the rest of the season:By noticing that the American League stinks

The Orioles can feel good about the fact that there are three wild-card spots in the AL and no one outside of their division seems to want one. Right now, all it takes to have a playoff spot in the AL is a winning record. Get to one game above .500, and you’re in, which is enough to keep the Orioles’ playoff odds in the double digits. Coby Mayo and Jackson Holliday are showing signs of life, Shane Baz has been great lately, and there’s nothing Adley Rutschman could do to help them right now anyway. It’s been a bad year for the Orioles, but they can feel good about it having been a pretty bad year for almost everyone in the American League. — Jennings

23. Toronto Blue Jays (22.5)

Record: 57-63Last Power Ranking: 22

How they can feel good about the rest of the season: Dylan Cease making a run at the AL Cy Young

Dave Stieb was robbed a couple of times in the 1980s, but in the past 30 years, a Blue Jays pitcher has won the AL Cy Young award five times: Pat Hentgen in 1996, Roger Clemens in 1997 and 1998, Roy Halladay in 2003 and Robbie Ray in 2021. Cease could join the club in 2026. Signed to a seven-year deal this winter, Cease already made his first All-Star team and now leads the American League in pitching WAR (on both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference). He’s been the brightest of bright spots in an otherwise dark year, and watching him chase a Cy Young Award would not only make every fifth game worth watching but also provide a bit of hope for another six years with that guy atop the rotation. — Jennings

24. New York Mets (24.3)

Record: 53-67Last Power Ranking: 26How they can feel good about the rest of the season: By relaxing to the sounds of George Harrison

Sunrise doesn’t last all morningA cloudburst doesn’t last all daySeems my love is up and has left you with no warningIt’s not always gonna be this gray

A baseball season lasts 162 games, and the Mets have already played 120 of them. Fans can feel good knowing there are only 42 games left and then this season will end. Because, as George Harrison told us, all things must pass. Until then, there’s always this guy

25. Cincinnati Reds (24.5)

Record: 56-61Last Power Ranking: T-24How they can feel good about the rest of the season: Spend as much time as possible hanging out with Terry Francona?

He’s a baseball lifer with a good sense of humor and a lot of knowledge to share

Oh, are you asking about on-the-field feel-good stories? I don’t really have too many options for you. Hunter Greene’s season is over, and try to guess who this chart represents?

It’s worth noting that Elly De La Cruz didgo on the IL with a hamstring issue this year. He also battled through a quad problem last season. Those explain the problem, but they don’t make the problem any easier to swallow, especially since he’s in his age-24 season, not age-36

So how could they feel better? Maybe a good kinesiologist for De La Cruz, and then look toward the future. With Chase Burns, Sal Stewart and others, there’s a chance for Cincinnati to have a better answer to this question in future years

26. San Francisco Giants (25.8)

Record: 49-70Last Power Ranking: T-24How they can feel good about the rest of the season: Getting clarification on the 2027 rotation

The Giants haven’t entered a full rebuild, despite being the biggest sellers at the deadline. They still have an entire starting infield in place for 2027, and there won’t be many lineup spots to go around for any young players looking to break through, so they might as well go for it next season

They’ll need pitching. Oh, mercy, how they’ll need pitching. The rotation is currently thinner than it was at the start of this season, when it was already much too thin. The younger starters they’ve introduced to the majors have all struggled to throw strikes, so the rest of the season will be a hunt for the strike zone. The opportunities will be there, so if one of their throwers turns into a pitcher over the final two months, it would help their offseason logistics tremendously. — Brisbee

27. Kansas City Royals (28.0)

Record: 49-71Last Power Ranking: 28How they can feel good about the rest of the season: Something something Bobby Witt Jr.?

It’s cool that Carter Jensen appears to be the heir to Salvador Perez at catcher, and it’s nice that Jac Caglianone crossed the 20-homer threshold. Michael Wacha has had a pretty good season. But the Royals have not, and I struggled to find a feel-good story for the final stretch

So I’m going with the obvious: The way Witt plays baseball makes it look beautiful, like the sport does all of this on purpose instead of being a chaotic goblin game invented by pedants and masochists. It’s like watching someone play Risk in a way that makes friendships, instead of ruining them. 

As long as he’s around, there’s a way to feel good about watching baseball

28. Athletics (28.5)

Record: 47-72Last Power Ranking: 27

How they can feel good about the rest of the season:Feeling better about some of their biggest contracts

Lawrence Butler is 26 years old, and he’s signed through the 2031 season. His OPS is currently .616. Jacob Wilson is 24, and he’s signed through the 2032 season, but he hasn’t made the counter-adjustment to whatever the league figured out about him in the middle of last year. There’s a big difference between the .260 version of Wilson and the .330 version that he teased fans with

Getting them back to the extension-worthy players they were would go a long way toward salvaging an already disappointing season

T-29. Los Angeles Angels (28.7)

Record: 45-74Last Power Ranking: 29How they can feel good about the rest of the season:By being normal bad, not Angels bad

At the cost of analyzing the GIF above until it isn’t funny anymore, note that there’s a way to actually be bad at making cereal. You can pour the milk too early, and the cereal can get soggy. You can pour from too high an elevation, and the splashing could make a big mess. The Angels can still screw up the cereal, don’t get me wrong

A nice, normal final two months without setting the cereal on fire, though? That’s all Angels fans crave right now. They’ll figure out how to make it crunchier in the future, but right now, avoiding the worst-case scenarios and acting like a normal bad team instead of the typical Very Angels™ team is where they need to start

T-29. Colorado Rockies (28.7)

Record: 46-73Last Power Ranking: 30How they can feel good about the rest of the season:Staying out of MLB’s cellar

See that number next to the Rockies up there? It isn’t 30. Good. Keep it that way. I’m not a powerankologist (top-10 all-time worst party guest), so I don’t know how many dead-last rankings the Rockies have endured over the last couple of years, but it’s been too many. “Twenty-ninth or better or bust” doesn’t have a ring to it, but you could probably sell a couple of shirts with that on it

There will be positive individual signs to look out for, to be sure, but the entire front office is still figuring out how to juggle an extra chainsaw compared to every other organization in baseball, considering the difficulties of assembling a winning team at altitude. The only direction was up, and anything other than 30th will be an accomplishment after an all-time horrible season