2026 r/baseball Power Rankings -- Week 26: A Central contender breaks into the Top 10; the Rockies maintain their hotly-contested position; Rangers climb quick as they take the AL West lead
Hey Sportsfans — it's time for Week 26 of r/baseball Power Rankings: Let us all look upon its glory and rejoice.
Each of the 30 voters has their own style / system and the only voting instructions are these:
"To an extent determined individually, you must take into account how strong a team is right now and likely to be in the coming week. You must, to some degree, give weight to the events and games of the previous week."
TRANSPARENCY: This link will show you who voted each team where and has added neat statistics!
u/kasutori_Jack is currently lost in the backrooms, so I'm filling in again. If I messed something up, let me know and I'll try to fix it.
Total Votes: 25 of 30. Could have been better.
| # | Logo | Team | Δ | Comment | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee Brewers | Brewers | 0 | 98-58 | |
| 2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Dodgers | 0 | The Dodgers have shown signs of life where they really need it as they prepare for the postseason. Mookie has been scorching hot, Tucker seems to have figured something out, and Will Smith is looking like his old self too. Josue de Paula has been a blast to watch even if he probably wont be on the postseason roster, Edwin Diaz came back on a quest his ERA down from double digits, Shohei and Andy Pages are probably back soon, and boy can I not wait for October. | 96-60 |
| 3 | Tampa Bay Rays | Rays | 0 | HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW UNIFORMS? WE ARE SO BACK BABY!!!! After sweeping the A's and winning 2 of 3 from Boston, with a little help from our '98 expansion buddies Arizona, the magic number is just 2 to clinch the division. And we play in the Bronx for 4 games. Just one win and the division is ours. These new uniforms will first be worn in game two of Tuesday's double header, meaning if we win game one, the first time we'll wear those uniforms will be as division champions. They'll scream "Tampa Bay" loud and proud on the chest for the first time on a primary uniform since '07. Chandler Simpson is just .004 points behind Yordan for the batting title, a feat only accomplished by Yandy Diaz in Rays history. Caminero also currently has the lead over Alvarez and would be the first Ray to ever win the home run crown (give that man a blank check and make him a Ray for life). Things are looking up in Tampa Bay! | 95-60 |
| 4 | Atlanta Braves | Braves | 0 | The Braves popped champagne bottles in Houston for the second time in 5 years...this time it was for an NL East Title. They have been fueled by Ronald Acuña Jr's awakened bat, as La Bestia has a cool .333 AVG and a .998 OPS with 7 HRs 20 RBIs over the last 30 days. His go-ahead 7th inning grand slam is my moment of the week alongside Yaz's 3 run bomb on Sunday to put the Braves ahead for good and clinch the division for the first time since 2023. It looks like we will take the 3 seed and will have to wait and see how the Wild Card teams shake out. The Phils, Padres and Cubs are all within a game of each other. Whoever ends up with the worst record of the three will play in Atlanta a week from Tuesday. | 92-64 |
| 5 | New York Yankees | Yankees | 0 | It's another one of those abnormal weeks for the Yankees; we don't know what team we'll get. Right in the middle at .500 for this road trip, and I'm not sure what team we'll be getting over the next week and the last bit of the season. Aaron Judge is back on the IL, and it's another question that continues to be perplexing: what are the Yankees doing about their injuries? Hopefully Cap can rest and be ready for the postseason, cause no use wasting some of his recovery time on the regular season. Walk-off losers to the Dbacks on the night they celebrate the 25th anniversary of their World Series win (another walk-off), and can't keep the snakes contained as they lose the series to the still-in-playoff-hunt Diamondbacks. Off day Monday, then the biggest series of the season against the division-hungry Rays; to call it a BFD would be selling it incredibly short. Another three-game set against the Orioles, who have found wings in the latter stages of the season, and it will be division battles all week long, both providing unique challenges for the Pinstriped Crew. The postseason berth is secured; the next question(s): what will the postseason look like, and who will be with us to forge further on our lineups? The cliches are a plenty, but they're true for a reason; this week is a defining week for the 2026 Yankees. | 89-66 |
| 6 | Chicago Cubs | Cubs | 0 | The Cubs 4-2 week against the Braves and Reds got their magic number for cliniching a playoff spot down to 1 game. PCA had another torrid week, and is just two stolen bases shy of a 40-40 season. Unfortunately, Alex Bregman suffered a nasty facial injury when he was hit by a foul ball in the on-deck circle, and it is likely that he will miss some time putting his status for the Wild-Card series in jeopardy. It is obviously not an ideal siutation to lose your second best hitter so late in the season. The Cubs are clinging on to the top NL Wild Card spot on a tiebreaker with the red-hot Padres. The Cubs this week wrap up their home slate with a 3 game set against the Marlins, before closing out the regular season with 3 games currently scheduled in Boston. However, even that looks to be in doubt since there appears to be a major storm system there over the weekend and there is no time for makeup games with the season so close to the end. | 87-69 |
| 7 | San Diego Padres | Padres | +2 | The Pads did more than take care of business against Colorado and Miami. Ethan Salas got to play the hero for the first time in his major league journey as he knocked in the game winning run on Saturday. Oh boy though. Looking ahead, it's the last week of the season and the Pads are in a place we'd dream of back at the All-Star break. That being said, would I be greedy to hope that we are already clinched before the D'Backs series? Am I even greedier to hope for us getting 1st wild card spot to have home field advantage in the short series? | 87-69 |
| 8 | Philadelphia Phillies | Phillies | 0 | 86-70 | |
| 9 | Boston Red Sox | Red Sox | -2 | It's official: Boston is BACK In the playoffs. The last few weeks haven't been the best brand of Sox baseball we've seen this year, but it's been good enough to lock in the second wildcard spot and secure their spot in the absolute most difficult postseason path possible. A three game set in NYC, followed by an ALDS against the AL best Rays will certainly be a test. The last week of regular season play however may be the most inconsequential in team history. Prepare yourself to see actual, honest to god innings pitched by Tanner Houck in the year 2026. | 84-72 |
| 10 | Cleveland Guardians | Guardians | +2 | The Guardians have completed their regular season home games with a series win against the White Sox and a sweep of the Athletics. At the game I went to against the White Sox, there was a crazy person sitting behind me ranting about how God was kissing Chicago's ass, the season was over, the division was gone, and MLB should get rid of the Guardians. Despite what he was saying, the race isn't over. However, I'm a bit worried, as the Guardians play the Red Sox this week, and the White Sox play the Royals and Rockies. | 81-75 |
| 11 | Arizona Diamondbacks | D-Backs | -1 | The Diamondbacks ended their last homestand by taking two of three from the Yankees and keep their playoff hopes alive, technically. They don't control their own destiny at this point, but crazier things have happened. | 82-74 |
| 12 | Chicago White Sox | White Sox | -1 | September continues to be a rough one for the White Sox, but there's still hope. The Sox hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland just 1 game back in the last week of the season. I take full responsibility for the 8-2 collapse after buying home playoff tickets just before the game on Friday. That's my bad. In other relevant Chicago sports news, the entire city breathed a sigh of relief as news of Caleb Williams' injury came back shockingly positive. That man loves our city and I think he has to branch out from Cubs and Bulls friends and make friends with one of the many fun players from the South Side, assuming they can take their hands off each other long enough to hang with Caleb. | 80-76 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pirates | 0 | Well, the Pirates may have failed to reach the postseason — a goal that was explicitly laid out for the team last September, when team president Travis Williams said the 2026 Bucs would be a playoff team "period, full stop" — but they are in good shape to have just their fifth winning season since 1992. This is apparently enough progress to retain Ben Cherington for an 8th season as GM, despite not coming particularly close to a playoff spot in any of his seven seasons. He will certainly try to spin 2026 as a step forward, but this is not a particularly young team: Paul Skenes is arbitration eligible, Bryan Reynolds will turn 32 this winter, Oneil Cruz might have just one season left in Pittsburgh, and the best player on the 2026 squad (Brandon Lowe) is almost certainly leaving in free agency. This should be a team competing for a playoff spot NOW, but in Pittsburgh, it's always next year. | 79-77 |
| 14 | Texas Rangers | Rangers | +4 | Well, this is it, we're entering the final week of a crazy AL West race. A 4-2 week puts the Rangers 1 game ahead of the Astros for the division title. Texas will play two eliminated teams in the final week, and you'd think it would be easy? Well, nothing is easy with the way our pitching has been considering that the bullpen is on thin ice, SPs like deGrom and Gore can't be guarantees, and Quantrill is out via injury. Keep winning and you're in. | 78-78 |
| 15 | Toronto Blue Jays | Blue Jays | -1 | Welp. We've officially reached "every game from here on out is must-win" status with 6 to go (and even that might not be enough) after poor showings in our Detroit and Texas series. This team is a bit of meat barely hanging on to the bone, man. Dylan Cease's shoulder is fatigued, dropping us down to a whopping 2-man rotation. The underperforming offense is wiped and needs to pull six miracles out of their asses. We all want to see them sneak into that WC3 spot, if only to make the hurt of this season dull as much as possible, but who knows what sort of shambling collection of zombies we'd even be by then. The beauty of sports is the illogical fallacy that Crazy Shit Just Happens Sometimes, and that's what we cling to when we have moments of realization that we're letting our emotions be dictated by millionaires in laundry that we have affinity for. Save us, Jobu. | 77-79 |
| 16 | Houston Astros | Astros | -1 | Outclassed by another contender. We're awful. Thankfully, we might only have 6 more games of this mess. I don't know that the fanbase could handle any more than that. | 77-79 |
| 17 | Miami Marlins | Marlins | -1 | 76-80 | |
| 18 | St. Louis Cardinals | Cardinals | -1 | There's not a whole lot to say about the actual play of the Redbirds here at the end of the season other than to say that's its very much coming down to the ragged end. More broadly, there can be no doubt that this was a meaningful and successful season for the organization. Springfield is apt to win the Texas League title for the second year in a row, and Memphis hosts Rochester in the International League championship series this week (with a much weakened roster than the one that won the first half). Joshua Baez has gotten a taste, Leo Bernal has gotten a taste, and some young starting pitchers like Quinn Mathews and Cooper Hjerpe have gotten some innings. The only part I'm somewhat bummed about is that they appear to be committed to Nathan Church as the starting CF next season. I can only hope that they don't fall in love with him too much; he's just a dude, a 4th/5th OF. Even so, it shouldn't be long before the Redbirds are back to shitting on folks from the sky. | 76-80 |
| 19 | Baltimore Orioles | Orioles | 0 | Instead of focusing on the negative (Albernaz and Elias coming back) I will focus on the positive. Trey Mancini retired as an Oriole. He wasn't the greatest player ever, but he certainly will be an Orioles Hall of Famer. He was one of those players who had "moments". He won a World Series with the Astros and his last hit as an Oriole was an inside the park homer on the inaugural Mo Gaba Day. Google Mo Gaba and then grab your tissues. He also was comeback player of the year after his battle with colon cancer. Also, he was just an overall good human being. Congrats to Trey on his retirement and his future induction into the Orioles Hall of Fame. | 75-81 |
| 20 | Detroit Tigers | Tigers | 0 | Not too many positive things to say this week... it'll be worse if we find out that Troy Melton's. re-injured his right arm after was lifted early on Sunday. All attention this week will be to Justin Verlander's final career start this weekend against Pittsburgh. This week: 3 vs. WSH, 3 vs. PIT. | 73-83 |
| 21 | Washington Nationals | Nationals | +2 | Friday was a monumental day for the Nats franchise: CJ Abrams secured the first 30/30 season since Alfonso Soriano in 2006, Cade Cavalli reached 200 strikeouts on the same day he signed the first pre-Arbitration extension since Keibert Ruiz in 2023, Josiah Gray returned to an MLB mound for the first time since his TJS in 2024, and the Nats reached 72 wins which represents their best W/L record since winning the World Series in 2019. The rest of the weekend, however, well that was something else. A 2-1 series win against the Cards over the weekend somehow featured 3 blown saves and if you didn't like that, then you probably don't like Nationals baseball. Some incredible starting pitching was overshadowed by the treacherous Nats bullpen and sadly I don't think that was really surprising to anybody who has been watching the 2026 Washington Nationals. | 73-83 |
| 22 | Seattle Mariners | Mariners | -1 | 73-83 | |
| 23 | Minnesota Twins | Twins | -1 | Out but not down, the Twins play spoiler as the final obstacle for the Rangers' quest to win their division with a .500 record. As Sun Tzu famously put it in The Art of War: "To become mid, you must defeat mid." So it all comes down to this. I guess. I dunno. Just let me go with this angle so the season means something. | 73-83 |
| 24 | New York Mets | Mets | 0 | Shout out Howie Rose for the culmination of a legendary broadcasting career. Coincidentally, I am quite ready to put the 2026 Mets season in the books. | 71-85 |
| 25 | Cincinnati Reds | Reds | 0 | Dear Cincinnati Reds Fans, We are proud to be the new owners of America's first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds. We're long-time baseball fans who have grown up with the Reds and have fond memories of going to the ballpark. In our lifetime, we faithfully cheered on the Reds through three World Series championships, six National League championships and eight division titles. We know this team truly belongs to you, and we understand what the Reds mean to our city and our region. We know what a winning team can do for a city's pride. We also understand the unique legacy the Reds hold in baseball history and the potential to reignite an American love affair with the nation's first professional baseball team.It is with a sense of both responsibility and respect that we pledge to Reds fans: We will bring championship baseball to Cincinnati. The Reds have a long tradition of success. Only three cities have won more World Series than Cincinnati. We will work hard to be a championship team again. We will build one of the most respected organizations in baseball. As partners in other successful baseball organizations we know how it's done. We will build a winning management team by putting the right people in the right positions with the right resources to win. We will foster a winning attitude and culture. We will have a greater community presence. We will continue to improve the lives of area children by building on already successful Reds Community Fund programs like the Rookie Success League. Whether it's providing a way for inner-city children to play baseball or generating funds for charity, we'll take this outreach to a new level. We will rekindle the Reds Nation spirit. We'll share our story and our strategy, communicating directly with fans everywhere who want to know what is going on. When you visit the ballpark, we'll periodically be asking for your feedback so we can continuously improve the experience. Our goal is that you feel a part of the Reds Nation whether you're at the game, listening on the radio or living in another major league city. We will not rest until you are happy. The Reds are, after all, your team. You buy the tickets. You watch the games. You support us financially and emotionally. Without you, the Reds cannot be great. We know you won't be happy until the team wins. We won't be happy, either. Bringing championship baseball to Cincinnati is the ultimate goal. Like you we believe in the power, potential and magic of the Cincinnati Reds. We will work tirelessly to bring a winner home to you. We thank you for this opportunity and hope to earn your support. | 72-84 |
| 26 | Kansas City Royals | Royals | 0 | 67-89 | |
| 27 | San Francisco Giants | Giants | 0 | I had a great week, worked a music festival, great vibes, met some cool people, great music as well when I had a chance to get a break. I didn't watch or follow the Giants at all. Who would in my situation? This team is awful. I could probably guess how they did because every week has been the same. Performed slightly better than a .500-ish team and won or split a series they had no business being competitive in, then getting buzzsawed by a playoff team in the next. Was this the week they faced the Dodgers again? Probably. Whatever, like Kenny Rosenthal said, this is good for baseball. They also probably had a few more unfortunate injuries, bullpen meltdowns, and underperformance by key players. I don't think I've moved them from the '27' spot since the All Star break. Maybe I don't actually like baseball. I deserve to be happy, I think I owe that to myself. | 64-92 |
| 28 | Los Angeles Angels | Angels | +1 | 60-96 | |
| 29 | Oakland Athletics | Athletics | -1 | Being swept twice on the road isn't what hurt the most this week. It was that maybe two of the six tries were competetive. Six games are left and this team cannot wait for it to end. Obviously at it's best, this team looks completely different. There is still hope in the eyes of a believer for 2027, but this years team is well done. Cooked. I stick by everything I've said this year, and I'll continue to stand by the young core of this team. When healthy the Athletics are dangerous. Butler started the year slow, but has exploded to end the year. Gelof and Bolte have been daily contributors to the Athletics lineup that in a perfect world would also include Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, and Tyler Soderstrom. Thanks to Jonah Heim for his comeback tour. I'd love to see you back, but you are gonna get a bag somewhere. Jeff McNeil was one of the best veteren signings of the A's in recent memory. | 61-95 |
| 30 | Colorado Rockies | Rockies | 0 | The Rockies have to go 6-0 to avoid a fourth consecutive 100-loss season. Call me a pessimist, but I just don’t see that happening. There was a lot of hope in the middle parts of the season, and this team really is better on offense, but they couldn’t do enough to overcome the worst starting pitching in MLB and avoid the triple-digit loss column. That said, a 14-game improvement (at least) is something to be optimistic about. Speaking of optimism, I just want to be somewhat happy at the end of next year’s season. Everyone in purple misses that feeling, and I think we can get there. | 57-99 |
Posted Sep 21, 2026, 8:04 PM UTC
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