Honoring the unsung heroes in year's last Power Rankings

In the 25 weeks this space has (powerfully) charted each team's forward and backward progress, the most consistent club has been the one at the top: Philadelphia.

Thats right where the Phillies belong in this final edition of Power Rankings. One of the preseason co-World Series favorites (along with the Red Sox), the Phils have spent 15 weeks in the No. 1 spot, including the last nine weeks consecutively.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, are not only plummeting -- down to No. 12 -- but they never reached No. 1, a spot occupied by six other teams: Phillies (15 weeks), Indians (three), Rockies (three), Rangers (two), Cardinals (one) and Yankees (one).

Herewith are a few Power Rankings team awards:

World Series favorite: Phillies. Who else? Despite recent injury scares with Ryan Howard and Hunter Pence, Philadelphia remains the majors' best team with a dominant rotation that should serve them well in the postseason.

Team peaking at the right time: Tigers. The recipient of this esteemed honor last year was the San Francisco Giants, and last fall obviously worked out rather well for them. Can the Tigers recreate the same World Series magic? With Justin Verlander and Doug Fister atop the rotation and the ALs fourth-best offense to support them, Detroit has a legitimate shot at its first title since 1984.

Biggest jump: Diamondbacks. They debuted at No. 24, fell as far as No. 25 on May 12 and spent only week above No. 20 before a late May run set them on their current track to win the NL West. They finish the season at No. 6.

Worst fall: Rockies. They sprinted out of the gate with a 16-7 (.696) start that was baseballs best, a scorching three-week stretch that put them atop the rankings for three weeks. But Colorado has been just 54-62 (.409) since and finishes the year at No. 24.

As my last executive order before abdicating Power Rankings for its offseason hibernation, I award each team's unsung hero -- the player, coach, executive or person formerly associated with the team whose positive impact on this year's team has gone underreported. In some cases that's a burgeoning star not getting sufficient due; in other cases it's a utility player or middle reliever that keeps falling in the shadow of his more celebrated teammates.

NOTE: All stats are updated through Wednesday, Sept. 21.

MLB Power Rankings