Texas Rangers stay on top of Rankings but changes abound

September call-ups aren't just relegated to players. After a five-month summer hiatus, I have resumed control over SI.com's MLB Power Rankings for the final month of a wacky season in which Baltimore, Oakland, Pittsburgh and Washington all range from "surprise playoff contender" to "real World Series threat."

Though Power Rankings are now under new management -- in which clubs are ordered on the more traditional criteria of season-long performance with emphasis on recent play -- there's agreement at the top with the WAR-inspired rankings from the folks at FanGraphs.com: the Rangers are baseball's best.

They've won five straight series and, thus far, have staved off the hard-charging Athletics in the AL West. Even though Oakland has won nine in a row, Texas holds onto a three-game lead and has the majors' best run differential at +117.

In the National League, one contender is about to welcome its best player back from injury (the Reds' Joey Votto) while another is about to shut down its best starting pitcher (the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg), breaking what otherwise would be a tie atop the Senior Circuit.

NOTES: All stats are updated through Sunday, Sept. 2. "Last week" refers to the club's ranking under the FanGraphs-created ranking system.

MLB Power Rankings