Hard to believe that it was 15 years ago Sunday that Mark McGwire hit home run No. 62. And that in that span the feat has almost become meaningless in baseball circles.

The First 4 from our last power rankings must feel just as insignificant after accomplishing so much, as 3 dropped out and the top 10 has shifted considerably. Ranking teams every week is a “what have you done for me lately” kind of business.

First 4

1. (7/10/5/8/9/4/5/5/8/7/7/7/12) Red Sox: We’ve underestimated them all year long, but they finally rise to the top of our rankings with the best record in baseball and a suddenly commanding division lead.

2. (6/5/7/6/2/1/1/3/9/2/3/5/15) A’s: At times they’ve looked like the best team in baseball. They’ve certainly risen to every challenge.

3. (9/9/10/12/11/10/9/8/2/3/5/3/2) Reds: Cruising all year in the second wild-card spot, they became real contenders for the NL Central division title in a hurry.

4. (3/½/1/3/12/13/24/24/23/20/27/25) Dodgers: Not that it hasn’t already been an incredible season, but if they reach 100 wins it takes it to another level. Like a “Juan Uribe just hit 3 home runs” level of insanity.

Middle of the majors 

5. (5/7/9/11/4/2/2/4/3/1/1/1/1) Cardinals: A sweep of the Pirates at home was just what St. Louis needed after stumbling through Pittsburgh and Cincinnati .

6. (8/8/6/4/6/¾/1/¼/6/6/9) Pirates: Even though it’s been a lock for a while, it was nice to see the Pirates finally win their 82nd games. The same will be true when they clinch a playoff spot.

7. (2/3/1/3/8/11/12/10/11/5/2/4/4) Braves: Haven’t been pushed all year. Easy to foresee a postseason flop.

8. (4/2/3/2/5/5/6/9/7/9/10/11/5) Tigers: Opposing catchers should be working on their ventriloquist skills to get Miguel Cabrera thrown out during more at-bats.

9. (¼/4/7/12/7/3/2/4/8/4/2/3) Rangers: The see-saw at the top of the AL West has been fun to watch. Texas is on the ground right now, but it’s far from over.

10. (11/11/13/5/7/9/11/6/13/17/27/12/7) Indians: The schedule is favorable. Can Cleveland take advantage?

11. (12/12/12/13/10/8/10/7/6/6/11/8/13) Orioles: Luck hasn’t been on their side like it was in 2012.

12. (13/14/16/14/13/14/8/13/12/13/9/14/6) Yankees: A valiant return to relevance recently, but they’re going to run out of gas.

13. (14/13/8/10/14/21/17/18/17/12/19/26/23) Royals: It would be a great story, but it’s going to take a finish for the ages.

14. (10/6/11/9/1/6/7/11/19/18/14/13/17) Rays: The West has not been kind to them, but they’ll bounce back. And they managed to hold on to that final wild card spot through it all. We’ll put them behind all of the other wild card contenders this week for inspiration.

15. (15/16/19/17/16/13/16/14/10/11/8/9/10) Diamondbacks: A winning record, but completely irrelevant since the Dodgers went on that run.

16. (17/20/22/19/18/15/15/15/21/19/17/19/14) Nationals: Bust.

17. (18/17/17/24/19/17/18/12/5/10/13/16/20) Blue Jays: A disappointment, for sure, but they have winning records against the Central and West. 

18. (19/23/26/28/27/16/20/21/20/20/16/18/19) Phillies: Can Sandberg duplicate last year’s push that avoided a losing record? Does it matter?

19. (20/18/18/18/24/22/14/19/23/24/24/23/21) Angels: Looks like the stadium’s getting renovated and they’ll finally be able to drop “of Anaheim” officially. The on-field future is bleak.

20. (16/15/14/15/15/20/21/22/18/22/22/22/22) Mariners: Almost back where they started. Seattle needs to give its fans some hope.

21. (26/19/15/16/20/27/25/23/22/21/21/20/30) Twins: Where’s that supply of smoke and mirrors that worked so well for so long? It’s likely 3 straight years of 90-loss misery in Minnesota.

22. (23/25/25/22/26/30/30/17/16/15/18/17/18) Padres: They held off elimination in the NL West longer than the Rockies and Giants. So there’s that.

23. (24/21/21/25/21/23/23/26/28/29/29/25/24) Mets: For some reason this season doesn’t seem like a disappointment, but they’re headed for their worst record since 2008. Expectations…

24. (21/22/24/23/25/25/26/28/27/26/25/28/26) Brewers: Searching for a silver lining, but I’m coming up empty.

25. (25/27/27/27/28/24/24/20/14/16/12/15/11) Giants: The last – and only – team to win the World Series and finish last the next year? Your 1998 Florida Marlins.

26. (22/24/20/26/23/18/19/16/15/14/15/10/8) Rockies: Last place in the NL West is still within their reach.

Final 4

27. (28/26/23/21/17/19/22/25/25/25/23/24/27) Cubs: This is the year – Chicago baseball fans envisioned in 2012. The tired C-U-B-S acronym applies to the useless baseball teams on both sides of town this month.

28. (29/29/28/20/22/26/27/27/30/30/30/30/29) Marlins: A legal fight over an NFL player’s concession stand at Marlins Park  is making headlines. That can’t be good. 

29. (27/28/29/30/29/28/29/30/29/28/26/21/16) White Sox: I thought the Marlins had a lock on 29th for the rest of the season, but the White Sox decided to play dead again, losing 9 of 10.

30. (30/30/30/29/30/29/28/29/26/27/28/29/28) Astros: There’s no moving this team anymore. Not with 110 losses a real possibility. The good news? There are a lot of Astros affiliates in the minor league playoffs.