As several Major League Baseball teams gear up for or continue fighting for playoff spots, the Colorado Rockies are working toward an inevitable end to a difficult 2026 season.

Heading into Friday’s slate of games, the Rockies once again possessed the worst record in baseball, and they were among the San Francisco Giants, the Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels as the teams that are officially eliminated from postseason contention.

Colorado’s last-place standing in the sport is not the only thing indicative of a tough season for the franchise. It has also fallen to the bottom of other rankings as well. However, there is one recent list in which the Rockies are not the last-place team. Let’s identify it:

On Thursday, ESPN released its latest power rankings, and the Rockies avoided the bottom!

Colorado was placed 29th among the 30 MLB clubs, and the Angels occupied the 30th spot. For weeks now, the Rockies and the Angels have traded places as the worst team in baseball, and while Los Angeles has a better record at the time of writing, the staff at ESPN does not believe the franchise is in a better position.

Within the Rockies’ ranking is reasoning for why they landed where they did, and ESPN points to an egregious pitching staff as one of the team’s main weaknesses.

It points out that Colorado is last in the majors in ERA (5.50), but that is not the only category.  The Rockies are also last in opponent batting average (.287), WHIP (1.52) and strikeouts (999).

While this team has struggled immensely on the hill, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about what is being accomplished in the batter’s box. As ESPN points out, the Rockies are fifth in OPS (.737), and that ranks above multiple playoff-caliber teams.

Hunter Goodman has been the head of the snake for Colorado. At the time of writing, the 26-year-old two-time All-Star has 37 home runs and an .832 OPS in 126 games played. 

The Rockies’ front office was smart not to move Goodman at the deadline, as he can be the centerpiece of the core they are trying to build. Other players, such as Jake McCarthy and Cole Carrigg, have been complementary support pieces in elevating the offense.

ESPN also points out the ability of Colorado’s offense to travel. When the power rankings were posted, the Rockies had been averaging 4.3 runs on the road while averaging 5.1 at home. Additionally, their 84 home runs on the road are more than the 77 produced at Coors Field.

Overall, the Rockies have a lot that needs to be addressed if they want to become a winning organization, but some things are pointing in the right direction.