During a recent visit to Arlington, Seattle manager Scott Servais repeated his contention that in the American League West "everybody in the division is going to beat up on everybody else."

That will happen for four teams but not the division-leading Rangers.

They are running roughshod through the division, winning at a rarely seen pace.

A 5-1 win at Oakland on Thursday put the Rangers at 26-13 in the West, with 37 division games remaining. If the Rangers continue at this pace, they would go 51-25 and win the division title for the second consecutive season with ease.

With a division full of weak sisters, the Rangers could have a better record than that.

Houston, Oakland and the Los Angeles Angels have three of the five worst records in the AL. The Rangers have 31 more games against them.

A year ago, the Rangers became only the fourth team in the three-division era, which began in 1994, to finish first despite a losing (36-40) division record. In this season, they could establish a benchmark for division dominance.

The 1995 Cincinnati Reds had the best divisional record in this period, at 35-14 for a .714 winning percentage.

For teams with at least 70 divisional games, the 2005 Chicago White Sox had the best divisional record at 52-22 for a .703 winning percentage. The 2003 San Francisco Giants had the most wins at 53-23. The Rangers could challenge both marks.

What does this mean? Is a team better off reaching the postseason after slogging through a demanding division or running away in an easy division?

History suggests playing a collection of weak sisters during the regular season does not set up a club for postseason success.

Of the top 11 teams -- 2005 St. Louis and 2011 Milwaukee tied -- for division records in this century, only two reached the World Series. The White Sox swept Houston in 2005. The New York Yankees lost to Arizona in seven games in 2001.

Six of the clubs reached a league championship series, the most recent Detroit in 2011. Three teams failed to get beyond a division series, the most recent the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014.

It is a moot point for the Rangers over the next month. The do not play in the West again until July 18, with the opening of a series against the Halos. The final month could be memorable. The Rangers play 22 of their final 28 games against the West.

A look at MLB teams with the top division records since 2000