MLB Power Rankings As We Approach the Playoffs

The Cleveland Guardians are 16th in wRC+ (99) and some of their top bats like Steven Kwan and David Fry have gone cold. That being said, if they get a lead then they will close out that game, but given how bad their rotation is it’s very hard for me to rank them high on this list even if they have one of the best records in the game. They’re slumping for a reason, but that bullpen is so good that they might actually find a way to get hot come October.

The Brewers are a tough team to rank because they don’t really have starting pitching and their offense is starting to fall back to earth. Are they a good team? Yes, just like Cleveland is also good. Are they benefiting from a really bad division? Yes, but I don’t think they’re “frauds” or anything of the sort. They’re a good team in a league where everyone’s kind of bunched up together, you could justify ranking them higher (or lower) on this list but this is kind of where I’ll settle for now with the Brew Crew.

Unlike the Rangers, the Diamondbacks have awoken from their World Series hangover and are one of the best teams in the game again. They’re sixth in wRC+ (112) and have scored the most runs in baseball as well (665), with their starting pitching finding some form. Gallen-Kelly-Pfaadt should be good enough to win games in October, with the hope being that one (or both) of Monty and E-Rod can wake up. The problem? That bullpen is a trainwreck.

Why is the team tied for second place in their division, the top team on this list? Well, the Minnesota Twins are arguably the deepest lineup in baseball while having a stupendous bullpen, and I think when push comes to shove, they’ll have the deepest playoff run among the AL Central teams. The Royals just missed this list, but given that the Twins rotation is better in my eyes than the Guardians, it would be really hard for me to think that they aren’t the better team.

The San Diego Padres are ninth in runs scored while having a rotation that’s really found its footing with Dylan Cease and Michael King heading that group. Matt Waldron has been solid, and Martin Perez has hit the ground running with San Diego as a strikeout pitcher in his first three starts, a massive departure from what we’ve been used to seeing from him. The bullpen is supercharged with Tanner Scott and Jason Adam, and as currently constructed, this team is really dangerous and could win the NL Pennant.

You have to be kidding me. This team was dead in the waters in June, but somehow, some way, they’re comfortably atop the AL West, and they’re crushing their opponents. Sure, their competition lately hasn’t been great, but they have a ton of hitting, and their rotation has really come into its own. Valdez, Blanco, Kikuchi, Brown, and Verlander could prove to be a strong starting five come October, but their bullpen is easily their biggest issue. They can move some of their starters to the bullpen, but just when you thought the Astros were finally done, they’ve woken up from the dead to probably end up in the ALCS (again).

It’s an odd ranking, but the Orioles are maybe a hair-off of being the best team in baseball. I don’t think their rotation is very strong, but the trio of Burnes-Eflin-Suarez might be enough for their deep offense. The other problem for them is that their bullpen has started to bleed, and their additions on that side of the ball aren’t doing much to swing things in their favor either right now. Seranthony Dominguez has struck out 35% of batters with Baltimore but has also allowed three homers and a ton of damage contact, although I think he’ll be fine. Craig Kimbrel? Not so much faith there.

The Dodgers have a similar problem to the Yankees, with a lineup that runs very thin towards the bottom of the lineup, but their pitchers just keeps getting hurt. Jack Flaherty has been excellent, but with guys like River Ryan and Tyler Glasnow getting hurt, you just wonder if they can actually keep this up as they roll into October. It’s a more open NL West race than it was a month ago, and they’ll have to stave off Arizona and San Diego while they try to bandage up a pitching staff that’s seriously banged up.

Sitting atop the AL East by half a game, they just keep flip-flopping with the Orioles for the top spot in the division. Their offense is the best in the AL in Runs Scored and wRC+, but their pitching has stumbled after a hot start. They also lack lineup depth, having only a few reliable bats outside of Soto and Judge, but those two are just so good that you wonder if they can actually carry this team to the title. They’ll hope that their injured arms can come back and contribute, but they’re still very formidable.

It hasn’t been the smoothest of sailing for the Phillies since the summer has kicked off, but that’s the case with every team we ranked in the top four. A complete team with both the pitching and hitting to crush their opponents, Philadelphia can win in a lot of different ways and have a plethora of excellent starting pitchers who can dominate. Cristopher Sanchez, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez are brilliant, while Zack Wheeler could contend for the Cy Young. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Alec Bohm are a terrifying quartet offensively, but can they just get red-hot again?