2023 MLB Postseason Power Rankings: Which Team is Most Dangerous?
Only one week remains in the regular season, and there are still several playoff spots up for grabs.
Three teams are in contention for an AL West division title, and five teams are vying for three NL Wild Card spots.
Instead of ranking all 30 teams, as we have done all season long, this week we will rank only the contenders in each league.
I've determined my rankings primarily by asking myself one question: Which team do I least want to play in a three-game, five-game or seven-game series this postseason?
I also took the liberty of dividing the teams by league. And thus, we present to you our MLB postseason power rankings:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
The Twins haven't won a playoff game since 2004, nor have they won a postseason series since 2002. Minnesota has lost its last 17 playoff games. The last time the franchise won a playoff game, the Twins were still playing in the Metrodome. Minnesota also has the worst record of the seven AL teams jockeying for a playoff spot. Until they actually win in October, the Twins don't scare me.
In October, good pitching tends to beat good hitting more often than not. The Rangers have a very potent lineup... and a weak bullpen and an injury-riddled rotation. Since their 40-20 start, Texas has played sub-.500 ball. Even given their recent hot streak, the club is just 47-48 over the last three-and-a-half months.
Like the Twins, it's been a while since the Blue Jays have won in the playoffs. Toronto hasn't won a playoff game since the 2016 ALCS, where they lost to the Cleveland Indians in five games. The Jays have made the playoffs only twice in the time since. They were swept by the Rays in the 2020 AL Wild Card Series, and in 2022, they were swept by the Mariners at home. Toronto has been up and down all season, but in a wide-open American League, the time for the Blue Jays to breakthrough is now.
Last fall, Seattle won its first postseason series in 21 years. The M's have a great pitching staff, which would scare me in both a short series and a long series.
Even though Houston has lost its last four series and might not make the playoffs, their proven track record and postseason experience would make me not want to play them, if they find a way to get in. The Astros have played in the ALCS the last six years and counting.
Tampa got off to a historic start and had the look of an all-time great team. Kevin Cash's club has been bitten hard by the injury bug, but has stayed afloat. Since losing Wander Franco, the Rays have played well, but have not been dominant. Still, the Rays have the second-best record in the AL, and could finish the season with 100 wins.
The Orioles have taken off, and with their roster full of controllable young players and loaded farm system, Baltimore looks like it is here to stay. The O's have the best record in the AL, and since the Fourth of July, they're a remarkable 48-24. They are the best team in the American League right now.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
I really bought into Cincinnati in the middle of the summer. The Redlegs were 38-20 between May 26 and the start of August. The Reds entered the month of August with a 59-49 record, then got dismantled by the Cubs at Wrigley Field and haven't quite looked the same since. From the start of August on, the Reds are a 21-28 team. Cincy has dropped a number of games to lackluster opponents in key spots, and they just feel like they're a team that is a year away. The future is bright in Cincinnati, though!
7) Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are hanging onto the final Wild Card spot by a thread, but their lineup past Hoerner-Bellinger-Suzuki is rather thin. Their bullpen seems to be running out of gas. Justin Steele appears to have hit his innings limit, and beyond Steele and Kyle Hendricks, do the Cubs have another pitcher that you would trust with a start in October? Still, if I'm Milwaukee, I do not want to play the Cubs in the Wild Card Series. Cubs fans will pack American Family Field in Milwaukee, and that won't be a home series for the Brewers. Anything can happen in a short series; best not to play a division rival with a rabid fan base.
Even without Sandy Alcantara, the Marlins have a solid pitching staff. The Fish also have a knack for winning close games and seem to be peaking at the right time. Miami is 32-13 in one-run games, and has won five of its seven series in the month of September. If they can run through the Mets and the Pirates this week, they will edge out the Cubs for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. The last two times the Marlins made the postseason, they eliminated the Cubs.
The Diamondbacks lack pitching depth, which will likely burn them in a long series. But in a best-of-three, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly can piggyback them to a series win, similar to how Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson carried the D-Backs to a World Series title in 2001. The Snakes also have a deep lineup and are capable of spraying the ball all over the field. Just don't have them play the Dodgers!
The Dodgers are once again a great regular-season team. Are they a great postseason team? A postseason rotation for the Dodgers will feature Clayton Kershaw, and who else? Bobby Miller? Lance Lynn? I would never bet against the Dodgers, but I'm not sure I'd placing any wagers on the Dodgers this fall, either. They'll be a tough team to play, as always.
The Brewers have the best pitching staff in the National League. Forget the talk about run-differential, when discussing Milwaukee. The Brewers are designed to win close games. Turn a lead over to their lights-out bullpen, and the game is over. A 1-2-3 of Burnes-Peralta-Woodruff is as good as it gets in the NL. The Brewers' lineup has a little more to offer this time around than it has in recent years. Christian Yelich has bounced back nicely, with newcomers William Contreras, Mark Canha, Josh Donaldson and Sal Frelick also contributing nicely. In years past, it felt like the Brewers didn't have the bats to get a big hit in a critical scenario. That is no longer the case.
The Phillies went on a spectacular run to the World Series last fall, and there is no reason why they can't do it again. Their lineup is better this year, with Trea Turner at shortstop, and Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh taking a jump offensively. Nick Castellanos has significantly upped his output from a year ago, and Philadelphia has a deeper rotation and bullpen than it did a year ago. And do you really want to be an opposing team playing at Citizens Bank Park this time of year? Nope, me neither.
The Braves are the best team in baseball and have one of the greatest lineups in baseball history. While leading the league in runs scored, the Braves are also hitting for contact. Atlanta has the fifth-best contact rate in the sport. The Braves are the favorites in the National League, and are going for their second title in three years.
