Ranking the Lineups of the 14 Remaining MLB Postseason Contenders

They say pitching wins championships, but you’ve gotta score runs to win ballgames.

Alex Bregman (left) and Pete Crow-Armstrong have led the charge offensively for the Cubs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A single swing of the bat can dramatically change a team’s fortunes in the postseason. Playoff teams need to be able to rely on anyone in their lineup to come up with a big at-bat in October, as you never know who will be stepping up to the plate in a crucial spot with the chance to drive in the go-ahead run.

We’re going to rank every team’s lineup ahead of this year’s postseason, identifying what teams have the most weaknesses in their batting order, and those who are better equipped to inflict some damage against some of the best arms in the sport.

1. Cubs

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 115 (1st)
Total home runs (rank): 217 (2nd)
Team OPS (rank): .769 (1st)

The Cubs have plenty of pop in their lineup, with five players who hit 20-plus home runs in 2026, and Dansby Swanson could make it a sixth if he goes yard one more time in the team’s final four games. Pete Crow-Armstrong became the seventh player in league history to record a 40-40 season and is tied for the league lead with 45 homers. He leads the team with 107 RBIs despite hitting out of the leadoff spot. The injuries sustained by Alex Bregman after a harrowing incident in the on-deck circle could be a concern for the postseason, but the expectation is he’ll be ready to return in time for the playoffs, and possibly even before. From top to bottom, the Cubs’ typical starting lineup features just one player with a sub-.700 OPS (second baseman Nico Hoerner). There’s hardly a weak spot in Chicago’s batting order, and they’ll be a difficult matchup for anyone in the postseason.

2. Dodgers

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 111 (2nd)
Total home runs (rank): 199 (8th)
Team OPS (rank): .765 (2nd)

With three former MVPs in the lineup in Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers don’t have many weaknesses throughout their lineup. The team is tied for the league lead in OBP (.339) and batting average (.258), and there’s not a single player in their standard starting lineup that has a sub-.700 OPS on the year. Even with players like Teoscar Hernandez and Kyle Tucker enduring difficult seasons, there’s not a single spot in L.A.’s batting order that isn’t a threat to make a big hit. Ohtani has just returned to action ahead of the team’s postseason run, but even if he can’t play up to his elite standards, the Dodgers will remain one of MLB’s most formidable offensive teams in October.

Jake Bauers leads the National League with a .393 on-base percentage. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

3. Brewers

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 107 (3rd)
Total home runs (rank): 151 (29th)
Team OPS (rank): .741 (4th)

The Brewers’ small-ball approach has served them well in 2026. Despite hitting the second-fewest home runs in MLB this season, with only the Blue Jays leaving the yard less often, Milwaukee has still generated the second-most runs in baseball (810). The Brewers are tied with the Dodgers for the highest on-base percentage in the league and rank second in MLB with a 10.6% walk rate. Their lack of power at the plate could plague them in October, but they have the tools to overcome that with excellent contact hitters and table setters with stars such as Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio. The emergence of Jake Bauers as one of the league’s best hitters this season––he leads the National League with a .393 OBP––has helped push this lineup over the top, and their ability to kickstart a rally with multiple base hits can quickly turn any inning into a big one.

4. Rays

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 104 (5th)
Total home runs (rank): 165 (21st)
Team OPS (rank): .727 (T-7th)

Much like the Brewers, the Rays don’t hit for too much power, with the exception of Junior Caminero who is tied for the AL lead with 41 homers. Collectively, Tampa ranks 21st with 165 home runs on the year and 14th with a .401 slugging percentage. The Rays excel at getting on base––they’re tied for the MLB-lead with a .258 batting average and rank sixth with an OBP of .326––and they’re aggressive on the base paths, too, racking up 162 stolen bases, second only to the Nationals. They also have the lowest strikeout rate of any team in MLB (18.6%). There are some weaknesses in the lineup that opposing teams could potentially exploit, however. The bottom of their order has struggled offensively, with the likes of Cedric Mullins, Taylor Walls, Jorge Mateo, Richie Palacios and Nick Fortes all owning an OPS below .700.

5. Padres

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 102 (11th)
Total home runs (rank): 180 (15th)
Team OPS (rank): .716 (16th)

While the Padres rank in the middle of the pack in most team hitting categories, much of that can be attributed to the offense’s slow start to the season. Key players such as Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado, among others, were ice cold out of the gate this year, but they’ve since turned things around in a big way. Since the All-Star break, the Padres rank second in wRC+ (119), fourth in home runs (81) and second in OPS (.782). They also lead MLB in batting average (.269) during that span. San Diego is playing its best baseball of the season, and with the offense firing on all cylinders, they’ll be a major threat in October.

White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami is slashing .204/.348/.467 with 33 home runs during his rookie year. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

6. White Sox

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 104 (4th)
Total home runs (rank): 203 (6th)
Team OPS (rank): .724 (10th)

The White Sox’ unexpected success at the plate has propelled them into postseason contention despite not garnering high expectations coming into the season. They’re the only team in MLB with three players that have hit 30-plus home runs––Munetaka Murakami (33), Miguel Vargas (33) and Colson Montgomery (31). They have plenty of power and some solid contact hitters too in Chase Meidroth, though their greatest weakness is their high strikeout rate of 24.2%, which ranks fifth in MLB. Montgomery has also been ice cold at the plate of late, with a whopping 54 strikeouts and a .317 OPS in his last 30 games. He’ll need to get going again offensively for Chicago to make a real splash in the postseason.

7. Yankees

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 102 (12th)
Total home runs (rank): 221 (1st)
Team OPS (rank): .721 (T-13th)

Aaron Judge’s availability for the postseason will have a major impact on how far the Yankees can go in October. He said Wednesday that he’s hoping to be available in the wild-card round, despite manager Aaron Boone saying that quick of a return for the superstar slugger was unlikely. With Judge in the lineup, New York’s lineup is as dangerous as any in baseball, but without him they’re not nearly as much of a threat. With Judge out of the lineup the team owns a .689 OPS across 92 games. That’s the second-worst mark league-wide, as key players such as Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells enduring miserable seasons at the plate. Despite Ben Rice’s sensational season, he’s the only player other than Judge with an OPS above .780. In short, with Judge available, the Yankees are a top-three lineup in baseball. Without him, they’re one of the worst.

8. Astros

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 104 (6th)
Total home runs (rank): 213 (3rd)
Team OPS (rank): .726 (9th)

While Yordan Alvarez is the biggest threat in the Astros’ lineup, they have plenty of collective power beyond him, with four other players having hit 20-plus home runs this season in Christian Walker, Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Peña and Cam Smith. While there are plenty of sluggers in Houston, the team is woeful defensively, and it doesn’t run the bases well, either. Fangraphs grades their defense 22nd in MLB, and no team has stolen fewer bases than the Astros’ 48. The bottom half of the order has also been underwhelming this season, with players such as Smith, Daulton Varsho and Taylor Trammell all recording an OPS of .660 or worse.

Matt Olson has played every game for the Braves since being acquired before the 2022 season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

9. Braves

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 98 (18th)
Total home runs (rank): 200 (7th)
Team OPS (rank): .722 (T-11th)

The Braves have plenty of talent in their lineup, but they also have quite a few underperforming players and exploitable weak points. The team has five players with 20-plus home runs, including Matt Olson (41), Michael Harris (26), Drake Baldwin (24), Ozzie Albies (22) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (20). It’s the bottom third of their lineup that’s a real concern. The team has received minimal production from players like Austin Riley (.658 OPS), Dominic Smith (.698 OPS) and Ha-Seong Kim (.324 OPS), and haven’t been able to get much consistency at the shortstop position. The Braves have one of MLB’s worst walk rates (7.7%, which ranks 28th), so they rely on their power hitters to supply a lot of their run production.

10. Red Sox

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 100 (17th)
Total home runs (rank): 162 (24th)
Team OPS (rank): .721 (T-13th)

The Red Sox have been a tale of two halves this season, having struggled throughout the first half before emerging as one of MLB’s best teams since July. In the first half of the year, Boston ranked dead last in home runs, 22nd in wRC+ and 23rd in OPS, but have seen a dramatic shift in success during the second half, where they’ve ranked fourth in the league with a 108 wRC+ and ninth with 77 home runs. Willson Contreras is enjoying a career year with 27 homers and a .905 OPS, but they’ll need more from the likes of Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Adley Rutschman, all of whom have disappointed at the plate throughout the year.

11. Rangers

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 102 (8th)
Total home runs (rank): 176 (19th)
Team OPS (rank): .712 (20th)

The Rangers’ offense hasn’t been particularly strong this season, though that’s fitting for a team looking to sneak into the postseason with a sub-.500 record. Despite rostering Joc Pederson, who is notoriously poor against left-handed pitchers, the Rangers own MLB’s second-best wRC+ (116) and fourth-best slugging percentage (.428) against southpaws this season. Texas has just two players with more than 20 home runs this season––Jake Burger and Pederson, and they aren’t too aggressive on the base paths, either, ranking 23rd in MLB with 59 stolen bases.

Kyle Schwarber is tied for the MLB home run lead with 45 entering Saturday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

12. Phillies

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 92 (28th)
Total home runs (rank): 180 (14th)
Team OPS (rank): .709 (22nd)

Philadelphia’s offense has been disappointing this season, with the exception of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Apart from those two veterans and recently acquired outfielder Derek Hill, who isn’t an everyday starter, there isn’t a single Phillies player with an OPS above .720. Trea Turner has had a dreadful season, Brandon Marsh has cooled down considerably after a red-hot start to the year, and Luis Arraez has struggled since arriving in the mid-season trade with the Giants. Philadelphia will be relying heavily upon Schwarber and Harper to generate runs at the plate, because their supporting cast hasn’t been able to get the job done all year.

13. Diamondbacks

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 96 (22nd)
Total home runs (rank): 159 (26th)
Team OPS (rank): .719 (16th)

Arizona’s offense has struggled this year, particularly the bottom third of the order. They don’t hit many home runs, but they’re effective at putting the ball in play. The Diamondbacks strikeout in just 19.5% of plate appearances, which is the third-best mark in MLB. Thanks to Corbin Carroll’s immense speed, the team ranks first with 40 triples (17 of which were engineered by Carroll) and are inside the top 10 in doubles (265), too. Arizona has been one of MLB’s worst offenses against right-handed pitching, logging an 89 wRC+ against righties, which is second-worst in MLB. They’ll face plenty of quality righthanders in the postseason, if they qualify, which could make it difficult to get much production at the plate.

14. Guardians

Team wRC+ (MLB rank): 96 (23rd)
Total home runs (rank): 152 (27th)
Team OPS (rank): .691 (28th)

The Guardians have one of MLB’s worst offenses. Cleveland doesn’t have a single player with more than 17 home runs, and they rank 29th in slugging percentage on the year. A down year from Jose Ramirez hasn’t helped their cause, as the star third baseman is batting just .238 with 12 home runs this season. Steven Kwan has bounced back after a woeful start to the year, and has been one of MLB’s hottest hitters of late. They’ll be relying on their small-ball tactics to get runs on the board in October, but that could prove difficult with opposing teams trotting out their best arms on a nightly basis.

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