Power Ranking All 10 MLB Playoff Teams' Offenses

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They say that pitching wins championships, but what good is pitching if a team's offense can't provide any run support?

For each of the 10 teams that have made the playoffs, that's not an issue. While each lineup has its strengths and weaknesses, they are all capable of putting runs on the board in a hurry.

But some are more potent than others; it's just how things work. 

Let's take a look at which playoff team is the most dangerous when taking its turn at bat, along with who's hot, who's not and what we think the startling lineups might look like.

10. Oakland A's

Yoenis Cespedes is the best hitter in an inexperienced lineup.
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Team Stats: .238/.310/.404, 195 HR, 676 RBI, 713 R

While the Oakland A's don't get on base often, the lineup is quite opportunistic in its production, as evidenced by the team's .796 OPS with runners in scoring position—second to only the Detroit Tigers.

Only two players, Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss, finished the season with a batting average better than .270. While eight A's reached double digits in home runs, only two, Cespedes and Josh Reddick, drove in more than 55 runs.

 

Probable Lineup

CF Coco Crisp

SS Stephen Drew

LF Yoenis Cespedes

1B Brandon Moss

RF Josh Reddick

3B Josh Donaldson

DH Seth Smith

C Derek Norris

2B Cliff Pennington

 

Who's Hot

Coco Crisp: 6 G, .400/.444/.680, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB, 9 R

Brandon Moss: 7 G, .391/.407/.783, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 5 R

Yoenis Cespedes: 7 G, .360/.467/.720, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 7 R

 

Who's Not

Josh Donaldson: 7 G, .222/.250/.333, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R

Josh Reddick: 7 G, .222/.250/.593, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R

Stephen Drew: 7 G, .154/.313/.269, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 6 R

Cliff Pennington: 7 G, .154/.313/.154, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 R

9. Baltimore Orioles

Adam Jones was the O's offensive MVP in 2012.
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Team Stats: .247/.311/.417, 214 HR, 677 RBI, 712 R

The Baltimore Orioles' 712 runs scored on the season may rank eighth out of the 10 playoff teams in baseball, but their success is tied more closely to when they scored those runs, with 208 of them coming in the seventh inning or later.

That helps to explain how no team in baseball had a better record in one-run games, in which the Orioles went a ridiculous 29-9. With the game tied after nine innings, the team was an even more ridiculous 16-2.

Baltimore's offensive attack, fully capable of utilizing the long ball to its advantage, is predicated on timely hitting more than anything else.

 

Probable Lineup

LF Nate McLouth

SS J.J. Hardy

RF Chris Davis

CF Adam Jones

C Matt Wieters

DH Jim Thome

1B Mark Reynolds

3B Manny Machado

2B Robert Andino

 

Who's Hot

Chris Davis: 7 G, .333/.391/1.048, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R

 

Who's Not

Mark Reynolds: 6 G, .100/.182/.150, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 R

Adam Jones: 6 G, .143/.174/.143, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

Nate McLouth: 6 G, .217/.280/.391, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Matt Wieters: 6 G, .167/.211/.333, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

8. San Francisco Giants

Meet your 2012 NL MVP, Buster Posey.
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Team Stats: .269/.327/.397, 103 HR, 675 RBI, 718 R

After Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey and Hunter Pence, the San Francisco Giants lineup is pretty much devoid of power, but like the St. Louis Cardinals, the Giants have the ability to play small ball, manufacturing runs by any means necessary.

 

Probable Lineup

CF Angel Pagan

2B Marco Scutaro

3B Pablo Sandoval

C Buster Posey

RF Hunter Pence

1B Brandon Belt

LF Gregor Blanco

SS Brandon Crawford 

 

Who's Hot

Buster Posey: 6 G, .450/.500/.800, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R

Marco Scutaro: 6 G, .350/.381/.550, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R

Hunter Pence: 7 G, .192/.222/.538, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R

 

Who's Not

Angel Pagan: 6 G, .227/.261/.364, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB

Pablo Sandoval: 7 G, .190/.320/.286, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

7. Atlanta Braves

Not only do the Braves need Chipper Jones to get hot, but the future Hall of Famer doesn't want to end his career on a whimper.
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Team Stats: .247/.320/.389, 149 HR, 660 RBI, 700 R

The Atlanta Braves lineup has a little bit of everything.

You've got speed with Michael Bourn; power with Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones, Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla; and quality all-around hitters like Martin Prado.

Atlanta will need that well-balanced attack to be firing on all cylinders as it prepares to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Wild Card Game.

 

Probable Lineup

CF Michael Bourn

LF Martin Prado

RF Jason Heyward

3B Chipper Jones

1B Freddie Freeman

C Brian McCann

2B Dan Uggla

SS Andrelton Simmons

 

Who's Hot

Brian McCann: 3 G, .375/.444/.375, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 R

Andrelton Simmons: 7 G, .348/.375/.478, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

 

Who's Not

Jason Heyward: 6 G, .227/.261/.273, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R

Martin Prado: 6 G, .167/.273/.333, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Freddie Freeman: 7 G, .130/.200/.304, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R

Chipper Jones: 6 G, .118/.286/.118, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 R

6. Washington Nationals

Washington needs Ryan Zimmerman to snap out of his funk in the playoffs.
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Team Stats: .261/.322/.428, 194 HR, 688 RBI, 731 R

Only the St. Louis Cardinals scored more runs than the Washington Nationals in 2012 when it comes to National League playoff teams.

The Nationals offense had no player who appeared in more than 100 games finish the year with a batting average over .300, only had one player reach the 100-RBI mark (Adam LaRoche) and had only one more, Ryan Zimmerman, finish driving in more than 75 runs.

But the Nationals have the ability to put runs on the board in a hurry, with six of their eight starters having at least 10 home runs and 50 RBI on the season.

 

Probable Lineup

RF Jayson Werth

CF Bryce Harper

3B Ryan Zimmerman

1B Adam LaRoche

LF Michael Morse

SS Ian Desmond

2B Danny Espinosa

C Kurt Suzuki

 

Who's Hot

Bryce Harper: 7 G, .476/.542/.905, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R

Adam LaRoche: 7 G, .364/.440/.636, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 6 R

Michael Morse: 7 G, .348/.348/.957, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 5 R

 

Who's Not

Kurt Suzuki: 6 G, .235/.316/.294, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 R

Ryan Zimmerman: 6 G, .208/.240/.458, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R

Ian Desmond: 7 G, .208/.240/.250, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Danny Espinosa: 7 G, .125/.192/.250, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

5. Cincinnati Reds

Joey Votto is as dangerous a hitter as there is in the playoffs.
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Team Stats: .251/.315/.411, 172 HR, 636 RBI, 669 R

While the Cincinnati Reds check in as the only playoff team to not score at least 700 runs during the regular season, they still boast one of the more explosive lineups in the postseason.

Their trio of All-Stars—Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce—along with Todd Frazier and Ryan Ludwick are capable of changing the game with one swing of the bat.

Despite a down season statistically due to missing nearly two months of the season to injury, Votto remains an on-base machine and a powerful force in the middle of the Reds lineup.

 

Probable Lineup

2B Brandon Phillips

SS Zack Cozart

1B Joey Votto

LF Ryan Ludwick

RF Jay Bruce

3B Scott Rolen

C Ryan Hanigan

CF Drew Stubbs

 

Who's Hot

Scott Rolen: 5 G, .353/.353/.588, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

 

Who's Not

Brandon Phillips: 6 G, .227/.227/.227, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

Jay Bruce: 7 G, .167/.200/.167, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Drew Stubbs: 7 G, .130/.130/.130, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R

Todd Frazier: 6 G, .077/.133/.308, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

4. Detroit Tigers

Miguel Cabrera, the first Triple Crown winner in more than 40 years.
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Team Stats: .268/.335/.422, 163 HR, 698 RBI, 726 R

Whenever a team's offense features a Triple Crown winner and perennial MVP candidate, it has a chance to do something special.

The combination of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder in the heart of the Detroit Tigers lineup makes for one of the more potent duos in the game today.

Austin Jackson is a dynamic leadoff hitter, but the bottom half of the lineup—while talented—has underperformed in 2012.

 

Probable Lineup

CF Austin Jackson

LF Quintin Berry

3B Miguel Cabrera

1B Prince Fielder

DH Delmon Young

C Alex Avila

SS Jhonny Peralta

RF Andy Dirks

2B Omar Infante

 

Who's Hot

Prince Fielder: 7 G, .417/.462/.750, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R

Miguel Cabrera: 7 G, .400/.423/.640, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R

Andy Dirks: 6 G, .364/.364/.545, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R

 

Who's Not

Omar Infante: 7 G, .217/.250/.391, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

Austin Jackson: 6 G, .208/.240/.250, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 4 R

Jhonny Peralta: 6 G, .182/.217/.364, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Quintin Berry: 5 G, .167/.250/.278, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

Alex Avila: 5 G, .125/.222/.125, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 R

Delmon Young: 7 G, .120/.148/.160, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 R

3. St. Louis Cardinals

Jon Jay has been outstanding for the Cardinals in 2012.
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Team Stats: .271/.338/.421, 159 HR, 732 RBI, 765 R

The St. Louis Cardinals boast one of the deepest lineups of any playoff team, full of established stars like Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday, while others, like Jon Jay and Allen Craig, are nearly as productive though they're unnoticed by the casual fan.

They can beat you with the long ball just as easily as they can play small ball, advancing runners and manufacturing runs.

 

Probable Lineup

CF Jon Jay

RF Carlos Beltran

LF Matt Holliday

1B Allen Craig

C Yadier Molina

3B David Freese

2B David Descalso

SS Pete Kozma

 

Who's Hot

Pete Kozma: 6 G, .500/.524/.611, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R

Jon Jay: 5 G, .381/.391/.524, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R

Carlos Beltran: 5 G, .375/.524/.750, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R

Matt Holliday: 5 G, .353/.455/.353, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

 

Who's Not

Yadier Molina: 5 G, .167/.273/.333, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R

David Freese: 7 G, .182/.357/.273, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R

2. New York Yankees

Robinson Cano is the best hitter in a talented lineup.
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Team Stats: .265/.337/.453, 245 HR, 774 RBI, 804 R

Only the Texas Rangers scored more runs than the New York Yankees, who set a new franchise record with 245 home runs on the season.

It's been both a blessing and a curse.

The Yankees have become a team that relies heavily on the long ball. While the lineup is full of phenomenal hitters like Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki and Robinson Cano, the rest of the team is very much all or nothing.

One of 10 Yankees to hit double-digit home runs, Curtis Granderson, has become the biggest culprit, blasting a team-best 43 home runs but finishing the season with only 18 doubles. 

Penchant for home runs aside, the Yankees remain one of the premier offenses in all of baseball.

 

Probable Lineup

SS Derek Jeter

LF Ichiro Suzuki

3B Alex Rodriguez

2B Robinson Cano

1B Mark Teixeira

RF Nick Swisher

CF Curtis Granderson

DH Raul Ibanez

C Russell Martin

 

Who's Hot

Robinson Cano: 7 G, .613/.618/1.065, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 9 R

Nick Swisher: 7 G, .480/.606/.600, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 8 BB, 4 R

Raul Ibanez: 6 G, .316/.350/.474, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R

 

Who's Not

Derek Jeter: 7 G, .250/.294/.313, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R

Mark Teixeira: 3 G, .083/.200/.333, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

1. Texas Rangers

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Team Stats: .273/.334/.446, 200 HR, 780 RBI, 808 R

No team in baseball scored more runs this season than the Texas Rangers, who had three players drive in at least 90 runs each: Josh Hamilton (128), Adrian Beltre (102) and Nelson Cruz (90).

The American League's representative in the World Series in each of the past two years, the Rangers' ability to put up runs in a hurry makes them one of the most dangerous lineups in the playoffs.

 

Probable Lineup

2B Ian Kinsler

SS Elvis Andrus

CF Josh Hamilton

3B Adrian Beltre

RF Nelson Cruz

DH Michael Young

LF David Murphy

C Mike Napoli

1B Mitch Moreland

 

Who's Hot

Adrian Beltre: 7 G, .462/.517/.321, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R

Nelson Cruz: 7 G, .346/.345/.731, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R

Mike Napoli: 7 G, .273/.333/.864, 4 HR, 10 RBI

 

Who's Not

Ian Kinsler: 7 G, .138/.194/.276, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 5 R

David Murphy: 6 G, .222/.300/.389, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R