MLB Postseason Power Rankings: Where All 10 Playoff Teams Stack Up

With the 2016 MLB regular season officially wrapped up and the 10-team playoff field now set, this week's power rankings are going to be a little bit different than what you may be used to.

Looking at last week's performance is not necessarily the best indicator of which direction each of these teams is headed, as some of them clinched prior to last week and were resting guys and setting up their playoff rotation, while others were battling just to make it in.

As a result, the criteria for this week's rankings has changed and is more projection- and outlook-based than recent-performance-based.

The following factors were taken into account this time around:

• Postseason Outlook: How a team is lining up for playoff success was the No. 1 factor in these rankings, so things like projected postseason rotation and overall team health played a much bigger role than normal.

• Wild Card Round Disadvantage: Having to play in a one-game, do-or-die situation is a clear disadvantage to the four teams that will be playing in the Wild Card Round. As a result, you'll see they occupy the No. 7-10 spots in the rankings. That doesn't mean those are the four worst teams of the 10 playoff participants, but the odds are stacked against them from the get-go.

• Final Month Performance: While last week's record may not be a good indicator, how a team has played in the past month (or in its last 30 games, in this case) can give a good idea of what direction it is trending.

Along with a postseason outlook for each team, a full breakdown of team leaders in notable stat categories was included for a quick overview of the top performers of 2016.

So here is a pre-postseason look at where this year's 10 playoff-bound teams stand as we get set for what should be another exciting October.

Note: Season leaders reflect players who had at least 400 plate appearances for BA and OPS or 100 innings pitched in the case of ERA and WHIP.

10. Toronto Blue Jays (89-73, No. 1 AL Wild Card)

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Marcus Stroman

Last 30 Games: 14-16

Postseason Outlook

Carried by the league's best offense a year ago, the Toronto Blue Jays leaned much more on their starting rotation this season, finishing with an AL-best 3.64 starter's ERA.

With J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez pitching the final two games of the regular season and the AL Wild Card Game set for Tuesday night, it will be Marcus Stroman who takes the ball in the win-or-go-home matchup with the Baltimore Orioles.

Stroman didn't put together the ace-caliber season some were expecting, but he finished strong with a 3.12 ERA and 1.231 WHIP over his final four starts.

The 25-year-old was 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA in four starts against the Orioles this year, including his final start of the regular season on Sept. 29 when he allowed nine hits and four runs over seven innings.

But it's the bullpen that looks like the biggest area of concern for Toronto in October.

According to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Blue Jays are the first team in MLB history to reach the postseason with a bullpen that lost 30-plus games. They'll need the starters to pitch deep, closing the gap between the rotation and the one-two punch of Jason Grilli and Roberto Osuna.

Season Leaders

Category	Hitters	Total
BA	Devon Travis	.300
OPS	Josh Donaldson	.953
H	Josh Donaldson	164
2B	Kevin Pillar	35
HR	Edwin Encarnacion	42
RBI	Edwin Encarnacion	127
R	Josh Donaldson	122
SB	Kevin Pillar	14
WAR	Josh Donaldson	7.4
Category	Pitchers	Total
W	J.A. Happ	20
SV	Roberto Osuna	36/42
HLD	Jason Grilli	21
ERA	Aaron Sanchez	3.00
WHIP	Marco Estrada	1.119
K	Marcus Stroman	166
IP	Marcus Stroman	204.0
WAR	Aaron Sanchez	4.8

9. San Francisco Giants (87-75, No. 2 NL Wild Card)

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Madison Bumgarner

Last 30 Games: 15-15

Postseason Outlook

The San Francisco Giants have struggled to a 30-42 record since the All-Star break, but they strung together four straight wins to close out the regular season and hold off the St. Louis Cardinals for the No. 2 wild-card spot.

Madison Bumgarner will take the ball on Wednesday in the Wild Card Game, something he did to great success in 2014 when he struck out 10 in a four-hit shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bumgarner was 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 11 innings in his two starts against the New York Mets this season, and he'll be looking to tack onto his wildly impressive postseason resume with another clutch start.

Along with having their ace toe the rubber, the Giants also enter the game with the offense clicking, as they piled up 38 runs in six games over the final week of the season.

It appears it will fall to Sergio Romo, Will Smith and the inexperienced duo of Hunter Strickland and Derek Law to anchor the bullpen, which has been a mess for most of the season with incumbent closer Santiago Casilla losing his job in the second half.

Season Leaders

Category	Hitters	Total
BA	Hunter Pence	.289
OPS	Brandon Belt	.868
H	Buster Posey	155
2B	Brandon Belt	41
HR	Brandon Belt	17
RBI	Brandon Crawford	84
R	Buster Posey	82
SB	Angel Pagan	15
WAR	Buster Posey	4.7
Category	Pitchers	Total
W	Johnny Cueto	18
SV	Santiago Casilla	31/40
HLD	Javier Lopez	20
ERA	Madison Bumgarner	2.74
WHIP	Madison Bumgarner	1.024
K	Madison Bumgarner	251
IP	Madison Bumgarner	226.2
WAR	Johnny Cueto	5.6

8. Baltimore Orioles (89-73, No. 2 AL Wild Card)

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Chris Tillman

Last 30 Games: 17-13

Postseason Outlook

Moving into the No. 1 AL wild-card spot and securing the right to host the Wild Card Game would have been huge for the Baltimore Orioles, as they went 50-31 at home and just 39-42 away from Camden Yards.

Still, a 7-2 finish to the season gives the team plenty of momentum heading into their one-game matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays, and that stretch included a hugely important series win in Toronto.

The O's were forced to use Kevin Gausman on Sunday, so he's not available for Tuesday's Wild Card Game, leaving it up to Chris Tillman to oppose the Blue Jays in the all-or-nothing matchup.

The 28-year-old missed some time to injury and endured a few rough patches, but overall he enjoyed another strong season at 16-6 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.285 WHIP over 30 starts.

He was 1-0 with a solid 3.63 ERA and 1.299 WHIP in four starts against the Blue Jays this season, but he's gone just 2-6 with a 7.01 ERA in 13 career starts at the Rogers Centre.

Season Leaders

Category	Hitters	Total
BA	Manny Machado	.294
OPS	Manny Machado	.876
H	Manny Machado	188
2B	Manny Machado	40
HR	Mark Trumbo	47
RBI	Mark Trumbo	108
R	Manny Machado	105
SB	Joey Rickard	4
WAR	Manny Machado	6.7
Category	Pitchers	Total
W	Chris Tillman	16
SV	Zach Britton	47/47
HLD	Brad Brach	24
ERA	Kevin Gausman	3.61
WHIP	Kevin Gausman	1.280
K	Kevin Gausman	174
IP	Kevin Gausman	179.2
WAR	Zach Britton	4.3

7. New York Mets (87-75, No. 1 NL Wild Card)

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Noah Syndergaard

Last 30 Games: 19-11

Postseason Outlook

Despite losing Matt Harvey early in the season and both Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz down the stretch, the New York Mets still managed to get hot at the right time to secure the No. 1 wild-card spot.

The contributions of Robert Gsellman (7 GS, 4-2, 2.42 ERA) and Seth Lugo (8 GS, 5-2, 2.67 ERA) can't be overstated, as they unexpectedly stabilized the rotation and helped spark the team's late push.

That being said, it will be up to Noah Syndergaard to pitch the team on to the division series, as the 24-year-old gets set to face the San Francisco Giants for the third time this season. He was 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 13.2 innings in his first two matchups.

Offensively, Jay Bruce has finally emerged as the impact run producer the team was hoping for when he was acquired at the trade deadline, going 12-for-25 with four home runs and eight RBI over the final eight games of the season.

"I think we have a group of guys who are actually ready for it. They don’t get overwhelmed by situations or anything like that," Bruce told reporters of the Wild Card Game. "We come here to play. We play baseball. We do a pretty good job of it."

Season Leaders

Category	Hitters	Total
BA	Neil Walker	.282
OPS	Yoenis Cespedes	.884
H	Asdrubal Cabrera	146
2B	Asdrubal Cabrera	30
HR	Yoenis Cespedes	31
RBI	Yoenis Cespedes	86
R	Curtis Granderson	88
SB	Jose Reyes	9
WAR	Yoenis Cespedes	2.9
Category	Pitchers	Total
W	Bartolo Colon	15
SV	Jeurys Familia	51/56
HLD	Addison Reed	40
ERA	Noah Syndergaard	2.60
WHIP	Noah Syndergaard	1.149
K	Noah Syndergaard	218
IP	Bartolo Colon	191.2
WAR	Noah Syndergaard	5.3

6. Cleveland Indians (94-67, AL Central Champs)

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Corey Kluber

Last 30 Games: 19-11

Postseason Outlook

The Cleveland Indians ran away with the AL Central title, but it will be an uphill battle in October with a depleted starting rotation.

Carlos Carrasco (fractured hand) and Danny Salazar (forearm strain) were both lost to injury in September, and while there’s a chance Salazar could find his way onto the ALDS roster, it would likely be to pitch out of the bullpen.

Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber will pitch Game 1 and Game 2 in the ALDS, with some combination of Josh Tomlin and Mike Clevinger handling Game 3.

After that the team plans to turn to both Bauer and Kluber on short rest, if needed, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com.

The Indians were 2-4 with a minus-13 run differential against the Boston Red Sox during the regular season, and slowing down their high-powered offense without the rotation at full strength will be no easy task for the Tribe.

Season Leaders

Category	Hitters	Total
BA	Jose Ramirez	.312
OPS	Carlos Santana	.865
H	Francisco Lindor	182
2B	Jose Ramirez	46
HR	Carlos Santana/ Mike Napoli	34
RBI	Mike Napoli	101
R	Francisco Lindor	99
SB	Rajai Davis	43
WAR	Francisco Lindor	5.7
Category	Pitchers	Total
W	Corey Kluber	18
SV	Cody Allen	32/35
HLD	Bryan Shaw	25
ERA	Corey Kluber	3.14
WHIP	Corey Kluber	1.056
K	Corey Kluber	227
IP	Corey Kluber	215.0
WAR	Corey Kluber	6.4

5. Washington Nationals (95-67, NL East Champs)

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Max Scherzer

Last 30 Games: 18-12

Postseason Outlook

The Washington Nationals claimed the NL East title by eight games over the New York Mets, and now they’ll look to make some legitimate noise after disappointing division series exits their past two trips to the postseason.

Max Scherzer (20-7, 2.96 ERA, 284 K) and Tanner Roark (16-10, 2.83 ERA, 172 K) will front the rotation in October, with Gio Gonzalez and a finally healthy Joe Ross likely to follow.

Meanwhile, the offense is hoping to have a healthy Daniel Murphy back after he was slowed by a glute strain down the stretch. He pinch-hit on Sunday, his first action since Sept. 20, in an effort to move ahead of DJ LeMahieu for the NL batting title.

“I felt good in the box, and I felt good running at the speed I did,” Murphy told reporters. “So I’m progressing nicely.”

The Nationals went just 1-5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the regular season, and with Clayton Kershaw back healthy and Rich Hill joining him atop the rotation, moving on to the NLCS will be no easy task.

Season Leaders

Category	Hitters	Total
BA	Daniel Murphy	.347
OPS	Daniel Murphy	.985
H	Daniel Murphy	184
2B	Daniel Murphy	47
HR	Daniel Murphy	25
RBI	Daniel Murphy	104
R	Anthony Rendon	91
SB	Trea Turner	33
WAR	Daniel Murphy	4.6
Category	Pitchers	Total
W	Max Scherzer	20
SV	Mark Melancon	17/18
HLD	Blake Treinen	22
ERA	Tanner Roark	2.83
WHIP	Max Scherzer	0.968
K	Max Scherzer	284
IP	Max Scherzer	228.1
WAR	Max Scherzer	6.2

4. Los Angeles Dodgers (91-71, NL West Champs)

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Corey Seager

Last 30 Games: 18-12

Postseason Outlook

The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t exactly run away with the NL West title, but they were in control of the division throughout the second half and they are getting healthy at the perfect time with Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill set to front the playoff rotation.

Kenta Maeda will follow them, with Julio Urias the leading candidate to be the No. 4 starter, depending on how the series plays out.

After a slow start in Los Angeles following his deadline trade from Oakland, Josh Reddick has been the Dodgers’ hottest hitter of late with a .400/.435/.569 line in September.

Yasiel Puig also made his presence felt following a September return from the minors, posting a .900 OPS and pushing his way back into the starting lineup. It’s been a trying season for the former phenom, and playing with a chip on his shoulder could make him a playoff X-factor.

The Dodgers dominated the season series with the Nationals, going 5-1, and with a chance to rest some guys down the stretch and line up their rotation, they should be fresh.

Season Leaders

Category	Hitters	Total
BA	Corey Seager	.308
OPS	Corey Seager	.877
H	Corey Seager	193
2B	Corey Seager	40
HR	Justin Turner/ Yasmani Grandal	27
RBI	Justin Turner/ Adrian Gonzalez	90
R	Corey Seager	105
SB	Howie Kendrick	10
WAR	Corey Seager	6.1
Category	Pitchers	Total
W	Kenta Maeda	16
SV	Kenley Jansen	47/53
HLD	Joe Blanton	28
ERA	Clayton Kershaw	1.69
WHIP	Clayton Kershaw	0.725
K	Kenta Maeda	179
IP	Kenta Maeda	175.2
WAR	Clayton Kershaw	5.6

3. Texas Rangers (95-67, AL West Champs)

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Carlos Gomez

Last 30 Games: 17-13

Postseason Outlook

The one-two punch of Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish didn’t make quite the impact many expected during the regular season, due in large part to Darvish missing time with an injury.

However, they are both healthy now heading into the ALDS, and that’s a duo capable of carrying a team in a best-of-five series.

They’ll need to step up with the rest of the rotation looking like a question mark. Martin Perez is a so-so option as the No. 3 starter and it remains to be seen who will get the nod between A.J. Griffin and Colby Lewis as the No. 4 guy, so a 2-0 lead in the series after the two aces throw would relieve some pressure.

Offensively, scrapheap signing Carlos Gomez has been a legitimate difference-maker with a .905 OPS, eight home runs and 24 RBI in 33 games after joining the team following his release by the Houston Astros.

Sam Dyson helped solidify the bullpen after incumbent closer Shawn Tolleson faltered, and the team has no shortage of power arms to turn to once the starter exits, so that looks like it should be an area of strength as well.

Season Leaders

Category	Hitters	Total
BA	Elvis Andrus	.302
OPS	Adrian Beltre	.879
H	Ian Desmond	178
2B	Rougned Odor	33
HR	Rougned Odor	33
RBI	Adrian Beltre	104
R	Ian Desmond	107
SB	Elvis Andrus	24
WAR	Adrian Beltre	6.4
Category	Pitchers	Total
W	Cole Hamels	15
SV	Sam Dyson	38/43
HLD	Jake Diekman	26
ERA	Cole Hamels	3.32
WHIP	Yu Darvish	1.116
K	Cole Hamels	200
IP	Cole Hamels	200.2
WAR	Cole Hamels	5.0

2. Boston Red Sox (93-69, AL East Champs)

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David Ortiz & Mookie Betts

Last 30 Games: 20-10

Postseason Outlook

An 11-game winning streak highlighted a 19-8 month of September for the Boston Red Sox, as they seized control of the AL East and established themselves as the team to beat on the AL side of things.

Rick Porcello (22-4, 3.15 ERA, 189 K) and David Price (17-9, 3.99 ERA, 228 K) have been officially announced as the Game 1 and 2 starters, with the rest of the rotation still up in the air.

Drew Pomeranz has been dealing with a forearm issue and Steven Wright is still sidelined with shoulder bursitis, leaving the inconsistent duo of Eduardo Rodriguez and Clay Buchholz as the remaining options for Game 3.

The league’s most dangerous lineup should help take some of the pressure off of the pitching staff, as it finished the season with an MLB-best 5.42 runs per game and an .810 team OPS.

The Red Sox won the season series 4-2 against the Cleveland Indians, outscoring them 31-18 during those six games, and a depleted Indians rotation will have its hands full containing that offense.

Season Leaders

Category	Hitters	Total
BA	Mookie Betts/ Dustin Pedroia	.318
OPS	David Ortiz	1.021
H	Mookie Betts	214
2B	David Ortiz	48
HR	David Ortiz	38
RBI	David Ortiz	127
R	Mookie Betts	122
SB	Mookie Betts	26
WAR	Mookie Betts	9.6
Category	Pitchers	Total
W	Rick Porcello	22
SV	Craig Kimbrel	31/33
HLD	Koji Uehara	18
ERA	Rick Porcello	3.15
WHIP	Rick Porcello	1.009
K	David Price	228
IP	David Price	230.0
WAR	Rick Porcello	5.0

1. Chicago Cubs (103-58, NL Central Champs)

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Anthony Rizzo & Kris Bryant

Last 30 Games: 19-11

Postseason Outlook

The biggest challenge facing the Chicago Cubs will be ramping things back up after coasting a bit down the stretch, but with Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks pitching the final two games of the regular season and trying to bolster their Cy Young cases, the intensity level has never dipped too far.

Those two front-line arms, along with Jake Arrieta and John Lackey, give the Cubs the best four-man playoff rotation in the league and that will be their greatest strength as they look to win their first pennant since 1945.

The offense has been terrific all season as well, averaging 4.99 runs per game, and manager Joe Maddon will have some tough decisions to make when it comes to who fills out his bench.

If there was one glaring weakness for this Cubs team this season, it was a shaky bullpen early in the year, but the additions of Mike Montgomery and Aroldis Chapman have helped solidify the relief corps and made that a legitimate strength as well.

The Cubs went 4-3 with a plus-six run differential against the San Francisco Giants during the regular season, but struggled to a 2-5 record and a minus-14 run differential against the Mets.

Season Leaders

Category	Hitters	Total
BA	Anthony Rizzo/ Kris Bryant	.292
OPS	Kris Bryant	.939
H	Kris Bryant	176
2B	Anthony Rizzo	43
HR	Kris Bryant	39
RBI	Anthony Rizzo	109
R	Kris Bryant	121
SB	Dexter Fowler	13
WAR	Kris Bryant	7.7
Category	Pitchers	Total
W	Jon Lester	19
SV	Hector Rondon	18/23
HLD	Pedro Strop	21
ERA	Kyle Hendricks	2.13
WHIP	Kyle Hendricks	0.979
K	Jon Lester	197
IP	Jon Lester	202.2
WAR	Jon Lester	5.3

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.