MLB Power Rankings 2012: Teams in Trouble Heading into the Postseason

Aaron F. SteinbergJun 7, 2018

The past couple days of baseball have been littered with reports of stars who are leaving the field for the rest of the season. The Nationals are strong enough to make it without Strasburg, but a few other teams are in rough shape heading into the postseason. With 22 games left, here are the top three teams in trouble, followed by the complete power rankings through the weekend.

No. 1 Team in Trouble: Orioles, 9th in Power Rankings

Plagued with injuries and low expectations, the Orioles have somehow emerged from the post-Jeffrey Maier and ’97-Indians-upset rubble to battle the Yankees and Rays for first place in the AL East.

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The O's are looking strong and are only one back of the Yanks with 22 games left in the regular season. However, the Orioles have been teetering on the edge of mediocrity all year, and are the only team above .500 with a negative run differential, which likely means they have been lucky.

This wouldn’t necessarily be an issue, except now Nick Markakis is undergoing surgery (via ESPN) with a broken thumb, and the O's got smashed in the last game of the weekend series with the Yankees at Camden Yards. With Markakis out, the Orioles will have a tough time staying competitive because of their lack of depth and the loss of Markakis' leadership.

This year, the Orioles are batting .246 and have an OBP of .310. Those numbers are good for 22nd and 24th, respectively, in the MLB—and with Markakis gone, those numbers will only get worse. Markakis had been on a tear after being moved to the top of the lineup, batting .335 and leading the Orioles to a 33-21 record.

The Orioles are saying that they won’t back down, and new reports have Markakis potentially back in four weeks. But without Nick, the Orioles will seriously have to be, as Showalter says, "a sum of the parts team” to continue to contend for their first postseason in 15 years.

No. 2 Team in Trouble: Yankees, 8^th in Power Rankings

According to the Associated Press (via Yahoo! Sports), Mark Teixeira will miss 10 to 14 days with a re-injured calf, which is almost half of the 22 games left for the Yankees. But that’s only part of the problem. In addition, since an impressive 3-1 series victory against the Rangers at home in mid-August, the Yankees have gone 8-13, a pace which certainly won’t cut it as the Rays have gone 13-9 and the Orioles—albeit with Markakis—have gone 14-7 in the same stretch.

The good news for the Yankees is the Orioles are the closest on their tail, and, as I said, they lost their best player. The bad news is the Rays are only one game back of the O's. Also, if I’m wrong and the Orioles stand up to their tough situation, the Yankees are in the unfamiliar position of having two teams that could take over their lead in a matter of a few days.

No. 3 Team in Trouble: Reds, 4^th in Power Rankings

Thought I was going to say the Nationals? Yes, the Nationals lost Strasburg, but they have tons of depth at pitcher and a very productive offense—they will probably remain the best team in the MLB.

The Reds, on the other hand, just lost two games to the Astros—the worst team in baseball. Without taking six of eight from the Cubs, the second-worst team in baseball, the Reds would have been under .500 for the last month.

Sure, Cincinnati has an eight-and-a-half-game lead in its division and will likely make it to the playoffs, but the Braves have won seven of their last 10, including five straight, and look to be a postseason threat. Plus, the Giants have gone 17-9 for the last month and should contend as well. Given their lead, the Reds should make the playoffs, but if their play doesn’t turn around it will keep them out of the World Series.

Complete Power Rankings as of September 10^th

1. Nationals

2. Rangers

3. Braves

4. Reds

5. Giants

6. Rays

7. As

8. Yankees

9. Orioles

10. Angels

11. White Sox