MLB Power Rankings 2012: Disappointing Teams Who Are a Lock for 2013 Postseason

The 2012 playoff picture in Major League Baseball is nearly set, leaving many teams who had a promising season on the outside looking in when they should be playoff-bound already.

But there's always next year, and for some teams the 2013 season is looking bright.

Let's take a look at power rankings for the entire MLB, while highlighting some teams who have missed the playoffs, or at the very least are in danger of doing so, and why they are locks for the 2013 postseason.

1. Washington Nationals (96-63)

Even without Stephen Strasburg in their rotation, this team can still flat-out pitch. The Nats have three starters with an ERA of 3.50 or lower, as well as 20-game winner and Cy Young Candidate, Gio Gonzalez.

Washington can swing the bats as well. The Nats are ranked 10th in the MLB in runs scored with a lineup that possesses solid power and run-producing led by Adam LaRoche.

2. Cincinnati Reds (96-63)

After Homer Bailey's no-hitter on Friday night—Cincy's No. 4 starter—it's pretty clear the Reds have one of the deepest rotations in baseball, with Cy Young candidate Johnny Cueto leading the way.

Offensively, the Reds aren't an elite team, but they are still dangerous in the batter's box. The lack of offensive pop is easily made up by this team's stellar rotation.

3. Texas Rangers (93-66)

Texas has the best offense in all of baseball with a lineup headed by MVP candidate, Josh Hamilton, and third baseman slugger, Adrian Beltre.

As far as their rotation is concerned, the Rangers can hang with the best of them. Losing C.J. Wilson wasn't ideal for this team, but Texas covered the loss nicely with the great depth in their rotation that was padded by the trade for Ryan Dempster.

4. San Francisco Giants (93-66)

Not usually known for their offense, the Giants have made vast improvements in the batter's box this season as evidenced by their fifth-ranked runs scored total. This lineup's featured hitter is Buster Posey.

In their rotation, the Giants are solid as well. Led by Matt Cain, San Fran could potentially have three 15-game winners in their rotation, and that's without Tim Lincecum having a good season.

5. New York Yankees (92-67)

The Bombers have the second-best offense in baseball and have become accustomed to winning their games by way of the long ball. In all, New York has four hitters with over 80 RBI, led by Curtis Granderson's total of 100.

New York has three viable starters in CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte, but the pitcher with the most wins on their team is the always inconsistent No. 4 starter Phil Hughes.

6. Atlanta Braves (93-66)

The Braves' lineup isn't exactly scary, but they do have talented hitters in Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman, to name a few.

Atlanta's rotation is one of the best in baseball, sporting a team ERA of 3.45, which is good enough for fifth in the majors. Veteran Tim Hudson and young Kris Medlen are the team's best two arms out of the rotation.

7. Baltimore Orioles (92-67)

The Orioles won't exactly dominate on either side of the ball, but this team is consistent both in the batter's box and on the mound. On offense, the Orioles have five players with over 20 homers and 60 RBI.

The addition of Joe Saunders added some much needed depth to their rotation, which is led by Miguel Gonzalez, Chris Tillman and Wei-Yin Chen.

8. Oakland Athletics (91-68)

Hitters like Josh Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes have helped add some much needed credibility to the A's offense in 2012.

With a team ERA of 3.51, Oakland is ranked sixth in the MLB in that category and have a solid starting rotation led by Tommy Milone and Jarrod Parker.

9. Tampa Bay Rays (88-71)

Once again this season, the Rays' offense has failed them while their pitching staff has gotten the job done.

Tampa Bay is ranked 18th in runs scored this season and its team batting average of .241 is one of the very worst in baseball. Clearly the Rays could help themselves in the batter's box by adding some power and better hitters overall.

The Rays are rock solid in their starting rotation as their ace, David Price, is a 20-game winner this season. Beyond Price, James Shields, Matt Moore and Jeremy Hellickson round out this team's stellar rotation.

Hellickson is the team's No. 4 starter, but looking at his numbers, he could easily be a No. 2 on any team in baseball.

Tampa Bay might not make the playoffs this year, but if they can add another bat or two and keep all of the great pitching they have, there's no doubt this team will be playing in October next season.

10. Los Angeles Angels (88-71)

The 2012 season figured to be a special one for the Angels after the additions of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, but their chances of making the postseason are slim at best.

Los Angeles has one of the deepest lineups in baseball. Along with Pujols, the Angels have two of the brightest young stars in the sport, Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout. It's crazy to think that both of these hitters can actually get better after a monster rookie season.

Dan Haren and Ervin Santana have been disappointing, but that doesn't erase the fact that Wilson and 20-game winner, Jared Weaver, will continue to be an elite 1-2 punch in the MLB for years to come.

With a few subtle changes to their rotation, the Angels will have a chance to match the kind of success their lineup has had this season.

It's hard to believe that this team will pitch as poorly as they have two years in a row, so if they can put it all together next season, not only will they be certain to make the playoffs, but the Angels will no doubt compete for the World Series.

11. St. Louis Cardinals (86-73)

The Cards are one of the most complete teams in baseball thanks to a fourth-ranked offense and an eighth-ranked pitching staff.

Without Pujols on the team, St. Louis didn't miss a beat thanks to Allen Craig and Carlos Beltran, amongst others.

St. Louis' starting rotation—led by Kyle Lohse—doesn't have a single starter with an ERA over four. There are plenty of teams in baseball who wish they could say that.

12. Detroit Tigers (86-73)

Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera lead the Tigers' offense, both with monster seasons. There's no doubt these two stars are one of the most feared combos in the sport.

The Tigers' pitching staff is solid, ranking 10th. Their starting rotation has one of the best pitchers in baseball, Justin Verlander, with sufficient depth to follow.

13. Los Angeles Dodgers (84-75)

The Dodgers' new management tried the best they could to improve this team and get them to the postseason, but the moves didn't put them into the postseason.

But next year is bright for Los Angeles. The Dodgers will have Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford for a full season in 2013 with the hopes that each can contribute like they've done in the past.

It certainly didn't help that this team's star player, Matt Kemp, missed an extended amount of time due to injury. Having Kemp in the lineup full time next season will do wonders for the Dodgers' offense without making any moves at all.

LA's rotation could use some improvement beyond ace Clayton Kershaw. That's not to say the rotation isn't good as is, but it could be better, and if Beckett can return to form, the answer might already be on the roster.

Thanks to their new owners, the Dodgers will remain competitive for years to come and if they need to fill any need at all, it's already a certainty that ownership will spend the money to get the job done.

14. Chicago White Sox (83-76)

The White Sox have had no problems scoring runs this year with a lineup led by Adam Dunn and Alex Rios.

However, their pitching staff has left a lot to be desired as starters Francisco Liriano and Gavin Floyd have been major disappointments.

15. Milwaukee Brewers (81-78)

The most impressive thing about this year's team is the fact that losing Prince Fielder didn't hurt all that much, as evidenced by the Brewers ranking third in runs scored.

As a whole, Milwaukee's pitching staff has been dreadful and its starting rotation has yet to find an ace as Yovani Gallardo was unable to build off his postseason success of a year ago.

16. Philadelphia Phillies (80-79)

Injuries were a problem for the Phillies this season, but that doesn't erase the fact that their offense ranks a depressing 19th in runs scored.

A starting rotation of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee should have been dominant this year, but they haven't panned out quite the way Philly hoped.

17. Arizona Diamondbacks (80-79)

The D-Backs were thought to be a top contender in the National league this year, but their pitching staff has let them down.

However, if there is a bright spot, it's in the fact that Arizona is ranked ninth in runs scored this year.

18. Pittsburgh Pirates (77-82)

The Pirates had a shot at the playoffs this year, and Andrew McCutchen could have won a MVP award, but Pittsburgh was never able to get that extra bat to put its offense over the top.

The pitching staff looked decent this year with A.J. Burnett as the biggest bright spot, but there is still much work to be done in the depth department.

19. San Diego Padres (75-84)

A new year, the same old problems for the Padres as this team simply can't put runs up on the board on a consistent basis.

To make matters worse, San Diego's pitching staff hasn't picked up the slack with Edison Volquez being the biggest disappointment in 2012.

20. Seattle Mariners (73-86)

Adding rookie stud Jesus Montero to its lineup didn't help Seattle avoid a 29th-ranked offense in 2012.

Felix Hernandez and the Mariners' pitching staff were a pleasant surprise this season, ranking ninth in the MLB in ERA.

21. New York Mets (73-86)

This season was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Mets, but a fast start nearly derailed that thought process.

But eventually the Mets came back down to earth, and while they have some nice pieces in their rotation, New York is in desperate need of help in just about every other department.

22. Toronto Blue Jays (70-89)

As of late, the Blue Jays are always the trendy pick to start the season, but Toronto once again failed to live up to expectations.

Toronto's offense was decent this season, but without a legit pitching staff to support the offense, the Blue Jays faltered mightily and will finish as the worst team in the AL East.

23. Miami Marlins (67-92)

All the news about the Marlins' new stadium, their new manager and the slew of free-agent signings didn't mean squat once this team took the field.

There's no doubt this team has some talent and could rebound in 2013, but Miami must show up on an everyday basis in the batter's box and on the mound in order to do that.

24. Boston Red Sox (69-90)

To say 2012 was a nightmare for the Red Sox would be a huge understatement. Thanks to their new manager, Bobby Valentine, the Sox had a ton of issues in the clubhouse that derailed their season.

Moving forward, this team has a lot of work to do if they want to compete next season, and the first move they need to make is to get rid of their manager.

25. Kansas City Royals (71-88)

The Royals did the best they could to hang tough this season, but they simply didn't have enough pieces to put together a winning team.

Kansas City wasn't able to shine on either side of the ball, ranking 23rd in team ERA and 20th in runs scored. Until this team starts spending some money, they will remain in the cellar for years to come.

26. Cleveland Indians (67-92)

As bad as the Indians were at the plate in 2012, they were even worse on the mound.

One year after finishing with an 80-82 record and showing a ton of promise, manager Manny Acta has been sent packing as a result of the Tribe's disappointing season.

27. Minnesota Twins (66-93)

Surprisingly, the Twins weren't all that bad at the plate, ranking 15th in the MLB in runs scored.

Pitching has been the biggest issue for Minnesota as its staff ranked an abysmal 29th in ERA.

28. Colorado Rockies (62-97)

Coors Field has been very kind to Colorado's offense, helping them rank sixth in runs scored in the MLB.

But that same stadium and just about every other one in the league hasn't been as kind to this team's 30th-ranked pitching staff.

29. Chicago Cubs (60-99)

Barely breaking the 60-win mark in 2012, it's clear that Theo Epstein and the Cubs have a ton of work to do if they hope to compete in the near future.

The Cubs ranked 27th and 24th in the league in runs scored and ERA, respectively.

30. Houston Astros (53-106)

What can you say about the Astros that hasn't already been said? I won't pile on top by saying they are easily the worst team in baseball.

Houston can't pitch, they can't hit and there are few to no bright spots for this team to lean on moving forward.