MLB Report Card Grades for All 30 Teams Entering 2017's Final Month
Here we go. After the promise of spring and the languid days of summer, September has arrived. The MLB postseason chase is on.
As we plunge into the final month, let's issue another round of report card grades for all 30 teams, broken down by division and record. A couple of things to keep in mind:
- These are progress reports and not final marks. Hot streaks and cold spells can change the calculus between now and Game 162.
- We're grading on a curve. Wins and losses matter, but it's far worse for a presumed contender to be floundering under .500 than it is for a rebuilding franchise.
American League West
1 of 6
Houston Astros (84-53)
The Houston Astros have the best record in the American League. They pace baseball in runs scored, and they activated star shortstop Carlos Correa from the disabled list Sunday after a six-week absence.
Oh, and they acquired ace Justin Verlander from the Detroit Tigers just before the waiver trade deadline for postseason eligibility.
The division is in hand, and a deep October run looks like an inevitability. The future is bright for the burgeoning 'Stros, and so is the present.
Grade: A
Los Angeles Angels (71-67)
Give the Los Angeles Angels credit. Even with the handicaps of Albert Pujols' albatross contract and the worst farm system in baseball—per Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter—they managed to acquire four-time All-Star Justin Upton from the Tigers.
Upton should boost a lineup that ranks No. 21 in runs scored despite the presence of reigning American League MVP Mike Trout.
The Halos have plenty of warts, including a starting rotation that sports a ho-hum 4.56 ERA. They're in the thick of the wild-card hunt, however, and have a realistic shot at getting the game's best player back to the postseason for the first time since 2014.
Grade: B
Texas Rangers (69-68)
The Texas Rangers waved the white flag when they dealt ace Yu Darvish to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
At the same time, tip your 10-gallon hat: Texas is hanging around .500 and still has a plus-39 run differential, second only to Houston in the division.
They won't win a third straight American League West crown, but at least these Rangers are showing some fight.
Grade: C+
Seattle Mariners (69-69)
Here's some good news: Injured rotation anchors Felix Hernandez (shoulder) and James Paxton (pectoral muscle) threw incident-free bullpen sessions Friday and Saturday and could return to action by mid-September, per Bob Dutton of the News Tribune.
The bad news? It may be too little, too late for the Seattle Mariners, who are are fringe wild-card contenders at best.
The M's haven't been to the playoffs since 2001. The wait might continue in the Pacific Northwest.
Grade: C-
Oakland Athletics (58-79)
After selling key pieces such as right-hander Sonny Gray and first baseman Yonder Alonso, the Oakland Athletics are wallowing in the division basement with a minus-119 run differential.
Executive Billy Beane added some intriguing pieces for the future, but right now East Bay fans are singing the familiar small-market blues.
Grade: D+
American League Central
2 of 6
Cleveland Indians (81-56)
Here come the Cleveland Indians.
After fighting for much of the season to fend off the pesky Minnesota Twins, the AL champions have peeled off a 12-game winning streak and now hold a comfortable 10-game lead in the division.
Waiver acquisition Jay Bruce has injected extra thump into an already potent lineup, ace Corey Kluber is in full Klubot mode, and the bullpen owns the best ERA in the game (2.98, though lefty stud Andrew Miller's knee injury is troubling).
Cleveland should waltz to another American League Central crown and is a real threat to the Astros' status as Junior Circuit favorites.
Grade: A
Minnesota Twins (71-66)
After losing 103 games in 2016, the Twins have had a Cinderella season. They hold the AL's second wild-card position despite a minus-seven run differential and play only six more games against teams with a winning record (New York Yankees, Sept. 18-20, and Indians, Sept. 26-28).
FanGraphs gives the Twins a 34.2 percent chance of making the postseason, and that seems low. Stick that sentence in an envelope and mail it back to April.
Grade: A
Kansas City Royals (68-68)
The Kansas City Royals decided to hang on to their cache of impending free agents at the trade deadline and make one more run with the core that won the pennant in 2014 and the World Series in 2015. It could come back to bite them.
K.C. isn't out of the muddled AL wild-card race, but the Royals are mired stuck at .500 and have dropped six of their last 10.
Four head-to-head matchups with the Twins this weekend could vault the Royals into second place in the division and boost their postseason chances—or bury them once and for all.
Grade: C
Detroit Tigers (58-79)
The fire sale is on in the Motor City. J.D. Martinez went to the Arizona Diamondbacks, reliever Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila were shipped to the Chicago Cubs, Upton headed to Southern California and Verlander donned an Astros uni.
Shedding payroll and stockpiling prospects aren't what Tigers fans are accustomed to, but it's the smart play for a franchise that was burdened with an expensive, aging roster and barren farm system.
There's work to be done and a long road ahead, but at least Detroit is pointed in the right direction.
Grade: C+
Chicago White Sox (54-82)
Speaking of rebuilds, the Chicago White Sox are in the midst of their own, with a bushel of blue chips marinating in the minors and getting a taste of the big leagues.
Ignore the record; if anything, it guarantees a high draft pick next year and even more young talent. Two of MLB.com's top 10 prospects and eight of the top 100 are in the Sox's system.
Losing stinks, but the future is glistening on the South Side.
Grade: A-
American League East
3 of 6
Boston Red Sox (77-61)
The Boston Red Sox haven't yet locked down the American League East, but even with a 2.5-game lead over the Yankees, they're a safe bet to repeat as division champs.
Rookie Rafael Devers has cooled down after a scalding debut, but he has injected life into a lineup that ranks 22nd in baseball in OPS.
Chris Sale, meanwhile, is the front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award and should pick up MVP votes, while the bullpen is second only to Cleveland in the AL ERA (3.36).
The Sox are a tick below the Astros and Indians, but they will be a factor come October.
Grade: B+
New York Yankees (74-63)
The prolonged and much discussed struggles of rookie Aaron Judge—who homered Sunday for the first time since Aug. 16 and has piled up strikeouts—have weakened the Yankees' offensive attack.
Flame-throwing reliever Aroldis Chapman posted a 9.00 ERA in August, creating turmoil in New York's vaunted bullpen.
The starting pitching, meanwhile, is a strength behind non-waiver deadline acquisition Gray and the rebounding Masahiro Tanaka.
The Yanks stand out in a crowded wild-card scramble and should at least get a crack at the one-game playoff. If they get past that, they will be a flawed but dangerous opponent for someone in the division series.
Grade: B
Baltimore Orioles (70-68)
The Baltimore Orioles are keeping their heads above .500, which is enough to be a wild-card factor in the AL.
They've also got a minus-26 run differential and 13 games against the Yankees, Indians and Red Sox in September.
Don't engrave their 2017 headstone just yet, but do grab the shovel.
Grade: B-
Tampa Bay Rays (69-70)
Like the Orioles, the Tampa Bay Rays are a fringe wild-card contender even though they sit in fourth place in their division.
Also like the O's, they drew some tough September foes, including the Red Sox six times, the Yankees six times and the Cubs twice.
Seven games against Baltimore could move Tampa Bay past the Orioles, but a sub-.500 finish feels more likely than a trip to the playoffs for the AL East's scrappy underdogs.
Grade: B-
Toronto Blue Jays (64-74)
After missing the playoffs every year since 1993, the Toronto Blue Jays made the dance each of the last two seasons.
That modest streak will end in 2017. The Jays are 10 games under .500 and have nearly as bad of a run differential (minus-90) as the lowly Tigers (minus-94).
The difference? Detroit is rebuilding, while Toronto is stuck between gears.
Grade: D
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National League West
4 of 6
Los Angeles Dodgers (92-45)
All hail the Dodgers, kings of the regular season.
They've got the best record in baseball and the best run differential (plus-189), and their pitching staff leads the majors in ERA (3.32). They are, by nearly any measure, the deepest, most complete team in the game.
None of it will matter, however, unless Los Angeles hoists its first Commissioner's Trophy since 1988.
MLB's biggest spenders are on a championship-or-bust trajectory, and assuming ace Clayton Kershaw's back holds up and deadline acquisition Darvish rediscovers his mojo after a trip to the disabled list, the Dodgers are positioned to get there.
Grade: A
Arizona Diamondbacks (80-58)
They aren't catching the Dodgers, but the Diamondbacks hold a comfortable lead for the National League's top wild-card spot.
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt is putting together a quiet yet robust MVP candidacy, and reborn ace Zack Greinke is poised to pitch the NL Wild Card Game.
It's quite a turnaround for a club that defined disappointment a season ago.
Grade: A
Colorado Rockies (73-64)
The Colorado Rockies play four more games against the Diamondbacks in September (they were swept by Arizona over the weekend), meaning they could still catch the Snakes for the top wild-card position.
More realistically, Colorado will visit Chase Field for the one-game playoff, a scenario any Rockies fan would have taken this spring.
The Rocks have wobbled a bit of late, dropping 10 of their last 15, but they remain a solid pick to make their first trip to the postseason since 2009.
Grade: B+
San Diego Padres (62-76)
Taking three of four from the Dodgers in a weekend series won't vault the San Diego Padres to relevance, but it had to feel good.
More than anything, the rebuilding Friars can take solace in the fact they aren't the National League West's cellar-dwellers.
Grade: C
San Francisco Giants (54-86)
The 2017 San Francisco Giants have made an art form out of the odd-year collapse.
They haven't pitched, they haven't hit, and, look at that, they own the second-worst run differential in the NL (minus-138).
The only questions now: Will they blow up the roster that won three championships from 2010 to 2014? And can they "catch" the Philadelphia Phillies for the game's worst record?
Grade: D-
National League Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs (75-62)
After looking positively mediocre in the first half, the Cubs are finally gaining some separation in the National League Central.
Their 3.5-game lead over the scrappy Milwaukee Brewers is hardly secure, but the World Series champions are looking more like the curse-busters of 2016, with Jake Arrieta rediscovering his mojo and the potent offense jelling.
"We have a lot of good hitters here, a lot of young guys who have learned a lot and are putting good swings on the baseball," said rookie Ian Happ, one of six Chicago hitters with 20 or more home runs, per of MLB.com.
The Dodgers are the class of the league, but the Cubbies are cresting at the right time.
Grade: B+
Milwaukee Brewers (72-66)
Give the division to the Cubs (probably) but also offer ample praise to the Brew Crew, who have blossomed ahead of schedule and given MLB's defending champs a run for their money.
Milwaukee is also just 1.5 games behind the Rockies for the second wild-card spot, meaning a postseason trip is within reach.
No one besides the guy in the threadbare Robin Yount jersey saw that coming.
Grade: A
St. Louis Cardinals (70-67)
The St. Louis Cardinals are above .500 and on the edge of the NL wild-card race, but they sent a clear signal when they dealt right-hander Mike Leake to the Mariners ahead of the waiver deadline.
Leake and his 4.21 Cards ERA weren't necessarily the difference for St. Louis, but it was an obvious salary dump and a sign the team is looking toward 2018 and beyond.
Grade: C-
Pittsburgh Pirates (66-72)
Losing two-time All-Star Josh Harrison to a broken finger was the perfect metaphor for the busted Pittsburgh Pirates season.
Little has gone right for Pittsburgh, which is six games under .500 and couldn't leverage a prospect haul for a renewed Andrew McCutchen at the deadline.
Only the existence of the Cincinnati Reds will keep the Bucs from a humbling last-place finish.
Grade: D
Cincinnati Reds (59-79)
Speaking of those Reds, they own the division's worst record and worst run differential (minus-97). It sure would have been nice if they'd gotten something for shortstop and soon-to-be free agent Zack Cozart.
On the other hand, they have a farm system that B/R's Reuter ranked No. 9 in the game. Be patient, Cincy fans. And preorder those Hunter Greene jerseys.
Grade: C-
National League East
6 of 6
Washington Nationals (83-54)
The fate of the Washington Nationals rests on Bryce Harper's injured knee.
If the superstar and 2015 National League MVP returns for the postseason, the Nationals could give the Dodgers and/or Cubs a challenge. If not...well, probably not.
It's been a fine season for Washington, which is cruising to its second straight division title. But for a club that has never gotten past the division series, merely making the postseason isn't enough.
Think healing thoughts, Nats nation.
Grade: A-
Miami Marlins (67-70)
The sale of the team by polarizing owner Jeffrey Loria to a group led by former Yankees captain Derek Jeter has been the biggest story this season in South Beach.
Oh, there's also Giancarlo Stanton's pursuit of the "real" single-season home run record and chatter that the slugger and his massive contract could be dealt this winter.
And, yeah, the Miami Marlins are alive in the wild-card race.
Mostly, though, it's business as usual—which is to say a melange of dysfunction and mediocrity.
Grade: C-
Atlanta Braves (60-76)
No one expected the Atlanta Braves to dominate in 2017. Still, being mired 16 games under .500 with a minus-75 run differential isn't how they hoped to christen their shiny new stadium.
On the plus side: Rookie shortstop Dansby Swanson has swung a hot bat since returning to the majors, hitting .309 in August and .545 in September.
Grade: C-
New York Mets (59-78)
Beset by injuries and underperformance, the New York Mets have been one of MLB's most resounding duds.
Ace Noah Syndergaard's one-inning rehab outing and the big league arrival of shortstop and top prospect Amed Rosario offer glimmers of hope, but these are dark days in Queens.
Grade: D-
Philadelphia Phillies (52-85)
Like the Braves, the Phillies weren't supposed to be contenders.
Yet, for a team that appeared to be on the rise, having the worst record in baseball stings.
Dreams of a top draft pick and young talent in the pipeline are all well and good, but there's simply no way to sugarcoat a rough, sour season in Philly.
Grade: D
All statistics accurate as of Monday and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball Reference.
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