MLB Postseason Power Rankings: Where All 10 Teams Stack Up

With the 2017 MLB regular season officially wrapped up and the 10-team playoff field set, this week's power rankings are going to be a little different.

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 much bigger roles than normal.

• Wild-card game 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 will see they occupy the No. 7-10 spots in the rankings. That doesn't mean they are the four worst teams of the 10 playoff participants but that 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 past 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 is included for a quick overview of 2017.

10. Minnesota Twins (85-77, No. 2 AL Wild Card)

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Ervin Santana

Last 30 Games: 16-14

Postseason Outlook

As recently as June, the Minnesota Twins were on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft after going 59-103 last season.

Now they are the first team in MLB history to reach the playoffs immediately following a 100-loss campaign.

They were able to outlast what was a deep AL wild-card field for most of the season, and they will head to Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night for the AL Wild Card Game.

They made that same trip in mid-September, and it didn't go well. They were swept in a three-game series and outscored 18-6.

"We're going to go there expecting a win," manager Paul Molitor told reporters. "That's the mindset you have to have. We're going to a place where we recently were and weren't successful in three games, but the way things are going and the way these guys are playing right now, I like our chances. In a game scenario, anything can go down."

Veteran Ervin Santana will take the ball for the Twins, and if they reach the ALDS, he'll be asked to do a lot of the heavy lifting alongside young right-hander Jose Berrios.

With a questionable rotation beyond those two and a patchwork bullpen, they are facing an uphill battle.

However, this was a team many were already counting out back in April, so it would be wise not to write them off entirely.

Season Leaders

	Hitters
BA	Joe Mauer	.305
OPS	Miguel Sano	.859
H	Brian Dozier	166
2B	Joe Mauer	36
HR	Brian Dozier	34
RBI	Brian Dozier	93
R	Brian Dozier	106
SB	Byron Buxton	29
WAR	Byron Buxton	5.1
	Pitchers
W	Ervin Santana	16
SV	Matt Belisle	9/13
HLD	Taylor Rogers	30
ERA	Ervin Santana	3.28
WHIP	Ervin Santana	1.13
K	Ervin Santana	167
IP	Ervin Santana	211.1
WAR	Ervin Santana	4.7

9. Colorado Rockies (87-75, No. 2 NL Wild Card)

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Jon Gray

Last 30 Games: 15-15

Postseason Outlook

The Colorado Rockies are in the postseason for the first time since 2009, and a vastly improved pitching staff is to thank for that.

• 2016: 4.91 team ERA (27th), 4.79 starters' ERA (26th), 5.13 bullpen ERA (30th)
• 2017: 4.51 team ERA (17th), 4.59 starters' ERA (16th), 4.40 bullpen ERA (20th)

Jon Gray will get the start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Wild Card Game, and he's been rolling of late.

The 25-year-old is 8-3 with a 2.88 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over his past 14 starts, and he's fared well against the D-backs this season, going 2-1 with a 3.50 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 18 innings of work.

"Jon's in a good spot because he is throwing the ball well,” manager Bud Black told reporters. "When you are confident in how you are playing, that always lends itself to feeling good about where you are."

It's the rest of the postseason rotation that looms as a major question mark if the Rockies are able to advance beyond Wednesday's game.

But with a high-powered offense, led by a pair of MVP candidates in Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado, they are still a team no one wants to face in October.

The Dodgers await the winner of the NL Wild Card Game, and the Rockies went 10-9 against the NL West champs during the regular season.

Season Leaders

	Hitters
BA	Charlie Blackmon	.331
OPS	Charlie Blackmon	1.000
H	Charlie Blackmon	213
2B	Nolan Arenado	43
HR	Nolan Arenado/Charlie Blackmon	37
RBI	Nolan Arenado	130
R	Charlie Blackmon	137
SB	Ian Desmond	15
WAR	Nolan Arenado	7.2
	Pitchers
W	Kyle Freeland/German Marquez	11
SV	Greg Holland	41/45
HLD	Pat Neshek*	23
ERA	Jon Gray	3.67
WHIP	Jon Gray	1.30
K	German Marquez	147
IP	German Marquez	162.0
WAR	Kyle Freeland	3.3

*Combined stats

8. New York Yankees (91-71, No. 1 AL Wild Card)

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Luis Severino

Last 30 Games: 21-9

Postseason Outlook

In what was supposed to be a retooling season, the New York Yankees ran away with the No. 1 AL wild-card spot and finished just two games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East standings.

The emergences of slugger Aaron Judge and right-hander Luis Severino went a long way in changing the outlook of the team, and those two will be at the center of it all on Tuesday night.

After a rocky August, Judge rebounded in a big way in September to post a 1.352 OPS with 15 home runs and 32 RBI in 27 games, breaking the single-season rookie home run record along the way.

Meanwhile, Severino has emerged as a bona fide ace, and he'll be on the mound with the season hanging in the balance against the Twins.

The 23-year-old went 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 230 strikeouts in 193.1 innings.

"It's been an unbelievable season," manager Joe Girardi told reporters. "The young man has pitched really, really well and he's a big reason why we're here at this point."

However, he didn't fare well in his lone start against the Twins on Sept. 20, lasting just three innings and allowing five hits and three runs while running up a pitch count of 71.

He'll be backed by one of the deepest bullpens in baseball and an offense that led the majors with six runs per game in September.

Masahiro Tanaka gives the team another capable top-tier starter, and that relief corps takes a good deal of pressure off the starting staff in general, so look out for this team if they can win on Tuesday.

Season Leaders

	Hitters
BA	Starlin Castro	.300
OPS	Aaron Judge	1.049
H	Brett Gardner	157
2B	Chase Headley	30
HR	Aaron Judge	52
RBI	Aaron Judge	114
R	Aaron Judge	128
SB	Brett Gardner	23
WAR	Aaron Judge	8.1
	Pitchers
W	Luis Severino/CC Sabathia	14
SV	Aroldis Chapman	22/26
HLD	Dellin Betances	19
ERA	Luis Severino	2.98
WHIP	Luis Severino	1.04
K	Luis Severino	230
IP	Luis Severino	193.1
WAR	Luis Severino	5.4

7. Arizona Diamondbacks (93-69, No. 1 NL Wild Card)

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Zack Greinke

Last 30 Games: 19-11

Postseason Outlook

The Arizona Diamondbacks finished with a better record than the NL Central champion Chicago Cubs, but they still finished 11 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and will be hosting the NL Wild Card Game as a result.

A 93-loss team a year ago, they went 26-12 with a plus-67 run differential in their last 38 regular-season games—the best record in the NL during that span.

Veteran Zack Greinke was an easy choice to make the Wild Card Game start as he returned to ace form to go 17-7 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 215 strikeouts in 202.1 innings.

The 33-year-old was 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA in five starts against the Rockies, and he was dominant at home all season, going 13-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 18 starts at Chase Field.

Offensively, the team boasts arguably the most dangerous one-two punch in baseball with Paul Goldschmidt and J.D. Martinez, who has posted a 1.107 OPS with 29 home runs and 65 RBI in 62 games after joining the team at the deadline.

However, it's the team's starting pitching depth that gives them the best outlook of any wild-card team if they can advance beyond the play-in game.

Robbie Ray (15-5, 2.89 ERA, 218 K, 162.0 IP) gives the team a second ace-caliber arm, while Zack Godley (8-9, 3.37 ERA), Taijuan Walker (9-9, 3.49 ERA) and Patrick Corbin (14-13, 4.03 ERA) are all strong options to round out the postseason staff.

Throw in Archie Bradley and Andrew Chafin setting up Fernando Rodney, and there's plenty of reason to think this club has the pieces to make a deep run.

Season Leaders

	Hitters
BA	J.D. Martinez*	.303
OPS	J.D. Martinez*	1.066
H	Paul Goldschmidt	166
2B	Brandon Drury	37
HR	J.D. Martinez*	45
RBI	Paul Goldschmidt	120
R	Paul Goldschmidt	117
SB	A.J. Pollock	20
WAR	Paul Goldschmidt	5.8
	Pitchers
W	Zack Greinke	17
SV	Fernando Rodney	39/45
HLD	Archie Bradley	25
ERA	Robbie Ray	2.89
WHIP	Zack Greinke	1.07
K	Robbie Ray	218
IP	Zack Greinke	202.1
WAR	Zack Greinke	6.1

*Combined stats

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

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Last 30 Games: 18-12

Postseason Outlook

The Boston Red Sox will be raising another AL East title banner, but this team wasn't the juggernaut many were expecting following the offseason trade for Chris Sale.

The left-hander proved to be worth the king's ransom the team spent to acquire him from the Chicago White Sox during the winter meetings, but the rest of the rotation has been one big question mark.

Drew Pomeranz (17-6, 3.32 ERA) will likely fill the No. 2 spot in the rotation, with David Price working out of the bullpen to close out an injury-plagued season and the rest of the staff up in the air.

Eduardo Rodriguez (6-7, 4.19 ERA) and Rick Porcello (11-17, 4.65 ERA) both fell short of expectations, opening the door for scrapheap addition Doug Fister (5-9, 4.88 ERA) and his strong postseason track record to perhaps make a start.

The bullpen improved with the deadline addition of Addison Reed, and he's certainly capable of shortening games alongside All-World closer Craig Kimbrel.

However, the offense is not the weapon it was a year ago when the Red Sox led all of baseball with 5.4 runs per game. That dipped to 4.8 runs per game this season—good for 10th in the majors—and the lineup was without a 30-homer player for the first time since 2012.

With Sale potentially taking the ball twice in a five-game series, anything can happen.

But the lack of starting rotation stability is enough for the Red Sox to occupy the bottom spot among division winners.

Season Leaders

	Hitters
BA	Dustin Pedroia	.293
OPS	Mookie Betts	.803
H	Mookie Betts	166
2B	Mookie Betts	46
HR	Mookie Betts	24
RBI	Mookie Betts	102
R	Mookie Betts	101
SB	Mookie Betts	26
WAR	Mookie Betts	6.4
	Pitchers
W	Chris Sale/Drew Pomeranz	17
SV	Craig Kimbrel	35/39
HLD	Matt Barnes	21
ERA	Chris Sale	2.90
WHIP	Chris Sale	0.97
K	Chris Sale	308
IP	Chris Sale	214.1
WAR	Chris Sale	6.0

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (104-58, NL West Champs)

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Last 30 Games: 13-17

Postseason Outlook

The Los Angeles Dodgers were 91-36 on Aug. 25, and one of the biggest storylines around the league was whether they would make a run at breaking the single-season wins record of 116.

Instead, they went 13-22 with a minus-33 run differential the rest of the way.

Whether it was a case of a team peaking too early, a decline in intensity thanks to an insurmountable lead in the NL West or something else entirely, it's not always easy to flip that switch back on once the playoffs begin.

Momentum is a factor when it comes to the MLB playoffs, and no playoff team has less of that than the Dodgers.

That being said, there's a reason this team won 104 games.

Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31 ERA) somehow flew under the radar a bit with another terrific season, while Rich Hill (12-8, 3.32 ERA) and Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86 ERA) give the team two more starters capable of dominating on any given night.

Alex Wood (16-3, 2.72 ERA) is the leading candidate to start a potential Game 4 despite falling off after a stellar first half, while Hyun-Jin Ryu (5-9, 3.77 ERA) also in the mix.

Corey Seager's health will be a major X-factor for the Dodgers.

He's been playing through an elbow injury that may require offseason surgery, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, and he hit just .210/.286/.358 with three home runs over the final month of the season as a result. His throwing at shortstop is also affected by the injury.

It's World Series or bust for this team, and they will need to get back to midseason form to make that happen.

Season Leaders

	Hitters
BA	Justin Turner	.322
OPS	Justin Turner	.945
H	Corey Seager	159
2B	Chris Taylor	34
HR	Cody Bellinger	39
RBI	Cody Bellinger	97
R	Cody Bellinger	87
SB	Chris Taylor	17
WAR	Justin Turner	5.7
	Pitchers
W	Clayton Kershaw	18
SV	Kenley Jansen	41/42
HLD	Pedro Baez	23
ERA	Clayton Kershaw	2.31
WHIP	Clayton Kershaw	0.95
K	Clayton Kershaw	202
IP	Clayton Kershaw	175.0
WAR	Clayton Kershaw	4.6

4. Chicago Cubs (92-70, NL Central Champs)

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Last 30 Games: 20-10

Postseason Outlook

The numbers don't great when it comes to defending World Series champions.

Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated wrote the following back in April: "In truth, recent history has been unkind to World Series winners. None has repeated as champions since the 1999 Yankees won again in 2000, and in that span, only two other winners—the 2000 Yankees and 2008 Phillies—even returned to the Fall Classic the following year. Just seven out of 16 made the playoffs at all."

This year's Chicago Cubs team managed to make that eight of the past 17, as they were finally able to separate themselves from the rest of the NL Central pack with a strong final month.

Starting pitching will determine whether they can make a serious run at defending their title.

After leading the majors with a 2.96 starter's ERA a year ago, they saw that number spike to 4.05 this season.

Jon Lester (13-8, 4.33 ERA) in particular has not been the same pitcher, and the team leaned heavily on him as the ace of the postseason staff a year ago.

Some combination of Kyle Hendricks (7-5, 3.03 ERA), Jose Quintana (11-11, 4.15 ERA), Jake Arrieta (14-10, 3.53 ERA) and John Lackey (12-11, 4.56 ERA) will join him in rounding out the rotation, and Arrieta's troublesome right hamstring will be a major story.

The bullpen has also been shaky at best when it comes to finding a consistent bridge to closer Wade Davis, though they finished the season well in that department.

Offensively, this team still has as many weapons as any team in baseball, and as they get set to make their third consecutive postseason appearance, they also have experience on their side despite a youthful roster.

The Washington Nationals await in the NLDS, and on paper, they look like the team to beat on the NL side of things.

Season Leaders

	Hitters
BA	Jon Jay	.296
OPS	Kris Bryant	.946
H	Kris Bryant	162
2B	Kris Bryant	38
HR	Anthony Rizzo	32
RBI	Anthony Rizzo	109
R	Kris Bryant	111
SB	Javier Baez/Anthony Rizzo	10
WAR	Kris Bryant	6.1
	Pitchers
W	Jake Arrieta	14
SV	Wade Davis	32/33
HLD	Carl Edwards Jr.	25
ERA	Kyle Hendricks	3.03
WHIP	Kyle Hendricks	1.19
K	Jon Lester	180
IP	Jon Lester	180.2
WAR	Kyle Hendricks	3.5

3. Washington Nationals (97-65, NL East Champs)

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Last 30 Games: 16-14

Postseason Outlook

The Washington Nationals are the complete package when it comes to postseason outlook.

The starting rotation is fronted by a pair of aces in Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA) and Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52 ERA), while the back of the staff in Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96 ERA) and Tanner Roark (13-11, 4.67 ERA) stacks up to anyone they will face in October.

The bullpen that was such an issue early in the season is a legitimate strength thanks to the midseason additions of Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle alongside surprise veteran Matt Albers and the hard-throwing Enny Romero.

Speedy Trea Turner is back in the swing of things after missing significant time earlier this season, and Bryce Harper is back from the disabled list just in time for the playoffs.

The health of his knee might be the single biggest X-factor of the entire postseason.

Eddie Matz of ESPN.com offered up both sides of the argument:

"But after Harper went down -- missing 42 games with a hyperextended left knee -- Washington's offensive output plummeted by 25 percent (from 5.4 runs per game to 4.1), a testament to just how valuable the former MVP really is. What's crazy is, despite the drastic drop-off in offense, the Nats still went 26-16 without Harper, a testament to just how good their pitching has been."

If Harper were at 100 percent, this team might be the favorite to win it all.

For now, they will have to settle for sitting atop the NL totem pole.

Season Leaders

	Hitters
BA	Daniel Murphy	.320
OPS	Bryce Harper	1.008
H	Daniel Murphy	172
2B	Daniel Murphy	43
HR	Ryan Zimmerman	36
RBI	Ryan Zimmerman	108
R	Bryce Harper/Daniel Murphy	93
SB	Trea Turner	45
WAR	Anthony Rendon	5.9
	Pitchers
W	Max Scherzer	16
SV	Sean Doolittle*	24/26
HLD	Ryan Madson*	25
ERA	Max Scherzer	2.51
WHIP	Max Scherzer	0.90
K	Max Scherzer	268
IP	Max Scherzer	200.2
WAR	Max Scherzer	7.2

*Combined stats

2. Houston Astros (101-61, AL West Champs)

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Last 30 Games: 22-8

Postseason Outlook

The Houston Astros solidified their standing as legitimate title contenders with the August trade to acquire Justin Verlander.

In five starts, he's 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 43 strikeouts in 34 innings.

"He continues to evolve as a pitcher and then closes his outing out as strong as he can be with some high-end stuff" manager A.J. Hinch told reporters of his new ace.

He'll be joined atop the playoff rotation by another front-line arm in Dallas Keuchel, leaving some combination of Lance McCullers Jr. (7-4, 4.25 ERA), Charlie Morton (14-7, 3.62 ERA) and Brad Peacock (13-2, 3.00 ERA) to fill the final two spots on the staff.

That rotation has a chance to carry the Astros a long way, especially considering the offense that will be backing it.

Houston paced the majors at 5.5 runs per game this season, scoring 38 more runs than any other team, and the lineup featured seven players with 18 or more home runs.

They can play the station-to-station game with the disruptive duo of George Springer and Jose Altuve, and they can hit the long ball, making them a tough task for opposing pitchers.

It doesn't quite make them the favorites to win it all, though.

Season Leaders

	Hitters
BA	Jose Altuve	.346
OPS	Jose Altuve	.957
H	Jose Altuve	204
2B	Yuli Gurriel	43
HR	George Springer	34
RBI	Marwin Gonzalez	90
R	Jose Altuve/George Springer	112
SB	Jose Altuve	32
WAR	Jose Altuve	8.4
	Pitchers
W	Justin Verlander*	15
SV	Ken Giles	34/38
HLD	Chris Devenski	25
ERA	Dallas Keuchel	2.90
WHIP	Dallas Keuchel	1.12
K	Justin Verlander*	219
IP	Justin Verlander*	206.0
WAR	Justin Verlander*	6.4

*Combined stats

1. Cleveland Indians (102-60, AL Central Champs)

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Last 30 Games: 26-4

Postseason Outlook

Can anyone stop the Cleveland Indians? 

We could make a case for all 10 of these teams to win the World Series, but if the Tribe play the way they have for the past month or so, it's not going to matter.

Since Aug. 24, they have lost four games.

They are 33-4 with a plus-136 run differential during that span, and they haven't lost three games in a row since Aug. 1.

There's little doubt this is a better team on paper than the one that reached the World Series last year.

Offensively, slugger Edwin Encarnacion put up big numbers replacing Mike Napoli, while Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor both took more steps toward superstardom.

It's the starting rotation that has a different look, though.

• 2016: Corey Kluber (18-9, 3.14 ERA), Trevor Bauer (12-8, 4.26 ERA), Josh Tomlin (13-9, 4.40 ERA), Ryan Merritt (1-0, 1.64 ERA)

• 2017: Corey Kluber (18-4, 2.25 ERA), Carlos Carrasco (18-6, 3.29 ERA), Trevor Bauer (17-9, 4.19 ERA), Mike Clevinger (12-6, 3.11 ERA)

With Carrasco sidelined with a fractured hand last postseason, Kluber pitched on short rest three times and worked a grand total of 34.1 innings in the playoffs.

Not having to run their ace into the ground will make a world of difference if they can advance to the Fall Classic once again.

And it doesn't look like anyone can stop them.

Season Leaders

	Hitters
BA	Jose Ramirez	.318
OPS	Jose Ramirez	.957
H	Jose Ramirez	186
2B	Jose Ramirez	56
HR	Edwin Encarnacion	38
RBI	Edwin Encarnacion	107
R	Jose Ramirez	107
SB	Bradley Zimmer	18
WAR	Jose Ramirez	6.8
	Pitchers
W	Corey Kluber/Carlos Carrasco	18
SV	Cody Allen	30/34
HLD	Andrew Miller	27
ERA	Corey Kluber	2.25
WHIP	Corey Kluber	0.87
K	Corey Kluber	265
IP	Corey Kluber	203.2
WAR	Corey Kluber	8.0

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. All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through the end of the regular season.