MLB Playoff Power Rankings: Curtis Granderson Ranks Every 2020 Postseason Team
The World Series winner will be playing a ton of games in 30 days, and the fast-paced nature of these playoffs puts a greater emphasis on managerial decisions and roster construction.
Managers typically have off days built in to postseason series that allow them to use their best starters on short rest. This year, though, there could be more chances for the players typically at the back end of the roster to get in games and make an impact.
Thinking about that as we get set for AL Wild Card Games on Tuesday, here's how the 16-team field stacks up.
This is a first-person account from Curtis Granderson as told to Bleacher Report's Adam Wells.
No. 16: Milwaukee Brewers
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The depth in the lineup hasn't been a positive for the Brewers.
Christian Yelich's batting average doesn't look great, but the 2018 NL MVP is more than capable of erasing a poor regular season with some postseason heroics. Ryan Braun, in what could be his final season, is slugging .488 and has been able to keep his legs fresh by primarily playing DH. Jedd Gyorko had one of the better years of his career with a .248/.333/.504 slash line and nine homers in just 42 games.
Milwaukee had quietly assembled a solid pitching staff that could get the ball to Josh Hader. Corbin Burnes' oblique injury is a brutal blow, however. Devin Williams has been fantastic in the high-leverage role out of the bullpen (0.33 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 27 innings), and the Brewers rode their bullpen to Game 7 of the NLCS two years ago before losing to the Dodgers.
It took them 60 games to earn their playoff spot this season. Now, they have to forget about the regular-season stats. They have guys who can swing it; they just need to do it in the playoffs and against the juggernaut Dodgers...which isn't going to be easy.
No. 15: Toronto Blue Jays
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Despite a difficult matchup in the Wild Card Round versus the Rays, the Blue Jays are in a decent position to pull off an upset because they have Hyun-Jin Ryu ready to go in Game 2. Their investment in him last offseason paid off wonderfully. Taijuan Walker has turned out to be a huge boost to the rotation as well.
Toronto's youthful energy with players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio and Bo Bichette, who are all 25 years old or younger, could also be an asset in the postseason. Teoscar Hernandez is the "old man" of the group at 27, and had a breakout year with a .919 OPS. Adding postseason veteran Joe Panik was a great move as well.
With a top-10 offense in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, stolen bases and slugging percentage, their offense is no joke. It won't be an easy task for the Rays to match the youthful spirit of the Baby Jays.
No. 14: Houston Astros
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Injuries have impacted the Astros, but it can't be overstated how good of a job Dusty Baker has done. Baker—No. 15 all time in wins—stepped into a unique situation after the sign-stealing scandal, which resulted in the firings of A.J. Hinch and Jeff Luhnow. It also put a target on the back of every Astros player this season.
Despite that and key injuries to the pitching staff—including Justin Verlander, Roberto Osuna, Brad Peacock and Chris Devenski—Baker has steered the Astros to the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
Houston has plenty of postseason experience with two World Series appearances in the past three years. Zack Greinke has a proven playoff pedigree, including posting a 2.95 ERA in four starts between the ALCS and World Series last October.
The rotation behind Greinke looks like the biggest question for Houston. Lance McCullers Jr. has experience on the playoff stage, but he hasn't started in October since 2017. He's been terrific with a 2.18 ERA in eight starts since allowing eight runs Aug. 5. Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier, meanwhile, don't have the experience.
Offensively, the Astros will need to rely on veterans Michael Brantley and a suddenly hot George Springer to carry a team that ranked 23rd in on-base percentage (.312).
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No. 13: Miami Marlins
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The Marlins' surprise playoff push can be directly attributed to the team's young pitching trio of Sixto Sanchez, Pablo Lopez and Sandy Alcantara. That group has combined for 131 strikeouts, 121 hits allowed and a 3.35 ERA in 138.1 innings.
Even though the offense isn't flashy, veterans like Miguel Rojas (.888 OPS), Jesus Aguilar (.809 OPS), Brian Anderson (.810 OPS) and Garrett Cooper (.853 OPS) have provided a spark that allows the Marlins to put up enough runs to win games and cause problems.
The midseason acquisition of Starling Marte provided a necessary spark to the players in the clubhouse that the front office will be willing to invest in the team when there's a chance to compete for a playoff spot.
If the Cubs take the Marlins lightly, they could find themselves in a 3-0 hole early in a game, and a pitcher like Sanchez, with electric stuff, can deliver a knockout punch to help this team not only win a game but also advance further than anyone would have thought.
The Marlins turned out to be one of the big surprises of the 2020 season, and they are going to give the Cubs everything they can handle. Is this 2003 all over again?
No. 12: Chicago White Sox
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The White Sox's aggressive offseason, including the signings of Dallas Keuchel, Yasmani Grandal and bringing back Jose Abreu, set this team up for a breakout in the AL. Keuchel and Grandal joined a White Sox nucleus that already had Abreu and Tim Anderson, both of whom belong high in the AL MVP race.
Anderson and Abreu lead one of the league's most dangerous lineups. The White Sox rank sixth in MLB with a .261 batting average and third with 96 homers. That shows they are just as capable of stringing together hits to wear down opposing pitchers as they are at hitting the ball out of the park.
Luis Robert closed the regular season on a down note (.136/.237/.173 in September), but he's capable of putting that behind him because everything resets when the postseason starts.
Going 2-8 over their last 10 games, losing the lead in the AL Central and dropping from a three seed to a seven seed isn't what the White Sox wanted, but they are still in the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. This is still a very good team that can easily turn things around—plus the unknown of playing a team in the A's that they haven't played all season can be a positive for the White Sox.
No. 11: Cincinnati Reds
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If you want to bet on a dark-horse World Series contender, look no further than the Reds. Their offseason moves to sign Mike Moustakas and Nicholas Castellanos proved to be more valuable than anticipated because the offense as a whole has struggled.
Cincinnati's 243 runs scored are the fewest among all playoff teams, and the team batted just .212—the lowest in MLB since 1910.
One encouraging sign for the lineup is Joey Votto, who has posted a .247/.381/.548 slash line with eight homers and 42 RBI in 28 games since Aug. 29. Not quite MVP numbers, but a clear sign that Votto has emerged from his early-season slump.
The strength of Cincinnati's roster is certainly on the pitching side. Potential Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer has been dominating all season with a 1.73 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 73 innings. Luis Castillo has put up a 2.20 ERA in five September starts. Sonny Gray has rebounded from two bad outings and an IL stint to finish the season well.
They are hot at the right time, winning their last five series heading into the playoffs. Their starting pitching is very good, and their offense is finally scoring runs now. The Reds are in a great position to pull off the wild-card upset over the Braves.
No. 10: St. Louis Cardinals
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The Cardinals bring a wealth of postseason experience with them to October. Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina have been the heart and soul of this organization for years, and both players have put together strong performances in 2020. Wainwright's ability to provide quality innings in Game 2 will be invaluable for manager Mike Shildt.
St. Louis' starting staff is beat up heading into the playoffs, as Dakota Hudson is out for the year. Kwang Hyun Kim will get the ball in Game 1 after being the best starter statically for the Cardinals this season.
Jack Flaherty may have had a down year (4-3, 4.91 ERA, 1.21 WHIP), but he is just one year removed from finishing fourth in the NL Cy Young vote and has 17 innings of postseason experience on his resume already. He will be slotted to pitch in a potential Game 3 versus a Padres offense that scored the third-most runs in MLB.
The biggest concern for the Cardinals is the number of games they had to play because of all their postponements stemming from a COVID-19 outbreak early in the season. In the 44 days from Aug. 15 to Sept. 27, St. Louis played 53 games and had 11 doubleheaders. The team's energy level in the playoffs, with no off days once a series begins, could be a key factor as it looks to make a deep run.
Avoiding a makeup doubleheader with the Tigers may have been the biggest win of the season for a Cardinals team that now gets two days of rest before Wednesday's Game 1.
No. 9: New York Yankees
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The Yankees have all the talent necessary to win a World Series, especially with so many of their best position players recently returning from injuries. Gerrit Cole is the ace at the top of the rotation they have been missing in their playoff losses to the Astros in 2017 and 2019.
DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela and Clint Frazier have been able to step in with key stars Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton unavailable for large parts of the season. Ultimately, the Yankees enter the postseason with the best one-to-four lineup in baseball with LeMahieu (batting champion), Judge, Stanton and Luke Voit (home run champion).
Even with some questions about Stanton and Judge as they try to get their timing back after dealing with hamstring issues, the Yankees don't need to rely on that duo alone to carry the lineup. Stanton is still able to get on base at a high clip (.387), so even if his power isn't where it normally is, he's able to impact the game in other ways.
Despite the Yankees' impressive lineup on paper, they will be running into a daunting Indians rotation. (You can read more about this matchup in-depth here.)
No. 8: Cleveland Indians
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If the old adage is pitching wins championships, Cleveland is certainly not the team I would want to see in a playoff series.
Presumptive AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber, Carlos Carrasco and Zach Plesac are as formidable as any starting trio in the league. The team also enters the postseason winning eight of 10 as the offense finally started to wake up.
Even though Cleveland's offense had its share of struggles throughout the season—the group ranked 24th in runs scored and 27th in OPS—there's enough in the lineup with Jose Ramirez surging in the AL MVP race down the stretch and Francisco Lindor always capable of getting hits in bunches.
(To read more about this series in-depth, click here.)
No. 7: Chicago Cubs
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The Cubs have already shown their ability to get hot based on their 13-3 start this season, and Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks give them an elite one-two punch at the top of their rotation in any series.
If there's a major concern in Chicago, especially in the Wild Card Round versus the Marlins, it involves who manager David Ross will turn to if the series is extended to a third game. Jon Lester posted a 7.88 ERA in five starts at Wrigley Field. Alec Mills was more respectable at the Friendly Confines but still had a fairly high 4.40 ERA in that park.
Lester is a proven competitor who routinely steps up in the biggest moments, so Ross' handling of him will be a key storyline for the Cubs the deeper they go in October.
Winning their final series of the season against the crosstown White Sox, and having a lot of fun while doing it, is a big thing for this team. When the Cubs are having fun and playing loose they are at their best, and seeing Javier Baez with a left-handed double and Willson Contreras with the highest bat flip I've ever seen means the Cubs are having fun again.
Not a good sign for the Marlins and the rest of the NL.
No. 6: Atlanta Braves
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The Braves offense is dangerous. That group posted the highest OPS (.832) and second-most runs scored (348) in MLB during the regular season.
Even though pitching can win championships, being able to score runs in bunches makes it easier for the Braves to get to the Fall Classic. Freddie Freeman, Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna Jr. are as dynamic as any hitting trio in MLB. With Freeman and Ozuna finishing second and third in batting average and OPS in the NL, this is a scary lineup the Reds will face.
The concern for the pitching staff has certainly increased with Max Fried injuring his ankle in his final regular-season start Wednesday. Josh Tomlin has experience in October from his days with Cleveland and last year with the Braves and could be deployed in a key bullpen role.
One potential wild card for the Braves is Touki Toussaint, who was optioned to their alternate site Sept. 15. Toussaint struggled mightily during the season with an 8.88 ERA, but he has the type of swing-and-miss stuff (30 strikeouts in 24.1 innings) to be an asset if the Braves call his number.
No. 5: San Diego Padres
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The Padres are a young, exciting team with the pitching and hitting that have been consistent all season long. It was a good sign to see them win three of four on the road versus the Giants, who were playing with their season on the line.
Their starting trio of Dinelson Lamet, Chris Paddack and Zach Davies have all fared well at Petco Park. That bodes well for them in the Wild Card Round if Mike Clevinger is unavailable because of a forearm injury that knocked him out of his last start.
San Diego's pitching staff also features multiple relievers who have closed at least two games during the regular season. That affords manager Jayce Tingler with the ability to line up, say, Drew Pomeranz or Trevor Rosenthal in the later innings without having to worry about which one can handle the ninth versus the Cardinals.
Manny Machado has a case as the NL MVP, but he's been able to fly under the radar because so much focus has been given to Fernando Tatis Jr. and rookie Jake Cronenworth. The lineup is deep with Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers among seven regulars who have an above-average OPS+.
They are a complete team that has the talent to make a deep October run.
No. 4: Minnesota Twins
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The Twins backed into an AL Central division title in the final weekend of the season, and the payoff is huge as they get a home series and don't have to play the Yankees in the first round.
Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda—both have World Series experience—should help lead the Twins' pitching staff. Quietly, the Twins put up the fourth-lowest ERA (3.58) in MLB.
Offensively, Nelson Cruz is continuing to get better with age, and Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano each hit 13 homers this season, ensuring the Twins remain a powerful offense.
With an impressive 24-7 home record, the Twins will be favored to do the rest of MLB a favor and eliminate the Astros quickly from the postseason.
No. 3: Oakland Athletics
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The A's sport a pitching staff that ended up fifth in team ERA (3.77) and is going to rely on rookie Jesus Luzardo to take the mound in Game 1 versus the White Sox.
It's good news that he'll be pitching at RingCentral Coliseum, where he sports a 2.40 ERA and 1.016 WHIP, which looks much better than the 8.15 ERA and 1.868 WHIP he registered on the road. The A's have the luxury of following Luzardo up with Chris Bassitt, who was the staff ace this season.
Losing Matt Chapman for the season is a huge blow, and the A's won't be able to make up for his defense. However, Jake Lamb has been more than serviceable (.882 OPS) since coming over from the Diamondbacks.
The A's are the one team out of 16 that could have the best travel set up with the divisional series being in Los Angeles and the championship series being in San Diego. All of their potential opponents would have to travel to the West Coast, which can be a disadvantage.
No. 2: Tampa Bay Rays
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The Rays won eight of their final 10 games to finish with the second-best record in MLB, and their ability to trot out an all-lefty lineup will cause fits for the Blue Jays staff.
Meanwhile, the Rays' pitching ranked third in ERA (3.56 ERA), sixth in strikeouts (552) and tied for fifth in WHIP (1.22). No team has more flexibility, depth and can play matchups and situational baseball better.
The Rays have not had more than a two-game losing streak since early September and have as well-balanced a roster as there is in the AL. They went 6-4 against the Blue Jays this season and should get past them in the wild card.
No. 1: Los Angeles Dodgers
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I favor the Dodgers over the field in part because of the playoff structure with no off days in the first three rounds.
They have deep starting pitching with Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin, especially now that Walker Buehler is back after missing two weeks because of a blister on his right index finger.
Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Chris Taylor, Corey Seager, Max Muncy and Justin Turner give the Dodgers a lineup that can hit the ball all over the field, and the offense ended up scoring the most runs (349) in baseball.
Los Angeles' combination of deep starting pitching and the most well-rounded lineup makes it the clear World Series favorite.
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