2022 MLB Postseason Power Rankings
The 2022 MLB postseason is here! We will get four Wild Card matchups this weekend on consecutive days, beginning on Friday with the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians in the American League. Regardless, this should be another action-packed playoffs with an abundance of competition and excitement. Let’s jump into my MLB postseason power rankings (Note: Just because a team is ranked higher than the other, doesn’t mean I think they have a better chance at winning the World Series than the other!)
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are a machine. They recorded the highest run differential across MLB since 1939 (Yankees were +411), scoring the most runs in the majors (by far) while surrendering the fewest. They have an elite offense with six qualified players who carry a 105 wRC+ or better, including five with a 120 wRC+ or better. Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Trae Turner were everything Dodger fans expected to be heading into the season, and are all phenomenal two-way players capable of vaulting a team past the brink — like they’ve done in year’s past. They’re certainly the World Series favorites in my book.
2. Houston Astros
The Astros are loaded, again. They have arguably the top rotation in American League led by Justin Verlander, who had yet another Cy Young like season for the Astros. Houston also has two bats playing at MVP levels in José Altuve and Yordan Álvarez, followed by Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman. Unlike in past years, the wins haven’t necessarily been because of the bats — especially outside the four aforementioned names — but the caliber of their pitching staff plus their defense is enough to vault them up in these rankings. They’re once again the American League favorite; by default, they should be second.
3. Atlanta Braves
No matter what, you can’t ever count the Braves out. They looked like they were going to tread water a couple months into the season. Regardless, they won 101 games, while having an explosive offense with a playoff tested pitching staff. Although it would look that much better if Spencer Strider were healthy, nevertheless, it wouldn’t be surprising if the reigning champs defended their crown and were the first repeat champs of the 21st century (last to do it were the Yankees, who won three straight from ’98-’00). It’s going to be very competitive in the NL, but just figure out the ninth inning and there shouldn’t be too much of a problem, okay?? Okay?!?!?
4. New York Yankees
The Yankees went 35-35 in the second half of the season with inconsistent offense and pitching, but still have a rock solid four-man rotation in Gerrit Cole-Nestor Cortes-Luis Severino-Jameson Taillon. Oh, and their offense is buoyed by the arguably American League MVP in Aaron Judge, who’s having one of the best seasons in American League history. This team will live and die by the home run ball, too. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, because this team led MLB in homers once again, and recent history suggests that the team that hits more home runs in a playoff game typically wins. But it’s not a very sustainable formula, so offense outside of Judge will be more than paramount. Their bullpen has been more shaky than in year’s past, but this team is still good enough to make the ALCS and potentially make it out of the American League. They’re long past due, right??
5. New York Mets
It wasn’t the smoothest end to the season for the New York Mets. They got swept by the Atlanta Braves in their second-to-last series of the season, and evidently were losing the NL East. Their rotation of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer alone gives them a dangerous two-headed monster at the top of the rotation, giving them a puncher’s chance in any postseason series. (Uh, that’s if Buck pitches deGrom in the Wild Card series, which I’m shocked why this is a debate.) The offense outside of Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Brandon Mimmo will have to be better to beat San Diego in the Wild Card round. But this roster has the pieces to make a deep postseason run if the bats get hot.
6. Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto’s lineup should definitely strike fear in opponents. They had the second best offense in MLB (118 wRC+) in the regular season — featuring six qualified hitters with a 115 wRC+ or better. It starts with George Springer at the top of the lineup; if he’s cooking, then the train is usually rolling. Nothing has indicated he can’t set the table just right in this upcoming series. I really like the top of their rotation with Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman and Ross Stripling. But the rest of their pitching staff is a little too shaky for me to fully trust. We’ll see how it all holds up against Seattle at home in front of a very lively environment.
7. St. Louis Cardinals
Wouldn’t it be awesome to see Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina get one more ring? St. Louis certainly has the ammo to do it: they have NL MVP favorite Paul Goldschmidt and MVP candidate Nolan Arenado manning the hot corner at the opposite end of the diamond. If St. Louis wants to sniff another pennant, it will likely need those two to be red hot. Its semblance of rotation arms — Wainwright Jordan Montgomery, Jose Quintana and, most importantly, Miles Mikolas — hold up. I’m still not sure if St. Louis will have the horses to advance past the divisional series, but they’ve made plenty of unlikely October runs before. So who am I to write them off just yet?
8. San Diego Padres
The Padres have been underwhelming since they acquired Juan Soto at the trade deadline. It didn’t help that Fernando Tatís got popped for PED’s right around the time he was scheduled to come back. Although they still do have MVP candidate Manny Machado and Jake Cronenworth, a good starting three in Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove. While I still have questions about the back of their bullpen, the biggest question to me is whether they can manufacture enough offense outside the aforementioned bats throughout the playoffs. And that will be put to test right away against Scherzer, deGrom (maybe?) and presumably Bassitt.
9. Tampa Bay Rays
Death, taxes, and the Rays having one of the best pitching staffs in MLB. They have a formidable top-3 in the rotation with Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs. They have very good bullpen arms in Pete Fairbanks, Jason Adam and Brooks Raley. The offense — led by Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena — isn’t particularly explosive. But, they have the capability to scratch enough runs to put opponents in a hole in any playoff game or series. We know Tampa can’t be counted out at this time of year, either, except if their starter gets pulled in the fifth inning. Too soon?? Sorry.
10. Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians won 24 of their final 30 games to top the AL Central. No, that’s not a typo. Yes, that actually happened. Who could’ve seen this happen before the season? Not many, that’s for sure. They have a roster that has very good, sneaky talent: Andrés Giménez (is that sneaky? He made the All-Star team…), Steven Kwan, Tristan McKenzie, Trevor Stephen, Emmanuel Clase (Hey how’s that Kluber trade doing for Texa-…. nevermind….) José Ramírez did cool off in the second half of the season, ending the season slashing .353 with a .948 OPS over his last eight games. If he can catch fire, Cleveland has a chance to win any series. This team is an old school, contact-oriented team that plays good defense and runs the bases very well. That’s frightening — and they have a perfect manager in Terry Francona to potentially get them over the hump.
11. Philadelphia Phillies
If I were rooting for the Phillies, these are the two things that scare me most: pitching and defense. We’ve known how rugged the defense has been for multiple years now; the Wild Card rotation should feature Aaron Nola-Zack Wheeler-Ranger Suarez. That’s a great start, but their bullpen has been an issue at times throughout the season, which is worrisome. Anywho, Philadelphia’s been on a 97-win-per-162-game pace since Rob Thomson took over as manager and are now in the postseason for the first time since 2011. Kyle Schwarber, who led the National League in homers (46), is always a threat at the top of the lineup; J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper have also produced well at the plate. Perhaps they’re some untapped October magic in Philly after all.
12. Seattle Mariners
In all honesty, it’s amazing to have Seattle back in the postseason again, their first time since 2001. Now, they will get to show off a solid, yet inconsistent rotation — led by Robbie Ray and Luis Castillo — with star outfielder and rookie of the year frontrunner Julio Rodríguez and Ty France powering their offense. They don’t draw an easy Wild Card matchup — going up against the fearsome Toronto lineup — but Seattle held their own against the Jays in the regular season and will continue to have a razor thin margin for error over the next three days.
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