2023 Vendetta MLB Power Rankings: Postseason Edition
October has arrived! The 2023 MLB Postseason is officially here! Throughout the season, we did monthly power rankings depicting where we believe each team is at relative to the rest of MLB. Now, we’re doing a 2023 postseason power rankings edition, only consisting of the 12 teams in the field! Let’s dive into it!
12. Arizona Diamondbacks
(Matt 11, Andrew 11, Jack 11, Trey 12)
Average: 11.3
The Diamondbacks come in last in our 2023 postseason power rankings. Anything is on the table in October, but the Diamondbacks might already be behind the 8-ball against Milwaukee. They plan to start Brandon Pfaadt–who’s struggled–against Corbin Burnes in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series Tuesday, with ace Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly expected to start Games 2 and 3, respectively. They don’t have more than those two reliable arms in the rotation and their bullpen has been below average all season. This team will have to win the margins with their athleticism and defense if they want to advance past the Wild Card for the second time since 2007.
11. Minnesota Twins
(Matt Hanifan 12, Andrew McGuinness 10, Jack Sabin 12, Trey Daubert 11)
Average: 11.3 (tiebreaker goes to team with better W-L)
While the past doesn’t always indicate the future–it’s worth mentioning Minnesota’s lost 18 straight postseason games. No, that’s not a typo. Minnesota’s pitching staff is near-elite, but Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis are coming off injury and they don’t possess much firepower elsewhere outside of Edouard Julien, Ryan Jeffers and Max Kepler. Their rotation and bullpen will be assets and could be the biggest reasons why they supersede this ranking.
10. Miami Marlins
(Matt 10, Andrew 9, Jack 10, Trey 10)
Average: 9.8
Every time the Marlins have advanced to the postseason (1997, 2003) in a 162-game season, they’ve won the World Series. Will they do it a third time? Never say never, but the odds aren’t in their favor. Miami had incredible fortune in the regular season in one-score games, finishing an MLB-best 33-14. But Luis Arraez, Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez are all hurt, and their minus-57 run differential is a historically bad mark for a postseason team. Miami did heat up down the stretch–winning 18 of their last 28–which is sometimes the only thing a team needs to make a fruitful October run.
9. Texas Rangers
(Matt 9, Andrew 12, Jack 8, Trey 9)
Average: 9.8
Texas did take a slight step in the second half of the season after their roaring start; it also blew a 2.5-game lead in the AL West with less than a week left in the season, losing four of their last six. Luckily for Texas, however, even amid the injuries to Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Jon Gray, they still have a good enough top-2 in the rotation paired with a strong top-heavy offense that could possibly help them squeak by. Though the Rays and their loaded bullpen don’t bring much room for error for the Rangers, who sport one of the worst bullpens in MLB.
8. Milwaukee Brewers
(Matt 7, Andrew 7, Jack 9, Trey 7)
Average: 7.5
The Brewers are buoyed by the top of their rotation, which will be without Brandon Woodruff for the series due to injury. Regardless, Corbin Burnes is one of the best pitchers in baseball and Freddy Peralta looks to carry his dominant second half into October. Milwaukee still has arguably the worst offense of any team in the field, but Christian Yelich had an encouraging bounce-back season while the deadline acquisitions of Carlos Santana and Mark Canha have provided a jolt. Their ability to hit the long ball and score is their biggest swing factor.
7. Toronto Blue Jays
(Matt 6, Andrew 8, Jack 7, Trey 4)
Average: 6.3
The Blue Jays, typically known for their offense, have gotten huge contributions from their pitching staff en route to their 89-73 finish. They place in the top-3 in rotation ERA and top-10 in bullpen ERA; they have two very good starters in Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios with a strong bullpen capped by Jordan Hicks and Jordan Romano (even though it’s struggled recently). Nevertheless, the Jays carry a formidable offense led by George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, who could ultimately be the biggest reason why they make a deep playoff run if they can all click collectively.
6. Tampa Bay Rays
(Matt 8, Andrew 5, Jack 4, Trey 8)
Average: 6.3
The Rays were crushed by injuries to their pitching staff all season, but were patched together by Zach Eflin, Tyler Glasnow and Aaron Civale. They have an endless treasure trove of arms in the bullpen capped by closer Pete Fairbanks, which you will need in October. Could playoff Randy Arozarena be Tampa’s October hero again? Time will tell, but we do know one thing: The Rays are always a sneaky contender to create chaos.
5. Philadelphia Phillies
(Matt 5, Andrew 6, Jack 6, Trey 6)
Average: 5.8
The Phillies are entering this postseason with bigger expectations but (potentially) the roster to meet them. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bullpen with more quality options than Philadelphia’s, especially from the left side. Six different Phillies hit 20-plus home runs during the regular season, a power arsenal that played well last October, to say the least. It’s not perfect, of course. There are more questions about how the Phillies will fill out the bottom of their order and outfield. Aaron Nola is less dependable as a Game 2 starter than a year ago. But Citizens Bank Park will be rocking again on Tuesday night, and as last year proved, it’s hard to slow the Phillies down once that energy picks up. — McGuinness
4. Baltimore Orioles
(Matt 3, Andrew 4, Jack 5, Trey 3)
Average: 3.8
The Baltimore Orioles?!?! The Baltimore Orioles! The O’s clinched their first AL East Title since 2013 this season and will bring an incredibly fun, young squad into October. They took a massive hit to the back end of their bullpen with Felix Bautista undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery, thus they will need to rely on consistency from DL Hall, Jacob Webb, Shintaro Fujinami, Danny Coulombe and Cionel Perez. Yennier Cano has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball all season paired with a solid rotation of Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Gibson and Dean Kremer, so they should still be in good shape, should their young offense perform under the bright lights.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
(Matt 4, Andrew 3, Jack 2, Trey 5)
Average: 3.5
The Dodgers won 100-plus games yet again on the backs of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who had two MVP-like seasons. Los Angeles’ rotation–presumably Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller and Lance Lynn–in addition to the back-end of their bullpen are fueled with question marks. But this team could very well go as far as Betts and Freeman–who both carry very good track records for postseason success–take them.
2. Houston Astros
(Matt 2, Andrew 2, Jack 3, Trey 2)
Average: 2.3
Did you really think the Astros wouldn’t win the AL West? I know we all didn’t want it to happen, but it seems almost inevitable at this point. The Rangers gave them a great run but it wasn’t quite enough to dethrone the reigning World Series champions. This Astros team hasn’t really changed all too much from last year, which makes them very dangerous come September baseball. Kyle Tucker continues to be the most underrated player in baseball and Yordan Alvarez continues to be one of the best hitters on the planet. Framber Valdez fronts the rotation, but guys like J.P. France and Brandon Bielak have held down the back end turning it into one of the better rotations in baseball. The Astros are going to make some noise, they’ve been here before and have that knack for winning big games. — Sabin
1. Atlanta Braves
(Matt 1, Andrew 1, Jack 1, Trey 1)
Average: 1
Another month atop the power rankings means I’m back to talk about how great the Braves are. Which as a Phillies fan pains me more than anything … but in all seriousness, the Braves 100 percent deserve this top spot and the No. 1 odds to win the World Series. From the very start of the year, they have been the best team and that hasn’t really changed at all up to this point. Injuries to the rotation have been one area of concern but with Max Fried, due to return soon along with Charlie Morton, this weakness could easily become a strength. Really I think there isn’t isn’t much else to say about the Braves. They are the best team in MLB and I think we all know that by now. — Sabin
Where would rank each of the 12 postseason squads, if you were to do a hypothetical power rankings? Let us know in the comments!
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