2024 Vendetta MLB Power Rankings: Postseason Edition

2024 Vendetta MLB Power Rankings: Postseason Edition

It’s that time of year! October baseball has arrived–this is where the real fun starts. Throughout the 2024 MLB Season (outside of September), we have done monthly power rankings of all 30 MLB Teams. Though we change it up for the postseason, ranking the 12 remaining teams heading into the sport’s most exciting time of the year. Without further ado, let’s dive into it!

12. Atlanta Braves

If I’ve learned anything about postseason baseball, it’s a complete clusterheck (yes, I just made that word up?) in October. Nothing is predictable. With that said, I get a nervous feeling about Atlanta with injuries to Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley and now Chris Sale. They may have gotten Reynaldo Lopez back from the IL this week, but Atlanta’s battling attrition as well as a healthy, hungry, complete Padres team in the Wild Card. Never say never.

11. Kansas City Royals

Did Bobby Witt Jr. have a phenomenal MVP-esque season? Yes. Is it also hard to trust the production–or lack thereof–of every other bat around him outside of Salvador Perez? Also yes. They were baseball’s worst offense–by far–in September, despite sporting the sixth-best ERA and fourth-best FIP. Their rotation will keep them in games, but if teams can find a way to keep Witt or Perez off base, it’s going to be difficult for Kansas City to win many (or any) games.

10. New York Mets

I may be a prisoner of the moment, but the Mets-Braves Game 1 thriller Monday was arguably the best game of the entire 2024 season. New York’s six-run rally followed by Francisco Lindor‘s two-run game-winning home run propelled New York to their second postseason appearance in seven years. Will their bullpen hold up?

9. Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers! They’re back! After looking dead in the water when the trade deadline arrived, Detroit parlayed their 25-10 stretch to end 2024 into their first postseason appearance since 2014. Kerry Carpenter. Matt Vierling. Parker Meadows. Each of those three players is playing arguably the best baseball of their lives at the perfect moment. Oh, and they also may have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Tarik Skubal, the first pitcher to win the Triple Crown over a full season since Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw in 2011.

Detroit Tigers Promote Jackson Jobe

8. Milwaukee Brewers

The Brew Crew weren’t expected to breeze through the NL Central after trading Corbin Burnes to Baltimore right before the 2024 season. That’s the beauty of baseball–there are always surprises. Milwaukee was consistently one of the best offenses in the NL while having to start an endless amount of arms due to injury. They finished third in run differential and I think they’re more than capable of a deep run if their pitching staff holds up.

7. Baltimore Orioles

It was an underwhelming season for Baltimore after its 101-win campaign in 2023. Regardless, this squad got a taste of what the postseason was like last fall, and it’s looking to capitalize in 2024. They have an ace in Burnes with a very deep lineup, headed by AL MVP candidate Gunnar Henderson. Their bullpen is very questionable, however. Can they continue their momentum from their two series wins over the Yankees and Twins to cap the regular season?

6. Cleveland Guardians

Similar to Milwaukee, the Guardians, coming off a mediocre 76-86 season, weren’t expected to make much noise heading into this season. They finished as the No. 2 seed in the American League behind a three-headed horse offensively with Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor. I don’t quite trust their postseason rotation as much as I would’ve in years past, but this squad will still grind teams out when it matters most.

5. Houston Astros

Remember at the start of June when the Astros were ranked as the seventh-worst team in our power rankings? Yeah? Me too. They were 10 games back of the AL West on June 19. Houston subsequently rattled off wins in 10 of their next 11 and didn’t look back, going 45-32 thereafter and winning the division by four games. This team has a World Series pedigree and has a rotation–led by Framber Valdez–that I trust as much as any team in the field.

Craig Counsell Cries About How Much Better The Brewers Are Than The Cubs

4. New York Yankees

Aaron Judge had one of the best hitting seasons in MLB history, while Juan Soto wasn’t far behind him. Though New York doesn’t have a great pitching staff, doesn’t play good defense or has consistently reliable bats outside of those two. The talent, on paper, is there. But World Series aren’t won “on paper.” Can the team in pinstripes bring home their first World Series since 2009? The expectations are high, and this is the prime year to do it, but they don’t come without serious question marks.

3. San Diego Padres

The Padres haven’t quite surpassed the Dodgers, but they’re picking the right time to peak. They ended the regular season winning 13 of their final 16 games, going 34-18 over the last two months with a plus-49 run differential. They have a deadly playoff rotation, an elite back-of-the-bullpen plus a fringe top-5 offense. They should be on everyone’s radar.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Speaking of historic seasons: Shohei Ohtani tops the list after capping off 2024 with 54 home runs, 59 stolen bases with an NL-leading 1.036 OPS (190 OPS+). He’s also flanked by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, two elite hitters in their own right, in addition to Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, Will Smith and Tommy Edman, who’s played well since coming over at the deadline. Their rotation is so beat up, though, which complicates matters in terms of projecting their fate (or triumph!).

1. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are my World Series favorite heading into October. They’ve been hunting the last two seasons and have arguably the most complete team in the sport with a perfect blend of power, depth and speed. They have a rock-solid rotation with a reliable bullpen that was a fringe top-10 unit after acquiring Carlos Estevez. They may have had a blip to end 2024, but I trust the top-end talent on this squad to rally the troops together in the hunt for their first World Series since 2008.

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