MLB Power Rankings: Postseason Edition
1. Houston Astros
The Houston Astros sit at the number one spot going into the postseason. The Astros own the best record in MLB and have arguably the most complete team in baseball.
After a 10 year period of mediocrity, which included a move to the AL West and a franchise-worst finish in 2012 (51-111), the Astros found sudden success in 2015. Since then, they have won three straight AL West titles and claimed their first World Series in 2017 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2018, they lost in the ALCS, but the Astros have returned better than ever in 2019.
In the offseason, they acquired long-time Cleveland Indian Michael Brantley. Brantley has dealt with a number of injuries in his career, but whenever he has been healthy, he has been one of the best pure hitters in the league. In 2019, he has been just that for the Astros. He has produced a .313/.374/.501 slash line with 21 home runs (a career-high) and 86 RBIs. His 4.6 WAR has proven his value.
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The most unlikely contributor to an already stellar offense has been rookie phenom, Yordan Alvarez. The 22-year-old slugger broke into the league in a big way this year, hitting an incredible .326/.422/.681 with 27 home runs and 77 RBIs in 82 games. He is likely on his way to winning AL Rookie of the Year.
Alvarez is not the only Astro chasing an award. 25-year-old superstar third baseman Alex Bregman has opened up a legitimate AL MVP case thanks to a ridiculous second half. He currently sits with a .295/.419/.590 slash line, 40 home runs, and 109 RBIs. His 8.0 WAR trails only Cody Bellinger and Mike Trout, who is his only real threat to his MVP case. If Bregman finishes the season on a tear, he might be taking home his first MVP trophy
But wait, we’re not done. Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are competing with each other for the AL Cy Young. Both have been absolutely dominant in 2019. Their stats are near-identical. Verlander leads Cole in wins 20 to 19, but Cole has the very slight edge in ERA, 2.52 to 2.53. Cole leads the league in strikeouts with 316, but Verlander is second with 288. You can make a case for either to take home the hardware, but the bottom line is that no one in the league wants to face these guys twice in a playoff series.
To make things even more unfair, the Astros acquired former Cy Young and six-time All-Star Zack Greinke. Good luck getting past these guys. Paired with a strong bullpen, the Astros enter the postseason as the most complete team.