MLB Power Rankings: Postseason Edition
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the premium team of the National League. In each of the last seven years, they have won the NL West. They have also claimed two straight NL Pennants, but have yet to claim their first World Series title since 1988.
The Dodgers stayed relatively quiet in the offseason. Their only notable acquisitions being reliever Joe Kelly and outfielder A.J. Pollack. More notably, they traded away Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig to the Reds.
However, the Dodgers have shown no signs of slowing down in 2019. They dominated the NL West all season long, going 45-25 against their division foes. At the All-Star break, they held the best record in the NL at 60-32. They would go on to hold that position for the rest of the season and will roll into October with home-field advantage.
Fueling the Dodgers’ success is their outstanding starting pitching. The Dodgers rank first in the MLB in overall starter ERA with a whopping 3.15. Leading that rotation is Hyun-Jin Ryu. Ryu has always been a good starter in since his debut in 2013, but this year he has been incredible. He leads all of baseball with a 2.41 ERA. He has also posted a 3.18 FIP and a 6.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio. While he has come back down to after an absurd first half, where he was nearly unhittable with a 1.73 ERA, he still remains a legitimate candidate to take home the NL Cy Young crown.
Walker Buehler has also cemented himself as one of the best young pitchers in MLB. After a rookie year where he posted a 2.62 ERA in 23 starts, Buehler has continued to show he has premium strikeout stuff. The 24-year-old righty has a 13-4 record with a 3.25 ERA, 3.03 FIP, and 207 strikeouts.
The Dodgers also have a guy named Clayton Kershaw who is supposed to be pretty good, too. He’s 15-5 with a 3.15 ERA with his eighth All-Star appearance. It is probably wise not to forget about him if you’re an opposing team.
The Dodgers’ starting pitching is complemented by an elite offense. They have set a franchise record with 268 home runs as a team. 46 of those have come off the bat of Cody Bellinger. Bellinger experienced somewhat of a sophomore slump after an outstanding Rookie of the Year campaign in 2017. However, if there were any doubters that Bellinger would return to stardom, he has put them to rest. He has compiled a ridiculous .302/.404./.628 slash line while also leading the NL in total bases with 341. To add the cherry on top, he leads the entire league with an 8.6 WAR. Bellinger has been an MVP candidate all season, and he looks poised to take home the award.
If there are any weak spots on the Dodgers’ roster, it’s their bullpen. While they still have the 4th ranked bullpen in the NL, they lack depth in the back end. They failed to pick up a high-end set-up man or closer at the trade deadline, and are forced to roll with what they have. Furthermore, Kenley Jansen has not been the same this year. He has posted a career worsts in ERA (3.90) and blown saves (8). If any team is going to beat the Dodgers, it is going to be through their bullpen. However, the boys in blue are on hungry to finally take home that elusive World Series title.