The Big Kahunas
The Los Angeles Dodgers (2020)
The L.A. Dodgers seem to be the epitome of the old saying, “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” Since 2013, the Dodgers have made the playoffs every single year with 2020 being the year they finally got to the altar. If anything, this is an indication of the sheer potential that this team has.
In 2022 alone, they led the entire league in wins, runs per game, run differentials, and had the highest combined WAR, just to name a few. Big moves in free agency over the last couple of years show that the Dodgers want to win. Management has paid a pretty penny for these big names; 2022 saw the Dodgers with the MLB’s largest payroll.
If anything, the Dodgers serve as a cautionary tale — payroll, star power, etc., doesn’t mean jack. Hopefully, Dave Roberts won’t make the same mistake as last year in guaranteeing a pennant in Los Angeles. The baseball gods can give, but they can also just as easily take away! Nonetheless, making the playoffs should be easy for L.A. As for the World Series, well, we’ll have to see.
The Atlanta Braves (2021)
As is the case with any die-hard fan, I believed that Atlanta would repeat their almost storybook 2021 run last year. Those the Braves didn’t lose to free agency were coming back, new faces in Matt Olson would shape up the lineup, and the new class of Baby Braves led me to dream about Atlanta winning the dance again.
Unfortunately, all but a few of the team seemed to take their foot off the pedal, losing to the Phillies in the NLDS. Despite a rocky start and end, the Braves finished third in combined WAR, second in OPS, and had one of the best bullpens in the league (thank you, Raisel Iglesias).
I hope that we won’t see a repeat of the ’90s Braves, with the 1995 pennant race being the only time Atlanta received a ring during this dominant era. If Atlanta keeps losing in the NLDS or NLCS, or if we keep losing stars in free agency, however, history may be doomed to repeat itself. Nonetheless (and you can call me biased or accuse me of drinking the Kool-Aid), my head is high. Ronald Acuña, Jr. is coming back healthier, Max Fried is going to win a Cy Young, and Michael Harris II will win World Series MVP. A girl can dream, anyway.
The Houston Astros (2017, 2022)
It is not that I necessarily want them to win. The Astros are like the Yankees in that only Astros fans want the Astros to win. Critics claiming that their 2017 win was fraudulent were proven right after World Series losses in 2019 and 2021. 2022, at least in the eyes of Astros fans, proved to the baseball world that, “Yes, this team is legit.” What makes them different from the Dodgers or Braves, however? The short answer is consistency.
The Astros have appeared in the ALCS five more times since their pennant win in 2017. They’ve won the AL pennant three times since then and won the AL West division back to back to back to back, etc. In the last year, they had the lowest average ERA in the American League. The hitting core in Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and the new upstart in Jeremy Peña (to name a few) can’t seem to slow down.
The hate dished at this team seems to fuel them; it makes them stronger. Like the Sith in Star Wars. World Series hangover is real, as evidenced by how Atlanta started the season last year. With the Astros, however, it will be onward and upwards, and much to our chagrin, another ring.
The Bottom Line
I could prattle on about statistics, wins, losses, etc., but, in the end, it’s about who is the last standing in October, and the key to that is consistency. As of now, the Dodgers, Braves, and Astros proved to be the most consistent in the last couple of years. So, come October, will it be one of these teams holding up the new trophy? Or will the other teams on this list come back to their former glory? As I said before, it is only the beginning of the season, so only time will tell. However, it is nonetheless fun to think about!
Note: Thank you to FanGraphs and Baseball Reference for the statistics!