With Spring Training right around the corner, here is my analysis of last year’s MLB postseason. Twelve teams qualified for the playoffs, and gave their full effort to make it to this part of the season. I will be going over every single team that made it to the postseason, and grading them on their overall performance throughout it.
Tampa Bay Rays (F)
After having a one-of-a-kind regular season winning 99 games and dominating on offense, this team looked unstoppable and prone to make a deep playoff run late into October. That’s when they met the Texas Rangers, led by Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia. They were overall dominated on both sides of the baseball, with the Rays’ offense struggling to score runs and only scoring 1 run throughout 2 games, and the pitchers giving up long bombs and costly singles and doubles. This team definitely played the worst out of the 12 teams that qualified and will need to bounce back next year to prove they are a top 5 team.
Toronto Blue Jays (D-)
Finishing the regular season above expectations, the Blue Jays looked to be a prominent team that could make it out of the wild card round and make some noise throughout the postseason. Even though they only managed to conjure up 1 run over two games, they made it a very close contest in each game. Their pitching was keeping them in every single game, and leaving it all on the table for their offense to try and back them up. I have them ahead of Tampa Bay simply because their pitching and defense were playing exceptionally well to keep their hopes alive.
Miami Marlins (D-)
Similar to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Marlins were expected to be a non-playoff team this year, but defied the odds and clinched a wild-card berth for the first time in 3 seasons. With the help of the sensational second baseman Luis Arráez and dominant pitching from the 28-year-old Sandy Alcántara, they made their way back to October baseball, where they faced the Bryce Harper-led Phillies. In the first game, they kept it close with only a 1-4 loss and some positives that they could build off of, then the second game happened and the wheels came off the tracks, with a complete demolition on the defensive side giving up 7 runs through six innings and barely building enough offense to only bring in one run. I have this team above Toronto only because they had a stronger finish to the end of the regular season.
Milwaukee Brewers (D-)
The Brewers were considered to be one of the best teams over the regular season and presented a good offense and defense to back up that reputation. They faced off against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the wild-card round of the 2023 MLB playoffs and looked to make a possible deep run in the playoffs. In game 1, they started off strong by scoring a run in the first inning and two more in the second, that’s until Arizona responded by scoring three runs in the third inning and tying the game. After that inning, it all went downhill for Milwaukee as they gave up a run in the 4th inning and later 2 more runs in the top of the 9th to close out the game. In game 2 it was the same start, as they scored two runs in the first inning to go up 2-0, but couldn’t hold on as they gave up 1 run in the 5th inning and then got demolished in the 6th giving up 4 runs and ultimately losing the game. The Milwaukee Brewers had to be one of the biggest let-downs this postseason, but I have them above the previous teams because they won their division and had high expectations going in.
Minnesota Twins (C-)
The Minnesota Twins were by far the most interesting teams throughout the season. With hanging around .500 throughout the season and playing in the weakest division in all of baseball, this team looked like they would be a first-round exit and lose against any team they would play in the postseason. That’s when they stated their case, winning games 1 and two of the wildcard series against the Blue Jays in dominant fashion. Then they moved on to face the Houston Astros, the defending champions of 2022, in the divisional series in a best of 5 series. In game 1 the Astros win 6-4 and Yordan and Altuve both hit home runs, and the Twins come up just short but obtain 9 hits throughout the game. In game 2 the Twins bounced back and won 6-2 while getting 10 hits and Correa accounted for three of those and half of the runs scored on the night. In games 3 and 4, the Astros exploded for 12 combined runs over these two games and held the twins to 3 runs in their elimination from the playoffs. The twins had an above-average season for all the circumstances that they had to go through and earned the 8th spot on my postseason power rankings list.
Los Angeles Dodgers (C-)
The Dodgers have been considered to be one of the most dominant postseason teams of all time in MLB history, and have had major success over the years. They had a very good regular season this year, as they won 100 games and were considered a top 3 team throughout the season. They looked as if they could make a very deep run into the playoffs, and even make it back to the World Series for the fourth time in ten seasons. Their first matchup in the playoffs was against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had barely made the playoffs as a 6th seed with an overall record of 84-78. In Game 1, the Dodgers got obliterated with a final score of 11-2 Diamondbacks, as the Diamondbacks racked up 13 hits and scored 9 runs within the first two innings of play. In game 2 it was a much closer contest, but the Dodgers fell yet again 4-2, due to the Diamondbacks getting out to yet another early lead by scoring 3 runs in the first inning. Now with their backs against the wall in game 3 and all hope seems lost, the Dodgers had to give it their all in order to keep their World Series hopes alive. Both teams started out the game by going through two scoreless innings, and then the 3rd inning opened up for the Diamondbacks as they scored 4 crucial runs to take a huge lead. The Dodgers managed to bring in 2 runs in the 7th inning to get back in the game, but it wasn’t enough as the Diamondbacks swept the Dodgers 3-0 in the series and moved on to the next round. After a demoralizing end to their season in the playoffs and having an outstanding regular season performance, I only have the Dodgers above the previous teams due to the fact that they won 100 games and were crowned NL West champs for the season.
Atlanta Braves (C-)
The Atlanta Braves were considered to be the most talked about team in the MLB during the regular season. With winning a league-high 104 games and only losing a league-low of 58 games, the Braves looked destined to win the World Series and win the glory of the 2023 season. The first opponent they had to face, the Philadelphia Phillies, were the 4th seed in the NL side of the bracket and a huge divisional rival of the Braves. In game 1 the Phillies blanked the best record Braves 3-0, earning 6 hits and playing dominant baseball to take a 1-0 series lead. In game 2 the Braves even up the series 1-1 with a close 5-4 win, but only obtained 4 hits while having most of their base runners on walks or wild pitches. With the series tied up 1-1, the Braves looked to take a series lead in game 3 and get rid of the Phillies, but that was all they could hope for. The Phillies destroyed the Braves 10-2 as they tallied 11 hits and surprisingly gave up 10 hits in an 8-point victory. Now with the momentum, the Phillies looked to close out the series in Game 4 and get back to the NLCS for consecutive seasons. They did just that as they won 3-1 and racked up 10 hits, whilst only giving up 5 hits. The Braves disappointed a lot of people, especially Braves fans, and were dominated by a more successful team. I have them over the Dodgers only because of their status in the regular season and what they accomplished then. Also on how they made a name for themselves in all-time baseball history.
Baltimore Orioles (C)
The Baltimore Orioles may have had one of the most impressive regular season turnarounds this season compared to the last 10 previous seasons. Winning 101 regular season games and only dropping 61 games, they earned the #1 spot in the American League and were recognized as the 2nd best team in the whole MLB. Their ego was riddled with high expectations, and a trip to the World Series was very much in their grasp. Their first challenge was against the Texas Rangers, who just came off of a brilliant series against the Tampa Bay Rays as they swept them 2-0 and played very dominant. In game 1, Texas continued their hot streak as they beat the Orioles 3-2 and totaled 8 hits in the victory, where the Orioles only managed to scrounge up 5 hits. Moving on to game 2, expectations for Baltimore to bounce back were at a new high, and their fans were anxious to see the result. Unfortunately for them, their team couldn’t keep up as Texas took a 2-0 series lead and won 11-8 in game 2, even due to being out-hit 11-14. With the Orioles down to their final game, it looked like their season was going to come to an end. Game 3 was not a close game at all, as Texas cruised to a 3-0 series sweep and a 7-1 win over the “Best team in the American League.” Baltimore had such an unbelievable regular season run of dominance, just to get swept in the ALDS by the soon to World Champs Texas. I have Baltimore above Atlanta because of the sheer fact that Baltimore hadn’t finished with a 90+ win season in over 9 years and had such a spectacle of a regular season.
Houston Astros (B-)
The Astros had a very awkward end to their regular season. They finished the year at 39-42 at home, the worst for a division winner in the league this season, and 51-30 on the road, tied for the second-best record in the league. They ended the season with the same record as the Rangers, 90-72, but won the division due to head-to-head win percentage and they won their last game and the Rangers couldn’t. Now with a wild card bye, they waited to face their opponent, the Minnesota Twins, in the ALDS. In game 1 they won 6-4 and got off to a hot start with Altuve hitting a leadoff home run early. Game 2 was a different story for the Astros, as the Twins stomped them 6-2 at home, and the Astros couldn’t find a way to bring in any runs. Then Game 3 came around, and the Astros made a bounceback statement as they won 9-1 and totaled 14 hits in a blowout win. Now with one game potentially left to move on to their 7th straight ALCS appearance, the Astros were determined to move on. They did just that as they won a close 3-2 contest and closed out the series for good, moving on to the ALCS yet again. They then were to face the Texas Rangers, the last seed that made the playoffs, in a best-of-7 series that had the potential to be one of the greatest series of all time. In games 1 and 2 the Astros lost 2-0 and 5-4, both very close games that the Astros had a chance to take advantage of. Games 3, 4, and 5 were all won by the Astros with scores of 8-5, 10-3, and 5-4, with game 5 being one of the greatest ALCS games of all time with momentum swings throughout the game. Now it comes down to games 6 and 7, the obvious most pivotal games of a 7-game series, and it was all on the table for each team. But with complete disbelief, the Texas Rangers won both games 6 and 7 with scores of 9-2 and 11-4 to advance to the World Series for the first time in over 12 years of an appearance. This series was the first since the 2019 World Series, which also had the Astros losing, where both teams didn’t win a single game at their home stadiums. Overall, the Astros had a very interesting 2023 season, but I have them over the Orioles due to the fact that they made it to the ALCS for the 7th straight season and had all-winning seasons under Dusty Baker.
Philadelphia Phillies (B)
The Phillies were a very strong team during the season, even being 14 games back of the Braves for first place and earning the 4th seed in the National League. They finished with a 49-32 home record and a 41-40 record on the road, which was slightly better than what they finished as last year. Their first contest in the NLWC was against the division rival Miami Marlins, which wasn’t much of a struggle for them as they swept the series 2-0 and only gave up two runs over two games. Their next challenge in the NLDS was against the team with the best regular season record, the Atlanta Braves, who were favored to win this series by a majority. But yet again, the Phillies proved their keep by winning the series in 4 games and shocking the league with how dominant they played throughout the series. They scored 20 runs over these 4 games, and only gave up a minimal 8 runs against the “best offense in the league”. Now they’ve advanced to the NLCS and are facing the 6th seed Arizona Diamondbacks on a magical run throughout the playoffs, who beat the NL Central division winner Milwaukee Brewers in the wild-card round, and the 2nd seed Los Angeles Dodgers in another series sweep. The Phillies were the slight favorite to win in the series and looked to make it back to the World Series for consecutive seasons. In games 1 and 2 the Phillies won with ease with scores of 5-3 and 10-0, and looked like they could move on to the World Series with ease. That’s until they awakened the Viper, as the Diamondbacks bounced back with wins in games 4 and 5 of 2-1 and 6-5, evening up the series.
Arizona Diamondbacks (A)
The Arizona Diamondbacks were the magical story of the postseason. After barely squeaking into the playoffs as a 6th seed, they looked as though they weren’t going to make it far deep into the month of october. Their first test to face was the Milwaukee Brewers, the NL Central division champions and winners of 92 games and only dropped 70 games. They shocked the league by sweeping the Brewers 2-0 and winning 6-3 in game 1 and 5-2 in game 2. Their next series was against the 2nd seed Los Angeles Dodgers, who had a big reputation coming into the playoffs. Games 1 and 2 were dominated by the Diamondbacks, with game one being an 11-2 drubbing and game 2 being a closer contest at 4-2 but still a win for the Dbacks. Now with one game away from going to the NLCS, the Diamondbacks were ready to close out the series and make it back to the NLCS for the first time in 16 years. They did just that as they won 4-2 and played a dominant series against a huge favorite to win the World Series. Their next opponent was the Phillies and they weren’t favored to win against them, as the Phillies have been dominant for the past two years. But Yet again they shocked the world as they beat the phillies 4-3 in the series and moved on to play the Rangers in the WORLD SERIES. This was a fairly matched world series, as both teams came in as a 6 seed and finished with near the same record. In game 1 the Rangers squeaked by with a 6-5 win on an Adolis Garcia walk off homerun in the bottom of the 11th inning. Game 2 is an explosion for the Diamondbacks as they obliterate Texas 9-1 and even up the series at 1-1. Unfortunately for Arizona, the rest is history as Texas wins games 3, 4, and 5 by scores of 3-1, 11-7, and 5-0 to win their first World Series in franchise history. Arizona fought as much as they could through the postseason, and I give them credit for being the last team to qualify and make it all the way to the world series. I have them at #2 for being the runner-up in the world series and showing the grit of an underdog.
Texas Rangers (A+)
The Texas Rangers were the most dominant team in the postseason this year by far. Starting off with sweeping the Rays 2-0 in Tampa, Then facing the Orioles and going 2-0 in baltimore and then bringing it home for the 3-0 series sweep, then moved on to play the Astros in the ALCS and win every single game on the road to win a 4-3 series classic to advance to the world series, and finally dominating the diamondbacks and winning all 3 games in Arizona to be crowned the 2023 MLB world series champs and win the series 4-1. This was a spectacle of a team to watch, with players like Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager they made it look like a cake-walk in the playoffs. I was very impressed with this team and how they dominated the playoffs like they did, so they deserve my #1 overall team in the 2023 MLB postseason power rankings.
Honorable mention: Props to the Seattle Mariners for beating the Rangers and giving the Astros their 6th division title in the last 7 seasons. This is why Seattle sports rules 🙂
