The regular season for Major League Baseball has come to a close, with some races finishing on the last day. The New York Yankees needed to beat the Boston Red Sox yesterday to have a chance at the division title, but ended up losing 8-4. Tampa ended its season on a winning note, rallying to beat the Royals 3-2 in 12 innings after trailing 2-0 going into the 9th inning. Because of these events, the Rays will take on the Texas Rangers and the Yankees will face the Minnesota Twins. Over in the National League, the Giants beat the Padres 3-0 yesterday to wrap up the West, while the Braves beat the Phillies 8-7 to ensure a wild card berth. The struggling Reds will face the two-time NL defending champion Phillies, and the Braves will head to San Francisco. With all of these matchups in mind, I’ll rank the playoff teams based on strength.
Power Rankings
| # | Team | Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia Phillies | They finished with the best record in MLB and look to reach the World Series for the third straight season. |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Rays | The Rays are the #1 team in the AL and have the most favorable matchup, hosting the Texas Rangers. |
| 3 | New York Yankees | They didn’t look very impressive in Boston over the weekend and have lost 7 of their last 10. The good news is Minnesota hasn’t been playing any better. |
| 4 | Minnesota Twins | They have looked awful lately and get to face the New York Yankees in round one. I don’t think this is a very good matchup for them. |
| 5 | San Francisco Giants | The Giants ended the season on a good note and won 7 of their last 10 games. They draw a Braves team that has struggled a bit lately. |
| 6 | Atlanta Braves | They played well enough over the weekend to win the wild card, but their offense will need to produce if they want to advance. |
| 7 | Texas Rangers | They haven’t faced tough competition since mid-September, and I question whether they’re ready for the Rays. |
| 8 | Cincinnati Reds | Not much competition in their division this year, and they get the unlucky draw of facing a tough Phillies squad. |
The Twins have looked awful lately and get to face the New York Yankees in round one. I don’t think this is a very good matchup for them.
My Predictions
| Winner | Result |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | over the Cincinnati Reds |
| Tampa Bay Rays | over the Texas Rangers |
| New York Yankees | over the Minnesota Twins |
| San Francisco Giants | over the Atlanta Braves |
