We've made it, friends. This is the last week of the regular season and my final in-season version of MLB Power Rankings. It's been a thrilling ride for the most part. Unfortunately, we haven't really been treated to many very good races this month. Some of the ones that seemed they might be good (NL Central and second AL wild card, for example) kind of just fell apart.
However, a somewhat boring September could well catapult us into a stellar October. Just look at some of the possible matchups. Cubs-Nationals? Yes please. Astros-Red Sox is a beauty, if we get it. If we don't, it's Indians-Red Sox. Dodgers-Diamondbacks and Indians/Astros-Yankees would be pretty powerful matchups for involving wild cards, too.
There really are some powerhouses. We're likely to see at least two 100-win teams. Three teams still have a chance to join the Dodgers in the century club. It's possible that every team in the divisional round of the playoffs has at least 90 wins and that every team in the LCS round is over 95 wins -- and that doesn't include the Cubs, who are starting to fire on all cylinders at the perfect time.
Again, there are some true powers in this thing. How will it unfold? Here's my stab at it. Last week in this very space, I held myself accountable for my regular-season picks, so now it's time to put my money where my mouth is again.
AL wild card
Yankee Stadium (both versions) has been a total house of horrors for the Twins for over a decade. These Twins are exciting and have been playing over their heads, in the opinion of many, this season. They have continued to defy the odds from start to finish. I'm just not seeing it happen. Luis Severino gives the Yankees a good enough start while the scorching hot Aaron Judge clubs two homers and the Yankees' strikeout-heavy bullpen stifles the Twins late.
NL wild card
The Rockies are stumbling to the finish line, but I still ultimately think they hold on here. Not that it's going to matter. The offense on the road has been pretty punchless and they get to face off against Zack Greinke. J.D. Martinez clubs a three-run homer in the first inning, 2017 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt collects three hits and three RBI and the Snakes cruise.
ALDS
We get a fun Red Sox versus Astros matchup here. Lots of very exciting players on both teams and the first-ever playoff matchup between these two franchises. Chris Sale is lights out in Game 1 for the Boston victory. The Astros storm back to take the next three games. They need extras in Game 4 to overcome a Herculean relief effort from David Price, but an 11th-inning home run over the Green Monster from Carlos Correa proves the decisive blow in the series.
The Yankees put up a strong fight in each game, but the Indians are just too good. They sweep with three one-run victories.
NLDS
The Cubs-Nationals series is a freaking monster heavyweight bout. Top-shelf starting pitching with two very powerful offenses. The Nationals get Game 1 behind a dominant Max Scherzer, but the Cubs storm back to take Game 2 over Stephen Strasburg, on the strength of a homer from red-hot Kris Bryant and some funky wizardry from Javier Baez on the bases. The Nationals get Game 3 in a back-and-forth slobberknocker for the ages, with a now-healthy Bryce Harper coming through with a ninth-inning, tie-breaking home run. The Cubs respond with a Game 4 win, taking it in walk-off fashion on a Willson Contreras double. Then the Nationals' Game 5 demons resurface, with Scherzer allowing three home runs and the Cubs getting an ace-like performance from Jake Arrieta.
Robbie Ray shocks the world by outdueling Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of Diamondbacks-Dodgers and sets the tone for the upset. The Dodgers bullpen can't hold a lead in the seventh inning of Game 2, as Jake Lamb comes through with a bases-clearing double. The D-Backs then close the deal with a Game 3 win in Chase Field to sweep the team with the most wins in baseball.
ALCS
Justin Verlander throws a shutout to shock Corey Kluber and the Indians in Game 1, but then Carlos Carrasco responds by shutting the Astros down in Game 2. Let's call each score 1-0. We end up going all seven games here, with Francisco Lindor winning the MVP as the Indians take Game 7 5-2.
NLCS
The Diamondbacks are able to get two wins in front of their home crowd, but the Cubs win the NL pennant at home in front of the Wrigley Field faithful for the second straight year, despite having a worse regular-season record than the wild-card Diamondbacks. Series MVP: Anthony Rizzo.
World Series
Rematch!
Kluber again schools the Cubs in Game 1 in Progressive Field, but this time the Cubs storm back to take three straight. Then it's Kluber again in Game 5, staving off elimination by throwing another shutout. Back in Progressive Field for Game 6, this time the Indians get the win and force a Game 7.
The pitching matchup is Trevor Bauer vs. Jose Quintana. The Cubs batter Bauer early while Quintana cruises through five, before Joe Maddon again goes to his bullpen too early. The Indians come back to tie the game, 6-6, in the eighth inning.
And then we head to the 10th inning, just like last year. The Cubs manage to score a run in the top of the 10th on a, you guessed it, Ben Zobrist double.
So things head to the 10th with Wade Davis looming. He gets two quick outs before the Indians get a baserunner. Sounds slightly familiar, even if a few details are different.
This time, it's not a Michael Martinez type stepping to the plate, though. It's Edwin Encarnacion.
For the second time in World Series history -- and the first in extra innings -- Game 7 ends on a walk-off home run. Encarnacion carries his imaginary parrot around the bases in the midst of utter bedlam in Cleveland.
And for the second straight season, baseball's longest World Series drought is broken.
(Also the second straight season I correctly predicted the World Series champion, which is really just as cool when you think about it).
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | If you skipped past the intro, Cleveland fans, go back and read it. You'll enjoy it. You can trust me here. | -- | 92-69 |
| 2 |  | Signs of life, but against the Phillies, Giants and Padres isn't exactly awe-inspiring. The body of work this season keeps them second, but this hasn't been a good team since Aug. 25. A World Series title silences everything, of course, and it's very much possible. | -- | 98-64 |
| 3 |  | Starting to have the feel of the first-half Astros now, right? They've got their offensive mojo back and have won 10 of their last 12. | -- | 88-73 |
| 4 |  | They haven't played an actually meaningful game in quite a while, but they'll have three to five of the biggest in franchise history against the defending champs. There has just been too much talent for this group to get through 2017 without having ever gotten past the NLDS round. | -- | 71-91 |
| 5 |  | In early August, Chris Sale appeared to have the Cy Young locked up. I actually think he's gonna finish second to Corey Kluber now. That would mean Sale has finished in the top six of AL Cy Young voting in each of the last six seasons with zero wins. | -- | 81-81 |
| 6 |  | Guess who has the best record in the majors since the All-Star break? Well, obviously it's the Indians. The Cubs, however, are next at 46-23 (.676 ball, which is a full-season pace of 110 wins). | 1 | 83-79 |
| 7 |  | J.D. Martinez has played just 58 games with the D-Backs and he's tied with Jake Lamb for second on the team with 28 homers. Ridiculous. | 1 | 89-73 |
| 8 |  | Please don't mistake the predictions above for me not believing the Yankees are dangerous. They very well could be winning a 28th World Series. | -- | 94-68 |
| 9 |  | Making the playoffs one year after losing 103 games is amazing. It will happen with just one more win or one more Angels loss. Incredible turnaround. | 2 | 82-80 |
| 10 |  | Odds are they stave off the Cardinals and Brewers, but if the Rockies even have to play a one-game playoff to get to the wild card, it's a huge second-half collapse. | -- | 61-101 |
| 11 |  | Probably tough to hear now for Brewers fans, but even if the team misses the playoffs, this was a wildly successful season. | 2 | 93-69 |
| 12 |  | The thought of Juan Nicasio being the closer that helps the Cardinals sneak into the playoffs and then not being eligible to be on the playoff roster is a rather hilarious one. | -- | 83-79 |
| 13 |  | The six straight losses last week just buried their playoff chances. Can't let that happen. | -- | 63-99 |
| 14 |  | I took under 80.5 wins for the Royals this season back in March. They are 77-80 with five to play. Going down the wire! | 2 | 86-76 |
| 15 |  | Interesting quirk for a team eight games under .500: The Blue Jays are 5-14 in extra-inning games this season. | 3 | 74-88 |
| 16 |  | Prediction: Wilson Ramos has a huge year in 2018. | 1 | 80-82 |
| 17 |  | Alex Claudio has put together a great season in relief, topping 80 innings of work with an ERA of 2.57 and 1.05 WHIP. He's not a national darling due to low strikeout rate, but he's been a valuable cog to the ballclub. | 2 | 78-84 |
| 18 |  | The drought lives on. The window with Nelson Cruz lasts just one more year. Who knows how much longer Robinson Cano is productive and Felix Hernandez is a concern at this point. | 4 | 85-77 |
| 19 |  | At 5.69, the Orioles have the worst rotation ERA in the AL by a decent amount. It's awfully hard to make the playoffs that way, no? | -- | 91-71 |
| 20 |  | Khris Davis in two seasons has topped 40 homers each time. The only other players in Oakland A's history with at least two 40-homer seasons are the Bash Brothers (Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, for those who weren't '80s baseball fans). | 2 | 69-93 |
| 21 |  | I really hope they don't trade Giancarlo Stanton this offseason. Stop crushing those fans. | 1 | 62-100 |
| 22 |  | The drop last week was harsh but fair. Winning a series over the Cardinals gets the Pirates back in the range where they should be given the body of work. In fact, they've won four of six since my massive demotion. | 7 | 76-86 |
| 23 |  | Former Rangers and Cubs prospect Christian Villanueva has finally hit the bigs and in nine games, he's hitting .391/.391/.913 with four homers. | 2 | 93-69 |
| 24 |  | Keep an eye on Brandon Nimmo for next year. The former first-round pick is 24 years old and closing the season in strong fashion. He's hit .315/.395/.589 with seven doubles and four homers in his last 22 games. | -- | 89-73 |
| 25 |  | R.A. Dickey is mulling over retirement. This season, he's put together a 4.26 ERA in 190 innings. For a 42 year old, that's pretty damn good. Can't hurt to teach your kids how to knuckleball. You never know. | -- | 89-73 |
| 26 |  | I'm not sure I'd make the leap to full-on contenders, but I think the Reds are going to be much better next season due to likely better health in the rotation with some promising young arms. They've lost seven in a row, but it's against all contenders while the Reds have shut down several arms. | 3 | 77-85 |
| 27 |  | In four years State-side, Jose Abreu's RBI totals have been 107, 101, 100 and now 102 and counting. That's consistency in a stat he can't always control. Fun. | -- | 41-121 |
| 28 |  | After a 29-58 first half, the Phillies are 34-37 since the All-Star break. | 2 | 95-67 |
| 29 |  | Do they spend big on a corner outfielder or third baseman this winter? I'm not sure they can do both, but J.D. Martinez and Mike Moustakas would look pretty nice here, no? | 1 | 80-82 |
| 30 |  | The Tigers were 51-57 on Aug. 4 and now they're making a strong run at the number one overall draft pick. Remember that 2003 team that lost 119 games? They went 3-20 in April. This team is 4-21 in September. | -- | 86-76 |
