Last week here at The Official Power Rankings, we discussed some possible “upstart” teams that could make a run and win the World Series. It’s always a possibility, especially given the added teams to the postseason and the number of layers in the playoffs before even getting to the Fall Classic.
Of course, there’s also the opposite end of the hypothetical: The powerhouse champion. The 2018 Red Sox. The 2017 Astros. The 2016 Cubs. The 2015 Royals. The 2013 Red Sox.
Right now, there are four teams that have a shot to end up looking like one of the above champions.
The Yankees have had the best record in the AL or even all of baseball for a good portion of the season. They are in a rut right now, but if they rebound and win over 100 games, they obviously count.
The Astros aren’t in nearly as bad a stretch as the Yankees, but they have lost eight of their last 14. Of course, they are still on pace to win 103 games and considering they have taken three of the last five AL pennants, they would certainly be a powerhouse champ.
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How about the Mets? The franchise hasn’t seen a 100-game winner since 1988, but they are 70-39 right now, which is a 104-win pace. Their lead dipped all the way down to a half-game over the Braves a few weeks ago, but the Mets have gone 12-2 since then. They just took four of five against the defending champs and are finally sporting the otherworldly Scherzer-deGrom tandem atop the rotation. They have a 6 1/2-game lead and are looking the best they have all season in some respects.
Could it end up being a powerhouse vs. powerhouse matchup in the NLCS? Because the most obvious pick here would be the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It’s entirely possible that many people are taking the Dodgers for granted right now. It’s understandable, too. After all, the Dodgers have set these lofty expectations for themselves in the regular season.
The Dodgers haven’t missed the playoffs since 2012. They are going to win their ninth division title in the last 10 years and the one they didn’t win was a season in which they won 106 games. They’ve made the NLCS six of the last nine seasons, taking the NL pennant three times.
And yet, the only World Series title the Dodgers have won since 1988 was the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Therein lies the rub. Surely the Dodgers and their fans desperately want another title, notably one in a full season in which they get to play and win the World Series in front of a packed house at Dodger Stadium.
If they don’t, the season is a failure.
It’s one of those things that doesn’t really seem fair, but it’s also a situation that is the envy of the rest of baseball. It goes both ways. Sure, it’s a total bummer, from the Dodgers’ point of view, that they could go out and win 112 games, make a run to Game 7 of the World Series and lose by one run and be considered failures. It’s also a testament to how good they’ve been for the last decade that they are in this position. Many other teams could make it to the league championship series and have their fans fondly remember the magical run for years in the future.
The other byproduct of being easily the best-run organization in…
Read More: MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers make it clear they’re the best team in baseball; Mets rise to No. 2