Editor’s Note: All my graphics going forward will come directly from Stat Soldier. Go check it out by clicking here.
First and foremost, if it wasn’t obvious already, the full playoff field has not been set yet. That being the case, I will be writing about players and/or components of teams that have clinched a playoff berth or are “highly likely” to make the playoffs.
In case you have not been paying attention, the teams that have clinched so far are the Dodgers, Brewers, Rays, and Yankees. It's a little wild that only 4 teams have clinched any of the possible 12 postseason slots with about 10 games left.
I should have assumed that, given the National League East, American League West, and American League Central divisional titles are all still up for grabs!
Well, enough talking; I am going to start ranking!
10) Daniel Espino, RHP, Cleveland Guardians
Daniel Espino is yet another product out of the Guardians pitching factory. If you pay attention to prospects and farm system rankings, you will know this name. If not, Espino was drafted back in 2019 by the Guardians in the 1st round of the MLB draft.
The reason we are only seeing him now is that he endured two massive shoulder surgeries in the process of being developed. Fast forward to this season, Espino is healthy and dealing in the big leagues.
Sure, it is a small sample size, but he looks good! Another weapon for them to deploy out of the bullpen to complement Cade Smith, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, and Tim Herrin.
2026 Stats - 12.1 IP | 2.92 ERA | 1.22 WHIP | 21 K
9) San Diego Padres Base Running
The Padres are deceivingly fast. In fact, they have stolen the 4th most bases in baseball as a team (152). Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, Sung-Mun Song, and Samad Taylor all have double-digit stolen bases this year. Merrill, Tatis Jr., and Bogaerts all have stolen more than 20!
Pairing speed with an offense that can get HOT can be scary in October. The last thing any pitcher wants to deal with is runners on the basepaths, especially fast ones who are aggressive about taking bases. Players react differently when they know there is legit speed involved. Could be something, could be nothing. Just a thought for a team not necessarily labeled as “fast”.
8) Bryan Baker, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Bryan Baker has to be considered one of the best closers in baseball this season. Not only does he lead the MLB in Saves, but he is pitching to a 1.52 ERA. Not to mention, he is doing it in the American League East, one of the best divisions in baseball.
In 62 appearances, Baker has only blown 3 Saves all season. If the Rays get into a tight game late, I love Baker coming out of the bullpen!
2026 Stats - 62 G | 59.1 IP | 40 SV | 1.52 ERA | 0.89 WHIP | 62 K
7) Los Angeles Dodgers Defense
The Dodgers just won their fifth straight divisional title, and 13th in the past 14 years. The baseball world likes to think it’s all just star power. It’s not. It is exceptional development, strategic contracts, bought-in ownership, and sheer competitiveness.
After all those factors, we have to look at the defense. The Dodgers are currently ranked 2nd in all of baseball in Fielding Percentage (.989). They sit only behind the Chicago Cubs in that category.
They don’t make mistakes and make you earn every run you are going to put up against them. How does the expression go? “Offense wins games, defense wins championships”
6) Tampa Bay Rays Hitting
When it comes to Tampa Bay, the narrative has been that they develop pitching better than most. Understandably so, they have produced many talented arms over the last 10-15 years. This year feels different. That is because it has been different.
When it comes to batting average, the Rays currently have 5 players ranked inside the top-30 hitters in baseball. That is a majority of their lineup ranked inside the top-30!
Chandler Simpson (.311), Yandy Diaz (.295), Liam Hicks (.286), Jonathan Aranda (.278), and Junior Caminero (.277) are all crushing it this season. Pairing this lineup with a top-10 team ERA (3.73) quickly explains why this team is the top team in the American League.
5) Yankees Starting Rotation Depth
The Yankees have one of the deepest rotations in all of baseball.
Cam Schlittler: 1.95 ERA
Gerrit Cole: 3.67 ERA
Max Fried: 2.63 ERA
Carlos Rodon: 2.95 ERA
Will Warren: 3.89 ERA
Ryan Weathers-IL: 3.60 ERA
I think this rotation is being slept on just a bit heading into October. Once Weathers is back, I trust most of these guys to go out there and win big games. The nice thing is we really haven’t seen this group all together yet, and they just got Clarke Schmidt back as well.
Time will tell, but I think this is a massive factor for the Yankees given the fact that the bullpen is not as lethal as it has been over recent years, and they will need to rely on their starters to deliver come postseason.
4) Brew Crew Experience/Roster Evolution
The Brewers have now been in the postseason for 8 of the past 9 seasons. I think this team has more firepower on it than previous rosters. The rotation is electric, and there is an elite 1-2 punch between Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson. The relief pitching has been exceptional, and I trust any arm wearing a Milwaukee uniform at this point.
It’s not just the arms and the development anymore. This lineup has ballers. Jake Bauers, Christian Yelich, William Contreras, Brice Turang, Luis Lara, and Cooper Pratt are all contributing, and they are led by superstar Jackson Chourio.
The roster is deeper than it’s ever been. It only takes one series to knock out the Dodgers. Could be a fight that Milwaukee won’t even have to settle. Atlanta and Philadelphia could both get the job done against Los Angeles.
3) Atlanta’s Bullpen
The Braves have one of the best rounded bullpens in baseball. Raisel Iglesias is having another fantastic year with 33 saves and a 2.73 ERA.
There are many weapons for them to deploy against opposing lineups. Dylan Lee, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Dodd, and Robert Suarez all have double-digit holds and are pitching to a sub-3.09 ERA.
When people think of Atlanta, they think of Ronald Acuna Jr., Chris Sale, Drake Baldwin, and Matt Olson. Those guys are the bread and butter of this organization, but the bullpen depth is what allows them to close out games.
2) Houston’s Nothing to Lose Mentality
The Astros have been mediocre all year long. The only talk I have heard out of Houston all season is about Yordan Alvarez and rightfully so. The American League West stinks, and the Astros are a game above .500.
For some reason, their results don’t sit well with me. I just can’t see a team with Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker, Jeremy Pena, Daulton Varsho, Yanier Diaz, Josh Hader, Hunter Brown, Bryan Abreu, and Cristian Javier just rolling over and dying.
My thought is this team has experience and talent all over the diamond, including a true ace, a generational closer in Josh Hader, and some raw young talent like Cam Smith…this team might be able to go on a roll. Who knows? They will probably not even make the playoffs and lose the division to the Texas Rangers.
1) Playoff Bryce.
Bryce Harper Career Playoff Statistics Through 57 Games:
57 H | 17 HR | 34 RBI | 38 BB | 42 R | .274 AVG | .596 SLG | .986 OPS | .390 OBP
Enough said.