MLB Power Rankings

September baseball is the best kind of baseball! Who's going to make the playoffs in the National League?

1. Boston Red Sox: Will J.D. Martinez win the Triple Crown? He leads the AL in RBIs (115), is second in home runs (39), and second in batting average (.336). Anyways, Martinez deserves a great deal of AL MVP consideration with the season he's having.
2. Houston Astros: As mentioned a few posts ago, Alex Bregman will be a critical part of Houston's title defense. Bregman homered in his third straight game as the 'Stros beat the Twins, 4-1. He brought his total up to 28 for the season.
   
3. New York Yankees: After the Oakland A's, the Yankees will face off against the Mariners, the Rays, and their hated rival Boston. It'll be a good test for the Yankees to see if they're ready to go all the way this year.
   
4. Chicago Cubs: All the talk about Javier Baez being the NL MVP is well-warranted. However, Ben Zobrist (128 wRC+, 12.6 K%, .308 BA, .386 OBP) will be a critical bat for the Cubs moving forward.
   
5. Oakland Athletics: The A's actually had a bit of a bumpy week, going 3-4 last week. After their series with the Yankees, the only two teams they'll face that are over .500 will be Seattle and red-hot Tampa Bay.
6. Cleveland Indians: Cleveland's pitching staff will be a key factor in their pursuit of their first World Series title in over a half-century. Carlos Carrasco, Corey Kluber, and Trevor Bauer will need to be outstanding for Cleveland to bring home the championship.
   
7. St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals have blazed their way into a wild card spot. However, their last five match-ups will be tough: they will face the Dodgers, rival Cubs, Brewers, and Braves after September 12. Can the Cardinals hang on and secure their playoff spot?
   
8. Los Angeles Dodgers: A magical extra-innings walk-off win against Arizona on Sunday propelled the Dodgers closer to the playoffs. Unfortunately, Los Angeles will be without Yasiel Puig for two games due to suspension (Puig lost an appeal for an altercation with Nick Hundley on August 16).
   
9. Milwaukee Brewers: Acquiring Gio Gonzalez will help bolster the rotation. But will it be enough to help Milwaukee go far in October?
   
10. Atlanta Braves: Ronald Acuna, Jr. (23 homers, .568 SLG) may be the marquee bat in the young Braves lineup. However, Ozzie Albies (22 homers, 64 RBIs) will have to play a bigger role in the Braves' lineup if Atlanta wants to expedite their rebuilding process.
    

In the Hunt: Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies