The 2022 regular season has just three weeks remaining. This means that things are starting to get really exciting in some divisions.
The Dodgers are the National League’s best team, becoming the first to win a postseason berth and then clinching NL West on Monday. However, the Braves & Mets are locked in a close race for the No. The NL East division, and the 2nd spot.
The Rays Blue Jays Mariners and Mariners are also in a close race for the postseason, as they keep going back-and-forth in the American League wildcard seeding.
How does one club compare to another?
Our expert panel combined their expertise to rank each team in baseball. We used a combination of what has been seen and what we knew going into the 162-game marathon. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield (Bradford Doolittle), Jesse Rogers, and Alden Gonzalez for their opinions on the matter. They provided observations for all 30 teams.
Week 22 | Second-half preview | Preseason rankings
Record: 98-44
Previous ranking: 1
With 21 regular-season matches remaining, the Dodgers took down the NL West. The Dodgers would have won 10 division titles in a row if it wasn’t for the 107-win season of the Giants 2021. They will settle for nine of the 10. Tuesday’s Clayton KershawA 4-0 win by the Dodgers over the D’backs was the result. It was the Dodgers’ 918th consecutive regular-season victory in this 10-year period. The streak began back in 2013. At that point, the Yankees were second with only 845 victories. The Dodgers are on the verge of a historic run. The team has only won one championship in the short-lived 2020 season due to the pandemic. Many believe that they will need another one to confirm it. — Gonzalez
Record: 93-50
Previous ranking: 2
If Justin Verlander He returns to game action and resumes his pre-injury workload. His form is the same as before he tweaked his calf. It’s obvious that he will be starting the Astros’ first playoff match in the ALDS. Still, Framber Valdez This is a great pitching performance, so it’s easy to see why Dusty Baker would give him the nod.
Simply put, Valdez is simply amazing. Valdez has been dazzling since Monday’s complete-game win over Detroit. He has thrown an AL-leading 279 innings and allowed only nine homers. His league-leading rate of 0.5 runs per nine innings is also impressive. Valdez has only allowed more three earned runs in one start this season. That was on April 19. — Doolittle
Record: 88-55
Previous ranking: 4
Michael Harris II Although he doesn’t appear on enough plate appearances in order to be eligible for the leaderboards his.900 OPS would place in the top 10 of the majors. His second half was absurd at.337.380/.605. It’s evident, however, that Kenley Jansen It will be a big concern for the stretch and postseason (Dodgers fan, nod your head). Two home runs against Mariners were enough to end Sunday’s lead. After the Braves rallied for five runs at the top of the ninth, the Braves held a 7-6 advantage. That gives them an total of eight homers and seven blown saves for the season. Jansen remains the greatest question mark, as good as the Braves were over the past three-plus month. — Schoenfield
Record: 89-55
Previous ranking: 3
Tuesday’s game seemed certain to win Jacob deGrom The Cubs started the game. Instead, deGrom gave up three runs in six innings, which included a home run. The Cubs won 4-1. DeGrom struck out 10, making him the Mets’ ace in just 49 1/3 innings. With Max Scherzer The Mets will make a rehabilitation start in Syracuse on Wednesday to hopefully get their 1-2 punch together for next week. New York hopes to reverse this underwhelming run, which has seen it go 5-6 against Nationals, Pirates Marlins, Marlins, Cubs, and Cubs. They’ll regret not playing better against the NL’s dregs if the Mets lose to the Braves. — Schoenfield
Record: 87-56
Previous ranking: 6
The Yankees lost Friday’s series opener to the Rays. This dropped their AL East lead to 3.5 games. However, they responded on Saturday with a 10-3 victory (scoring six in that first game). Corey Kluber) and a 10-4 win on Sunday (scoring 10 in the first two innings). A win on Tuesday against the Red Sox extended the lead to six games. Aaron JudgeNow hitting leadoff, he snapped a five game homerless drought with two Red Sox games, including the game-tying homer of the eighth. He now has 57. Schoenfield
Record: 84-59
Previous ranking: 5
After taking control of the division last month, St. Louis is in cruise control. Only two questions remain, namely, if the Cardinals are able to catch the No. The Cardinals will be the No. 2 seed in the NL, even though the Braves & Mets are hot right now — and if they can catch the No. Albert Pujols He has reached 700 before he considers it a career. The second question may be more important to St. Louis fans than the first. Pujols have seven home games before a long trip. This should give them plenty of at-bats at home to reach their magical number. Rogers
Record: 79-63
Previous ranking: 7
This is probably something you know if you are a Rays fan. How many mainstream baseball fans could you name the Rays’ run-creation leader for 2022? Let’s not forget that we are talking about a playoff-bound and perennial contender team. It is possible to imagine that there would be only a small segment of this fandom who could tell you that. Yandy Diaz The Rays are leading the way in runs this season. Diaz (30), has the classic slugger’s build, but a statline more reminiscent of a classic No. Diaz, 30, is either a 1 or 2 hitter. Diaz has not homered but has posted a.295/.404/.421 run-scoring line. This is good enough for a team high of 79 runs. Only Judge has a higher on-base percentage than Diaz among AL hitters. — Doolittle
Record: 80-62
Previous ranking: 8
In a series that attracted over 130,000 people to T-Mobile Park, the Mariners won two of three games against the Braves. Sunday’s 8-7 win for the Mariners was not only one of their most dramatic wins of the season, but it was also one of 2022’s most dramatic majors games. The bullpen, which had been dominant for the past few months, gave the Mariners a 6-2 lead in top of the ninth. Julio Rodriguez To win the game, Jansen hit a one out homer in the ninth. It was his second of the season. Eugenio Suarez He won it with a homer to the bases, his second of this game. The Mariners now reach the easy part: Their final 20 games against losing teams are on the schedule. Schoenfield
Record: 81-62
Previous ranking: 9
The Blue Jays are continuing their three-way battle with the Rays and Mariners for wild-card position. However, there is one player who has been named Toronto’s most likely candidate for widespread support in the postseason awards balloting. This would be the second-year righty Alek ManoahHe may have been able to separate himself from a teammate Kevin Gausman He was just outside the top tier of AL Cy Young nominees. Chicago’s current top tier consists of Chicago’s Dylan CeaseTwo-way wonder Shohei Ohtani Verlander, a soon-to return Houston ace. Manoah, who is now 14-7, has a 2.43 ERA and 177 2/3 innings. This makes him one of many hopefuls. — Doolittle
Record: 80-62
Previous ranking: 11
A few more games against the Nationals or Marlins will get you back on track. After seven losses, the Phillies won two of three games against the Marlins. They then swept the Nationals. Sandy Alcantara Tuesday’s score was 2-1. Atlanta’s series will be a bit more difficult than usual (along with the Braves series next week). The key to this stretch is getting Kyle SchwarberHe is proving his power again. In a 31-game span, he only hit three homers between Aug. 6 and Sept. 13. Bryce Harper He also only homered twice in the 16 first games of his return from the IL. — Schoenfield
Record: 78-65
Previous ranking: 10
Maybe it’s time for us to worry about this Juan Soto. In the last 14 games, Soto, the Padres’ new right fielder, has been struggling. He went 3-for-44 in his last 14 games and dropped his OPS to.716 after he was traded from the Nationals in a major trade. Soto’s slumping performance has resulted in the Padres averaging just 3.5 runs per match this month. And this is despite Yu DarvishAfter Tuesday’s win against the Mariners,’s dominant performance on Tuesday, their starting pitching has a 6.17 ERA. The Padres clearly are out of sync. If they don’t step up collectively, the Padres could lose their grip on playoffs yet again. — Gonzalez
Record: 76-65
Previous ranking: 13
We’ve written many articles about this topic. Andres GimenezThe 2022 season was a great one, but not nearly enough. One look at the betting markets This is because Gimenez’s name has been absent from the list of MVP candidates. This is a shame as Gimenez — and no one else in the junior circuit — won’t interfere with the Ohtani Judge race to AL MVP honors. However, he’s likely in position to be a worthy nominee. 3. Gimenez is currently ranked second among position players in AL bWAR, behind Judge. He’s sixth in Fangraphs’ version, fourth for wins probability added, and third for championship probability added. It’s a shame that not more people have noticed. — Doolittle
Record: 76-67
Previous ranking: 12
Milwaukee’s season feels like its on life support, even though it is just a few games away from the final wild card spot. The issue is the Brewers schedule. Before the regular season ends, they will play the Cardinals, the Yankees, and the Mets. They’ve lost the season series to both the Phillies and Padres, so they will need to win at least one game against those teams to reach the playoffs. They lose all tiebreakers. Tyrone Taylor Milwaukee’s hitter, who hit close to.300 in his four previous games, had an OPS of around 1.500. To surpass one of their rivals, they’ll need to produce more. Rogers
Record: 73-70
Previous ranking: 16
The White Sox’s failure to win the AL Central title late in the season could be their biggest “what-if” question. Eloy Jimenez Had not missed more than two months? Jimenez has been blazing hot since September, but has been hitting harder than that. Jimenez began hitting in July after a brief cold spell following his early season hamstring injury. He has not stopped since. Jimenez’s 1.034 OPS rank near the top of the AL among qualifiers, behind Judge’s incredible figure. In that time span, he has hit.363/.432/.601 during 49 games. — Doolittle
Record: 75-67
Previous ranking: 14
Baltimore was doing well until it lost the weekend series to the Red Sox. The loss included a 1-0 win. Baltimore posted an OPS of just.665 over its five previous games and a team average of.230. As a result, wild-card hopes for Baltimore’s upstart Orioles went down as they fell 5.5 games behind the AL third berth. It’s going be a successful season, regardless of what happens. It might not make it to the playoffs. The bigger question is if Baltimore finishes the season at.500, which would be the first time since 2016. It is likely that the Orioles win. Rogers
Record: 71-70
Previous ranking: 15
This was a fast downturn. The AL Central was tied at the top when the Twins entered play on Labor Day. Although it has been a difficult season for Minnesota, all of its goals were still being achieved, including the many head-to-head matches against Cleveland.
The Twins lost six of seven games and were out of the playoffs by that point Joe Ryan Jovani Moran Minnesota had nearly reached no-hit Kansas City, but on Tuesday it was five games behind the pace and in third place. Ryan was thrown out after seven no-hit innings, and 106 pitches. Moran had four outs before Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. He was singled for his first hit, and then he worked hard to end the game. Disgruntled Target Field fans booed Ryan, and they would gladly have him make history. — Doolittle
Record: 69-74
Previous ranking: 19
These are the final weeks Xander Bogaerts In a Red Sox uniform the soon-to become free agent is making the most out of his opportunity. Bogaerts’ September performance is a respectable.419, with a 1.097 OPS. Bogaerts isn’t giving up, even though Boston is far from being a wild card berth. His OPS has slipped slightly to.800 in August, which was his only month of the season. He followed that with a brutal stretch, which has already included six multihit Games this month. Rogers
Record: 69-74
Previous ranking: 17
If you are a Giants fan and feel overwhelmed by your team, there is something you can do: The Giants have great payroll flexibility. Assuming Carlos Rodon They opt out and have less than $70million committed to six players next season. Only two players are available (Anthony DeSclafani Get it now Wilmer FloresBoth of these players (and others) will be signed through 2024. Problem is, the Giants are missing a lot of things, including holes in the bullpen, outfield, and possibly in their rotation. They need to also improve their farm systems. Get involved! Joey Bart right. Farhan Zaidi, president of baseball operations, has a lot to do. — Gonzalez
Record: 67-75
Previous ranking: 18
Zac Gallen On Sunday, he pitched six innings of three-run baseball and struck out 11 batters. The win over the Rockies was a disappointment. Gallen’s incredible streak was ended by the outing. The 27-year-old right-hander entered the game riding a string of six consecutive scoreless starts and ultimately set a new D-backs record with 44⅓ consecutive scoreless innings, surpassing a mark previously held by Brandon Webb. Gallen’s ERA is now 2.50. Cease, Verlander are the only qualified start with a lower mark., Shane McClanahan, Julio Urias, Alcantara, Manoah. — Gonzalez
Record: 62-81
Previous ranking: 20
Texas has not had a great season this year, but it’s still a start. Adolis Garcia He followed up his first campaign with a solid sophomore season. There is still plenty of room for improvement. Although he still needs to improve his on-base percentage to be considered a top dangerous hitter, he has already earned more walks in this season’s fewer games than he did last year. He’ll be able to hit more home runs this season and reach 29 for the season. That will give him a total of 60 over two years. The 29-year-old is a solid foundational piece for any team looking to rebound in 2023. However, he will need to learn how to manage his strikeouts. Rogers
Record: 61-82
Previous ranking: 21
In case you forgot, Mike Trout He is still probably the greatest hitter on the planet. Trout just missed the major league record by going seven games without a home run. Trout has been slashing his.311/.367/.711 since he returned from a back injury that took him out of five weeks. He now has 11 home runs in 23 games. Trout entered play Wednesday with 176 weighted runs and a score of.367/.711 which would lead only Judge. Paul Goldschmidt Yordan Alvarez If he has enough plate appearances, he could qualify. You can still argue that the Angels have the best players in Trout and at full health. Shohei Ohtani. Yet, the team lost its seventh consecutive season on Wednesday. — Gonzalez
Record: 62-81
Previous ranking: 24
It was only a footnote at the end of the thrilling walk-off victory for the Rockies. German Marquez On Friday, he was charged with nine earned run in four innings against division rival D-backs. It pushed his ERA to 5.25. This is the highest among qualified pitchers in the major leagues. Marquez’s home road splits are quite dramatic (6.78 ERA at Coors Field and 3.58 ERA away high altitude). This is something that Marquez, a 27-year-old right-hander, will need to solve. He has been signed through 2023, and the Rockies have a $16million club option for him in 2024. — Gonzalez
Record: 61-82
Previous ranking: 22
The Cubs had one of their best wins of the season when they defeated the Mets 5-2 on Monday. This was after playing Sunday night’s game and not arriving in New York until late at night. Righty Javier Assad He has a 2.53 ERA in his four first career starts and is a surprise to everyone. While a newcomer, he was able to keep the Mets in balance. Hayden WesneskiThe Yankees purchased, who has been amazing in relief. The Cubs finally have some quality pitchers. Rogers
Record: 58-85
Previous ranking: 23
Despite disappointing seasons, including major fades in August and September, the Marlins intend to retain GM Kim Ng until 2023. according to the Miami HeraldAccording to a reporter, Bruce Sherman and Ng met last week in order to make plans for the upcoming offseason. Sherman appears to be determined to continue the tradition, despite the departures of former CEO Derek Jeter, and ex-VP Gary Denbo. Both were Ng fans from their Yankees days. Goal No. 1: Find some hitters. In a battle for worst in the NL, the Marlins average just 3.55 runs per match with the Pirates. Schoenfield
Record: 56-86
Previous ranking: 26
Cincinnati won three of its last four games and now is tied with a few teams for the top lottery spot for next season’s amateur draft. If the season ended on Tuesday, Cincinnati would have a 10% chance to pick the No.1 draft pick. If Cincinnati has one the three worst records in baseball, this percentage could be as high as 16.5 The bright spot of the week was Aristides AquinoSeven extra base hits were earned by, which included four doubles, three home runs, and four more doubles. He also hit above.300 during the past eight days. Could this be the moment he finds his consistency? To find out for sure, we’ll have to wait till next year. Rogers
Record: 57-86
Previous ranking: 25
It’s no surprise that the Royals ranked amongst the top five or ten majors in rookie hitters during the majority of the season. The lack of comparable production by young hurlers hampered their overall ranking in rookieWAR. Recent weeks have seen a shift in this situation, with relievers now being used. Dylan Coleman As the Royals’ top rookie hurler, Coleman has emerged as the most outstanding. Coleman is the best hurler in the Royals’ rookie class with a 2.45 ERA in 58 innings. He has allowed only two earned runs and has a 1.08 ERA in 16 appearances since August. Coleman uses a high-spin fourseamer with a velocity of 98 miles an hour, and a slider that is low-velocity to keep hitters away from the heater. — Doolittle
Record: 54-89
Previous ranking: 27
This is good news! Okay, so it’s just a small sampling, but Detroit fans will happily take any offer they can get. Spencer Torkelson Since his return from the minors, he has had a great season. He was a prized rookie who was hitting just.197/.282/.295 at the time he was sent down to Triple-A for help around the All-Star break. He didn’t make it back until September rosters were expanded. Torkelson was able to hit.265/.375/.471 during his 10 game stint in the big leagues on Sept. 2. This included a streak that saw him hit six consecutive home runs, which was a record for Torkelson. Although it is too early to tell if this trend will continue, the changes have been made in the right areas. Torkelson is less likely to swing, chase less often, and makes more contact when he does swing. It’s a good start. — Doolittle
Record: 55-88
Previous ranking: 29
Righty Roansy Contreras His rookie campaign continues to be a success. On Friday, he pitched well against the Cardinals and allowed them to score one run in 5 1/3 innings. In his three previous starts, Contreras has allowed only two earned runs over 16/3 innings. Contreras’ season record is 3.29 ERA over 14 starts, while allowing just 68 hits in 79 1/3 innings. The Pirates need him to be a starter every 5 days. This is a big help as they go through a slow rebuild. Rogers
Record: 52-91
Previous ranking: 28
The A’s have been a laughingstock in the industry, but their miserable season has turned them into a team people cheer for. They are now aiming to make the playoffs and add some respect to their seasons. Oakland has lost 9 games out of 12 this month, has been outscored 27 times, and has lost series to Braves, White Sox, and Orioles. The Astros, Mariners, and Mets will be its next three series. Despite their limited resources, the A’s haven’t lost 100 matches since 1979. This year, that will likely change. — Gonzalez
Record: 49-94
Previous ranking: 30
One of the few bright spots in an otherwise miserable season is this: Lane Thomas A solid year with an OPS+ of over 100. Although he isn’t a star, he does look like a capable major league outfielder. Two, CJ Abrams‘ defense at shortstop. Although he was brought up in the Padres system as a shortstop, some scouts thought he would prefer to play center field. But he’s been a solid shortstop for the Nationals with many impressive plays. Three, Joey MenesesThe cult hero. The 30-year old has been a popular player and has had a great season. Although the strikeout-to walk ratio is a bit low, he has earned the opportunity to play in 2023. Schoenfield