Ranking the postseason lineups

The Yankees will end the regular season as the likely MLB leaders in runs scored, yet they've gotten almost no production out of arguably their best hitter in Giancarlo Stanton. He's missed most of the season with multiple injuries, but finally returned in mid-September. Stars Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez have also missed large chunks of the season to injuries. That trio is now healthy, adding to huge years from DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela and the midseason addition of Edwin Encarnacion.

Houston was an elite lineup in the second half of the season, which correlates with Jose Altuve's health and Yordan Alvarez's arrival. Alvarez has been one of the best hitters in baseball since arriving, hitting .326-27-77 through only 82 games. Alex Bregman had another career year, and George Springer, Altuve, Yuli Gurriel and Michael Brantley also put up huge numbers. The team's .850 OPS through 157 games easily led the league.

Minnesota's offensive game was all about power, trailing only the Yankees in home runs and churning out five 30 home run hitters. Nelson Cruz's bat has been the biggest contributor, but the team also got great seasons from Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver. The loss of Byron Buxton to a shoulder injury does hurt the team's depth.

No team has more versatility than the Dodgers, who scored the most runs in the NL. Catcher Will Smith's late-season emergence made the lineup deeper, and Cody Bellinger put up MVP numbers. Behind Bellinger, Max Muncy, Justin Turner and Joc Pederson had excellent seasons, while Corey Seager came on strong late in the year after missing time to injury. Top prospect Gavin Lux fit in well at second base in September and could be an X-factor.

Atlanta lagged behind the Dodgers in runs scored in the NL but have no less star power. Ronald Acuna Jr. continued to show why he's one of the games brightest young stars with numbers hovering near 40/40, and Freddie Freeman had a career year with an .946 OPS in late September. Third baseman Josh Donaldson also successfully rebounded from an injury-plagued season. Ozzie Albies was also one of MLB's top second basemen this season. Beyond that group, the Braves lineup has been somewhat inconsistent, however.

Washington was able to move forward just fine without Bryce Harper in 2019, due in large part to great years from Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto. Rendon has a chance to win NL MVP as he heads into free agency. Trea Turner and utilityman Howie Kendrick were also offensive forces for much of the year, while Adam Eaton and Victor Robles were more than adequate in the outfield. The Nats offense remained on par with Atlanta in terms of runs scored, but like the rival Braves, Washington had problems with their depth after getting below-average contributions at first base, second base and catcher.

Oakland got all-around star contributions from Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman, and Matt Olson this season, each launching 30-plus home runs and playing Gold Glover-caliber defense. While Khris Davis' season was disappointing due to a hip injury, other players like Ramon Laureano and Mark Canha were able to pick up the slack. Oakland's top 10 finish in runs was even more impressive given their pitcher-friendly home ballpark.

The Cardinals expected big things from their offense after acquiring Paul Goldschmidt in the offseason, but poor seasons from Matt Carpenter and Harrison Bader ruined that optimism. Tommy Edman has fared well at third base in Carpenter's stead, and Marcell Ozuna put up the power numbers we've grown accustomed to seeing from him. Still, the lineup is lacking many hitters opposing teams need to fear, and the team ranked in the bottom half of MLB in runs scored.

Tampa Bay has managed well again on a shoestring budget and has plenty of examples of turning other teams' giveaways into treasures. Austin Meadows, Tommy Pham and Ji-Man Choi were each added to the roster from other organizations since 2018, but that trio has led the offense for much of the year. Getting Brandon Lowe back from injury late in September has been a huge boost for the offense, and catcher Travis d'Arnaud's addition at midseason was also key. The Rays lack much power relative to the elite AL offenses, ranking in the bottom 10 in MLB in long balls, but they have been able to make due.

Milwaukee had an elite offense for much of the year, but the loss of Christian Yelich to a season-ending knee injury in September had big ramifications for the lineup. The team still has an impressive middle-of-the-order trio with Yasmani Grandal, Mike Moustakas and Keston Hiura, but the lineup now has to contend with even more holes. Lorenzo Cain has struggled while fighting through a thumb injury, and shortstop Orlando Arcia has been subpar offensively for the second straight year.