With the 2020 MLB playoffs just on the horizon, now is as good of a time as ever to recap each team’s 2020 performance and some of their most surprising players, both good and bad.
Disclaimer: This article was written before the NL Playoff Picture was completely stabilized, with six teams still fighting for four playoff spots. However, we still have enough of a scope to report on the performance of these six teams.
AL East
Tampa Bay Rays
MVP: 2B/OF Brandon Lowe
Most Surprising Breakout: UTIL Mike Brosseau
Most Disappointing Player: OF Austin Meadows
The 2020 Rays are one of the deepest teams I’ve ever seen. Both their pitching staff and position playing core have about 12-15 very solid big leaguers and although they may be lacking a true superstar, their depth might be enough to bring home their first title.
New York Yankees
MVP: 1B/DH Luke Voit
Most Surprising Breakout: SP Deivi Garcia
Most Disappointing Player: 3B/OF/DH Miguel Andujar
There was a branch of time where it seemed the Yankees might fall out of playoff contention after coming into this season as favorites to win it all. However, as their superstars like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton got healthy, they hit their groove and are ready to go for a very spicy first round matchup against the Twins. The Bronx Bombers are as dangerous as ever and are probably top three in terms of Championship odds.
Toronto Blue Jays
MVP: OF Teoscar Hernandez
Most Surprising Breakout: OF Teoscar Hernandez
Most Disappointing Player: 3B/1B/DH Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Predicted as a middling team, the Blue Jays were one of the teams that benefited the most from the expanded playoffs. Most of their young budding stars performed at a high level, and they were also aggressive at the trade deadline, acquiring a plethora of established veterans. Sure, it is unlikely that they will make much noise in the playoffs, but this season was definitely a positive for the North.
Baltimore Orioles
MVP: OF Anthony Santander
Most Surprising Breakout: SP Dean Kremer
Most Disappointing Player: OF Austin Hays
A team that many picked as the worst team in baseball this season, the Orioles were surprisingly decent for most of their games this year. As the season dwindled down, however, they fell out of contention. There were several bright spots for the Orioles this season and their minor success indicates that their rebuild might be progressing faster than we thought.
Boston Red Sox
MVP: SS Xander Bogaerts
Most Surprising Breakout: OF Alex Verdugo
Most Disappointing Player: OF/DH JD Martinez
The post-Mookie Betts Red Sox were definitely expected to be worse than last season, but it was pretty astonishing how bad they were. Having the worst pitching staff in the league was their pitfall, and they will likely need to rebuild in order to become competitive again.
AL Central
Chicago White Sox
MVP: 1B/DH Jose Abreu
Most Surprising Breakout: RP Matt Foster
Most Disappointing Player: 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion
Unsurprisingly, the White Sox were able to reach the expanded 2020 playoffs. What’s surprising, though, is that they made it as one of the best teams in the AL. Although it is easy to look at their young core of position players and get excited, there are definitely reservations to be had with this team. The biggest of these is that nearly two-thirds of their wins came against the Royals, Tigers, or Pirates, going under .500 against every other team. Furthermore, their pitching staff is both inexperienced and outperforming their expected numbers, so, although they have a chance to make a run at the World Series, don’t have too high of expectations for the White Sox.
Minnesota Twins
MVP: DH Nelson Cruz
Most Surprising Breakout: RP Caleb Thielbar
Most Disappointing Player: C Mitch Garver
The Twins experienced a lot of scattered injuries to their players this year which stopped them from fully hitting their stride. Thankfully, they seem to be fully healthy now and with their veteran infused pitching staff and formidable offense, it is possible that they will be able to make a real run at their first title in 29 years.
Cleveland Indians
MVP: SP Shane Bieber
Most Surprising Breakout: RP James Karinchak
Most Disappointing Player: OF Oscar Mercado
The Indians were a mess this season due in part to a subpar offense and the entire Mike Clevinger/Zach Plesac debacle. Luckily, their superstars decided to show up this season and landed themselves a playoff spot. I’m excited to see who on their offense steps up outside of Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor, but those two and their phenomenal rotation is enough to put some faith into the team this year.
Detroit Tigers
MVP: 3B Jeimer Candelario
Most Surprising Breakout: 3B Jeimer Candelario
Most Disappointing Player: SP Matthew Boyd
Somewhat unexpectedly, the Tigers were actually competing for a back end playoff spot for most of the season. As the season reached its close, though, they were hit with injuries and stopped winning as frequently. They will likely still be in the basement for a while because despite their plethora of exciting young pitchers, they simply cannot hit.
Kansas City Royals
MVP: UTIL Whit Merrifield
Most Surprising Breakout: RP Greg Holland
Most Disappointing Player: SS Adalberto Mondesi
Predictably, the Royals were not good this year. Unfortunately for them, they were a little too good to land a top 5 pick. They lack inspiring players and prospects, so their rebuild might take a little longer than they hope.
AL West
Oakland Athletics
MVP: 1B Matt Olson
Most Surprising Breakout: OF Robbie Grossman
Most Disappointing Player: DH Khris Davis
The A’s are such a well built team that even in a shortened season, everything seemingly went right. Unfortunately, Matt Chapman will not be with them going into the postseason, but this will hopefully trigger guys like Marcus Semien and Khris Davis to step up a little. The A’s, similar to the Rays, are a very deep team and although they lost their superstar, still have a good chance of making it deep into this postseason.
Houston Astros
MVP: OF George Springer
Most Surprising Breakout: SP Framber Valdez
Most Disappointing Player: 2B Jose Altuve
Surrounded by controversy and dismantled by injuries, the Astros definitely did not live up to their potential this year. However, they will still be taking part in the playoffs and as their team continues to recover, they are still a scary sight for any playoff team. Powered by their potent offense, the Astros can undoubtedly make a run at the title.
Seattle Mariners
MVP: OF Kyle Lewis
Most Surprising Breakout: UTIL Dylan Moore
Most Disappointing Player: OF Mallex Smith
Though the Mariners could possibly have benefited more from a straight tank to improve their 2021 draft position, the fact that they were competing for a playoff spot until the last week is an exciting improvement for the team. Their playoff potential should increase as they continue to debut more and more of their top prospects, and the future looks bright for this once hopeless team. Mariners fans have a lot to look forward to.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
MVP: OF Mike Trout
Most Surprising Breakout: 1B/DH Jared Walsh
Most Disappointing Player: OF Jo Adell
The Angels are my pick for the most disappointing team of the 2020 season. It was the same problems and just a different year for the Angels. The team remains too top heavy and has too many negative players anchoring them. I still think the Angels are in a good spot to compete next year, but they are going to need to shed some of these negative players, add a few more arms, and hopefully stop playing Albert Pujols.
Texas Rangers
MVP: SP Lance Lynn
Most Surprising Breakout: RP Jonathan Hernandez
Most Disappointing Player: OF/DH Willie Calhoun
It was difficult to see what the Rangers’ intentions were coming into this season. Sure, they came in with a top five rotation, but their bullpen and lineup were on paper, completely putrid. Not only did the bullpen and lineup live up to the bill, but the rotation was way worse than expected as well. As it is, the Rangers pitching staff is painfully average and their lineup is horrendous, so Jon Daniels definitely has his work cut out for him, especially after refusing to move Lance Lynn at the deadline.
NL East
Atlanta Braves
MVP: 1B Freddie Freeman
Most Surprising Breakout: OF Adam Duvall
Most Disappointing Player: P Sean Newcomb
Atlanta’s chance to come out of the NL will be largely based on the performances of their young starters. Their offense is amongst the best in baseball, but outside of Max Fried, it is difficult to find a reliable starter in their rotation. Be ready for a lot of barnburners from the Braves in the playoffs, but don’t expect too much because of their pitching.
Miami Marlins
MVP: UTIL Brian Anderson
Most Surprising Breakout: SS Miguel Rojas
Most Disappointing Player: P Jordan Yamamoto
Predicted to spend another year in the cellar, the Marlins are shockingly right in the playoff mix as the season winds down despite being in the bottom third for both team ERA and team OPS. They likely have no chance of success in October, but their performance this year is a great sign for their rebuild. Most encouraging was the performance of their four young starters in Sixto Sanchez, Sandy Alcantara, Elieser Hernandez, and Pablo Lopez, which bodes well for the future of their pitching staff.
Philadelphia Phillies
MVP: OF Bryce Harper
Most Surprising Breakout: C Andrew Knapp
Most Disappointing Players: RPs Brandon Workman/Heath Hembree
After losing three of four games to the last place Nationals, the Phillies are on the outside looking in at the playoffs as of writing this article. Most of their position players and starters performed up to par, but their league leading 13 blown saves has capped their upside. Assuming they make it to the playoffs, their veteran laced team has what it takes to make a run, but their bullpen needs to step it up.
New York Mets
MVP: OF Michael Conforto
Most Surprising Breakout: 1B/OF/DH Dom Smith
Most Disappointing Player: SP Steven Matz
The Mets had some strong performances nearly across the board, but the implosion of their bullpen in too many games left them out of the playoff race. They have a very strong lineup and some elite arms but will have to reconfigure their bullpen in order to become a true contender next year.
Washington Nationals
MVP: OF Juan Soto
Most Surprising Breakout: RP Tanner Rainey
Most Disappointing Players: Entire offense sans Trea Turner/Juan Soto
After losing Anthony Rendon in the offseason, the Nationals started off shaky and ended shaky. Their pitching staff was hit with injuries and outside of Trea Turner and Juan Soto, all of their position players were subpar to straight up awful. The defending champs are in a weird position right now, and it will be interesting to see if they offload veterans to rebuild or bring in more veterans to try to make another run at the title while they still have Juan Soto.
NL Central
Chicago Cubs
MVP: UTIL Ian Happ
Most Surprising Breakout: UTIL Ian Happ
Most Disappointing Players: INFs Javy Baez/Kris Bryant
The Cubs’ offense this year was strange because they seemingly performed backwards. Typically poor offensive players like Jason Kipnis, Ian Happ, and Jason Heyward were surprisingly good while Kris Bryant and Javy Baez struggled. It will be interesting to see how this carries into the postseason, but with their two dynamic starters in Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks as well as a decent bullpen, they may just be the Dodgers’ toughest challenge in the NL.
St. Louis Cardinals
MVP: 1B Paul Goldschmidt
Most Surprising Breakout: Brad Miller
Most Disappointing Player: OF Dylan Carlson
Despite a two week absence from play because of COVID-19 complications, the Cardinals are in a good spot to reach the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Rejuvenations for Paul Goldschmidt and Adam Wainwright were big time catalysts for this team, and the Cardinals have always made decent to deep runs in the playoffs with underwhelming rosters. Despite that, Cardinals’ fans shouldn’t expect a World Series appearance any time soon.
Cincinnati Reds
MVP: SP Trevor Bauer
Most Surprising Breakout: P Tejay Antone
Most Disappointing Player: UTIL Nick Senzel
Thanks to a Cy Young caliber campaign from Trevor Bauer and a long awaited breakout from Jesse Winker, the Reds are seemingly in a good spot to reach their first postseason in seven years. Their lethal rotation of Bauer, Sonny Gray, and Luis Castillo mixed with an array of talented offensive players gives them a decent chance to challenge the best of the best in the NL. Reds fans should be excited to finally watch their team compete in October.
Milwaukee Brewers
MVP: P Corbin Burnes
Most Surprising Breakouts: Ps Corbin Burnes/Devin Williams
Most Disappointing Player: OF Christian Yelich
The Brewers are on the outside looking in as of writing this article, but they still have about a 50% chance to reach the postseason. A disappointing, but not bad, season from the 2018 MVP Christian Yelich and an otherwise underwhelming offense was somewhat alleviated by massive breakouts from both Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams, leading to an overall 11th best pitching staff in the league. The Brewers will rely heavily on their pitching instead of their offense if they are fortunate enough to reach the playoffs, in a more or less surprising turn of events.
Pittsburgh Pirates
MVP: 3B Colin Moran
Most Surprising Breakout: RP Chris Stratton
Most Disappointing Player: SP Mitch Keller
As predicted, the Pirates were historically bad this season, and that’s pretty much all they showed throughout the entire season. On the bright side, they will likely be selecting out of the #1 spot in the upcoming draft, giving them an opportunity to land generational prospect Kumar Rocker.
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers
MVP: OF Mookie Betts
Most Surprising Breakout: SP Tony Gonsolin
Most Disappointing Player: OF Joc Pederson
Unfortunately, the Dodgers were once again very good. They will finish with the best record in the league and are probably the current favorites to win it all. Their recent playoff history and their reliance on a slew of unproven pitchers this year are two areas of concern for Dodgers fans, but only time will tell if their star power will finally get them the chip this year.
San Diego Padres
MVP: SS Fernando Tatis Jr
Most Surprising Breakout: 2B Jake Cronenworth
Most Disappointing Player: RP Kirby Yates
The Padres were expected to take a pretty significant jump this season. No one could have foreseen the jump to be this big. Led by their exciting SS/3B combo of Fernando Tatis Jr and Manny Machado, the Padres will likely finish as one of the top five teams in baseball this season. They will be a very exciting team to watch in October, but considering their lack of experience, it is hard to see them really competing for a championship as of now.
San Francisco Giants
MVP: OF Mike Yastrzemski
Most Surprising Breakout: OF Alex Dickerson
Most Disappointing Player: RP Trevor Gott
The Giants are holding on for their playoff lives as the season wraps up. Their cluster of journeymen and aging veterans somehow performed well enough to have them competing right down to the last day. Despite this, it is illogical to think that a team consistently batting Austin Slater and Alex Dickerson at the top of their order will do much in the postseason, but you never know with the Giants’ voodoo playoff luck.
Colorado Rockies
MVP: SS Trevor Story
Most Surprising Breakout: SP Antonio Senzatela
Most Disappointing Player: OF David Dahl
Despite a scorching hot start, the Rockies were once again underwhelming. As per usual, the Rockies offense was great; their pitching staff, not so much. As Nolan Arenado’s prime slowly comes to an end and Trevor Story’s payday comes up, a full rebuild might be on the way for Colorado. Arenado, Story, and German Marquez still have tremendous trade value that could probably give them a head start on the rebuilding process.
Arizona Diamondbacks
MVP: OF Kole Calhoun
Most Surprising Breakout: RP Stefan Crichton
Most Disappointing Players: SP Madison Bumgarner/INF Eduardo Escobar
Along with the Angels, the D-Backs were definitely one of the most disappointing teams this season. Players who have been historically good like Eduardo Escobar and Madison Bumgarner disappointed this year, and Ketel Marte didn’t live up to his 2019 breakout campaign. The D-Backs organization have been floundering for multiple seasons to find a direction to take their organization into, and with their performance this year, it might just be time to blow it all up.