mlbpowerrankings1013yes.gif
Kim O'Reilly, CBS Sports

After 162 games per team in the regular season and two rounds of the playoffs, we now have our final four teams in the 2023 Major League Baseball season. It's a fun mix, as we have the two defending league champions getting a chance to repeat while the other two teams can be spun as surprises. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost 110 games in 2021. I know that there's been breathless coverage of the Orioles emerging from the baseball abyss, but it seems that many have forgotten the Diamondbacks were also historically bad just two years ago. Credit them for sticking with Torey Lovullo through the bad, as he's an excellent manager. Depending on where you looked, most people had the D-backs slotted either third or fourth in the NL West this season behind the Dodgers, Padres and maybe the Giants. They actually held onto first place for a while before falling on hard times in July and August before rebounding down the stretch to squeak into the playoffs and then make a surprise run to the NLCS.

The Texas Rangers went all in on spending in free agency the last two offseasons instead of embarking on an Orioles-style radical teardown-and-rebuild. I remarked in the preseason power rankings that the Rangers had a huge variance with an upside of World Series champions and a downside of a 90-ish loss season. They are looking toward the high side right now, four wins away from making the Fall Classic. 

The Diamondbacks won the 2001 World Series, the only time they've played in it. The Rangers made the World Series in 2010 and 2011, but have never won it. 

For all the focus on the format (yawn), there are fun stories here in the league championship series. As baseball fans, let's embrace the fun moving forward. 

Now, let's rank the four remaining teams. As a reminder, I'm ranking them for what remains in the playoffs. The regular season and postseason are different. I ranked the Phillies ninth in the final regular season rankings and then had them second of the eight teams in the divisional series because they are better built for the playoffs. Speaking of which... 

LCS Power Rankings
1
Phillies
Shades of the 2019 Nationals here with a bit of a top-heavy team being carried by a relatively small cast of characters, though upon further review, this Phillies team is actually deeper. Nick Castellanos is hitting in the seven hole and he clubbed four homers in the last two games. We can't forget the superstars leading the charge, as Trea Turner and Bryce Harper are on a mission. I'm comfortable calling it a "Big Three" in the rotation at this point because Ranger Suárez is great. The power arms in the bullpen are deep enough that manager Rob Thomson was comfortable going to José Alvarado in the sixth inning and Craig Kimbrel in the seventh. This is the best team remaining and the best bet to win it. 
2
Astros
At this point, the champs just seem to yawn through the divisional round. In contrast to the early exits from the Dodgers several times and the 100-plus win Braves these past two seasons, the Astros never fail to get it done against inferior competition to start the playoffs. The last time the ALCS didn't include the Astros was 2016. They've only lost the ALCS in 2018 and 2020, too. Jose Altuve set the tone with his leadoff homer in Game 1 and then Yordan Alvarez re-announced his presence with authority. The rotation looks great with Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier and José Urquidy all having thrown well. And what if José Abreu stays hot all postseason? Watch out. 
3
Rangers
I went back and forth on the No. 2 ranking, but it ultimately doesn't matter. The Rangers can stand toe to toe with the defending champions here. We don't often put a ton of emphasis on home-field advantage in baseball because it means less than other sports, but there's an interesting storyline in this one. The Rangers hit like the best team in baseball at home. They were 50-31 at Globe Life Field in the regular season and exploded at home in their one playoff game there so far. But the Astros are arguably the best road team in baseball. When the games are in Houston, the Astros were 39-42 in the regular season -- they were swept by the lowly Royals in their last home series! -- and 1-1 there in the playoffs. Can the Rangers take advantage? It's a fun discussion. The Rangers have plenty of pieces to get the job done. Manager Bruce Bochy is as good as it gets in the playoffs. There's star power in Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Adolis García. There's young blood in Evan Carter and Josh Jung. The rotation was a concern a few weeks ago, but I'm not sure it is now. I'm ranking the Astros above the Rangers out of respect for the champs and it's a razor thin margin anyway, but I've got the Rangers winning this series in seven games. 
4
Diamondbacks
If the Diamondbacks wanted motivation, they could point out that they were the lowest-ranked team last round and swept the Dodgers. Then again, it seems like only the Braves get so caught up in what the media is saying during these playoffs, so I'm likely not moving the needle here. As I said last round, it's no insult to be ranked last among a group of great teams. It's not like I'm saying the Snakes don't have a chance. They very much do. Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte atop the lineup are great fun and Christian Walker is an excellent power-hitting anchor. Gabriel Moreno is on a power hot streak. The team can run and plays great defense. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly give them a pair of frontline starters. The relievers have been much maligned, but it's actually a quality bullpen at this point with Paul Sewald, Kevin Ginkel, Ryan Thompson and Andrew Saalfrank as their high-leverage guys. I'm hopeful that once we get a few days of distance from all the screaming about the divisional series format, more people will come to appreciate the fun team that the D-backs are. Still, they are the least good team of the four remaining (and that's fine!).