MLB Playoff Standings 2017: Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros Surprising Baseball Experts


The MLB playoff standings for 2017 are not a good reflection of what the experts predicted this spring. In the updated MLB standings, the Colorado Rockies have the best record in the National League and the Milwaukee Brewers hold first place in the NL Central. Is this an amazing turnaround for both franchises, or is this just early success before the teams suffer from regression?

If the 2017 MLB Playoffs began this morning, May 28, the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and Cleveland Indians would all miss the postseason. The Cubs and Indians just played out a World Series that was called “epic” by broadcasters. During Spring Training, many sites predicted that it would be a Cubs vs. Indians rematch this season, but nothing has gone according to the script. The Indians did pick up a big win on Sunday, and that, coupled with a Baltimore Orioles loss, put the team in a tie for the second AL Wild Card spot.

Then there are the Seattle Mariners, who some analysts felt had made the moves necessary to compete for a title in the American League West. Instead, the team has the second-worst record in the American League (22-29), suffering through a series of injuries that has the team reeling. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the early-season struggles have led to many Mariners fans demanding that manager Scott Servais be fired before it’s too late.

[Image by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images]

2017 MLB Playoff Standings

American League

1. Houston Astros (35-16)
2. New York Yankees (29-18)
3. Minnesota Twins (26-19)

AL Wild Card 1: Boston Red Sox (27-22)
AL Wild Card 2: Baltimore Orioles (25-23)
AL Wild Card 2: Cleveland Indians (25-23)

National League

1. Colorado Rockies (33-19)
2. Washington Nationals (30-19)
3. Milwaukee Brewers (27-23)

NL Wild Card 1: LA Dodgers (30-20)
NL Wild Card 2: Arizona Diamondbacks (31-21)

It appears that the National League West is the best division in baseball, as the West has three teams with at least 30 wins through the first chunk of the regular season schedule. The Rockies, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks have each raced out to a hot start this year, leaving the San Francisco Giants (22-30) far behind in fourth place. This was an unexpected result, leaving the Giants in a difficult position as the MLB trade deadline approaches this summer.

Though it is very early, the Los Angeles Dodgers (3.23 ERA) and Houston Astros (3.39 ERA) are way out in front for team pitching stats. Both starting rotations had a lot of questions coming into the season, so this may be a very nice surprise for fans of the teams. There have been some MLB trade rumors about the Dodgers and Astros each looking to add pitching, with the Dodgers called a good fit for Sonny Gray from the Oakland Athletics, and the Astros discussing Jose Quintana with the Chicago White Sox.

[Image by Harry How/Getty Images]

With the way the current MLB playoff standings shake out, it would present some very interesting matchups in the postseason. In the National League, the L.A. Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks would face off in the Wild Card game, with the winner advancing to a series against the Colorado Rockies. The other series would pit the Washington Nationals against the Milwaukee Brewers in what can best be described as an underdog (Brewers) facing one of the teams that experts say has a good enough roster (Nationals) to win the World Series this year.

In the American League, there would need to be a tiebreaker game between the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians. The winner of that game would advance to play the Wild Card game against the Boston Red Sox. Then the Wild Card winner would face the Houston Astros, while the other matchup would be the New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins. If the latest MLB playoff standings were to remain the same, the brackets could present a scenario where the Yankees and Red Sox face off in the 2017 ALCS.

[Featured Image by Bob Levey/Getty Images]

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