MLB American League Playoff Picture if Season Ended Today
Hannah Brewitt
Host · Writer
It’s never too early to start talking about MLB playoffs.
We’re tracking how the AL postseason picture is shaping up.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid and our daily MLB game picks.
MLB AL Playoff Picture on June 24
No. 1 Overall (First-Round bye) – Tampa Bay Rays
No. 2 Overall (First-Round bye) – Texas Rangers
No. 3 Overall – Minnesota Twins vs. No. 3 Wild Card – Houston Astros
No. 1 Wild Card – Baltimore Orioles vs. No. 2 Wild Card – New York Yankees
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A new postseason structure was introduced before the 2022 season to expand the playing field. Six American League teams will make the playoffs at the end of the 162-game regular season, with the top two teams receiving a first-round bye and the third seed competing in a best-of-three wild card series. In the wild-card round, the No. 3 seed will host the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed will host the No. 5 seed.
If the season ended today, AL East teams would occupy three of the six playoff spots, including the first overall seed and two wild cards. The Rays remain the top team in the division (and all of MLB). The club is on pace to win a franchise-record 108 wins, boasting a 57-28 record nearly halfway through the regular season. They’re 6.5 and ten games ahead of the second and third-place teams, the Orioles and the Yankees.
The Rangers have maintained their position as the AL West leader and continue to surpass expectations. Elsewhere in the division, the Astros have floated in and out of the playoff picture. The defending champions have appeared in the World Series four out of the last six years. But this season, they can’t seem to get off the bubble.
The Twins lead the AL Central despite having a record under .500. The club is blessed with a struggling division; they wouldn’t have a shot at making the postseason in the AL East or West. The only other legitimate threat in the AL Central is the Guardians. Cleveland is only one game behind at 39-42. They’re a team to watch, with the potential to overtake first place any day now.
Baseball fans can expect each team to fight until the end for optimal positioning come fall.
