Eight championship contenders remain in 2023, meaning that as we wait for the four Division Series to begin on Saturday, there are still 16 possible World Series matchups in play.
Each would provide interesting storylines. But of course some options stand out more than others.
With that in mind, we brought together four MLB.com writers to identify eight of the most exciting matchups left – at least one for each Division Series team. Here’s what they chose and why.
Team: Orioles
Opponent: Braves
Past World Series: None
This may seem like a calculation at first, but we actually haven’t seen all that often in recent history that the teams with the best record in each league compete in the World Series. During the Wild Card era (since 1995), it only occurred four times: ’95 (ATL vs. CLE), ’99 (NYY vs. ATL), 2013 (BOS vs. STL), and ’20 (LAD vs. TB) . .
With a homegrown core led by Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Spencer Strider and Max Fried, supplemented by trades for stars like Matt Olson and Sean Murphy, the Braves have developed into a National League powerhouse and won six division titles consecutive wins and a World Series crown in 2021. It’s a plan the current Orioles are trying to follow. The team has arrived ahead of schedule, two years after losing 110 games, as young players like Adleyrutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez have helped quickly change the culture in Baltimore, much like Acuña, Albies did and Co. did the Braves at the end of the 2010s.
Team: Dodgers
Opponent: Astros
Past World Series: 2017 (HOU won 4-3)
You could definitely watch this match and groan, and to be honest, that’s fair. After all, there is no new blood here. The Dodgers are in their 11th straight postseason and this would be their fourth World Series since 2017. The Astros are seeking their seventh straight American League Championship Series berth with a chance to make their fifth Fall Classic appearance and their third Ring to win this margin.
Then again, no other possible 2023 World Series confrontation carries such narrative power. Two franchises that have been huge successes in recent years. Numerous star players and likely future Hall of Famers. High-profile managers. And oh yeah, there’s 2017 hanging over the whole thing. It’s true that few Astros remain of the team that outlasted the Dodgers in seven games in a hard-fought Fall Classic this year, only to have revelations about it Houston’s illegal sign stealing to tarnish the success. But if you think that would lower the temperature at Dodger Stadium for Game 1, then you haven’t been paying attention. Simply put, no potential World Series on this list would generate more tension or grit, and that makes for compelling theater.
Team: Phillies
Opponent: Orioles
Past World Series: 1983 (BAL won 4-1)
Imagine the mood. On one side, there are 30-year-old men fiddling with so many buttons that a restaurant has the right to refuse them service. On the other hand, there’s a group of 20-somethings partying like college students. It would be a World Series like we’ve never seen before. Oh, and both teams finished the game with top-10 offenses, top-15 starting staffs and bullpens that were among the best in the league.
It seems like Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos were made for October, while the Orioles spent the entire regular season recruiting young players who could hit the ground running. Oh, and let’s not forget that only 100 miles of I-95 separate these two ballparks, making for a good old-fashioned regional rivalry every game.
Team: Braves
Opponent: Rangers
Previous WS: None
You could call this the Ron Washington Series — which would be an interesting point considering the Braves’ third base coach won two pennants in his eight seasons as Rangers manager before finally winning his first ring with Atlanta in 2021 – but ultimately it is the matchup with the most offensive potential. Atlanta and Texas led their respective leagues in runs per game, hits, home runs, batting average and OPS – you get the point.
A club’s offense isn’t going to look great on paper against the Braves’ sluggers, and the Rangers have stumbled badly down the stretch. But if you’re looking for a good match for Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies and Sean Murphy – among others – you can’t do much better than Corey Seager, Adolis García, Marcus Semien and Jonah Heim (among others).
Team: Astros
Opponent: D-Backs
Past World Series: None
The D-Backs are a team built on youth, timely hitting, a staff led by two dynamic arms and a solid but unspectacular bullpen. This formula should look familiar to Astros fans, as it is the same composition they had at the start of their competitive window. Although it’s not a one-to-one comparison, the similarities are there.
However, that doesn’t mean they look the same now. Last year, the Astros reached the top of the mountain by getting as much as they could from late-career veterans while also getting some big hits from unproven players like Jeremy Peña. They’ll likely use that formula to solve the postseason equation this year, with a roster pretty similar to last year’s. This is the equivalent of the grumpy old neighbor telling his teenage neighbor to keep the noise down, and I’m ready for it.
Team: Gemini
Opponent: Braves
Past World Series: 1991 (MIN win, 4-3)
Since these two teams faced off in the World Series more than 30 years ago, a rematch between the Twins and Braves would be filled with early ’90s nostalgia, including plenty of nods to Kirby Puckett’s Game 6 heroics and epic pitching between Jack Morris and John Smoltz’s duel in Game 7. But there’s plenty of intrigue here too as far as today’s duel is concerned.
On one side, you have the powerhouse Braves, who led the majors in runs scored (947) and had four players hit more than 30 home runs in 2023. On the other hand, you have the Twins, whose leading home run hitter Max Kepler only went deep 24 times. It doesn’t exactly seem like a fair fight, but Minnesota’s pitching might have something to say about that. Only two teams allowed fewer runs (659) during the regular season than the Twins, who limited the Blue Jays to one run over two games in their Wild Card Series sweep.
Team: Rangers
Opponent: Dodgers
Past World Series: None
There are all sorts of interesting connections here. The Rangers’ star shortstop, Corey Seager, was a longtime Dodger. When the Dodgers began their championship run in 2020 and won their first title since 1988, Seager was named MVP of both the NLCS and the World Series – both played at Globe Life Field in Texas (a neutral site used during the Covid-19 pandemic). season). Then there’s noted Dodger and Dallas resident Clayton Kershaw, who has left the door open to pitching for his hometown team in recent years before giving it up. Oh, and don’t forget the potential for another postseason battle between the Dodgers catcher and the Rangers reliever (see also: NLCS 2020 and ’21).
That being said, this could also be an absolutely spectacular baseball series. Both teams can drive the ball around the court, with dynamic duos (Seager-Semien and Betts-Freeman) leading a deep lineup. Both teams have talent – but also plenty of injuries and question marks – on the pitching side. Would the Rangers win their first World Series or would the Dodgers add to their trophy collection?
Team: D-Backs
Opponent: Orioles
Past World Series: None
But be careful, that would be stressful. In this area, both Arizona and Baltimore excel in their baserunning and timely hitting. The Orioles led MLB in baserunning runs in 2023 (+14); The D-Backs finished third at +8. Each has one of the most valuable individual baserunners of the regular season, with Gunnar Henderson leading the field at +6 and Corbin Carroll ranking second at +5 (of note, Carroll also stole 54 bases). It’s been a while since a World Series has been played on the basepaths, but this could be the case.
If aggressive baserunning isn’t really your thing, there’s also the clutch gene. Baltimore tied for the most straight-season wins in baseball in the regular season (48, tied with Cincinnati); Arizona was fourth with 43. Both clubs also ranked in the top five in team OPS in high-leverage situations. Basically, the likelihood that this duel will create unforgettable tensions is quite high – who would be there to say no?