An expanded playoffs has arrived in the world of baseball. This year we will have 16 teams that will have the chance to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy at the year. Let’s meet the teams!
Tampa Bay Rays: How many people picked the Rays to be in this position to have the ALs Top seed? Not many. A team that has not had the fire in the rotation like last year has something that they haven’t had since the Joe Maddon years. A machine of a hitting lineup. Despite no player hitting above 300, the Rays had breakout years from Brandon Lowe, Willy Adames, and Joey Wendle. Not to mention a rotation of Blake Snell, Charlie Morton, and Tyler Glasnow. Considering the success Tampa Bay sports have had with the Lightning and potentially the Bucs the Rays just happen to be the ones that are always under the radar.
Minnesota Twins: The playoff monkey that has been on the Minnesota Twins for 15 years could be gone. Unlike years past they have expectations. Winning a playoff game, heck winning a series. A lineup that has Nelson Cruz, Josh Donaldson, Eddie Rosario, and Byron Buxton must always be considered a threat. But the real strength of the Twins is the rotation. Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, and Rich Hill being the top 3 starters will give this team a strong edge over almost anyone. I feel like they either make it to the ALCS/World Series or go out in the early rounds.
Oakland Athletics: The Moneyball formula that has been used by the A’s for 2 decades has been nothing but a mess in the playoffs in years past. This year they have the chance to put the narratives to bed. They have an elite bullpen and solid hitting. Matt Olson not Matt Chapman has been the most reliable hitter, the way he has played since the middle of September gives the opposing pitchers fear in their eyes. The real challenge for any team that faces them is you can’t either have a narrow lead or trail by the 8th inning. Because the A’s have a ridiculous win percentage in 1 one games and Liam Hendricks has been shutting everyone down this year. Will there be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for Oakland this year? Who knows.
Chicago White Sox: The years of basement dwelling and tanking are over for the South Siders. They are in most experts’ eyes a serious World Series contender but I just don’t see it. They struggled in the last week of the season because they had to face the Indians and the Cubs, but there are plenty of reasons for Sox fans to get hyped. Luis Robert is slowly becoming the second coming of Minnie Monoso, Jose Abreu has so far lived up to his huge contract, and Lucas Giolito is a leading Cy Young candidate. If there is a flaw on this team it is the backend of the bullpen or in the dugout. I don’t think Rick Renteria is ready for the big time just yet, but I pity the fool for trying to take away the talent they have.
Cleveland Indians: This year might be the last real chance the Indians have at winning a championship with their current core. Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez are due for huge contracts this winter but the good news is that the Tribe might have the best rotation in the playoffs. Shane Beiber has not only stepped out of Corey Kluber’s shadows he could be better than Klu ever was. Not to mention Zach Plesac, and Carlos Corrasco in the rotation as well. This team like the Twins is either going deep or going out with a dud.
New York Yankees: Never count out the Yankees! This team is obviously better than their record. Even if Gerrit Cole and Gary Sanchez have struggled this year they always find some new star to carry them. This year it is Luke Voit, he has been very consistent, and he also swings a hot bat. Not to mention Aaron Judge and DJ Lemahieu are also playing as advertised. If the Yanks don’t go far in the playoffs I wonder how long it will be until they call for Aaron Boone and Giancarlo Stanton’s heads.
Toronto Blue Jays: The Jays championship window that began in 2014 is technically still open. They don’t have Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, and Jose Bautista anymore but they have young blood. Vlad Jr, Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, Teoscar Hernandez, and Lourdes Garcia. This year not only did the Blue Jays have this much success away from SkyDome. They added Travis Shaw, Jonathan Villar, Robbie Ray, and Ross Stripling this year at the trade deadline to bolster their attack. Not to mention Hyun Jin Ryu has been pitching as advertised. This year I think is a learning experiment for Toronto but there always is the future considering that they still have even more top prospects coming. For the rest of the AL East YIKES!
Houston Astros: BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!! It appears that the Astros are certainly not the team that they were under AJ Hinch but are still a deadly team to face. I know that most of their players except Yordan Alverez and Alex Bregman have been declining in terms of talent, don’t let the playoff experience of this team fool you. Not to mention that Dusty Baker is still looking for that elusive championship. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Lets go over the status of the Dodgers this year. Another year with the best record in baseball, another year where they look unstoppable on paper, and another year when the baseball world is waiting for something to make their fans angry. But they at least have Mookie Betts unlike years past. His leadership plus the revival of Corey Seager should be very mindful. There are other elements to conceive as well. Clayton Kershaw still has the playoff curse, the backend of the bullpen is soft, Dave Roberts is down to his last chance, and Cody Bellinger needs to step up after a rough regular season. Anything less than a championship could lead to serious changes in the dugout next year.
Atlanta Braves: Now it appears that the Braves have a real chance at beating LA and Chicago in the NL Playoffs. Freddie Freeman, Marcell Ozuna, Ronald Ocuna, Adam Duvall, and Ozzie Albies are still the main cogs in the lineup but the pitching staff could be a huge problem. Max Fried becoming the ace of the future aside if they are going far in the playoffs it will be because of the offense. If they don’t I would expect them to spend big on star pitchers in free agency.
Chicago Cubs: I am so glad the Cubs have returned to being a World Series Contender. David Ross’ leadership has resurrected the pitching staff and everyone is back in 2016 form. Yu Darvish returned to being the ace he was in Texas, Kyle Hendricks back in 2017 form as well, and the hitting lineup getting standout performances from Ian Happ, Willson Contreras, and Jason Heyward. I do have one request, CAN YOU PLEASE MAKE IT TO THE NLCS AT MINIMUM!? I have seen 3 of my teams already have a top 3 seed and lose in the 2nd Round or earlier this year. If there is any team that can end that trend of my teams this is it.
San Diego Padres: Like the White Sox, this is another team that has desperately been waiting for a winner to rally behind. The Friars for much of the year looked like the favorite to come out of the NL in the World Series. Fernando Tatis is likely going to win MVP, Manny Machado is likely going to win yet another Gold Glove. The thing that could kill them is that they have been playing way too many close games. Yes they have the best closer in the NL in Kirby Yates, and a 3 headed monster in the rotation. But the real question is can they overcome being in the Dodgers shadows? That is a tough challenge if there ever was one.
St Louis Cardinals: The longtime darkhorse of the playoffs is back and what kind of nonsense will there be this year. Paul Goldschmidt, Tommy Edman, and Brad Miller have been the leaders this year of this Cinderella Story that refuses to die. Even if Jack Flaherty, and the rest of the pitching staff have been average to be kind but they will need Andrew Miller back in 2016 form, and Giovanny Gallegos to be lights out like he was against Atlanta last year. I hope that this time the Cards magic will run out.
Cincinnati Reds: This is obviously where they expected to be in my opinion. A team that is on the outside looking in on other teams despite being in the playoffs. Despite the flash and bold moves made by the front office and hype from their fanbase, the Reds are taking baby steps in the terms of entering a new championship window. The pitching staff headlined by Sonny Gray, Trevor Bauer, and Luis Castillo are the only hopes that Cincy has at a deep playoff run. The bullpen is to me the weakness. They have an ERA that is over 6. This is the one thing the Reds have to avoid if they want to go deep this year.
Miami Marlins: The years of Loria, front office cheapness, and the people of Miami giving up on them are gone. The Marlins are once again a playoff contender, I have to give Derek Jeter, Jorge Mas, and Bruce Sherman a whole lot of credit. They got rid of all of their awful contracts from 2018, brought in plenty of top prospects, and now they added some fresh talents in the form of Starling Marte at the trade deadline. If you look at their lineup there are also guys like Corey Dickerson, Brian Anderson, Jesus Aguilar, Miguel Rojas, and plenty of other talented hitters. Pablo Lopez, and Sandy Alcantara could be the South Beach versions of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood without the Bartman play. Even if they don’t go far this year it will be a huge success of a season for a team that has missed the playoffs for 17 straight years.
Milwaukee Brewers: Well at least they made it I guess. At least they made the Baseball Gods laugh at the Phillies again. The story of this year’s BrewCrew isn’t the hitting core, it is the pitching staff. Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, and an aging but still effective Brett Anderson are the headlines in the rotation but Josh Hader needs to avoid last year’s disaster to avoid any early exit. That and they need Christian Yelich and Ryan Braun to go full God mode as well.
This is a hard postseason to predict. Any team in these playoffs has an equal chance at a World Title, whoever I pick is going to be under pressure so let’s go with the matchup that I want to see the most. Cubs vs Rays. Two teams that have playoff ready pitching staffs plus 2 young and hungry managers desperate for a championship. The MLB is going to rig it to be Yankees vs Dodgers aren’t they! CRUD!
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