Is the anthem for this postseason and October baseball on the way to the Fall Classic. Who do you think will show up and show out this postseason?
In a year that held some teams questionable till game 162, this season did not let anyone down for the excitement of the closeout of the season. This starting with all three of the American League teams catching 100+ wins from each division, along with the Rays and Athletics snagging Wild Card slots. To finish out the AL, in the West the Astros brought home the crown and best record with Now on the other side of the league in the NL, the Brewers and Cardinals decided to wait till game 162 in which the Cardinals came out victorious for the first time in 3 years which is uncommon for a team so surrounded by winning. In the NL East the Braves took home a division title for a second year in a row, and in the NL West the LA Dodgers were menacing all season as they came away as the best team in baseball winning another West Division.
BUT, as any seasoned fan knows, the MLB is not like any other sport when it comes to a champion. There may be underdogs, there may be no surprise and we see the Astros and Dodgers face off, the two best teams (by record) in each league. Who can make a splash this postseason, and who may go bust? October baseball is never predictable and this is why we play 162 games, only the best of the best will be defined by the FINISHING of the product found in October. The Dodgers have been to the World Series the last two seasons and LOST, will they finally taste World Series champagne? The Yankees young crew backed by Aaron Judge himself are hungry, but yet so are the HOMERING Twins who look to make a splash this year also. Don’t sleep on the Wild Card either as the postseason has been kind to the underdog, almost as if playing one extra game has fueled magical runs in October as we think back to the Giants of 2014. But here is my best bet for each of the 4 teams who will be playing in the AL side of the posteason first as we dive into these ball clubs. (Subject out the Brewers and the Athletics who did lose their Wild Card Game).
Let’s start in the AL with the New York Yankees. Coming in with talented offense and seasoned vets like Brett Gardener who always shines in big moments, do the Yankees have it this year? I think that first of all this year is anyone’s postseason, and that all 8 teams have a great shot. For the Yankees it starts with offense as that was their booming 306 home runs this year from a roster that showed great promise of young talent i.e. Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Aaron Judge (duh.), Luke Voit, and along with their vets to lead this young team. The only problem that looks to be standing in the way of the Yankees is CONSISTENT pitching. The best ERA documented for them is in the 4’s which will not make good promise of a team who seemingly ‘out offensed’ the other teams during the regular season. While it is October though, it will produce in interesting bet to see how they use their bullpen to flush out the end of game. For more on the Yankee’s check out, https://www.mlb.com/yankees if you want more info on this historic team from New York.
Next up on our list is the team that the Yankees will be facing in the Minnesota Twins. The team who hit 307 home runs in this MLB season have come into October with a look to make a fresh face after staving off the Cleveland Indians in the regular season. I’ll be honest before the All-Star break I said it would be Dodgers and Twins, but then the second half happened. This team sorta slowed down as they only pulled away towards the last 2 weeks of the season when the Indians could not keep pace, but this is another team heavy on offense and any team without a solid starter on the mound worries me. Nonetheless though, I still think they can be the team to play in the World Series this year considering veteran guys like Nelson Cruz and some studley bat flips to chock out their competition with. The only problem is that the Yankees built the postseason, and have it engrained to them to inch closer to their 30th World Series title. For more on the Minnesota Twins and what they will be up to throughout this postseason, check out their cold state and team site here:
https://www.mlb.com/twins (this is a link, sorry, the white won’t let me change the link to a different color) BUT CHECK OUT THE TWINS!!
In the AL West you have the team BUILT for the postseason with a roster that is scary enough to play on paper. Backed behind the best starting rotation in baseball the Astros are a hard bet not to be on their way to yet another World Championship. HERE IS WHERE TO BE CAREFUL THOUGH. I too believe this team has ever piece of the pie. They have an MVP in Alex Bregman, Cy Young in Verlander, and a former MVP and dynamic duo with Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve. But, this is October. You cannot count anyone out from this race as the Rays will come into the postseason steaming hot in their finish of the regular season. I will say though, having George Springer in the outfield, being the postseason ICON he is, this team will be the toughest to take down in the AL. It has been a slower year for some of the stars on this team though, so pitching will have to show up along with a continual offense to set this team up for its 2nd title in 3 years. For more on the Houston Astros and their hot organization, looking to make another World Series appearance: https://www.mlb.com/astros
The Tampa Bay Rays who walked into the Coliseum in Oakland and from the first pitch they never looked back. Charlie Morton was strong through his short outing as to save him for the Astros series after they clung to a 5-1 lead going towards the second half of this game. The Rays may be a team that seems under developed and some may say unready for the race they are about to run in, but this team did win 96 games this year. Had a great offense that showed up alongside some breakout stars like Austin Meadows and a healthy year for Tommy Pham. This team may be David fighting Goliath, but it could be an interesting series and will all surge upon if the Rays can pitch well and have timely offense. No team is out of it, and the Rays showed the Athletics who was boss, I see nothing changing in their mindset as they come into Houston on Friday to play at 1:05 PM of Fox Sports 1. For this team out of the Floridian coast, keep up with them as they challenge the heavy weight Astros also at MLB.com here: https://www.mlb.com/rays
So who do you think has what is takes this year from the AL to make the best run of it? Let me know your thoughts and comments either through email, direct message, or any other way of reaching out through social media platforms. As always, the two best words in sports, PLAY BALL. Let’s see what October has to offer us.
AROUND the HORN: 