Written by Jack Molino of WCBN Sports Radio
October is almost here, and MLB Playoffs are just around the corner. As with every other season, over 21,870 innings will be played by the end of the regular season, but that’s never enough to crown the champion. In MLB playoffs, anything can happen. In fact, in last 20 years, 6 wild-card teams have won the World Series (’97 and ’03 Marlins, ’02 Angels, ’04 Red Sox, ’11 Cardinals, ’14 Giants). Could it happen this year?
This 2017 regular season has been a fun one to say the least. From the Indians winning an AL record 22 straight, to the Dodgers losing 11 straight but still having the best record in baseball. But now it’s time for October baseball. Here is a playoff outlook for each team, and the teams battling for a Wild Card spot.
National League
National League Wild Card
American League
American League Wild Card
Jack Molino
October is almost here, and MLB Playoffs are just around the corner. As with every other season, over 21,870 innings will be played by the end of the regular season, but that’s never enough to crown the champion. In MLB playoffs, anything can happen. In fact, in last 20 years, 6 wild-card teams have won the World Series (’97 and ’03 Marlins, ’02 Angels, ’04 Red Sox, ’11 Cardinals, ’14 Giants). Could it happen this year?
This 2017 regular season has been a fun one to say the least. From the Indians winning an AL record 22 straight, to the Dodgers losing 11 straight but still having the best record in baseball. But now it’s time for October baseball. Here is a playoff outlook for each team, and the teams battling for a Wild Card spot.
National League
- Los Angeles Dodgers (clinched playoff berth, probable NL West Winners)
- General
- The Dodgers haven’t won the World Series since 1988. Even though have won the last 4 NL West titles (looking to make it 5 straight), they can’t seem to put it together in the playoffs. They have the best record in baseball, but after losing 20 out of the last 26, fans are wondering if they will get the good or bad Dodgers in the playoffs.
- Pitching
- They have arguably the best starting and closing pitcher in baseball—Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen. However, can Alex Wood, Rich Hill, and the newly added Yu Darvish back up Kershaw in the playoffs? Their pitching rotation has the most wins in baseball and 2nd best ERA behind the Cleveland Indians.
- Batting
- They have some of best young bats in the baseball in Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager. And with experienced players like Justin Turner and newly added Curtis Granderson, this team can be explosive from the plate. Dodgers fans hope that the bats turn on when October hits, and their youth talent steps up to the challenge in the playoffs.
- General
- Washington Nationals (clinched NL East)
- General
- They seem to be in same boat in the Dodgers; this team has seen recent regular season success but can’t put it together in October. They have won 4 out of the last 7 NL East titles, but have yet to win a playoff series since moving the franchise to Washington in 2004. In fact, the franchise (dating back to 1969 when they were the Expos) does not have NL pennant.
- Pitching
- 2-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer is their ace, and they can back him up with Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg on the bump as well. After some experimenting, it seems like Dusty Baker has finally put his trust into his closer Sean Doolittle who has 19 saves and 0 blown saves with the Nationals this season.
- Batting
- Star Bryce Harper suffered a scary injury when he slipped on a wet base, but he will be back in the coming days per sources. They have possibly the scariest heart of the order in baseball: Zimmerman, Murphy, Harper and Rendon. However, the rest of the lineup has seen struggles this season and must be able to support the heart of the order.
- General
- Chicago Cubs (probable NL Central winners)
- General
- The defending 2016 World Series champions saw early struggles. In fact, they were under .500 and they were looking up at the N.L. Central leading Brewers at the All-Star break. Now, they lead the N.L. Central by 5.5 games and look to make it to the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row. This team is turning it on, and they are looking to make it deep into October again.
- Pitching
- In 2015, Jake Arrieta won the NL Cy Young. In 2016, Kyle Hendricks was untouchable. In 2017, Joe Maddon doesn’t know who their ace is. That’s not to say that their pitching rotation as a whole is bad, but they just don’t have that “guy” that puts confidence in the team when on the bump. All-star closer Wade Davis leads the bullpen (which has some pretty good dance moves if you haven’t seen).
- Batting
- In 2016, their whole infield were starters in the All-Star game and Kris Bryant was the NL MVP as a rookie. In 2017, they had 0 batting NL All-Stars in 2017…and they lost their valuable lead-off hitter Dexter Fowler to the Cardinals. This year, Rizzo, Bryant and Baez are still putting up good numbers at the dish, but nothing like last year. They seem to be hitting the ball much better as of late, which is a good sign for Cubs fans.
- General
National League Wild Card
- Arizona Diamondbacks (probable 1st NL Wild Card)
- General
- The Diamondbacks won the World Series in 2001 over the New York Yankees and have made the playoffs 3 times since. This will be their first time in the playoffs since 2011, and first time as a Wild Card in franchise history. This year, the team doesn’t jump out at you on paper, but this team can be very dangerous in a playoff series.
- Pitching
- According to collective ERA, this team is the 3rd best team in MLB on the mound. Robbie Ray, Patrick Corbin, and Zach Greinke have been fantastic for this team as starters. Fernando Rodney has 38 saves on the season, 3rd best in the National League.
- Batting
- Paul Goldschmidt leads the team in about every batting category possible. Adding J.D. Martinez from the Tigers has sure paid off. Players like Peralta and Lamb will help the team from the plate, but do they have enough depth to beat a team like the Dodgers?
- General
- Colorado Rockies (probable 2nd Wild Card)
- General
- The Rockies have been around since 1993, and have made the playoffs 3 times (all as Wild Cards), most recently 2009. This team can hit to say the least (maybe because the air is thinner in Denver). But their weak spot is their pitching—and to win in MLB playoffs, you have to be able to pitch the baseball well.
- Pitching
- They are ranked 16th in collective ERA, and they have the 8th worst opponent batting average. Kyle Freeland is considered their ace, with players Marquez, Gray, and Senzatela helping out. On a positive note, they have the National League saves leader on their team: Greg Holland with 40 saves.
- Batting
- Nolan Arenado is an RBI machine, leading the National League in RBI’s again. Charlie Blackmon leads the National League in batting average. They are pretty deep in their order with players like D.J. LeMahieu, Gerardo Parra, and Mark Reynolds all having solid seasons.
- General
- Milwaukee Brewers (looking to get the 2nd NL Wild Card)
- General
- Since 1998,when the Brewers joined the National League, the team has made the playoffs twice—the last being 2011 when they won the NL Central. At the All-Star break this team was leading the division but since then the Cubs have stolen the spotlight. This year, they have struggled from the plate, with the 4th least amount of hits in the National League.
- Pitching
- Their top 3 starters in Zach Davies, Jimmy Nelson, and Chase Anderson have been superb the whole season. But they have yet to find solid 4th and 5th starters the whole season, as Matt Garza is not what he used to be this season.
- Batting
- Unlike previous years with Ryan Braun leading the squad, they don’t have a star batter this year. Domingo Santana, Travis Shaw, and Orlando Arcia have all been solid, but this batting lineup is probably not enough to beat a team like the Dodgers.
- General
- St. Louis Cardinals (looking to get the 2nd NL Wild Card)
- General
- This team has proven that they can make a run in October, they just need a playoff berth—they won the World Series in 2011 as a Wild Card. They have reached the World Series 4 times since 2004. However, it seems as if the Cardinals are starting to lose that “Cardinal” magic, possibly missing the playoffs for the 2nd time in a row.
- Pitching
- With Adam Wainwright getting older, it looks like Carlos Martinez is their ace. Michael Wacha has had a solid season with Lance Lynn contributing as well. They have the 7th best combined ERA in baseball, but this is just not a playoff rotation that can take them far. Maybe they can prove us wrong like they did 2011.
- Batting
- Like their pitching, their batting is pretty mediocre. Tommy Pham leads the starters in batting average, but players like Dexter Fowler and Matt Carpenter haven’t had stellar season like years past.
- General
American League
- Houston Astros (clinched AL West)
- General
- This will be the second time making the playoffs since moving to the AL West in 2013. They are looking to make it to the World Series for the first time since 2005, and to win their first World Series Championship. Like the Washington Nationals, they dominated their division, as they are looking to win the AL West division by 20 games. After suffering from the devastating Hurricane Harvey, this team has something to play for and they look to bring a World Series to the city of Houston.o
- Pitching
- Their pitching rotation has the 12th best ERA in baseball, which doesn’t matchup with their overall record which is the 2nd best in the American League. Dallas Keuchel and Brad Peacock have been solid the whole season, but the Astros are looking towards newly added Justin Verlander and now healthy Lance McCullers Jr. to add to the starting rotation. Ken Giles, their closer, is very reliable.
- Batting
- The Houston Astros are the best batters in baseball, period. They lead the MLB in hits, RBI’s, runs, OPS (I could go on and on). With Jose Altuve leading the squad with the best average in MLB at .346, opposing pitchers are going to have trouble with these guys.
- General
- Boston Red Sox (probable AL East winners, clinched playoff berth)
- General
- Winning the World Series 3 times (’04, ’07 and ’13) in the 21st century, this team has had great success in the playoffs. This season, they have been just solid and consistent. But their biggest problem is lack of power. They are 4th to last in HR and 5th to last in slugging percentage. Without David Ortiz at the heart of the order, this team has to have good base running and lots of hits to be able to score runs in October.
- Pitching
- Chris Sale has been dominant (2.75 ERA and over 300 K’s this season). Whether or not he wins the AL Cy Young over Corey Kluber, he is easily the best strikeout pitcher in baseball with his nasty slider. But what happened to 2016 AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello? After a 22-4 record last year, he is currently 10-17. They are paying David Price 30 million USD, so Red Sox fans hope that he will be back for the playoffs after his elbow injury this season. No worries in the closer position, as Craig Kimbrel is one of the league’s best.
- Batting
- As said before, they are not very explosive from the plate. However, they are consistent; they have the 3rd most hits in the American League. Mookie Betts is their best batter, but he will need help from players like Eduardo Nunez, Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts if they want to be able to win games and support their pitchers in this year’s playoffs.
- General
- Cleveland Indians (clinched AL Central)
- General
- No one really knows what Terry Francona is feeding his team, but whatever it is, it’s working. They are the hottest team in baseball, after winning 22 straight and their last 27 out of 28. They are looking to avenge themselves after losing the World Series last year to the Chicago Cubs in game 7. To be honest, it is hard to find a weak spot in this team, they can hit, pitch and close out games. They look to beat out the Astros for home-field advantage in the American League now.
- Pitching
- Two words: Corey Kluber. He has great off-speed stuff, he is calm and collected, and he also a 2.35 ERA. The Indians have the best pitching in the MLB with a collective 3.35 ERA. With Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco behind Corey Kluber, this team shouldn’t have any problem on the mound. Cody Allen has been a dominant closer and Andrew Miller is now off the DL.
- Batting
- Some days it is Encarnacion, some days it is Ramirez and Santana, or even Lindor. This team, like the Nationals, has an incredible heart of the order. However, players like Michael Brantley, Jason Kipnis, and Austin Jackson will need to help out the heart of the order. With great pitching, this team’s bats don’t have to be incredible in the playoffs, just enough to support the pitchers.
- General
American League Wild Card
- New York Yankees (probable 1st AL Wild Card)
- General
- They have won the World Series 27 times, the last being 2009. They missed the playoffs last year, and that never goes over well with Yankees fans. This year, they have basically trailed the Red Sox in the AL East the whole year, but they have proven that they can beat them. Yankees fans hope to see the Red Sox in October.
- Pitching
- Luis Severino is the Yankees new ace. When he is on, he is untouchable and one of the best in the American League with an ERA of 3.03. They look towards C.C. Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, and Sonny Gray (from the Athletics) to pitch well in the playoffs. However, they need to win the Wild Card game where Severino will be on the mound. After some struggles this season, Aroldis Chapman from the Cubs is their playoff closer.
- Batting
- ALL RISE. Possible the greatest hashtag in the MLB, according to Yankees fans. Aaron Judge looked like he was going to be the AL MVP at the All-Star break, but he has had a bad second half of the season. Nonetheless, he has very good season stats along with players like Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorious, Chase Headley and Starlin Castro.
- General
- Minnesota Twins (probable 2nd AL Wild Card)
- General
- They are looking to make the playoffs for the first time in 7 years. They have sort of lived in the shadow of the Indians in the AL Central this year, but don’t look too far past this club. They aren’t the best on paper in leading categories, but this team can win games.
- Pitching
- With Ervin Santana leading the rotation with a 3.34 ERA, Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson, and Bartolo Colon are their other starting pitchers. They are 22nd in combined ERA, so pitching is not their strength. Brandon Kintzler is now on the Nationals, so Matt Belisle takes over in the closer spot.
- Batting
- Yes, Joe Mauer is still on the Twins. This has been hitting the ball well recently. Eddie Rosario, Jorge Polanco, Byron Buxton are all solid hitters this year. The question for the Twins team is if Miguel Sano will return before the playoffs start.
- General
Jack Molino
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