October is a busy month for sports fans. While the NBA and NFL seasons are just beginning and the NHL is in full swing, the sometimes tedious, always fascinating MLB season is coming to an end. The eight best teams from the regular season – four from the American League and four from the National League, not including wildcards – fight it out to see who gets to face off in the World Series.
While the regular season journey is long for all MLB teams – 162 games long – the one-month postseason can often seem even longer for those who make it. Therefore, it is important to go into October with a brief overview of where each of the eight teams stand and how the MLB postseason might play out.
Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox go into October with the best record in all of baseball, one of the best records of all time. This is a team that has been nothing short of dominant throughout the year. The Sox sit in first place in a competitive division which features the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, two of the best teams in baseball.
Boston’s key offensive threats are right fielder Mookie Betts and designated hitter J.D. Martinez. Betts holds the American League batting record, while Martinez leads the American League in RBIs.
With compliments to these two offensive powerhouses and a stoic pitching rotation featuring Chris Sale and David Price, they are a clear favorite for the American League World Series spot. The Red Sox recently defeated the New York Yankees 3-1, in a best of five series. They will play the Astros in the ALCS.
Atlanta Braves: Winners of the National League eastern division, the Braves had an extremely strong showing over the regular season. While not reaching the heights of Boston, the Braves proved themselves as a solid ballclub.
The Braves boast one of the most well-rounded batting orders in all of baseball. Led by Freddie Freeman, the entire line-up has batting averages above .235, providing reliability down the entire team. While scoring hasn’t been a problem for the Braves, pitching certainly has. With an unreliable rotation and no key leader, Atlanta needs to shore up their pitching problem if they hope to have success this postseason.
Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers have been a National League powerhouse for many years now, with the MVP-caliber pitching of Clayton Kershaw and hitting prowess of third baseman Justin Turner and right fielder Yasiel Puig. Acquiring infielder Manny Machado from the Orioles provided much-needed depth to the infield, and he was instrumental for their postseason run.
The Dodgers have one of the youngest and most exciting teams in baseball. With fresh faces such as Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger, the Dodgers have rounded out an extremely strong batting order. Like the Braves, the Dodgers have struggled with pitching outside of Kershaw, and must look for more depth if they want to be successful in October.
It only took the Dodgers four games to eliminate the Atlanta Braves from playoff contention. They look to take care of the Brewers next round to make it to the World Series.
Houston Astros: Defending champion Houston rounds out a dominant American League. With the second best record in baseball and the consistently strong performances of pitcher Justin Verlander and second-baseman Jose Altuve, “the Stros” are a fan favorite to defend their 2017 World Series victory.
A breakout season from third baseman Alex Bregman has skyrocketed the team from a one-and-done champion to a lasting force to be reckoned with. Clear strengths in their starting rotation, batting lineup and relief pitchers make the Astros the clear favorites to contend with Boston for the American League World Series bid.
The “Stros” looked good against the Cleveland Indians, sweping them in three games. The defending champs are playing well, looking to make it two in a row.
Milwaukee Brewers: Finally, we have the scorching hot Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers had an incredible record in September, coming from three games back to overtake the Cubs for the NL Central Division title. Right fielder Christian Yelich has put the team on his back, posting an MVP-caliber season while contending for the National League triple crown. Complemented by Travis Shaw and Jesus Aguilar, the Brewers have one of the strongest batting orders in the entirety of baseball.
Like a lot of the NL teams, the Brewers have a weakness with pitching. With a few solid performances from their starters and a consistent bullpen, the Brewers can look to continue their hot streak and make a case for the NL World Series bid.
The “Brew Crew” took care of the Colorado Rockies in three games. The small market team from Milwaukee looks to battle the flashy and young Dodgers in the NLCS.
October is a busy month for sports fans. While the NBA and NFL seasons are just beginning and the NHL is in full swing, the sometimes tedious, always fascinating MLB season is coming to an end. The eight best teams from the regular season – four from the American League and four from the National League, not including wildcards – fight it out to see who gets to face off in the World Series.
While the regular season journey is long for all MLB teams -162 games long- the one-month postseason can often seem even longer for those who make it. Therefore, it is important to go into October with a brief overview of where each of the eight teams stand and how the MLB postseason might play out.
Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox go into October with the best record in all of baseball, one of the best records of all time. This is a team that has been nothing short of dominant throughout the year. The Sox sit in first place in a competitive division which features the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, two of the best teams in baseball.
Boston’s key offensive threats are right fielder Mookie Betts and designated hitter J.D. Martinez. Betts holds the American League batting record, while Martinez leads the American League in RBIs.
With compliments to these two offensive powerhouses and a stoic pitching rotation featuring Chris Sale and David Price, they are a clear favorite for the American League World Series spot.
Atlanta Braves: Winners of the National League eastern division, the Braves had an extremely strong showing over the regular season. While not reaching the heights of Boston, the Braves proved themselves as a solid ballclub.
The Braves boast one of the most well-rounded batting orders in all of baseball. Led by Freddie Freeman, the entire line-up has batting averages above .235, providing reliability down the entire team. While scoring hasn’t been a problem for the Braves, pitching certainly has. With an unreliable rotation and no key leader, Atlanta needs to shore up their pitching problem if they hope to have success this postseason.
New York Yankees: It could be argued that the Yankees are the second best team in baseball, behind their rival Red Sox. While not quite good enough to reach the historic levels of Boston, the Yankees still hold the third best regular season record going into the postseason.
The Yankees strength lies in their batting power. The team set a record with 267 home runs this year alone. The Yankees have also found strength in their pitching rotation, with Luis Severino as their ace starter and Aroldis Chapman as a consistent closer.
Overall, the Yankees look ready to challenge the Red Sox in the first round . If the Yankees can knock out Boston, they’d sit as favorites for the World Series.
Houston Astros: Defending champions Houston round out a dominant American League. With the second best record in baseball and the consistently strong performances of pitcher Justin Verlander and second-baseman Jose Altuve, “the Stros” are a fan favorite to defend their 2017 World Series victory.
A breakout season from third baseman Alex Bregman has skyrocketed the team from a one-and-done champion to a lasting force to be reckoned with. With clear strengths in their starting rotation, batting lineup and relief pitchers, the Astros are the clear favorites to contend with Boston for the American League World Series bid.
Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers have been a National League powerhouse for many years now, with the MVP-caliber pitching of Clayton Kershaw and hitting prowess of third baseman Justin Turner and right fielder Yasiel Puig. Acquiring infielder Manny Machado from the Orioles provided much-needed depth to the infield, and he was instrumental for their postseason run.
The Dodgers have one of the youngest and most exciting teams in baseball. With fresh faces such as Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger, the Dodgers have rounded out an extremely strong batting order. Like the Braves, the Dodgers have struggled with pitching outside of Kershaw, and must look for more depth if they want to be successful in October.
Cleveland Indians: Continuing with the theme of extremely powerful American League teams, we have the Cleveland Indians. Third baseman José Ramirez and shortstop Francisco Lindor are the two star Indians hitters, with Ramirez coming out of MVP-caliber season. Pitcher Corey Kluber boasts one of the top ERAs in all of baseball and is complemented by a strong bullpen with the likes of closer Cody Allen and reliever Oliver Perez.
The Indians might have been good this year, but they find themselves in an incredibly talented American League, and have a lot of work to do if they hope to reach the World Series.
Colorado Rockies: Playoff underdog Colorado barely snuck in through the wild card, beating the Chicago Cubs. Breakout shortstop Trevor Story has provided a massive spark for the offense, alongside third baseman Nolan Arenado. Both have upwards of 35 home runs and 100 RBIs and are continuing to heat up through October.
Pitcher Kyle Freeland has found new success with the Rockies, posting an impressive 2.85 ERA, one of the lowest in the National League. Lack of depth in pitching will hurt the Rockies this postseason as games get longer and more competitive. If Arenado and Story continue to produce, look for the Rockies to make a run.
Milwaukee Brewers: Finally, we have the scorching hot Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers had an incredible record in September, coming from three games back to overtake the Cubs for the NL Central Division title. Right fielder Christian Yelich has put the team on his back, posting an MVP-caliber season while contending for the National League triple crown. Complemented by Travis Shaw and Jesus Aguilar, the Brewers have one of the strongest batting orders in the entirety of baseball.
Like a lot of the NL teams, the Brewers have a weakness with pitching. With a few solid performances from their starters and a consistent bullpen, the Brewers can look to continue their hot streak and make a case for the NL World Series bid.
