With new Wild Card teams that nobody would have expected a month ago, the entire dynamics of the playoffs have changed. Neither the Red Sox, nor the Braves, made the postseason – two of the best four teams in baseball for a large majority of the season. The Rays and Cardinals are surging, The D-backs and Tigers are playing beyond expectations, the Rangers and Brewers have plenty of offense to be successful in the postseason, and the Yankees and Phillies continue to be dominant. This is my attempt at choosing one final team to go all the way in the most exciting and unpredictable part of baseball – the postseason.
ALDS 1: New York Yankees V. Detroit Tigers
Winner: New York Yankees
Justin Verlander and Jose Valverde had seasons for the history books, Miguel Cabrera put up his usual outstanding numbers, and Johnny Peralta, Doug Fister, Max Scherzer, and Victor Martinez all contributed beyond their expectations. Their team is far better now than it was last winter. However, New York has all of the same components and then some. The starting rotation is stronger overall, even if no one can beat Verlander one-on-one and the sheer number of run producers in the Yankees line-up outdoes the Tigers.
ALDS 2: Tampa Bay Rays V. Texas Rangers
Winner: Tampa Bay Rays
Last year, the Rangers not only won their first postseason series in franchise history, but also the American League Pennant, riding solely on the synergy between its players. This year, without Cliff Lee, that synergy belongs to Tampa Bay. Starting pitchers James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson, and David Price (even a struggling David Price) are far more intimidating than C. J. Wilson, Derek Holland, and Alexi Ogando. On top of that, the Rays questionable offense isn’t so questionable in the clutch; the entire month of September proved that, epitomized by their walk-off win in their final game against the Yankees.
NLDS 1: Philadelphia Phillies V.. St. Louis Cardinals
Winner: Philadelphia Phillies
At the beginning of the season, I picked the Cardinals to win the World Series, but when Adam Wainwright was lost for the year, before it even began, their entire team changed. Chris Carpenter had a less than stellar year, Albert Pujols isn’t in the MVP discussion, and Matt Holiday had injury problems. While their September surge was amazing to watch, they now face the toughest opponent possible. The Phillies match the Red Birds in every way with some improvements in pitching. Hunter Pence, Ryan Howard, and Jimmy Rollins match up nicely to Pujols, Holliday, and Lance Berkman, but then Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, and Chase Utley are just too much for the Cardinals to handle. Then, with nobody to match up against Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, or Cliff Lee effectively, it’s going to be a long uphill climb for the Cardinals to win this one.
NLDS 2: Milwaukee Brewers V. Arizona Diamondbacks
Winner: Milwaukee Brewers
In my opinion, the Brewers share many characteristics with the Rays: solid defense, solid starting pitching, and an offense built around two guys (or one in the Rays’ case). Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are being discussed for the Hall of Fame, Yovani Gallardo, Zack Greinke, and Shaun Marcum have ended the season unscathed, and Rickie Weeks, Nyjer Morgan, Corey Hart, and the rest of the Brew crew are playing their hearts out until the very end. In all honesty, before doing further research, the only players I knew of having a good season for the D-backs were Ian Kennedy and Justin Upton. Besides them, however, the D-backs have been scrappy, playing their best every single day. If the rest of the team reaches the level that they know they can play at, they will certainly give the brewers a run for their money. I just don’t see it happening for them as clearly as I see it for the Brewers.
ALCS: New York Yankees V. Tampa Bay Rays
Winner: New York Yankees
This was probably one of the hardest predictions to make, the Yankees line-up against the Rays pitching. Both teams play some of the best defense in baseball; both have a new energy that they lacked last year. I hope that it’s not my personal bias that brings me to pick the Yankees, but the names Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Texeira are much more intimidating than Evan Longoria, Matt Joyce, and Casey Kotchman. Then you throw in the experience of Derek Jeter, Russell Martin, and even Brett Gardner and you’ve got one dangerous team. Honestly, it will be a brawl, it could go to seven games, and this is definitely the prediction I’d expect to be wrong out of them all.
NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies Vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Winner: Milwaukee Brewers
The Phillies fell to the unlikely Giants last year because they just didn’t see an offense coming; the Brewers can repeat that. I can see Prince Fielder launching multiple home runs off Halladay, Nyjer Morgan stealing bases under Cliff Lee’s nose, and Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun pounding Cole Hamels so hard that he leaves the game in the fourth inning. Of course, anything can happen, but if any team in the postseason right now can beat the Phillies (the team everyone picked to play the Red Sox in the World Series), it’s the Brew Crew with their incredible energy, love for the game, and ability to make other teams work.
World Series: New York Yankees V. Milwaukee Brewers
Winner: New York Yankees
This was another incredibly difficult decision. The Yankees got outplayed in the 2010 ALCS by the unexpectedness of the Rangers. That’s why I don’t think they will make the same mistake again. The Brewers have many of the same components the Rangers had in their energy, youth, and potent offense, but not quite as potent as the Ranger’s was. It won’t be easy for the Yanks; I’m seeing this series going six or seven games. But C. C. Sabathia pitching three of those seven, and Ivan Nova pitching two is seems stronger than Gallardo, Greinke, and Marcum, none of whom have had the same kind of years. Most importantly, though, let’s not forget who has the second best record in baseball and was top three for most of the regular season. In the end, I think the experience and legacy of the New York Yankees will carry them to their Twenty-Eighth World Series Championship.
Toughest decisions:
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Yankees over Rays
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Yankees of Brewers
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Brewers over Diamondbacks