MLB Playoff Preview: How the Teams Stack Up
The road to the World Series is ready, and there are eight teams battling for supremacy following the Wild Card round. The Brewers found themselves on the losing end in the first round for the fifth time since 2018, while the Houston Astros fell to the Detroit Tigers.
Meanwhile, the Padres took out the Atlanta Braves while the Royals eliminated the Baltimore Orioles in one of the biggest upsets of the Wild Card round.
Eight teams, one trophy. Get yourself ready for the ALDS and NLDS today.
National League Divisional Series
With the New York Mets facing the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers slated to face the San Diego Padres, both of the NLDS matchups will see division rivals face off.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets
There is certainly no love lost between the Phillies and the Mets, which makes this divisional series an enticing one from the start. The Phillies’ pitching staff is absolutely stacked from front to back. With names like Aaron Nola, Zach Wheeler, and Christopher Sanchez, it’s hard to imagine a better overall staff than what Philadelphia brings.
However, if there’s one team that’s in a position to bring that pitching staff back to Earth, it’s the Mets, led by “The Polar Bear,” Pete Alonso.
In 2024, the Mets hit 207 home runs, good for sixth in the league, and near the end of the season, the Mets got much better at manufacturing runs. There’s also a familiarity factor in play, as the Mets have faced Nola or Wheeler 15 times over the last three seasons, and the team is 12-3 in those games.
Will the Mets offense be enough to overcome the Phillies' pitching staff? Only time will tell, but we’re sure to see some fireworks in this one.
The Mets and Phillies are set to face off in a crucial MLB matchup on October 8th. Both teams are vying for a playoff spot and are expected to bring their A-game to this highly anticipated contest. The Phillies, led by their star-studded lineup and strong pitching staff, will be looking to capitalize on their recent momentum.
Meanwhile, the Mets, hoping to rebound from a disappointing season, will be determined to prove themselves and secure a postseason berth. This game promises to be a thrilling showdown between two fierce rivals.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres
Speaking of divisional rivals who don’t particularly like one another, the other National League Divisional Series will see the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres.
The biggest story in this series is the MLB postseason debut of Shohei Ohtani, who has cemented himself as the best player in baseball and the face of the game. The two-way star who signed with the Dodgers in the offseason didn’t get to pitch this year because of an injury, but he more than made up for it at the plate, having finished the season with a .310 average, 54 home runs, and 59 stolen bases.
With Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman also in the lineup, the Dodgers don’t have a lack of offense, but their pitching staff is a huge question mark, as injuries have wreaked havoc on it this year. Still, the Dodgers posted the best record in baseball, thanks primarily to their ability to simply outslug their opponents.
The Padres made easy work of the Braves in the Wild Card round, leaving many pundits calling them the most complete team in the league. However, they lost Joe Musgrove for at least a month and maybe more. Will their pitching be able to silence the bats of the Dodgers, or will LA simply slug their way past another opponent?
American League Division Series
The AL Central has three teams in the ALDS, with everyone except the lowly White Sox making it through. Will that division represent the AL?
Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers
So far, we’re 3-3 on divisional foes facing off in this round of the playoffs, thanks to the Tigers knocking off the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round. The Guardians have the best bullpen in the league, which helped them win the AL Central after winning 92 games this season.
The Tigers’ trip to the postseason was much different, as the team had a 1% chance of making the playoffs when the season was winding down, but they went an incredible 15-5 over their last 20 games.
Detroit’s pitching staff is nothing to scoff at, thanks to Tarik Skubal, the man who won the pitching triple crown in 2024 and is expected to be named the 2024 AL Cy Young Winner.
Based on how they’ve managed things this season, the Tigers are likely to rely on “pitching chaos,” which means they’ll have some openers, some bullpen games, and general unpredictability in store for their division rival in what should be a fun series.
New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals
The New York Yankees are certainly the favorite on paper, led by Aaron Judge who paced the MLB in home runs this year with 58. Along with Juan Soto and Gerrit Cole, it could be argued that the Yankees have the best “big three” of any team in the postseason, but the team is in World Series or bust mode coming into the playoffs.
This isn’t the first time the Yankees have looked great on paper in recent years, but the team has consistently struggled to live up to expectations, placing manager Aaron Boone firmly on the hot seat every offseason.
On the other side of the aisle, you have the Kansas City Royals, who have a payroll roughly 1/3 that of the Yankees, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some firepower.
If it weren’t for Judge’s monster season, Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals would probably be on pace to be your AL MVP this season. Along with Witt, the Royals have put together one of the best defensive teams in baseball.
Will the underdog Royals repeat their Wild Card round success against the “evil empire” of the Yankees? If they do, it will go down as one of the biggest upsets in recent history, and the heat under Boone’s seat will be hotter than it’s ever been before.