2019 MLB Postseason Preview
Here it is. October baseball. It’s one of my favorite times of the year, and this postseason should be one for the ages. 2019 has been a year of Home Run records, breakout rookie sensations, and some unbelievable wins and losses. My Mets, unfortunately, won’t be a part of this postseason, but let’s talk about some teams that will be.
American League
The New York Yankees
103–59
Where to start with this Yankees team? I’d be lying if I said this team wasn’t a legitimate contender to take it all. Taking the AL East for the first time since 2012 was an achievement on its own, but being one of the best teams in baseball this year period was a whole other thing, especially with everything that has happened to this team in regards to injuries. The starting pitching still scares me quite a lot, but if they pitch well enough, their bullpen can take them all the way. On top of that, their offense is absolutely terrifyingly. Judge, Torres, Gregorius, Urshela, Stanton, LeMahieu, and Encarnación all are part of what I consider to be the best Yankees batting lineup in years. When this team is healthy, they’re dangerous, but that’s been a major problem facing this team in 2019. Even with the injuries plaguing the team since spring training, they have always found ways to get the absolute most out of their farm and find unsung heroes like Mike Ford, Mike Tauchman, and Cameron Maybin. It’s been a blast to watch, but the ultimate goal for this Yankees team is to win it all and bring home their 28th World Series title.
The Minnesota Twins
101–61
Minnesota has been one of the most intriguing contenders to follow in recent memory. They have an astounding line-up of batters that can take any pitcher deep. Sano, Schoop, Polanco, Cruz, and Rosario are all pieces to a very hot offense. Similar to the Yankees, their starting pitching worries me, and unlike the Yankees, their bullpen worries me even more. Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi are great, but against teams like the Yankees and Astros, I can’t see them going more than 5 innings, and that’s ultimately what will be their downfall. This team almost lost the division to the Indians in August who gave Minnesota a run for the money for quite a while, which is scary because they at one time had an 11 game lead on the Indians back in May. I expect them to be a very high scoring team this postseason, but I also expect them to give up a lot of runs as well. It will be intriguing.
The Houston Astros
107–55
I’d be lying if I didn’t say this is the scariest team in the league. An unbelievable batting lineup, the best starting rotation in the league, and a very solid bullpen makes this perhaps the most complete team in the major leagues. MVP Candidate Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, AL ROY-candidate Yordan Álvarez, George Springer, and Yuli Gurriel make up some of the most dangerous batting lineups in quite some time. But what I think is even more dangerous is their starting pitching. A 1–2–3 punch of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and the newly added Zack Greinke. When you have not only one, but two of the top AL Cy Young Award candidates as your 1 and 2 starters, you’re looking very good atop the AL. The Houston Astros have home-field advantage all the way through the American League, so it’ll be quite a challenge to go through them to get to the Fall Classic.
The Oakland Athletics
97–65
The Athletics in the second half of the season became one of the hottest teams in baseball much like they did last year. Unlike last year, however, they’re a serious threat to anyone in the postseason in my eyes. They quietly boast a very good starting rotation and have a few bats that have wreaked havoc against even the best of teams. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson lead the charge for this scruffy batting lineup, that may not have the same “umf” as the other
division-leading teams, but they can jump on a team rather quickly, and shut them down for the rest of the game. After returning from a shoulder injury in August, Sean Manaea has been absolutely brilliant, and would probably be the pitcher to throw into a Wild Card game. Mike Fiers and Frankie Montas I believe will be solid enough to really make a stand. That is, if they
can make it out of the Wild Card game.
The Tampa Bay Rays
96–66
I initially had the Rays winning the East this Year. They were close, but just aren’t there yet. The offense for this team has been solid, but is in no way, shape or form the reason this team is as good as it is. Even with 2018 AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell having an off-year, he’s been backed up by a stellar rotation in Cy Young Candidate Charlie Morton, Yonny Chirinos, and Tyler Glasnow who has just returned from a long stint on the IL. Their bullpen has some stellar pieces as well, but it can be shaky at times. Diego Castillo, Nick Anderson, and Emilo Pagan are leading this bullpen but without a definitive closer, it’s hard to imagine this team getting the crucial outs it may need to. On the offensive side of things, Austin Meadows, the former Met
Travis d’Arnaud, and Ji-Man Choi all have some pop to their bat and can be a serious threat. Additions like Jesus Aguilar via trade with Milwaukee have definitely added firepower to the offense, but I still feel like there could still be more. They’re right there, but I don’t know if I can see them get past the Wild Card game in Oakland. Maybe I’ll be wrong.
National League
The Atlanta Braves
97–65
The Braves proved almost everyone wrong and took the NL East for the second year in a row. Their young core made significant strides this year, and I would be lying if I didn’t think this was a potential Fall Classic competitor coming into the Postseason. Ronald Acuna, Freddie Freeman, and Ozzie Albies make up a core of terrific position players that have made this team
what it is today. Off season additions such as Josh Donaldson have bolstered the batting lineup, and made it one of the hardest hitting teams in the league. Their pitching isn’t as dangerous as their bats, but it’s solid enough to keep them in games. The rookie Mike Soroka has been terrific for Atlanta this season, posting an ERA of 2.68, and Max Fried, who is another young up
and coming star for years to come. After those two, however, the rotation gets slightly less dangerous with Mike Foltynewicz, Julio Teheran, and the midseason acquisition Dallas Keuchel, who has been so-so for Atlanta. They made a lot of massive improvements to their bullpen during the season as well, such as the acquisition of Shane Green from Detroit. Be ready for this
team to make a lot of noise this October.
The St. Louis Cardinals
91–71
Much like the Oakland Athletics, I consider this team a dark horse in the postseason. The Cardinals became red hot and never went cold in the second half. I just initially had them as a Wild Card team but they’ve shown me they’re far more than that. Their pitching in the second half of the season has been exceptional. Jack Flaherty has boasted a 0.91 ERA in his last 15
starts, making him absolutely dangerous. Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright follow behind in what is a very solid 1–2–3 punch. Surprisingly their offense hasn’t been as hot, even with Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter, Paul DeJong, and Yadier Molina. I’m skeptical of the bats going into this postseason, but there is just something here that’s gonna make this group a
great one to watch.
The Los Angeles Dodgers
106–56
This Dodgers team is better than the 2017 and 2018 teams, which both went to the World Series. Similar to the Yankees, this team brings in several new faces throughout the season, and every time they come up, they produce. Like the Astros, this team is complete. A starting rotation that looks ready to mow down anyone who comes to the plate features NL ERA leader Hyun-Jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw, and Walker Buehler. Their bullpen isn’t the best, but it’s damn good. Kenley Jansen hasn’t been himself, but he’s still one of the very best in the league at what he does, and Kenta Maeda has fit into the bullpen terrifically. Their batting lineup top to bottom is also ferocious. NL MVP Candidate Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, and
Corey Seager are a dangerous group of bats, and I can’t see any other team dethroning This LA squadron.
The Washington Nationals
93–68
After the Mets swept the Nationals in a 4 game series back in May, I had completely written them off as a contender in 2019. I said they should fire Dave Martinez, trade Anthony Rendon and Max Scherzer, and blow it all up because they just looked so dead in the water. Boy was I wrong. This team came back from the dead and became a real competitive group. Anthony
Rendon cemented himself in the MVP conversation, Stephen Strasburg became absolutely dominant, and even with a putrid bullpen, the team made a push not many others could. If this team can get past the Wild Card game, they’re a next level threat with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin make a fantastic 1–2–3 punch that might be better than the
Dodgers, and almost equal to the Astros. Their lineup includes guys liked the already mentioned Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Gerardo Parra, and Adam Eaton who make up a solid offense. Even with all this said, their bullpen is putrid, to say the least. If they can get enough out of their pitchers though, they certainly have a shot.
The Milwaukee Brewers
89–73
Once NL MVP Candidate Christian Yelich went down for the season I counted this team out. Once again, I was wrong. The Brewers have erupted at just the right time, and that might just be what they need to get through this postseason. Even without Yelich, there’s a lot here to like. Yasmani Grandal has cemented himself as the best catcher in the National League, and Ryan
Braun, Lorenzo Cain, and Mike Moustakas all keep this team hot. Their pitching situation is interesting, as they don’t really have a true 1–2–3 punch for their rotation, instead, relying heavily on their bullpen and not having their starters stay in for too long. Brandon Woodruff is great, but I can’t see him being the ace this club probably hopes him to be. Josh Hader is as lockdown as it gets, but I fear he won’t have a lead to preserve in most games.
Bold Prediction Time
Notable Storylines
The Nationals Bullpen will blow the Wild Card Game.
The Cardinals will out-pitch the Braves, and move onto the NLCS
The Athletics will take the Astro’s to Game 5 of the ALDS
The Yankees Starting Pitching will be their downfall.
The Dodgers will finally win a damn World Series
I will probably be wrong about all of this…
-Ryan Madigan
Sports Throne Blogger
