By: Noah Gould
The MLB season is nearing its close. While many of the division titles seem locked up none of them have been clinched, and some of the races remain laser tight. Many interesting storylines have played out over the season and will continue into the playoffs.
The AL East has been led by the Toronto Blues Jays constantly since their big moves at the trading deadline. The Blue Jays helped themselves more than any other team. They traded the farm to acquire David Price, Troy Tulowitzki and Ben Revere. These stars have turned the Blue Jays into one of the most feared teams in the American League. The Revere-Tulo-Donaldson-Bautista-Encarnacion 1-5 in the lineup is the best in the majors. Tulowitzki has been the most impactful trade deadline mover in the AL, and David Price has also been great for the Jays. He has a 2.28 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in 8 starts since the trade. The Jays rotation and front end of the bullpen isn’t actually that great, but their top of the lineup and ace are good enough to carry them through the playoffs.
The defending AL champion, Kansas City Royals, have had the AL central rapped up since about July. It does seem like the Royals have to be the favorites going into the AL half of the playoffs. While that division race isn’t that interesting the Twins do have a very good chance to win the second AL wild card. The Royals didn’t maintain their high level of play from earlier in the season down this recent stretch, but they will still win their division and most likely be competitive in the playoffs just like last season.
The AL West is probably the most interesting race in all of baseball. It is really the only three team battle. The Houston Astros huge rebuilding project has finally payed off and they are currently leading their division and looking for their first playoff appearance since 2005 and their first division title since 2001. Their entire lineup is filled with young talent and this team is only going to get better in the coming seasons. The Rangers and the Angels are the two teams close on their heels. The Rangers acquired Cole Hamels for 5 prospects at the deadline when it looked like they were going nowhere. Since then they have put a major challenge to Houston for the division and spent weeks narrowly leading in the race for the second wild card. The Angels seem to be having yet another disappointing season which has become the norm since the additions of Pujols, Wilson, Hamilton, and Trout. Eventually Trout will probably find himself leading the team deep into the playoffs, but for now the Angels might find themselves on the outside looking in during the playoffs yet again.
The National League races aren’t quite as interesting. The surprise of this MLB season has probably been the New York Mets. Conversely, the biggest disappointment in the NL is probably the Nationals who are again struggling to stay above .500. The Mets didn’t seem to have a chance at this division title before the year. Their young pitching has carried them and the 42 year old Bartolo Colon has also played extremely well down the stretch. The Mets lineup was the worst in the league through June and was the cause of many losses despite good pitching. Since the trading deadline they have had an offensive explosion. The addition of Cespedes is the headline event. He has been clearly the best hitter in the NL by far since August 1st when he was acquired. At around that time, David Wright and Travis D’around also came off the DL. The Mets also traded for Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson. While neither of them have become starters they have greatly improved the bench and both play well during their occasional starts to spell the regular starters. Another reason for the Mets recent surge has been the call up of 2014 draftee Michael Conforto. He has played extremely well since the first about 75 ABs that he needed to get used to the majors. Conforto is somehow flying under the national radar compared to other rookie call ups, but the Mets will surely be giving him some big at bats in the postseason.
While the NL Central had been dominated by the Cardinals for most of the year it has become a much closer the last few weeks. The Cardinals have gone through a really bad stretch which has allowed the Pirates to make a late run. The Cardinals have had a ton of injuries throughout the year but some of their players will be coming back for the postseason. The Pirates are one of the best teams in the National League, but they might have to play in the one off wild card game despite having the second best record in the league. It looks like this season will be the first time that two teams for the same division meet in the wild card game. It also might be the first time the Cubs win the world series since before the Titanic sank.
The NL West is going similarly to the last few seasons. It is an odd year so the Giants are struggling. They will most likely miss the playoffs the year after winning the world series once again. The Dodgers look poised to win the division and make another playoff run. Their lineup hasn’t been as strong as in years past. Outside of Greinke and Kershaw their rotation has been bad. They have tried numerous different guys and have only gotten bad results. The good news is they probably have the best two pitchers in the league on their team so the do still have a good chance in their postseason starts.
