What’s better than baseball in August? Baseball in October. We’re only a month and some change away now from the start of the Major League Baseball postseason. This season has seen a lot of unfamiliar uniforms at the top of the rankings, and as we inch closer to the playoffs those teams are still fighting hard for their spot.
One shocker this season has been the defending champions Boston Red Sox. They currently sit in last place in the American League East division with a 57-74 record. This puts Boston 18 games back behind first place Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore was at the bottom of the division until mid-June when they slowly began climbing to the top.
As a fan of baseball my whole life I always paid attention to each team and how they progressed throughout the years. For my generation at least, we have seen teams such as the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Oakland Athletics suffer throughout the years and always end up at the bottom of their division. We have seen teams such as the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals prosper in the league with their large bank accounts. The past couple of years fans have seen a complete circle of powerhouses in the MLB.
According to MLB.com, the Red Sox have a 0 percent chance of making the playoffs this season while the Orioles have a 96.6 percent chance. The Yankees are in second place behind Baltimore with a 12.3 percent chance of making it to the postseason. The Athletics have a 99.5 percent chance of making the playoffs this season as they currently sit at the top of the wildcard race. The Royals, who have been at the bottom of their division for as long as I can remember, currently hold first place in the AL Central division by a 1.5 game margin.
Over the past few years, the Phillies have been notorious for being at the top of the NL East division including a couple World Series appearances. This season, the Phillies sit in last place with a probability of 0 percent to make it into the postseason. The Washington Nationals have been on a tear this season posting a 75-55 record thus far and holding onto first place, 16.5 games ahead of the Phillies. The Cardinals are still holding themselves up in the NL Central division-holding onto second place just 1.5 games behind Milwaukee. The Cardinals are looking to comeback from their World Series loss last season.
As the season comes to a close there are a few teams that catch my eye as top contenders for the World Series. For the American League, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Athletics are simply killing it right now. Each holds a 77-53 record they are tied for first place in the AL West and will both go on to make the playoffs and contend. Whether they meet for five games in the Divisional Series or seven in the Championship Series, it is going to be one hell of a series. In my eyes, the National League Championship is open for the taking. The defending champion St. Louis Cardinals aren’t as strong as they were last season. The Nationals currently lead the National League with their 75-55 record but are being trailed by the Los Angeles Dodgers by only one game.
The great thing about the postseason is you never know what is going to happen. One team can dominate in the regular season just to be dominated in the playoffs. Each year the teams are faced with tough seven-game series’ in the postseason and only the strong make it out on top.