Doogan’s Second Annual MLB Postseason Preview
October is here. Again. After a crazy regular season and hectic Wild Card weekend, we’ve reached the endgame.
After such a great year as a baseball, fans forget that there almost wasn’t a season. On March 12, the lockout between the Players’ Association and the owners ended, delaying the season about a week.
However, the regular season is in the rearview mirror. For these eight teams, they must forget the accomplishments and accolades that they experienced this season because a new one starts now. After all, it’s October: ANYTHING can happen. Let’s go through every team playing in the Division Series, what they bring to the table, and where their opponents could strike a blow.
American League
Houston Astros:
Regular season record: 106-56
Manager: Dusty Baker (3rd season)
Ceiling: World Series
Floor: ALDS exit
Rotation: Houston’s rotation saw the return of 39-year-old Justin Verlander, who has missed two seasons in a row coming off Tommy John surgery. JV pitched to a 1.75 ERA and a .83 WHIP. He’ll most likely take home the AL Cy Young Award, unless Anaheim’s superstar Shohei Ohtani has anything to say about it. Complementing JV will be 2022 All-Star Game-winning pitcher Framber Valdez, Jose Urquidy, Lance McCullers Jr., with Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia likely to be thrown in the mix, too. To put it simply, this is not a rotation to be taken lightly.
Bullpen: In the bullpen, Dusty Baker has numerous different arms he can get outs with. Ryan Pressly, Rafael Montero, Ryne Stanek, and breakout star Bryan Abreu will be the first to get their name called in late-game situations. Additionally, Phil Maton, Hector Neris, and deadline acquisition Will Smith will also add firepower to the pen. Houston owned the 2nd-best ERA in baseball in 2022 at a 2.90 clip.
Lineup: As for the lineup, Houston should have no problem scoring runs. In his age-32 season, Jose Altuve demolished the baseball. Alex Bregman returned to the level of play he is capable of playing at. Yordan Alvarez provides the ability to change the course of a game at any moment with his power in the lefty’s batter’s box. Jeremy Pena did a nice job replacing Carlos Correa, and they’ve got deadline acquisitions Trey Mancini and Christian Vazquez to help. Kyle Tucker also quietly hit 30 homers and drove 107 runs in.
X-factors: Stay strong under pressure, starters have to go at least five innings, use Christian Vazquez.
What to expect: The Astros are going to be aggressive, as they always are. Minute Maid is going to be rocking, so expect the Astros to thrive at home. On paper, this team is ridiculous. The rotation is phenomenal, the bullpen is deep, and the offense mashes. If the Astros stay true to themself, they’re going to have no problem.
New York Yankees:
Regular season record: 99-63
Manager: Aaron Boone (5th season)
Ceiling: ALCS Appearance
Floor: ALDS Loss
Rotation: Riddled by injuries in the second half of the season, the rotation managed to stay fairly healthy. Deadline acquisition Frankie Montas will be unavailable for the ALDS, but Aaron Boone has Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino, Jameson Taillon, and Domingo German.
Bullpen: The bullpen is where things get shaky. Wandy Peralta, Scott Effross, and Jonathan Loaisiga will most likely be the go-to guys. Miguel Castro, Clarke Schmidt, and Lou Trivino will also be available. Unfortunately, they will be without their top dogs in Clay Holmes and Ron Marinaccio for the Division Series. Aroldis Chapman may reportedly be left off the Division Series roster because of how inconsistent he has been.
Lineup: Aaron Judge and his record-breaking 62 home runs will carry the offense, along with Giancarlo Stanton. Also riddled by injuries, veteran slugger Matt Carpenter will rejoin the team after being on the IL since August with a broken foot. Anthony Rizzo, Oswaldo Cabrera, Gleyber Torres, and Donaldson should round up the infield at some capacity. Harrison Bader will man center with his speed and defense, while Andrew Benintendi will be out for the DS. It’s unknown if Aaron Boone will use guys like DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Hicks because of how inconsistent they’ve been. At the end of the day, Boonie is going to put out the best lineup that will get the team a win.
X-factors: Gerrit Cole has to pitch like the $326 million pitcher he was signed for. If he doesn’t, the Yankees are as good as gone. Hitters not named Aaron Judge need to show up.
What to expect: The Yankees worry me. Despite being the two-seed, I truly believe that any team in the American League can give them a run for their money. They’re too inconsistent and there are too many question marks all around. After having one of the best offensive seasons in baseball history, Aaron Judge is going to show up. Aaron Boone is going to push this rotation to new limits. There is only so must trust he can put in his bullpen, so the starters need to be the guys. Generally a slow team, Boone will also most likely use Tim Locastro as a pinch-runner for guys like Stanton and Donaldson in late-game situations.
Cleveland Guardians:
Regular season record: 92-70
Manager: Terry Francona (10th season)
Ceiling: ALCS Appearance
Floor: ALDS Loss
Rotation: Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, and Cal Quantrill will pitch Games 1, 2, and 3, respectively, in the Wild Card Series v.s. Tampa. Zach Plesac will also be in the mix. Hitters, in theory, should have a hard time getting to the Big Three in the rotation, setting Cleveland up to be successful in at least the Wild Card Series.
Bullpen: Nick Sandlin, James Karinchak, and All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase will man things in the pen.
Lineup: Jose Ramirez is going to mash like he always does. Andres Gimenez had a nice year, along with Amed Rosario and Josh Naylor in the infield. In the outfield, Steven Kwan and Myles Straw will man left and center after having solid campaigns, with Oscar Gonzalez to tag along.
X-factors: The Big Three in the rotation, execute on your strengths in the pitching staff, get guys on for Jose.
What to expect: Winners of the worst division in baseball, the Guardians will look to go on a run this postseason. After a couple of mediocre years, they are back and ready to dominate. This past weekend in the Wild Card Series, the pitching dominated, allowing 1 run to Tampa hitters in 21 innings. They could give the Yankees and their inconsistent offense a run for their money.
Seattle Mariners:
Regular season record: 90-72
Manager: Scott Servais (7th season)
Ceiling: ALDS appearance
Floor: ALDS appearance
Rotation: Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert will be starting on the bump, with Marco Gonzalez also in the mix. Definitely one of the more underrated staffs in this year’s postseason.
Bullpen: Diego Castillo, Chris Flexen, Andres Munoz, Paul Seward, Erik Swanson
Lineup: This lineup is definitely centered around rookie phenom Julio Rodriguez. While there aren’t many big-name guys for Seattle, they’re gritty. J.P. Crawford, Ty France, Eugenio Suarez, Carlos Santana, and Mitch Haniger will make up the middle of the order for Seattle.
X-factors: Robbie Ray has to pitch like he did in 2021, J-Rod has to stay hot, rookie starters under pressure
What to expect: Well, they’ve finally done it. Not only have they broken the drought, but they also beat Toronto this past weekend, winning the series 2-0. Like we saw this weekend, this team is going to fight. They are a cinderella team, but the Astros are going to give them a hard time. I don’t see Seattle making it past the Divisional round, so they’re going to win the whole thing now that I said that.
National League
Los Angeles Dodgers:
Regular season record: 111-51
Manager: Dave Roberts (7th season)
Ceiling: World Series Champion
Floor: NLDS exit
Rotation: Dave Roberts will most likely roll out with Tony Gonsolin, Tyler Anderson, both winners of at least 15 games, veteran Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, and Andrew Heaney. LA has undoubtedly one of the best staffs in October this year, despite losing Walker Buehler to Tommy John in mid-August.
Bullpen: Much like their rotation, the bullpen is strong. The main pieces will be a mix of Yency Almonte, Caleb Ferguson, Brusdar Graterol, Tommy Kahnle, Chris Martin, Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, and Blake Trienen. Craig Kimbrel has been iffy as the team’s closer. They are probably better off deciding the closer on a game-by-game basis, because Craig just can’t be the guy. Regardless, these eight arms are going to give hitters trouble with their league-leading 2.80 ERA in 2022.
Lineup: Without a doubt the best in this fall’s pool of teams. Whenever I go through the talent on this Dodgers team, I’m just amazed. You’ve got your superstars in Mookie, Trea Turner, and Freddie Freeman. Joey Gallo, Max Muncy, and Cody Bellinger provide LA with high-risk, high-reward power that can change a game. Will Smith, Trayce Thompson, and Justin Turner are also nice pieces that will be able to help out with run support. If this offense is clicking on all cylinders, especially the Big Three, watch out.
X-factors: Craig has to be a reliable piece, let Mookie, Trea, and Freddie do their thing, back up Kershaw.
What to expect: Similar to the Astros, this Dodgers team does not do many things wrong. Quite honestly, it’s these teams that should have the most success. They hit well, they pitch well, they field well, and they coach well. Keep the line moving, back up the staff, and this 111-win juggernaut should cruise past teams.
Atlanta Braves:
Regular season record: 101-61
Manager: Brian Snitker (7th season)
Ceiling: World Series
Floor: NLCS
Rotation: Spencer Strider, Kyle Wright, Charlie Morton, Max Fried, Jake Odorizzi
Bullpen: Tyler Matzek, Kirby Yates, Kenley Jansen, Jesse Chavez, Raisel Iglesias, Collin McHugh, and AJ Minter will be Brian Snitker’s elite group of arms to get outs in the late game.
Lineup: Similar to many other lineups, this one rakes, too. Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Ronald Acuna Jr., Vaughn Grissom, Michael Harris II, Eddie Rosario, Dansby Swanson. It’s unreal.
X-factors: A beast-mode Acuna, infield goes crazy, Spencer Strider
What to expect: This Braves lineup is going to mash. The bullpen is deep. The rotation has some question marks, but Spencer Strider needs to carry this rotation the best he can. They may have some problems with this resilient Phillies team, but Atlanta could very well repeat.
San Diego Padres:
Regular season record: 89-73
Manager: Bob Melvin (1st season)
Ceiling: NLDS
Floor: NLDS
Rotation: Sean Manaea will most likely start Game 1 in LA after Darvish, Snell, and Musgrove pitched in NY. Those three will pitch in LA, too.
Bullpen: The Padres bullpen does not have a ton of depth, as Bob Melvin is only carrying 12 pitchers. Nick Martnez, Adrian Morejon, Robert Suarez, Steven Wilson, and of course, Josh Hader will be Melvin’s guys. Not the fanciest group of arms, but they got the job done against the Mets.
Lineup: Despite missing Fernando Tatis Jr., the Padres lineup did very well against a good Mets pitching staff. Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Josh Bell, Brandon Drury, Trent Grisham, Jurickson Profar, Austin Nola, Ha-Seong Kim, and Jake Cronenwerth will be the regulars in the Division Series. Will Myers could get a start or two, as well.
X-factors: Juan Soto, Josh Hader needs to show up, stay hot Musgrove
What to expect: We saw a great performance out of this crew over the weekend, but I do not think they stand a chance with the Dodgers. LA does everything San Diego does but better. After all, the Padres won five out of 19 games against the Dodgers in 2022. Expect LA to steamroll San Diego.
Philadelphia Phillies:
Regular season record: 87-75
Manager: Rob Thomson (1st season)
Ceiling: NLCS
Floor: NLDS
Rotation: Following the Wild Card Series, Ranger Suarez will start Game 1, allowing Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola to gain some extra rest for later in the series. Kyle Gibson will also be a factor.
Bullpen: David Robertson will reportedly be out for the Division Series after jumping up and down for Bryce Harper’s Game 2 homer in St. Louis. Seranthony Dominguez, Jose Alvarado, Connor Brogdon, Zach Eflin, Brad Hand, and Noah Syndergaard will all be assets for Rob Thomson in the pen.
Lineup: Built around Bryce Harper, the offense showed up in St. Louis, especially with the 6-run 9th inning in Friday’s game. Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, Bryson Stott, J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura, Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, and deadline acquisition Brandon Marsh will be the regulars. Garrett Stubbs, Edmundo Sosa, and Matt Vierling will be bench pieces.
X-factors: Bryce has to stay hot, Wheeler and Nola continue to shine, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
What to expect: The Phils are definitely underdogs, as I don’t think they will be able to overpower Atlanta. If they do, they will have a problem with LA. They are a gritty, powerful team, but unfortunately, they lack depth.
Bottom Line
Overall, I think the Dodgers, Astros, and Braves are the teams to beat. Last year’s Braves were not expected to do much, and we could always have that this year with a team like Cleveland or Seattle. However, the Dodgers are a wrecking crew, the Astros are undoubtedly the best team in the American League, and the Braves are built to repeat.
