Collegiate Times

As the Major League Baseball season officially ended yesterday, Sept. 28, the postseason is set to start tomorrow. Here is a team-by-team breakdown of what to expect in October.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East: New York Yankees

The Yankees will begin their quest to earn title number 28 for the franchise. After a regular season that was filled with injuries to superstars Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Phil Hughes, manager Joe Girardi guided his team to its second American League East title in three years. MVP candidates Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano, both of whom were All-Stars, led the Yankees offense. The biggest roadblock to another world championship will be pitching.

Central: Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander has a chance to win both the AL MVP and Cy Young awards after leading the league in wins (24), ERA (2.40) and strikeouts (250). Verlander and Doug Fister, a midseason acquisition, combined to go 32-6 on the season. After some turmoil in the spring, Miguel Cabrera recovered to lead the team in batting average (.343) and RBIs (104). If the team can avoid inconsistency from the offense, it should be a very scary opponent in October. Expect the Tigers to make a big run in the postseason and be the league’s representative in the World Series.   

West: Texas Rangers

After losing out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes in the offseason, the Rangers shocked the baseball world by holding off the Los Angeles Angels for the division title. Starting pitchers C.J. Wilson and Derek Holland both earned 16 wins on the season, which was tied for the team high. Josh Hamilton and Michael Young, both members of the American League all-star team, led the Rangers on the offensive side with a .300 and .338 batting average, respectively. Although the Rangers made it all the way to the World Series last season, don’t expect a repeat appearance for Texas. The team simply does not have enough pitching to make it deep into the playoffs. 

Wild Card: Boston Red Sox or Tampa Bay Rays

At press time, the race had not been decided. After winning just six games in September, the Red Sox would be lucky to even be playing in October. The Rays won 15 games in September to tie the Red Sox for the wild card heading into the season’s final day and could be dangerous in the postseason if they stay hot. 

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East: Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have been the National League East’s representative in the playoffs for the past five years. The Phillies “big three” on the pitching staff made up of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels will be a nightmare for opposing teams. The team improved significantly with the midseason pickup of Hunter Pence who batted .320 and drove in 31 as a Phillie. With the strength of its pitching staff and hitters like Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins on the roster, this team should make it to the National League Championship Series but fall short of the World Series.

Central: Milwaukee Brewers

After a magical season, the Brewers are looking to win a title in what will most likely be Prince Fielder’s last couple of weeks in a Brewers uniform. Fielder, along with NL MVP candidate Ryan Braun, will lead a Milwaukee offense that scored 708 runs this season. Expect the Brewers to make a deep run into the postseason and be the National League’s representative in the World Series. Maybe that can convince Fielder to stay in the only place he’s called home while playing professional ball. 

West: Arizona Diamondbacks

In manager Kirk Gibson’s first full season, he led the team to 93 wins and is a leading candidate for NL manager of the year. The offense, led by talented right fielder Justin Upton, scored 719 runs. Ian Kennedy, a Cy Young award contender, finally proved his potential by winning 21 games with a 2.88 ERA, while closer J.J. Putz reinvented himself and earned 45 saves this season. The Diamondbacks were a dream team this season but will be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs because of a lack of pitching past Kennedy and a lack of timely hitting.

Wild Card: Atlanta Braves or St. Louis Cardinals

The race was undecided at press time. The struggling Braves have suffered a September collapse and must stave off a Cardinals team rallying around veterans Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Lance Berkman.

A version of this article appeared in the Sep 30 issue of the Collegiate Times.