With the Major League Baseball season coming to a close and the playoffs on the horizon, some clubs look ready to rock in October while others don’t.
This past season, many teams have had their moments — some even looked unstoppable at times. Nevertheless, when the leaves turn brown and the weather gets cooler, that’s when the players come out to play.
Often, the teams who have the most postseason success are those who have the best pitching and the players who shine in key moments.
While there are some late-season shockers, some teams, like the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers, have remained dominant the entire season.
With the Braves clinching the playoffs this year, they have officially made the postseason in the last eight out of nine seasons.
Along with their playoff experience, the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies were all a part of the 2021 World Series championship-winning squad, meaning the Braves have players who know what it takes to win it all.
Additionally, the Braves can hit the ball over the fence with ease as first baseman Matt Olson has 40 home runs and five different players on their roster, including Olson, have at least 20 home runs.
Unfortunately for the Braves, they aren’t the only ones who have playoff experience. The Dodgers have a 14-year postseason streak, the Rays have made the playoffs in six out of the last eight years and the Brewers have made it in eight out of the last nine years. However, the Dodgers have back-to-back World Series championships and a lineup that would make you check if you’re looking unwittingly at the All-Star team.
They have MVP candidate Shohei Ohtani, followed by Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and other lethal sluggers Max Muncy and Andy Pages.
The Dodgers also have arguably one of the most talented starting rotations of all time, featuring star-studded pitchers such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell and last year’s Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal.
The Brewers also have elite pitching and probable Cy Young award winner Jacob Misiorowski, who has the lowest ERA in baseball.
While the Brew Crew reached the playoffs in seven out of the previous eight seasons, they only managed to make it to two championship series in that time span. They also never made it to the World Series.
Given their recent playoff hardships, it’s hard to say that this year will be any different for Milwaukee, but this could be the year that the Brewers get over the hump.
The Rays also have a similar tendency to underperform in the postseason. Despite making the playoffs five times in the previous seven seasons, Tampa Bay did not reach the championship series except for one year, 2020, when they made it to the World Series.
The Rays are solid all around, and while their bullpen has not been up to their elite standards, their improved hitting and starting pitching has made up for it.
Recent trends say that we shouldn’t expect much from the Rays this postseason. However, all those early round exits came when the Rays lacked hitting. New additions Junior Caminero, Chandler Simpson and Johnathan Aranda give Tampa Bay a real chance at winning it all this postseason.
Another team that has been winning consistently throughout the entire season is the Yankees. While the Yanks have been a slight step below the four teams already mentioned, they still are one of the best teams in baseball.
New York has scary talent including power hitters Ben Rice, Luis Garcia Jr. and, Aaron Judge. Judge has been injured for most of the season but is likely to come back once the playoffs start.
On the pitching side, the Yankees have probable Cy Young award winner Cam Schlittler followed by three other elite-level starters in the rotation. If Judge is back in the lineup, New York could do some real damage this October and be a strong contender to win it all.
The Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong is a National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) frontrunner with 45 home runs and 38 stolen bases along with 107 RBIs. The Cubs are a fun team who love to hit homers as they lead the league in home runs and have seven different players who have at least 15 homers. Their pitching is questionable.
The Phillies have had a similar roster for the past five years. Kyle Schwarber, a standout, also has 45 homers this season as well. In 2022 and 2023, Philly made it to the World Series and Championship Series. However, they have lost in the divisional round in each of the last two years. The Phillies are certainly a talented ball club, although they are essentially a worse version of themselves in 2022 and 2023, and with so many other talented teams, it may be tough to spread the brotherly love this postseason.
One team that is hot and ready to go for October is the San Diego Padres. “Slam Diego” has won 13 out of their last 14 games, going from being out of the Wild Card to sitting in a comfortable 5-game lead over the chasing Diamondbacks. While their roster does not compare to teams such as the Dodgers and Rays, the Padres are hot at the right time. If San Diego carries their dominance into October, they might end up making a lot of noise during the playoffs this year.
Through the Boston Red Sox’s first 78 games, the Red Sox were 32-46. They would go on to win 21 out of their next 24 games and get as close as half a game behind the Yankees.
Unfortunately, a 15-game win streak in July doesn’t get you anything in October. Boston has not been on their A-game recently, losing seven out of their last 11 games. Most of those losses being to teams that are below .500. The Red Sox also scored five runs in only three of their last 15 games. While their rotation is one of the best in baseball, if they can’t score runs, they won’t be making it very far this postseason.
There are boatloads of storylines and loaded teams going into this postseason. Some ball clubs like the Brewers are trying to get over the hump and prove baseball fans wrong. Others, like the Cubs, have their sights set on winning the World Series despite not having the best team on paper.
No matter who you are, October baseball is thrilling to watch. Watching ballparks packed with fans waving towels up in the air and hearing the crowd pop when a player crushes a home run is an experience like no other.
Playoff baseball isn’t just more exciting, it’s a whole different game.