Here We Go.......Wait, Not Until Tomorrow - And thanks a lot Diamondbacks!

     Well, we have a doubleheader today between the Braves and the Mets, and so I cannot make my yearly playoff predictions for the National League yet. If the Diamondbacks had just lost to the Padres instead of smoking them, then we would be set. Now, a split in the doubleheader would eliminate the D-Backs, and a sweep would kick the team on the losing end. So, I guess these games are kinda big. C'mon guys, please split. 

    Since I cannot yet make my yearly playoff predictions for the NL, I think I'd better go ahead and do it for the American League. After all, the playoffs start tomorrow, and I'm gonna need to publish my NL predictions before the games start. 

    Before I start off on the journey of playoff guessing (which I'm historically bad at), I'd like to recap the seasons of, and speak to some of my favorite players, you know, for sentimental reasons. I'll go with just five.

    

    Jackson Merrill: Merrill finished the regular season going 1-for-2 with a walk (wait, he walked?) as the Padres got smoked to the Diamondbacks and Brandon Pfaadt. He finished the year with a slash of .292/.326/.500 and 24 homers and 90 RBI to go along with solid defense all year in center. Please win the rookie of the year Merrill! Please, I beg of you!

    Tarik Skubal: I guess I've already been over this. 18-4, 2.39, AL triple crown among pitchers. This is such a great year for you Skubal. I love that. Now I must beg a question from the readers: Skubal or Skenes? Who's better (this year)?

    Evan Carter: Maybe we skip this one? Poor Evan, playing through a back injury, batting a buck 88. Please rebound next year, I ask you. At least the GM knows he will. I still believe in you, and I'd better - you're my favorite guy (aside from Buster Posey).

    Nico Hoerner: Way to come back man!  Through June the batting average was at .248, and through July it was .252. But you never quit. Nico ends up batting .273, and getting that OPS over .700, all while playing stellar defense at second base. Good job kid.

    Zack Gelof: I guess the good has to come with the bad. Zack, what happened man? You went from .267/..337/.504 in 2023 to .211/.270/.362 this year. I know you got it in you, and though you'll be missing your fans in 2025 (don't you start crying too), I know you'll rebound. 

    Before, I get down to business, I would like to mention that if Chris Sale either doesn't start today, or starts and doesn't throw a stinker, he will also win a pitcher's triple crown. Amazing that I got both he and Skubal in one of my fantasy leagues (14th and 7th rounds, respectively).

    And now, I can stall no longer. It is time for my American League Playoff Predictions! 

    This is what the seeding looks like for the AL.

    1: New York Yankees
`   2: Cleveland Indians (or Guardians, but I only ever call them the Indians)
    3: Houston Astros
    4: Baltimore Orioles
    5: Kansas City Royals
    6: Detroit Tigers

    Thanks to that loss against the White Sox yesterday, the Tigers fell below the Royals in the standings and need to square off against the Astros - not that the Orioles is much better. 

    The Yankees and Indians will be getting the two byes, so it looks like our first matches will be

    Astros vs. Tigers

    and

    Orioles vs. Royals

    Let's break this down really quick. These Wildcard Series are of the three-game variety, so a team would need to win two games in order to move on. 

    

    

    I'll start with the 3 against 6 matchup: Astros against Tigers.
    Now, unfortunately, the Astros get home advantage, but we already knew that. Houston has a far superior offense than that of Detroit, but the Tigers have the better pitching staff. I think that they will be able to keep Houston's offense in check if their pitching set-up works. 
    The Tigers typically (with the exceptions of Tarik Skubal and sometimes Reese Olson) start their games with an opener (one of their relievers), and then move on to one of their starters, whether that be Keider Montero, Casey Mize, Reese Olson or Kenta Maeda. The starter pitches anywhere from 3-5 innings, and then the solid late innings crew comes in for the finish. This strategy is a big part of why the team's pitching is so good.
    I would hate to see the Tigers eliminated, and quite frankly have no idea who has the edge in this one, so I guess I'll go with the team from Detroit  (please don't think I'm trying to be biased). They've been really hot, though coming off a series loss to the White Sox sure doesn't feel good I'm sure. But I'm hoping (and thinking) that their momentum can power them past the team from Houston.

    Now for the second set in the AL Wild Card Series: Orioles vs. Royals
    Again, I have a team I'm rooting for in this one, and that would be the Royals. They have a solid team all-around, sixth-best in the league in ERA at 3.76. The Orioles' sits at 3.94. The Royals have a good offense that strikes out the least in the American League, but the Orioles' bats are just better. Baltimore has a .250 batting average (third in the league), .315 OBP (4th), and .435 slugging percentage (1st) with 235 homers (2nd). And with the return of Jordan Westburg, the team has another powerful bat back in their lineup. I'm really unsure that the Royals will be able to keep up with them, therefore I have to go with the Orioles.

    Now we move on to the ALCS, a five-game series. As of my predictions, we have the following matchups:

    1: Yankees vs. Orioles 4

    2: Indians vs. Tigers 6

    

    I think I'll start with the Yankees/Orioles matchup.

    Wow this is a juicy one. The Yankees are the only AL team with more homers than the Orioles, but only two more. Obviously they have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, who pack a heck of a punch, and the pitching staff has been very good too (3.74 ERA). I actually didn't know just how good the pitching of the Yankees is. 

    I've already been over the deal with the Orioles. They seem just slightly outmatched by the Brooklyn Bombers. They definitely have more depth offensively (and I would say from a pitching perspective), but the top four of the Yankees is straight-up overpowering, and Gerrit Cole is back to his old Cy Young self. So I think it's definitely going to be a good series, one definitely worth watching, but my money's on the Yanks.

    Moving on to the 3-6 matchup: Indians and Tigers
    Look, I'm trying to be unbiased, but I really think the Tigers have a very good shot at this series. The teams had the same ERAs across the regular season at 3.61. The offenses seem similar, but Cleveland's a bit better. I think the Tigers need to rely on how good they've been the last month and a half. It seems highly unrealistic that the team could pull off two upsets, but I think I have to go with them. 

    Now for the seven-game ALCS. I have it as Yankees vs. Tigers.
    I've been through both teams already, so let me just say it: I love the Tigers, think they have a team with the potential to go all the way, especially in the near future, but the Yankees would be far and away the best team they're facing in the American League. I can't give it to the Tigers this time. I'm sorry.

    That'll do it for my American League Playoff Predictions. Watch me get all of them wrong. 

    Let me know what you think of them and what I did right and wrong. I can tell you right now, I think I'm putting too much faith in Detroit, but we'll just have to see. Please come back tomorrow for my National League predictions. Don't worry, the post should be much shorter.

    Y'al have an amazing week, and good luck to the teams you're all rooting for in this Postseason. Happy collecting!