EAST LANSING- Four teams remain in the race for the World Series. Let’s take a look at each of their strengths and weaknesses and make some predictions as to who will take home the crown.
The New York Yankees
The Yankees have undoubtedly been one of the most dominant teams in baseball, and on paper, they have the talent to win the whole thing.
In order to compete with Cleveland for seven games, their stars need to step up.
Aaron Judge is only batting .154 in the postseason with zero RBI and zero HR which is unusual for the AL MVP favorite.
The Yankees managed to beat the Royals in four without Judge’s bat, and once Judge finds his groove, the Yankees will be even more dangerous.
Giancarlo Stanton has been a huge help for the Yankees in the postseason, batting .375 with four RBI and one HR.
The Yankees’ pitching staff has been lights out with Gerrit Cole recording eight strikeouts thus far and pitching through seven innings against Kansas City in game four of the series.
Carlos Rodón pitched just over five innings recording seven strikeouts in his postseason appearance.
The Yankees have the potential to go all the way, they just need to get their bats working and not crack under the pressure.
The Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians are no team to sleep on. They came out hot in their postseason debut against the Detroit Tigers, shutting them out 7-0.
The Tigers put up a fight, forcing the series to a game five, but ultimately, the Guardians’ bullpen and strategic scoring allowed them to move on.
Steven Kwan has been the driving factor in the Guardians offense, batting .524 in the playoffs, making way for David Fry who has put up five RBI and one HR so far.
Lane Thomas had nine RBI and two HR with a .316 avg. And José Ramírez had three RBI and one HR, while only batting .188.
Tanner Bibee recorded nine strikeouts over two games, and Emmanuel Clase recorded six strikeouts and two saves in the Detroit series.
The key to beating the Guardians is to outscore them in six innings and avoid playing catchup by the time their bullpen takes the mound.
The Guardians are hot right now, and if their offense keeps up, they will be a tough team to beat.
The New York Mets
The Mets have had one of the most exciting postseason runs, completely turning their season around and becoming a real threat to this World Series picture.
The Mets and Brewers had an even matchup in the Wild Card series, until the ninth inning of game three when Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer, eliminating the Brewers 4-2.
The Mets would go on to face Philly, a national favorite, who was heavily predicted to take home the World Series title.
The Mets absolutely stunned the Phillies offense, and a Francisco Lindor Grand Slam in game four would send Philly packing.
Francisco Lindor is batting .259 with six RBI and one HR, Pete Alonso is batting .273 with six RBI and three HR, Mark Vientos is averaging .427 with seven RBI and two HR, and J.D. Martinez and Brandon Nimmo are both batting well over .250.
Needless to say, the Mets’ offense has been impressive this postseason, and with the pitching of Jose Quintana and Luis Severino, the Mets are a force to be reckoned with.
The Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers made some of the most exciting moves during the offseason, signing Shohei Ohtani to the biggest contract in baseball, as well as Japanese pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
After a tough series with San Diego, the Dodgers would win in five and move on to face the Mets in the NLCS.
Shohei Ohtani’s postseason appearance has been long awaited, after playing for seven seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and not reaching the postseason once.
Ohtani has put up a .200 average with four RBI and one HR this postseason, and Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman both have put up similar stat lines.
Teoscar Hernández has put up seven RBI and two HR, which has been the best of the Dodgers offense thus far.
Yamamoto pitched for two games against San Diego, recording only three strikeouts with five earned runs.
In order to beat the Mets offense, the Dodgers must focus on their pitching, and their stars need to show up ready to hit.
Expectations for this team are higher than ever, and anything less than a World Series this season could be a disappointment.
My Prediction
I think the Mets will beat the Dodgers and win the NLCS, and the Yankees will beat the Guardians and win the ALCS.
A subway series matchup for the first time in 24 years would be historic, and I believe both of these teams are the top contenders in their division matchups.
The Mets have a balanced lineup and an underrated pitching staff, which I think will give them the edge to beat the Yankees and win the World Series.
Everybody loves an underdog story, and if the Mets can pull this off, it will go down in history as one of the greatest postseason runs of all time.
