With Oct. arriving, Major League Baseball’s regular season has come to an end and it will all come down to the top twelve teams and their battle to claim their spot in history as World Series Champions.
Which Teams are In?
American League: New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers
National League: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves
American League Predictions
- Wild Card: Astros beat Tigers in three games
- Wild Card: Orioles beat Royals in two games
- ALDS: Astros beat Guardians in five games
- ALDS: Yankees beat Orioles in four games
- ALCS: Yankees beat Astros in seven games
National League Predictions
- Wild Card: Brewers beat Mets in three games
- Wild Card: Padres beat Braves in three games
- NLDS: Phillies beat Brewers in three games
- NLDS: Padres beat Dodgers in five games
- NLCS: Phillies beat Padres in six games
Playoff Schedule
- Wild Card Series: Oct. 1-3
- Divisional Series: Oct. 5-12
- Championship Series: Oct. 13-22
- World Series: Oct. 25-Nov. 2
American League Teams
New York Yankees
The Yankees started off the regular season scorching hot and barely let up at all as their superstar players led the team to having the best record in the American League. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto were the leaders of this heavy hitting lineup. Judge ended his MVP worthy campaign with a .323 batting average and a league leading 58 home runs while Soto also ended up top five in home run totals with 41 home runs. New York also has a great group of starting pitchers with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortez all ending with a sub-four earned run average (ERA). The Yankee bullpen was also considered to be one of the best in baseball over the 2024 season with Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver, Tommy Kahnle and Michael Tonkin all putting up a 3.5 ERA or lower.
Playoff Prediction: Following their dominance in many stretches of the regular season, the Yankees have the potential to make a deep playoff run. With some of the best hitters in the league, they can light up the scoreboard in any given game. However, one thing that has been a consistent problem in their playoff runs in the past is their bullpen. Even with that problem, this Yankees team looks different than previous years and have the team chemistry that make them stand out more than any other team in the American League.
Cleveland Guardians
In their first season with Stephen Vogt as manager, the Guardians had the best record in the American League and easily won the AL Central. Steven Kwan is the best hitter on the team in terms of batting average as he hit .292 while Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor supplied the power with over 30 home runs each. Tanner Bibee and Ben Lively were the two best starting pitchers for Cleveland as they both finished with a sub-four ERA. The thing that stands out most about the Guardians throughout this season was the dominance of their bullpen. Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin were great at their reliever roles as they posted a sub-two ERA while Emmanuel Clase was dominant throughout the whole season with an incredible 0.61 ERA.
Playoff Prediction: The Guardians surprised many with their outstanding regular season in 2024. The Guardians are great at playing small ball and have one of the best bullpens out there, which usually leads to a lot of success in the Postseason. The Guardians seem like they have the tools necessary to make a deep run this year.
Houston Astros
It was no surprise for baseball fans to see the Astros in the playoff race yet again after their dominance in the Postseason over the past few years. The Houston offense is led by familiar faces with Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve each putting up great stats throughout the season. One new face on the Astros offense is Yainer Diaz, the 22-year-old catcher that had a great second season with a .299 batting average, 16 home runs and 84 runs batted in. The Astros pitching rotation (led by Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco and Justin Verlander) was dominant as a group this season as they led the league in ERA, WAR and FIP. Houston’s bullpen continued to be dominant with the Josh Hader leading the group as one of the best closing pitchers in the league.
Playoff Prediction: With how deep the Astros have been able to perform in the playoffs consistently, it is hard to bet against them making a deep run yet again. The core of this team also has plenty of Postseason experience that can put them at an advantage over some of the other teams in the picture.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles followed their breakout 2023 season with another exceptional year from their young team. The Baltimore batting order was fueled by some of the league’s youngest stars with Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Cedric Mullins, Jackson Holliday and Ryan Mountcastle. Anthony Santander displayed the most power on the team as he finished his season with 44 home runs. Corbin Burnes is the premium starter for the Orioles pitching rotation as he posted a 2.92 ERA. Their bullpen was decent throughout the season as Keegan Akin, Yennier Cano and Jacob Webb posted a sub-3.5 ERA.
Playoff Prediction: Even with the amount of talent across their batting order, it is very likely the Orioles could be seeing an early exit in this Postseason run. The lack of experience deep into playoff runs and a sub-par pitching staff usually lead to teams not making it to the later rounds.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals surprised many in their 2024 campaign as their record ended up tying Detroit for the last two Wild Card spots. Bobby Witt Jr. was the young phenom that led this team to where it is now after posting an MVP worthy season if it weren’t for Aaron Judge’s incredible year. Witt went for 32 home runs and a .332 batting average while also batting in 109 runs in total. Salvador Perez put up yet another great season in year 13 as he hit 27 home runs and had 104 runs batted in. Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans and Michael Wacha were the best starting pitchers in the rotation with each of them posting a sub-3.5 ERA.
Playoff Prediction: Even though the Royals had one of the best seasons they have had in recent memory, they don’t look like they have a team that is worthy of advancing very far in the playoffs. It would be tough for them to make it past the Orioles in their Wild Card matchup.
Detroit Tigers
Following an outstanding second half of the season, the Tigers were able to sneak in the Postseason by grabbing the last Wild Card seed. Riley Greene was the best hitter on the lineup throughout the season as he ended with a .262 batting average and 24 home runs in just his third year in the league. Tarik Skubal proved to be the number one starter in the rotation as he posted a 2.39 ERA and an impressive record of 18-4.
Playoff Prediction: The Tigers outperformed many people’s expectations with the youth all around their roster. One thing that can help them in the Postseason is the playoff experience that manager A.J. Hinch has from the controversial runs he had with the Astros during their sign stealing scandal. Even with Hinch at manager, the Tigers don’t stack up well in their Wild Card matchup against Houston.
National League Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers
It was no surprise to see the Dodgers finish the season with the best record in the MLB after filling their roster with some of the most elite talent in the league. Shohei Ohtani was the glue to this lineup after his historic season that made him the first member of the 50/50 club (50 home runs and 50 stolen bases) in league history. Ohtani’s record-breaking campaign will likely lead to his third MVP award after hitting 54 home runs, stealing 59 bags and a .310 batting average. The other superstars on the LA batting order include Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Mookie Betts. Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be the team’s primary starting pitchers in their Postseason run as both display a great fastball and strikeout pitches. Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen are the most dominant pitchers in the Dodgers’ bullpen after both finishing the year with a sub-two ERA.
Playoff Prediction: There is no question that the Dodgers have the necessary amount of firepower in their batting order that can break games wide open. On paper, Los Angeles looks like the most dominant team out there. However, the inconsistent pitching staff and shaky streaks in the second half of the season can catch up to them in the Postseason as it has in previous years. If the Padres make it past the Wild Card, the Dodgers can be seeing an early exit in the playoffs yet again.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies continued their success from the past few seasons in 2024 as they ended the season with the second-best record in the MLB. Much like the Dodgers, Philadelphia has one of the best batting lineups in the league with some experience in deep playoff runs recently. The heart of the order is stacked with some of the most clutch hitters in baseball with names like Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, Bryson Stott and Kyle Schwarber. Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola will highlight the starting rotation after performing well off of their new contract extensions that were signed in the offseason. Wheeler and Nola have proved to be dominant in their latest Postseason runs and will hope to continue that trend. They also have a couple of great relievers in the bullpen with Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm all finishing below a 2.5 ERA.
Playoff Prediction: The Phillies definitely show all the signs that they have the tools to go far in this playoff run. The combination of their recent success and their dominant starting pitchers with elite hitting can be a great recipe for success. With these things in mind, Philadelphia can be in position to finally win it all this year.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers flew under the radar this season and surpassed many expectations as they ended their season with an impressive 93 wins. Willy Adames supplied the most power on the team after hitting 32 home runs. William Contreras also had a great year with 23 home runs, 92 runs batted in and a .281 batting average. Rhys Hoskins can be a player to watch for in their playoff run as he has had great Postseason moments with the Phillies in previous years. Another thing that stood out about this Milwaukee team was their great performance from the bullpen. Elvis Peguero, Joel Payamps, Jared Koenig and Trevor Megill were great at limiting run production as they each finished well under a 3.5 ERA.
Playoff Prediction: Even though they might not have some of the biggest names in the sport, Milwaukee definitely has the talent to perform well in the Postseason. They proved throughout the season that they can get runs in whenever needed and hit clutch home runs. One thing that can come back to bite the Brewers is their lack of depth in the starting rotation. While Milwaukee is favored in their matchup against the Mets, it would be tough for them to make it past the Phillies in the NLDS.
San Diego Padres
Following a scorching hot second half of the season, the Padres gave the Dodgers a run for their money in the NL West race before just falling short to secure a Wild Card spot. Manny Machado, Jurickson Profar, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. were the power bats in the lineup as they each hit over 20 home runs this season. Luis Arraez continued to be a pesky hitter for pitchers to face as he hit for a .318 average and only struck out 18 times. Dylan Cease was the main pitcher in the starting rotation and will be expected to win the games he starts in this playoff run. Robert Suarez, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada were great on the bullpen in their great run over the second half of the season as they each finished with a sub-three ERA.
Playoff Prediction: Following their incredible run after the All-Star break, the Padres look like they can continue their hot streak into their playoff run. With on of the best lineups in the league, their offense can put up a lot of runs and wear out opposing pitching staffs. One thing that can hurt this Padres team is the lack of dominant pitching in the starting lineup. If they are able to hold back opposing offenses by enough, San Diego could be looking to make a deep run in the Postseason this year.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves continued their stretch of great regular season performance in 2024 as they were able to grab one of the last available Wild Card spots. Marcell Ozuna was the most notable hitter in the lineup this season as he put up an impressive stat line including a .302 batting average, 39 home runs and 104 runs batted in. Atlanta also has some other great players in their lineup including Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia and Michael Harris. Two big losses that the Braves will have to deal with due to injuries are Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley. Chris Sale, Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez all stepped up in the starting rotation after the loss of Spencer Strider early in the season. Dylan lee and Joe Jimenez were also great relievers in the bullpen with Raisel Iglesias proving to be a dominant closer throughout the year.
Playoff Prediction: With many great players around their roster, the Braves look like they can perform well in the Postseason. They will need to look for more production out of their key players in the lineup as most of them seemed to have had an off year. With that being said, the Braves could see an early exit due to a very tough Wild Card matchup against the Padres.
New York Mets
The Mets held their fans on the edge of their seats all the way to the end of the season as they won both games against the Braves in their doubleheader to propel them to the last Wild Card spot. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor were the glue to the lineup while also leading the team in home runs with over 30 each. Mark Vientos also had a great season with 27 home runs and a .266 batting average. Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana and David Peterson were key to New York’s success in the second half of the season as they held down the starting rotation. They also have a great closer in the bullpen with Edwin Diaz, who has proven to be very dominant in the past.
Playoff Prediction: After having a very poor start to the season and being counted out by many, the Mets proved that they should never really be counted out of it. Their stellar stretch in the second half and their ability to come through in clutch moments are good signs before their Postseason run. Even though they don’t have the most favorable Wild Card matchup, the Mets could always surprise everybody yet again.
