American League Division Series

1. Toronto Blue Jays vs. 4. New York Yankees

Toronto is in this position mostly due to the fact that they had the best record at home in the American League during the regular season. They owned the head-to-head tiebreaker against the New York Yankees which is why the Blue Jays won the AL East Division title. Unfortunately they will have to start this Postseason run without Bo Bichette. His absence leaves a hole at the top of their lineup. George Springer had a resurgent season down the stretch and he will need to recall that October magic he had in years past with Houston. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a stellar season and will be expected to anchor this offense. Will Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk step up in a big way for them in October? Toronto’s rotation was their strength during the season, but they will be without Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer for this series. Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber have to be dominant for the Blue Jays to have success and who will they count on to close out games in October?

After dropping the first game to Boston in the Wild Card Series, the Yankees rallied to win the next two to win that series. Their rotation did exactly what they needed to do and dominated. Their three starters combined for 24 strikeouts and allowed 3 runs in the three games against Boston. Can Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Cam Schlittler continue that in the ALDS? New York’s bullpen has been shaky at best this season, but they did well in the final two games of the Wild Card. Anthony Volpe batted .364 in the three game series and Ben Rice started Game 3 with a two-run blast. Aaron Judge batted .364 with a RBI. Will Trent Grisham get going after having a career year at the plate? Giancarlo Stanton is lying in wait for his bat as well.

Blue Jays in 5 games

2. Seattle Mariners vs. 6. Detroit Tigers

It ended up being a rough season for the Detroit Tigers. They had a division lead as big as 15 games to the second place team and ended up losing the division title to the Cleveland Guardians on the last day of the season. It turns out that no one will remember that since Detroit ousted the Guardians in 3 games during the Wild Card Series. Tarik Skubal was his usual self in the Wild Card striking out 14 batters in his lone start. Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty pitched well, but they didn’t get through 5 innings in their starts. Manager AJ Hinch is showing a lot of faith in his bullpen, but they will need to score more runs to lessen the pressure. That means Spencer Torkelson and Gleyber Torress have to improve on their .182 and .154 batting averages respectively. Torkelson did drive in two runs in the clinching game against Cleveland. Look for Javier Baez, Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene to be the spark plugs for the lineup. As long as Greene is being pinch hit for late in games.

The late season surge by the Seattle Mariners was a sight to behold. Their lineup has balance from top to bottom. They’re led by Cal Raleigh who had a MVP season with 60 HR and 125 RBI. Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez brought more power to the lineup after being acquired mid-season. Julio Rodriguez had another 30-30 season and Randy Arozarena has had Postseason success before with Tampa Bay five years ago. Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo and George Kirby were dealing down the stretch for Seattle and they must continue that here in October. Andres Munoz was one of the best closers in baseball and that should continue going forward.

Mariners in 4 games

National League Division Series

1. Milwaukee Brewers vs. 4. Chicago Cubs

A matchup of division rivals as the Chicago Cubs were atop the division during the first two months of the season. However, Milwaukee had a surge during the summer and never looked back. Chicago’s pitching staff did well in the Wild Card against San Diego. Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon might need to pitch well into the sixth inning if the Cubs are to stave off exposing their bullpen too much. Michael Busch, Carson Kelly and Seiya Suzuki provided the pop each hitting a home run in the Wild Card. Pete Crow-Armstrong batted .300 and Kyle Tucker is lying in wait to show what he can do in October.

There aren’t many weaknesses on Brewers roster. Freddy Peralta is their ace of the rotation. Quinn Priester had a career year and they also have Jacob Misiorowski who was an All-Star after his stellar start to his career. Trevor Megill nailed down the closer role and will be a tough matchup for the Cubs lineup. Christian Yelich is still producing at an All-Star level for the Brewers. Jackson Chourio had another 20-20 season coming back from injury. William Contreras is still producing at the top of the order and handling the pitching staff. Brice Turang had a career year at the plate and Andrew Vaughn bounced back after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox. Will their balanced lineup get hits when they need to in October?

Brewers in 4 games

2. Philadelphia Phillies vs. 3. Los Angeles Dodgers

The juggernaut matchup between these two will be a sight to see. The Dodgers took care of business with a sweep of Cincinnati in the Wild Card Series. Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto combined to strikeout 18 batters and walked only 3. Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw are fresh and ready for the NLDS and Shohei Ohtani will be pitching this time as well. Putting Roki Sasaki in the bullpen should shore up the back end, but it’s been an adventure for them all season. Teoscar Hernandez and Ohtani each hit two home runs and combined to drive in 10 runs in the two games of the Wild Card. Mookie Betts drove in 3 runs and batted .667. When Miguel Rojas and Enrique Hernandez are batting .600 and .500 respectively you know things are going right for your lineup. Will the defending champions continue to dominate without home field advantage?

The Phillies rotation has been a strength all season, but not having Zack Wheeler in October is going to hurt them. Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo the three lefties will have to be on point in October. Can Aaron Nola rebound after a rough season? Walker Buehler after his departure from Boston could be an ace in the hole for the Phillies. Acquiring closer Jhoan Duran at the deadline has solidified their bullpen into becoming a strength for them to finish the season. Kyle Schwarber had a MVP season for them and is a spark plug for their lineup. Trea Turner is healthy and raring to go. Bryce Harper has proven that he can rake in October for them. Can the likes of Alec Bohm, J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos match what the Dodgers can dish out in their lineup? Pitching is going to matter in this series, but the Phillies will need to outscore the Dodgers early and often considering how deep their lineup goes.

Dodgers in 5 games