Clearing The Bases

What a shame that for all intents and purposes the playoff teams in each league have already been determined with three weeks left to go in the season.  Outside of playoff seeding and who wins the AL East, there isn’t much to look forward to.  With that being said I’m going to take a look at the teams most likely to make the playoffs in the American League this week, National league next week.

New York Yankees

Strengths:  Obviously the Yankees can hit the long ball.  Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, and Alex Rodriguez are a threat to go deep every time they step up to the plate.  The Yankees also have speed as Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, and Granderson are also a threat to swipe a bag.  We all know that CC Sabathia is an ace that can shut down just about anyone, but the Yankees bullpen also may be the best going into the playoffs.  Mariano Rivera may no longer be automatic in the save department, but he is still better than most.  David Robertson could be the team MVP after taking over the 8th inning role for an injured/ineffective Rafael Soriano, and Soriano himself will hopefully redeem himself with a strong post-season performance.

Weaknesses:  Fairly obvious here to.  No true number two starter after CC.  Can the Yanks win with a post-season rotation of Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon, and Freddy Garcia?  What do they do with AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes?  The defense is average at best and that might be kind.  For as many runs as this team scores, they seem to have a problem doing the little things like getting in a runner from 3rd with less than two outs.  Simply put, the Yankees beat opposing teams because they are better than they are, not because they play better.

Boston Red Sox

Strengths:  Like the Yankees, and Rangers for that matter, the Sox can mash.  Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, and David Ortiz could all get MVP votes.  Unlike the Yankees, the Sox have two legitimate starters in Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, and their bullpen is arguably just as good with Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon.  Kevin Youkilis hasn’t had the season many predicted he would, but he also hasn’t been healthy, something he is now.

Weaknesses:  The rotation after Lester and Beckett is dicey to say the least, and that’s assuming Beckett’s ankle injury isn’t serious, if it is, than this could be an extremely short post-season for Boston.  Losing Clay Buchholz to a back injury early on set off a domino effect as it seems every Sox starter can’t stay healthy for any amount of time.  John Lackey is the Sox answer to AJ Burnett, overpriced starting pitcher who just can’t get the job done.  Erik Bedard is a wildcard who you just can’t rely on to win you a playoff game.  Whatever happened to the Carl Crawford that we all know and love?  Perhaps he can also save a terrible regular season with a big playoffs.

Detroit Tigers

Strengths:  Hard not to start with Justin Verlander in this category.  Yeah, that’s 22 wins and counting, just an incredible season.  Who wants to play this team in a five game series and have to face this guy twice?  No thank you.  Verlander is almost a shoe-in for the CY Young award, and there has even been talk that he could win the MVP award, I’m not here to argue about this validity for that award, but let’s not forget about Miguel Cabrera who is also having an MVP season.  The Tigers may have the best catching tandem in the Major Leagues with Victor Martinez and Alex Avila, not that Avila does all that much catching anymore.  Jose Valverde hasn’t blown a save yet this season, he’s been about as automatic as they come.

Weaknesses:  Just about every other starter outside of Verlander.  Brad Penny is little more than batting practice, Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer are just not that consistent at this point in their careers.  The offense is not a power house, and most hitters can be pitched to with the exception of Cabrera.  By far the least talented team in the American League playoffs, but perhaps the most dangerous with Verlander.

Texas Rangers

Strengths:  By far the deepest starting rotation of the four playoff teams.  Can start lefties to slow down the Yankees and Red Sox hitters.  Bullpen is just as good as the big boys.  Can hit with anyone.  Have had trouble with injuries, but with the exception of Nelson Cruz, everyone is good to go at this time and Cruz should be also by the time the playoffs arise.  Have a deep enough bench to cover for their injuries.

Weaknesses

No true number one pitcher, CJ Wilson is close, but they will miss Cliff Lee.  Have had an inconsistent season in an easy division.  If those final three games versus the Angels mean anything, they may not be able to set up their rotation the way they would like.  Due to the curious rule of a division winner not being allowed to play the wildcard if that team is in their own division, the Rangers may have to play Boston or New York in the 1st round.  Playing all summer in the heat in Texas could wear this team down come October.