So You’ve Decided to Follow Baseball – Playoff Special

The first thing to remember is that the leagues are separated from now until the World Series. This used to be the case for the whole season, but now that there are so many interleague games, it might seem a little strange that the leagues are kept apart for an entire month. There are four stages: the Wild Card games; the Divisional Series; the Championship Series; and the World Series. The Divisional Series and Championship Series are normally abbreviated to an acronym with their league name in front, so you’ll be seeing NLDS & ALDS a lot over the next two weeks, and then NLCS & ALCS following that.

The six division winners automatically make it into the Divisional Series (what we might call the quarter-finals), while the two teams in each league with the best records that didn’t win a division face off in the Wild Card game, a single-game playoff that takes place before the DS. The team with the most wins of those two gets to host the WC game, and the winner of that game faces the divisional winner with the most wins, while the other two divisional winners face each other. The winners of those series face off in the Championship Series, and the two CS victors then play in the World Series to decide the overall champion.

The team with the better record always gets to play at home first, and gets an extra home game if the series goes to its maximum length. The DS is best of 5, while the CS and World Series are best of 7, with the higher seed playing 2 home-2 away-1 home in the DS and a 2-3-2 format in the CS and WS. A single off day is included each time the teams change cities. If a team reaches the required number of wins before the maximum series length is reached, then naturally the rest of the games aren’t played. The AL has home-field advantage in the World Series, because they won the All-Star game. If you think that’s a stupid way to decide who gets that, you’re not the only one.

With all that in mind, here’s a brief outline of the schedule for 2016, with the higher seed second, American-style (full details at http://m.mlb.com/postseason-schedule):

American League 

Wild Card Game: Tuesday 4th October

Baltimore @ Toronto

ALDS: Thursday 6th October – Wednesday 12th October

Cleveland vs Boston

Baltimore/Toronto vs Texas

ALCS: Friday 14th October – Saturday 22nd October

Record: 94-67

Runs Scored-Allowed: 777-676

How did they get in?: Won AL Central
Chance of winning World Series: 8%

Best Season: Corey Kluber, 6.5 WAR

Team Overview: Cleveland has brought up a remarkable collection of starting pitcher talent over recent years, but they’ll have to cope without Carlos Carrasco, who suffered a broken finger late in the season, and potentially Danny Salazar, who is likely to be limited to the bullpen at best as the result of a forearm strain. The pitching load will rest on Kluber, Trevor Bauer, and the killer bullpen combination of Cody Allen and Andrew Miller, the latter coming off one of the best reliever seasons in history. The lineup is deep, with copious power coming from Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli, but much will depend on whether they can continue to get production from their surprisingly-good cobbled-together outfield. Defence might be their biggest strength, with a great double-play combo of Jason Kipnis and our player to watch.

Player to watch: Francisco Lindor. The shortstop is a .300 hitter and a wizard with the glove. In just his second season, Lindor has arguably become Cleveland’s most valuable position player, with almost every challenging ground ball made to look like an easy out.

Record: 95-67

Runs Scored-Allowed: 765-757

How did they get in?: Won AL West
Chance of winning World Series: 8%

Best Season: Adrian Beltre, 6.5 WAR

Team Overview: Despite being picked by many to finish third in their division and barely scoring more runs than they conceded, Texas managed to comfortably win the West and secure the best record in the AL. Midseason trades for elite catcher Jonathan Lucroy and veteran slugger Carlos Beltran significantly bolstered the lineup, while impressive contributions from 22-year-old Rougned Odor (33 home runs) and rookie Nomar Mazara backed up the ever-reliable Beltre and the resurgent Ian Desmond. Despite a solid ERA, there were concerning signs for Cole Hamels, such as his lack of control, and with the back of the rotation far from reliable, Texas needs the lineup firing on all cylinders and some continued excellence from our player to watch.

Player to watch: Yu Darvish. The Japanese ace returned from Tommy John surgery mid-season and pitched 100 innings to help the Rangers lock down their division title, looking like a pitcher already back to his best. Darvish struck out 132 over those 100 innings, which is hardly surprising given that he possesses one of the most visually impressive pitch arsenals in the game. When you can throw a wide range of pitches from the same release point like this, it’s somewhat surprising that hitters can even make contact with the ball. Keep an eye on Beltre and shortstop Elvis Andrus too; in addition to their baseball ability, their antics will keep anyone entertained.

Record: 89-73

Runs Scored-Allowed: 759-666

How did they get in?: First Wild Card spot
Chance of winning World Series: 6%

Best Season: Josh Donaldson, 7.4 WAR

Team Overview: The Jays lineup hasn’t been as fearsome as it was in 2015, when it was clearly the most formidable in the league, but they’re still a well above-average unit with plenty of power: their 221 homers ranked fourth in MLB. Their rotation has been deep, but the postseason could prove to be a step too far for young duo Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman, both of whom have seen a massive increase in innings pitched over previous years in their first full years as major league starting pitchers. Sanchez in particular has been the focus, with the team suggesting he would pitch out of the bullpen to reduce his usage in the last couple of months, only to change their minds and ultimately end up relying on the 24-year-old to win the final game of the season, in which he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. If Stroman gets the Jays through the WC game and Sanchez continues to pitch like he has all season, this team looks strong in all aspects of the game.

Player to watch: Kevin Pillar. Donaldson is the most important player on the offence and an exceptional fielder, but Pillar’s defence in the outfield is a highlight reel waiting to happen. The Toronto pitching staff get quite a few extra outs from his glove in centre field and there may be no-one more likely to make a memorable defensive play in the playoffs if they can make it through the Wild Card game.

Record: 89-73

Runs Scored-Allowed: 744-715

How did they get in?: Second Wild Card spot
Chance of winning World Series: 4%

Best Season: Manny Machado, 6.7 WAR

Team Overview: If the Jays have plenty of power, I’m not sure what to call the Orioles’ output; it should suffice to say that they nearly broke the all-time single-season team record with 253. Mark Trumbo, obtained for a backup catcher from the Mariners in the offseason, led the league in homers with 47, and five Orioles players in all mashed at least 25. Their rotation, sadly, isn’t on the same level: Kevin Gausman and WC game starter Chris Tillman have been solid but not outstanding (even if Gausman flashes the potential sometimes), Wade Miley and Yovani Gallardo have been destroyed to the tune of ERAs well north of 5. Meanwhile, Ubaldo Jimenez retains his ability to be mesmerising and frustrating in equal parts, looking like a disaster through mid-August and then pitching like Baltimore’s ace over his last 7. The bullpen is outstanding, led by closer Zach Britton and his remarkable 0.54 regular season ERA; the O’s just have to get the ball to the ‘pen with a lead.

Player to watch: Machado. At 24, Machado is already one of the best players in the game, and would be a full-time shortstop if it wasn’t for veteran J.J. Hardy. As it is he’s a top-tier defensive third basemen with a top-tier bat, capable of changing a game on either side of the ball in an instant.

Record: 103-58

Runs Scored-Allowed: 808-556

How did they get in?: Won NL Central
Chance of winning World Series: 26%

Best Season: Kris Bryant, 7.7 WAR

Team Overview: The Cubs were predicted to be an all-conquering juggernaut this season, and they’ve more than lived up to that expectation – even though they won 103 games, they’ve actually significantly underperformed their expected winning percentage based on their run differential. That won’t matter to this Chicago squad, who were still undoubtedly the best regular season team and are clearly the favourites to win it all, 108 years after they last did it. They have the best offence, led by Bryant and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, the best defence, most notably from 22-year-old shortstop Addison Russell, and possibly the deepest rotation, from veterans Jon Lester and John Lackey to last year’s NL Cy Young, Jake Arrieta, and the 2016 ERA leader, Kyle Hendricks. This team is so good that it’s easy to forget that anything can happen in the playoffs, and even a team as good as this is only given a 1-in-4 chance of winning it all. If they don’t, then the infamous curse will be cited once again, particularly if they don’t even make the World Series.

Player to watch: Javier Baez. There are numerous options I could select here – Bryant, Rizzo, Russell and most of the pitching staff among them – but for the new baseball fan, Baez’s swing might offer the most immediate entertainment. The 23-year-old isn’t a regular fixture in the lineup, but he has become a valuable defensive option all over the infield and the first bat off the bench. When he does get to swing, it’s a gloriously violent motion that is over so fast you can’t quite believe he’s held on to the bat. Even though Baez’s approach isn’t quite as raw as when Sam Miller first broke down that swing in his first taste of the major leagues, you can still expect fireworks, whether it’s a spectacular strikeout or no-doubt home run.