As we enter baseballs second season, every team in the postseason has a shot at winning it all. We have the New York Yankees in the playoffs again along with some feel good stories in Washington, Baltimore and Oakland.
The New York Yankees are I think peaking at the right time, they've been hot for about the past six weeks. The Yankees got their key injured players back, Sabathia, Pettitte, Texiera. Swisher and Cano have been hot and Ichiro is dynamic. In the past Nick Swisher has not hit in the post season but now they can sit him and play Ichiro and Ibanez. Edguardo Nunez might also be a spark off the bench for them. I think the fact that the Yankees had to go all the way down to game 162 in order to win the A.L East, basically play playoff games for six weeks will help them. In the first round the Yankees will face the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are a nice story, they haven't had a winning season since '97 and had to win the Wild Card game to get here. Buck Showalter has done a nice job with the team, he has looked liked a proud papa as he watched them celebrate. I'll take the Yankees in four games in this, the playoff pressure might get to the orioles.
The Oakland Athletics are another good story, a young team with a rookie pitching staff. Oakland surprised some people in winning the A.L West this year, they were being built for a couple years down the line. They play the Detroit Tigers who have a lot of talent with their good pitching, triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera and Prince fielder. The Tigers had to fight just to win their division and get here. I am going to go with the Athletics in this one, they can keep it going, Oakland in four.
ALCS: New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics, Yankees over A's
The Cincinnati Reds have an all around good team with a talented pitching staff, Aroldis Chapman at the end and Joey Votto. The Reds play the San Francisco Giants who find ways to win, even after Melky Cabera's suspension. I'll go with the Cincinnati Reds in this one, Reds in four.
The Washington Nationals are a good story, playoff baseball in Washington for the first time in 60+ years. Washington still has a good pitching staff and a few key guys on offense but the real key will be how far can they get without Steven Strasburg. The Nationals face the St. Louis Cardinals who come in as the defending World Series Champions after defeating the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card game. I'll take the Washington Nationals in this one, Nationals in five.
NLCS: Washington Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds, Reds over Nationals
World Series: New York Yankees over Cincinnati Reds.
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