Ranking the American League Wild Card Contenders
Which teams are the favorites to earn the final two playoff spots in the tight American League Wild Card race?
The calendar says it’s mid-August, which means the MLB regular season officially begins its trek toward the highly-anticipated postseason and the final stretch of games have major implications for contending teams.
Prior to the inception of the second Wild Card spot in 2012, most teams gauged whether they were in contention by mid-July. However, with the implementation of the new rule, more and more teams have found themselves competing for playoff berths in the later stages of the season.
This season’s American League Wild Card race is no different, as a gargantuan nine teams find themselves within five games of contention for the final wild card spot after the completion of Monday’s slate of games.
Here is a look at the current AL Wild Card picture:
The New York Yankees hold a 2.5 game lead over the current holders of the second Wild Card spot, the Minnesota Twins. Behind the Twins are seven teams within just five games.
With that, it’s time to dissect which teams have the best shot of winning the AL’s final two playoff berths.
- New York Yankees
The Yankees occupy the top Wild Card spot and are in the driver’s seat when it comes to making the playoffs. They are still alive in the AL East race, only trailing the Red Sox by 4.5 games. But if they can’t hunt down Boston for the division crown, they still must feel confident of winning one of the two Wild Card spots. The Bronx Bombers have 39 games remaining and should be considered a favorite to earn a postseason berth thanks in large part to a young, dynamic offense and strong pitching. Even with the demotion of Aroldis Chapman, the bullpen is built for the stretch run.
2. Seattle Mariners
The Mariners are one of the most frustrating teams in baseball. They have a roster spewing with talent, yet they always seem to underachieve. However, after Monday’s 6–5 victory over the Atlanta Braves, the Mariners sit 1 game out of the final Wild Card spot. With a lineup featuring Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager, the Mariners have the star power to ride a hot streak into the postseason. However, they have been hampered by injuries and two of their best starting pitchers in Felix Hernandez and James Paxton are currently on the disabled list. But if the Mariners can stay healthy down the stretch, it’s hard not to like their chances of paying in the AL Wild Card game.
3. Kansas City Royals
The Royals have the strongest playoff pedigree out of all the AL Wild Card contending teams, so for that reason alone, they must be considered a serious threat in the race. The Royals came out of the gates slowly, causing fans to question if the team should sell core players like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain after a 22–30 start to the season. The high point of the season for the Royals occurred near the trade deadline, when the team was 54–47. Now at 62–61, the Royals trail the Twins by 1.5 games for the AL’s final Wild Card spot. Hosmer and Moustakas still have prolific bats and the bullpen remains solid enough for a deep October run, which should not surprise anyone.
4. Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim
The Angels sit a half game behind the Twins for the Wild Card spot and are obviously a serious threat to land one of the two berths up for grabs. When Mike Trout went down with a thumb injury in May, many counted the Angels out of any postseason race. However, they managed to hang around the .500 mark and have been impressive in August, going 13–6 in their first 19 games of the month. The Angels also have a solid starting staff, which ranks tenth in team ERA (4.13) in the majors. Led by Trout and veteran manager Mike Scioscia, the Angels should remain in contention until the final few games of the season and if they can avoid a long losing streak, they may even find themselves playing in the Wild Card game.
5. Texas Rangers
The Rangers were sellers at the trade deadline, evidenced by the trade, sending ace pitcher Yu Darvish to the Los Angeles Dodgers. At .500 (62–62), the Rangers are still only 2 games out of a playoff berth, but they must leapfrog four teams to earn that final wild card spot. Having to play stronger baseball than five teams over the final six weeks of the season makes it tougher for the Rangers to win that coveted final playoff spot. What makes the Rangers legitimate contenders is their powerful offense, which has scored the fourth most runs in baseball (633 runs) and is tied with the Houston Astros for most home runs in the majors (195). With gaudy offensive numbers and with Cole Hamels and Andrew Cashner good enough to carry the pitching staff, the Rangers could find themselves in the race until the last day of the season.
6. Minnesota Twins
Yes, the Twins occupy the final Wild Card spot and yes, they started the season strong. But the Twins have all the makings of a phony team when it comes to legitimate playoff contention. They began the season 26–19 but looked to be looking forward to next season when they traded away their closer Brandon Kintzler and Jaime Garcia — who they acquired one week prior- during the trade deadline. They have now won 11 0f 15 games and find themselves in prime position for a playoff push. Their team ERA (4.72) ranks 23rd in baseball and their offense only ranks 13th in total runs. Furthermore, they are too streaky to be considered a serious threat to earn a Wild Card berth into the postseason.
7–9. Baltimore Orioles/ Tampa Bay Rays/Toronto Blue Jays
Neither one of these teams is having a good season. In fact, the Jays and Orioles could be this season’s most disappointing teams. The Orioles’ 4.90 team era is third worst in baseball, and it’s only that low because of their strong bullpen. The O’s can mash the ball, but they can’t pitch, not to mention they would need to leapfrog five teams to earn the final playoff spot in the AL. Meanwhile, the Rays are only alive in the race because of their strong starting staff led by Chris Archer. They have dwindled as a team after the All-Star break following a strong first half. The Rays are a pesky team and will hang around the race for some time, but they lack the depth to stay relevant until the end of the season. The loss of Edwin Encarnacion seems to have hurt he Blue Jays more than they anticipated. They have been inconsistent this season and with a mediocre pitching staff, the Blue Jays are a longshot to earn that final wild card spot.
