Making the Case: 2016 World Series
Here’s how each MLB playoff team could win the 2016 World Series.
American League
Toronto Blue Jays
Hunter Phillips: Toronto is already up two games in their ALDS series against Texas, and it shouldn’t come as much of surprise. Outside of the Cubs and maybe the Red Sox, no lineup is more intimidating to face than the Toronto Blue Jays. This season, the Blue Jays smacked 221 home runs (fourth in the Majors) and drove in 728. Josh Donaldson put together another MVP-caliber season, while Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion continue to rake.
We know what Toronto will do offensively, but their pitching has been equally as good this season. The Blue Jays had the sixth best team ERA (3.78), with Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ (20 wins), Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez leading the way. Sanchez at the back of the rotation is a great luxury for manager John Gibbons to have. Their bullpen has an intriguing bunch. Francisco Liriano can eat many innings, while Jason Grilli provides a fearless presence towards the end. And then there’s 21-year old Roberto Osuna, who is gradually becoming the next great closer in the big leagues.
Toronto also has one of the best home-field advantages in the series (as long as the fans keep the bottles in the stands). The Blue Jays’ fan base is very passionate, and there will not be an empty seat in the Rogers Centre.
Texas Rangers
Mario Rossi: What makes the Rangers unique, other than their insane record in one-run games, is their middle-of-the-order hitting prowess. Adrian Beltré and Carlos Beltran make a great offensive combination, while Rougned Odor has surprised many with 33 home runs. Mix in Ian Desmond (performing much better with his new team than last year in Washington) and mid-season acquisition Jonathan Lucroy, and the Ragners have as formidable of a lineup as any.
Their route to the World Series is simple (yet difficult): Get leads early and hold on with a bullpen anchored by Sam Dyson. While they’re not the flashiest team in the Postseason, you don’t end up with the best record in the American League without a complete roster like Texas has.
Boston Red Sox
Mike Wendlandt: The Red Sox have one key factor that no other team has: the power of Papi. I can’t think of a single player who has had a better retirement season than David Ortiz, and it is well known that he is a completely different, better player in the postseason (seriously though, look at the 2007 and 2013 numbers).
Throw in the fact that that their young guys have emerged as stars (Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Xander Bogarts) and the veterans are producing (Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez) means that they can score with anyone.
Their pitching is also strong behind ace David Price and 22-game winner Rick Porcello. They also have bullpen depth with Brad Ziegler and Craig Kimbrel anchoring the ‘pen. Finally, they have the World Series pedigree over all the other American League teams, having been the only team in the league to win a title this century.
Cleveland Indians
Hunter Phillips: Already up 2–0 on Boston, the Cleveland Indians are for real. A superb starting rotation and excellent roster depth make the AL Central champs a formidable opponent this postseason. Cleveland enters October with the seventh-best team ERA (3.84) in baseball. Even without flamethrower Danny Salazar, the Tribe have a quartet of starting pitchers that avoid the big innings. Cleveland made a blockbuster deal by trading for reliever Andrew Miller, bolstering what was already a solid bullpen with Cody Allen and Dan Ortero.
Offensively, the team has been carried by a great blend of veterans and young guns. Mike Napoli has provided an unexpected pop to the middle of the order, while journeyman outfielder Rajai Davis had a career-high 78 RBIs in the regular season. Francisco Lindor has become a lightning rod for the Indians, and Tyler Naquin is emerging as a franchise center fielder. Jose Ramirez has been the plug-and-play guy that managers love, and don’t forget about the productive bats of Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall and Carlos Santana. They’ve had all of this success without All-Star left fielder Michael Brantley.
Most importantly, the Indians have Terry Francona at the helm. Cleveland’s skipper has two World Series titles under his belt, and brings that coveted experience with his team. If the Indians win: party at Napoli’s!
National League
Los Angeles Dodgers
Mario Rossi: In a National League stacked with pitching, the Dodgers trot out their own fearsome top-of-the-rotation guys: Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill. In case you’re wondering about Kershaw heading into the Postseason: Last year, Kershaw had seven starts where he allowed three or less hits. This year? Eight. Eight starts with three or less hits allowed. In about 83 less innings.
Hill, on the other hand, was the story of MLB’s first half. Since being traded to Los Angeles, he’s actually pitched better: A 2.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 177 ERA+ in Oakland was improved on by a 1.83 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 214 ERA+ in Los Angeles.*
*For reference, that 214 ERA+ would put him above the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks this year and in the realm of 2014 Clayton Kershaw or 2005 Roger Clemens. Want to take Hill’s season as a whole (187 ERA+)? That still puts him second in the Majors this year.
The Dodgers are not without their flaws, one of them being their inability to hit left-handed pitchers. They’re also 23rd in batting average with runners in scoring position (.283), and were 38–43 on the road this year. But their one-two punch in the rotation, Rookie of the Year frontrunner Corey Seager and lineup consistency (Justin Turner, Adrian Gonzalez, Joc Pederson and Josh Reddick to name a few) should provide plenty of reasons to watch.
San Francisco Giants
Mike Wendlandt: It’s an even year. The Giants are the even dynasty in baseball, winning in 2010, 2012, and 2014 under Bruce Bochy, the most underrated manager of the past two decades. Proven playoff contributors Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Hunter Pence are still in San Francisco and Buster Posey is still as great a player as he was in 2012. And their younger guys like Joe Panik have been invaluable for the team.
They also have the ultimate trump card in recent years: Madison Bumgarner.
The best clutch pitcher since Curt Schilling or Randy Johnson, Mad-Bum has been something from another planet in elimination games. A superstar in every sense of the word, Bochy can sleep well in a potential Game 7 knowing that he can give the ball to his lefty and not have to worry about giving up a ton of runs.
Washington Nationals
Hunter Phillips: Losing Wilson Ramos certainly hurts the Nationals, but there is still plenty to like about Dusty Baker’s group. Their starting rotation can match (or outmatch) any team in the postseason. Washington finished the year second in team ERA (3.51) and strikeouts (1,476). Max Scherzer had another stellar season on the mound (20 wins), and has some of the best stuff in the game. Tanner Roark’s consistent play at the back end make the Nationals tough to hit against. Their bullpen is maybe their weakest area, and will rely heavily on Shawn Kelly, Oliver Perez and Mark Melancon.
Daniel Murphy is back in the postseason, which will make any team nervous. Washington also has a guy named Bryce Harper that will look to shake off his late-season slump (Harper comes into the series batting .208 against Los Angeles). Anthony Rendon and rookie Trea Turner will be the X-factors in the postseason. Rendon will need to step up for the injured Ramos, while Turner’s speed on the basepaths (33 stolen bases in 73 games this year) can change the outcome of a game.
Chicago Cubs
Mike Wendlandt: Simply put: The 2016 Cubs have been the best team in baseball, and it’s not close. They have been dominant on offense, defense and on the mound. Their only weakness at the beginning of the season was the back end of their bullpen and they solved that with Aroldis Chapman (0.83 ERA since joining Chicago). On paper, there shouldn’t be a single team that can compete with the Cubs.
Going into personnel, the Cubs’ stars have produced (Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo), and their depth has shined beyond what anyone thought (Addison Russell, Dexter Fowler). Pitching for Chicago has been exceptional with career seasons from Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks. And to top it off they have the most innovative manager in baseball in Joe Maddon.
