2014 World Series Preview: Momentum versus Experience

In stunning fashion, two wildcard teams have now reached the 2014 World Series.  The surprising Kansas City Royals and the budding dynasty of the San Francisco Giants will meet for the Fall Classic, and it has all the makings of an enticing competition to determine baseball’s world champion!  Neither team has exceptional superstars, and yet here we are in late October with these bunches of over-performing players ready to embrace immortality and a World Series title.

For the Royals, the team is built around a tremendous bullpen and a bunch of speedy runners capable of stealing bases in the blink of an eye.  Meanwhile the Giants have a more balanced squad and the experience of winning two World Series in the last several years.

For me the key will be Kansas City’s questionable starting pitching.  Both James Shields and Yordano Ventura haven’t quite played to their best while only Jason Vargas has been impressive.  If the Giants can get up early in games, they may be able to win this series.  However, if Shields finally plays to his true value, the Royals may just claim a title in their first postseason trip since 1985.

In many ways, most casual baseball fans will be hoping for the Royals to win this Series.  They’ve endured so many disappointing seasons and there really is the feeling that this will be their only chance for many years.  They’ve earned their place here with a late-season surge and have gone undefeated in these playoffs.  If momentum is any guide, the Royals should be well on their way.

But if anyone can overcome a hot team it’s the Giants.  They’ve won 9 straight postseason series and have won the World Series twice in the last four years!  Starters Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson, and Jake Peavy have pitched marvelously while their bullpen is no slouch either.

Hitting wise the teams are quite evenly matched.  While the Royals lacked power in the regular season, their big bats have come alive in the playoffs, especially that of Mike Moustakas, who has 4 postseason home runs.  The Giants have good hitters too, and anyone with a decent memory can recall the glorious blasts by Pablo Sandoval in the team’s recent championships.

All in all, this is a tremendously matched World Series and could very well go either way.  While my heart wants to see the Kansas City Royals win an unexpected title, I think the current dynasty of the San Francisco Giants will continue, largely due to their remarkable starting pitchers.  Everyone knows that pitching wins titles, not stolen bases.  It has been a remarkable run by the Royals, and their momentum could definitely push them ahead, perhaps even leading them to a sweep, but I think that the Giants are simply the better team.  Remember that they have only lost two games in these playoffs and are on quite a hot streak as well.  The 2014 MLB season certainly has been a special one and it’s coming to a tremendous close.  I think the Giants will get to have the last laugh though, and they will win it all in 7 games!

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The 2014 MLB Playoffs Are Upon Us: Who Will Win in October?

October has finally arrived, meaning that baseball will once again take center stage as cool fall nights are warmed up with the tense playoff encounters between baseball’s best teams.  In a strange twist of fate, neither the Boston Red Sox nor the New York Yankees will take any part in the affairs; a reality not seen since 1993!  But in regards to the teams that actually will be a part of the 2014 MLB Playoffs, there should definitely be a lot to excite the fans!

First up will be the single game wildcard matches between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics in the American League, and a game between the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League.  While the concept of both team’s playoff hopes residing on the outcome of a lone game is quite enticing and does make an excellent way to kick start the tournament, it will surely be a quick and brutal ending to be eliminated so soon for the eventual losers.

But that’s how life is when you don’t win your division, and for this reason I really don’t suspect any of the wildcard teams to contend for the 2014 World Series.  Looking ahead to the later rounds of the playoffs, I think the American League will be won by the Los Angeles Angels.  While they have endured more than their fair share of injuries to key players, the cogs of a championship-winning side are well in place.  Albert Pujols represents the mature veteran with World Series experience while Mike Trout has proven to be baseball’s next slugger.  Only 23, he is young and has yet to taste the playoffs, but fortunately a proven star like Pujols will be able to guide him along.

With regards to pitching, they have two of the crucial positions covered.  Jered Weaver is a true ace while closer Huston Street has been dominant with a 1.37 ERA.  Such a threat in the 9^th inning sends absolute fear in the minds of opponents and is a crucial ingredient to postseason success.  The injury to Garrett Richards was unfortunate, but so long as Matt Shoemaker and C.J. Wilson can put together several good outings on the mound, I suspect the Angels will reach the World Series.

Once there, I think the team ready to meet them will be none other than cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, setting up a classic Freeway Series for the title!  Here’s why:

Spending Yankees’ levels of money, the Dodgers are loaded.  They have two ace pitchers in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.  While injuries have also struck down upon this team, prematurely ending Josh Beckett’s fine comeback season, the Dodgers should be alright, especially if Hyun-Jin Ryu is able to pitch in the postseason.  Their closer Jansen Kenley has served them well too.

Hitting wise, the Dodgers have one of the deepest lineups in baseball.  Nearly all of their starters are batting near .300 and big time hitters like Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, and Matt Kemp can crush the ball.  Speedy guys like Dee Gordon and Carl Crawford can round the bases can and score runs.  Such production is key against top pitchers in the playoffs where a single run can decide an entire series!  Top to bottom the most talented roster in the Majors, I suspect that the Los Angeles Dodgers will reach the 2014 World Series and will go on to win it.

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Which MLB Playoff Races will come Down to the Wire?

It’s practically an inevitable occurrence within the current landscape of professional baseball; each and every year there are several MLB division races that go down to the last day. Meanwhile, the wildcard race can also crack the playoff door open for several lucky teams while leaving others ruthlessly out of the glorious postseason that encompasses baseball and reminds us why this sport truly is America’s sport. Like any other, this year figures to be a tight contest all the way to the end! Here’s some of the more enticing MLB playoff races on the horizon and how I expect them to pan out:

The AL Central – While the Cleveland Indians seem to be fading and fading fast, the main culprits are going head to head, tooth and nail to the final day! The free-spending Detroit Tigers are the clear choice to win based on their roster and pre-season hopes, but the Kansas City Royals could be the surprise team of the year, and are currently right on their heels. James Shields has been his usual tremendous self, but the collective hitting and unity has seen the Royals play far beyond their talent and has brought about a new level of belief. While everyone is rooting for them, who knows if they’ll be able to muster enough wins to overtake Max Scherzer, Miguel Cabrera, and the rest of the tremendous Tigers. The upcoming 3-game duel between these two clubs this weekend could decide the AL Central division’s fate, though the wildcard certainly presents an outlet for either team, but both know that facing an entire season’s hopes on one game is certainly far from ideal... These teams will desperately want to claim the division. I think the Royals will do it.

The NL West – Between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants a tremendous west coast rivalry has been simmering for years. But while the Dodgers have been spending big to recruit top players in the last few seasons, the Giants are the one with two recent World Series Championships. Nevertheless, with guys like Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, and Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers are rapidly becoming the team to beat and have been getting hot just in time to claim the division and potentially start a deep playoff run. Meanwhile, the Giants with Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum, and Madison Bumgarner actually have a proven track record of getting hot just in time for the MLB playoffs. The pinnacle series will be early next week between the two sides and could decide their fates, leaving the loser in the dreaded wildcard match. The Dodgers look too good to mess this up, and I suspect they may win it all.

It’ll be interesting to see how these teams fare once the playoffs begin. While other baseball clubs may benefit from being able to rest their players in the last few weeks of the season, teams like the Dodgers, Giants, Royals, and Tigers could benefit from the momentum gained by winning such a tight race. By the time the October playoffs arrive, they’ll be hardened by a full month of living on the edge and could be better equipped to handle the playoff pressure. As such, the winners of these close divisions might just be hoisting the World Series trophy at the end of it all!

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Could the Kansas City Royals Win the World Series?

Time for a history lesson.  Back in 1985, the Kansas City Royals were one of the greatest teams in baseball.  While still a relatively young club formed in 1969, the Royals had eventually grown and developed to the point of being World Series contenders.  Behind star pitchers Bret Saberhagan and Charlie Leibrandt, and the Hall of Fame hitter George Brett, the Royals actually powered through the playoffs that season, eventually taking the 1985 World Series in a dramatic 7-game matchup against the cross-state rivals St. Louis Cardinals.  It would be the last playoff appearance for the club.

Fast forward nearly 30 years and the current team in Kansas City might just be gearing up for a similar run!  Against all odds and featuring a payroll budget far below what most American League contenders have, the Royals are winning, and they’re doing it by getting back to the basics.

While nobody on the team is hitting at All-Star levels, they put the ball in play, and this often leads to good things happen.  In avoiding strikeouts they get guys on base, and are able to move them forward to home plate.  They are second in the MLB in stolen bases, proving that speed is key to winning games.  Additionally, their defensive play has been impeccable, and they make fewer errors than just about anyone else.  Such mistakes often cost teams, and by limiting those bad errors and mental lapses, the Royals are winning games with defense.

Their starting pitching is hardly Cy Young material, but they have 5 capable starters.  Ace James Shields has been his usual impressive self while fellow veterans Jeremy Guthrie and Jason Vargas also have been putting up respectable numbers.  Youngsters Yordano Ventura and Danny Duffy have proven their Major League capabilities this season, and with great defense supporting them, the pitchers are benefitting from the confidence instilled by their teammates.  This all adds up to wins, and that’s what the Royals have been doing recently.

After a typically average start to the year, Kansas City has gotten hot in the past month, soaring ahead of the Detroit Tigers and into first place in the AL Central.    With just over a month remaining in the season, it will be an absolute dogfight between these sides to determine who wins that playoff spot.  Winning one of the wildcard spots is an also an option, though those 1-game playoffs are hardly guaranteed.

But back to the original question of the Kansas City Royals potentially winning the 2014 World Series, we need to follow a wait-and-see approach.  The current hot level bodes well.  Since July 22^nd, the Royals have gone 24-8 (even despite their 2 recent losses).  If that form remains consistent the Royals could definitely contend for the World Series, but we must take that with a grain of salt.  Lots of teams experience a hot streak over the course of a year (look at the insane 2013 run by the Los Angeles Dodgers), but keeping that momentum is tricky.  If the Royals keep winning, they could enter the MLB Playoffs as one of baseball’s hottest teams, but should they enter a new slump that dream could be crushed very quickly.

But despite all these lingering questions, we should rejoice in the fact that it’s nearly September and for once we are talking about the Kansas City Royals making the playoffs and potentially winning a World Series!  Who would have ever thought that was possible at the start of this year?

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Time is Now for Baseball Teams Looking to Get Hot and Win the World Series

As we enter the late days of summer and the month of August, Major League Baseball is just starting to really heat up.  Most of the divisions throughout the sport have neck and neck races, meaning that each game from here on out will be critically important as to postseason hopes and successes, especially with all the wild card teams staring down the barrel of a 1-game playoff at season’s end.  The teams that are likely to come out on top of their divisions (and who have the most realistic shot at the World Series) will be the ones that get hot from this point onwards.

Despite great seasons so far by teams like the Oakland Athletics, the San Francisco Giants, and the Milwaukee Brewers, if they cannot hit full stride at this juncture, they will likely be headed for early postseason exits, if they can qualify.  Fortunately for the Giants, they have been the hot team several times in recent history, giving the city two championships.  But to me several other talented squads seem the most likely to make the trip through October and into the 2014 World Series…

The first team that intrigues me is the St. Louis Cardinals.  In the National League Central Division, them, the Brewers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Cincinnati Reds are all within a realistic shot of claiming the division.  But the Cardinals have the most winning experience and were the most active in recent trades, reeling in star pitchers Justin Masterson and John Lackey, while also gambling on the attitude of veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski.  Already a strong contender year in and year out with guys like Matt Carpenter, Matt Holliday, and Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals have put themselves in prime position to not only get hot, but to make a serious World Series push.

Another team in the NL that intrigues me is the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Simply stated, they have more talent than anybody else in the league, including 3 ace pitchers in Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and baseball’s best pitcher, Clayton Kershaw.  Offensively, the power of Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, and Hanley Ramirez will keep the Dodgers in any game or playoff series.  While they haven’t reached a streak like they managed mid-summer last year, they are certainly a team capable of doing just that in the months ahead to claim the World Series.

In the American League, I have my faith in the Detroit Tigers, who just added David Price to an already strong pitching lineup of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.  Another team with solid hitting from Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera, this could finally be the Tigers’ year should they be the lucky team destined to get hot.

But to get everything clicking into place right at the time for the playoffs is no easy feat.  It could be anyone from the Los Angeles Angels to the New York Yankees, or even the Kansas City Royals who could go on a tear and take the title.  However it ends up going, we can be certain that for whatever club (or clubs) that get hot, the next few months will certainly provide some exciting baseball!

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MLB American League Wildcard Race Coming Down to the Wire

 The addition of one more team gaining entry to the MLB postseason, and the creation of a 1-game playoff game between the now 2 wildcard teams has increased the interest in the baseball standings heading down the stretch in the season. The American League currently has 6 teams that all realistically have a shot at claiming one of these 2 wildcard places to earn a spot in that enticing lone game, with the entire season on the line. Who will take part in this game to determine the AL wildcard team? We take a look at all the contenders:

Texas Rangers – The Rangers have become perennial disappointers, though they have put together several impressive seasons based on wins and losses alone, including this season. But last year the Rangers crumbled in the last week to give up a division lead and ended up losing in the 1-game playoff, and the events over this final month look to again be the Rangers’ undoing this year. After looking safe and cozy atop the AL West for much of the season, the Rangers are falling apart. Although they still have an ace pitcher in Yu Darvish, the team clearly cannot produce when they need to, and I think they need to look at manager Ron Washington for answers why.

Tampa Bay Rays – This young, small-market team has grown used to having a winning team, having made the playoffs quite often in the tricky AL East division. They have all the necessary tools to win including good pitching and hitting, led by guys like Evan Longoria, David Price, and James Loney. Although they have entered a small slump over the last week, they are a team that has been widely expected to make the playoffs.

New York Yankees – The circus in New York continues, and the team still has a shot at making the playoffs, despite all the injuries and drama surrounding the team. Alex Rodriguez is hitting well amidst his suspension appeal and the team is loaded with proven veterans. However, their pitchers haven’t been up to par, and this could be the team’s undoing in 2013. They still have 3 games to make up but with roughly 13 games left, anything is possible.

Baltimore Orioles – Last year was a surprise success for the Orioles, and many have expected similar things this year, especially as they have been in contention for a while. Chris Davis is leading the majors with 50 home runs while decent pitching has left the team competitive. The Orioles are hanging in there and although they have been playing rather average as of late, they could benefit from last season’s experience to reach the MLB playoffs.

Cleveland Indians – This team has been boosted by new manager Terry Francona and his World Series winning experience. While no single player has really taken on the load, the offensive production has been a real team effort, with 8 players having surpassed 10 home runs on the year. Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez have led the pitching quite well, and the team has been winning close games. The Indians have been hanging around all year, and have finally avoided a late-season plunge, but they will need to kick it into high gear heading down the stretch.

Kansas City Royals – Often an afterthought in baseball due to their abysmal history, the Royals haven’t made the postseason in 27 years. In mid-summer the Royals were several games below .500, and we once again assumed they would fall apart. But we have been wrong, and the Royals current hot streak has put them just a few games out of the AL wildcard race. Eric Hosmer looks to be a rising star while James Shields has finally provided the team with some decent pitching. The teams that succeed are usually the ones that get hot right at this time of year. Could the Royals be up for some October heroics?

So which 2 teams will emerge from all this confusion to actually earn a spot in the 1-game postseason decider, and who will win it? I have my money on the Indians and Rays battling it out for the AL wildcard, and the Indians winning it in walk-off fashion 10-9.

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