MLB's Elite Eight — Baseball Bench Coach

There’s nothing better than baseball in October! Except for the series on the last weekend of the season when the Braves swept the Mets to capture the NL East, pennant races were mostly blah this season. This past weekend the new wild card format featured eight teams battling it out in the best of three. The baseball world was rocking as we witnessed a 15-inning scoreless game ending with a monumental home run (Guardians’ 1-0 victory over the Rays) and the only time in MLB history that a road team came back from a seven run deficit to win (Mariners’ 10-9 win over the Blue Jays). What we have now is an “Elite Eight” of teams, each with a shot at capturing the 2022 World Series. Let’s break the teams down in the order of their chances of winning it all but not necessarily reflecting your Coach’s predictions. (Hint: Read the entire article.)

HOUSTON ASTROS. The old school baseball guy in me really likes the makeup of the ’22 Astros. Some of the core position players from the tainted 2017 team have now left – Carlos Correa and George Springer. Yet, this team set a team record for wins this season (106) with the help of an exceptional pitching staff. When you can trot out starters Jose Urquidy, Lance McCullers, Jr., Framber Valdez, and two-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander in a playoff series, your chances are really good. Manager Dusty Baker arrived on the scene three years ago to add stability to a team struggling with the 2017 cheating scandal. He’s done just that, and maybe this year the long-time manager can get his first World Series championship at the helm.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS. How do you put one of the best regular season teams ever in the second spot in this ranking? LA’s run differential this season (+ 334) is third only to the ‘39 Yankees (+ 411) and the ‘27 Yankees (+ 376). The Dodgers are the best hitting team in MLB (.258 batting average), have the best pitching rotation (2.74 ERA), and pound the ball like no other team (MLB’s best slugging percentage of .445). Each game in the playoffs you will see the top of their lineup include these stars – Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith. Yet, they are missing one huge component, a closer. Craig Kimbrel failed in the role this season, so the Dodgers turn to closer by committee. In tight games, and finally they will see a bunch of them, I just don’t see LA running the table.

ATLANTA BRAVES. Just like last season, the ’22 Braves were the best team in baseball during the second half of the regular season. Atlanta won 101 games, and may be better than the ’21 World Champion team. They feature a star-studded lineup that boasts the return this season of All-Star centerfielder, Ronald Acuna, Jr. The Braves’ starting rotation is strong, headed by Max Fried, and the champs feature a great closer, Kenley Jansen. The team is managed by one of the top veterans in the game, Brian Snitker. So why won’t they repeat? Freddie Freeman moved along to the Dodgers in free agency, and I believe took with him some of that team chemistry needed to pull it off again. And the odds of a repeat are against them – the last team to win consecutive World Series was the New York Yankees (1998-2000).

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS. The Guardians are my favorite team to watch. They play the game the way it is supposed to be played – solid defense and pitching; exceptional baserunning; and getting timely hits after moving runners up on the basepaths. Cleveland is a TEAM. In their Wild Card wins over the Rays, their key players all played a part. Jose Ramirez got some big time hits, including an HR to win Game 1. Shane Bieber excelled in his start in Game 1, and Emauneal Clase, the best closer in baseball, was flawless in the two-game series. Throw in my favorite new player this season, outfielder Steven Kwan, who led the majors in the fewest swings without a miss, and it’s baseball at its best. I also like that the Guardians are managed by the best skipper in the MLB, Terry Francona. Maybe this is the year that gets them finally to the promised land, a place that has eluded Cleveland since 1948!

NEW YORK YANKEES. The way the Yankees started out of the gate, it’s hard to imagine that there would be four 100 + win teams this season and they wouldn’t be one of them. The Bronx Bombers fell just short at 99 wins, and frankly cruised too much during the second half allowing the Blue Jays to close the gap at 5 games in September. New York though has the best hitter in baseball, Aaron Judge, whose remarkable regular season included an AL-record breaking 62 HRs, as well as an MLB leading 131 RBIs. Judge fell percentage points short of winning the batting title and AL Triple Crown. The Yankees can really score, especially at Yankee Stadium, but their pitching falls short. Stalwart starter, Gerritt Cole, and former closer, Aroldis Chapman (not even on the ALDS roster), limped to the 2022 finish line, as will unfortunately the team this year.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES. I watched the Cubs sweep the Phillies in late September, and wondered if Philadelphia was indeed a playoff caliber team. They did nudge out Milwaukee and snuck into the #6 NL spot only to have to face one of baseball’s best second half teams, the Cardinals. The Phils’ 6-run ninth inning in Game One set the tone for their two-game sweep over St. Louis. Now it’s on to a divisional matchup with Atlanta. Philadelphia brings to the series a formidable duo of starting pitchers, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, along with a solid starting lineup, headlined by Bryce Harper and also featuring Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Nick Castellanos. There’s a certain chemistry around this team that might launch a longer playoff run.

SAN DIEGO PADRES. The 2022 season has been one of highs and lows for the Padres. San Diego was the clear Trade Deadline winner acquiring stars Juan Soto, Josh Bell, and Josh Hader, as well as Brandon Drury. A few weeks later though came the announcement of the 80-game suspension of superstar, Fernando Tatis, Jr. The heart of the Padres is Manny Machado, who has to be in the discussion for NL MVP with 32 HRs, 102 RBIs, and a .296 batting average. On the hill for the Pads are starters Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove. I don’t think it is enough this year to get past their NL West rivals, the Dodgers, in the NLDS. Next year, watch out!

SEATTLE MARINERS. Put your shoe on your head for this team! Seattle’s huge come behind win in Game 2 of the Wild Card sweep of the Blue Jays was one of the best games in the MLB this year. The Mariners are a solid ballclub, especially in the infield with Ty France (1B), Adam Frazier (2B) and Eugenio Saurez (3B). At the Trade Deadline Seattle sent a lot of their minor league talent to the Reds in exchange for Luis Castillo, one of the top starters in the game. Castillo filled his role in the Wild Card series by hurling 7 1/3 innings of shutout baseball. The key for a Mariners’ playoff run is getting more support from its starting staff. While I would love for Seattle to make some further noise, the upcoming matchup with Houston in the ALDS may be too much to overcome.

So here is how the Coach predicts it will play out:

NLDS – Dodgers over the Padres (3 games to 1); Phillies surprise the Braves (3 games to 2).

ALDS – Astros topple the Mariners (3 games to 1); Guardians beat the Yankees (3 games to 2).

NLCS – Dodgers prevail over the Phillies (4 games to 3).

ALCS – Guardians stun the Astros (4 games to 3).

World Series – For the first time since 1948, Cleveland captures the World Series by beating LA 4 games to 2.

My only guaranty is that October will be fun!

Until next season,

your Baseball Bench Coach