The eight-team MLB postseason field for the League Division Series is set following the pair of Wild Card Games earlier this week. The Boston Red Sox eliminated the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game to advance to the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays. Then, the Los Angeles Dodgers snuck past the St. Louis Cardinals on a walk-off home run from Chris Taylor on Wednesday to set up a showdown with the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS. You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here.
Now that we have our eight final postseason clubs, we thought it might be a good time to break down the top reason why each team could win the World Series this year. Let's dive in.
Rays - Roster versatility
Is this the most Rays-y answer possible? Yes. Is it not as exciting as saying their offense or bullpen? Also yes. But, facts are facts. Come on, didn't we learn anything from Tampa Bay's run to the World Series last year? This team somehow always manages to make it work, always finding the most versatile players to use for matchups and deploying unconventional, yet effective, pitching strategies. This season, the Rays used 61 players, setting a franchise record. The Rays will have six rookies who are expected to play big roles this October. There's 20-year-old rookie shortstop Wander Franco, last year's postseason hero Randy Arozarena, rookie reliever J.P. Feyereisen and rookie starters Shane Baz, Shane McClanahan and Luis Patino. The depth and flexibility of Tampa's roster made their regular season success possible, and it figures to be a key part if they hope to return to the World Series this year.
Red Sox - Deep lineup
With one of the deepest lineups in baseball, the Red Sox can be relentless on offense for any opponent. Kyle Schwarber has been one of the hottest hitters in the second half of the season. He's in a lineup that also includes Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez (though still batting an ankle injury at the moment). Devers, Bogaerts and Martinez remain from the 2018 World series team, so they already have experience playing in the big moments. Veteran slugger Schwarber also has a ring from his 2016 championship with the Chicago Cubs. The Sox also have Enrique Hernandez, Alex Verdugo and Hunter Renfroe to further bolster the lineup. If they can keep the core of their offense firing in the playoffs, then that could be a big reason they can win it all.
White Sox - Bullpen
A surface-level look at the Chicago White Sox will tell you that they won the AL Central (for the first time since 2008) in dominant fashion. But, if you peel back a few layers, you'll see that they weren't exactly competing in a balanced division with nearly all of their other rivals registering as rebuilding. The Twins, Tigers, Royals and Cleveland all finished well below the .500 mark. The White Sox pretty much had locked up their division crown in July. A closer look, and you'll also see that the White Sox stumbled along the way this year. But regardless of the adversities faced -- Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert were on the injured list for the majority of the season, and at one point, Tim Anderson, Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn were all on the injured list at the same time -- the White Sox were resilient. When at full strength, this lineup is dangerous. Beyond the offense, they boast a dependable rotation.
But we'll give the bullpen the edge on this one. At the trade deadline, Chicago added All-Star reliever Craig Kimbrel to its bullpen to join All-Star closer Liam Hendriks. Kimbrel hasn't been at his best since the trade, but it doesn't appear to be anything of major concern and the veteran should be able to settle back during the playoffs. Hendriks, for his part, has been key to the White Sox bullpen. The 32-year-old right-hander finished the regular season as the AL saves leader with 38 saves. Kimbrel and Hendriks combine for the back-end tandem with Michael Kopech, José Ruiz, Garrett Crochet and Ryan Tepera filling out the late-inning roles. Carlos Rodón, who pitched one of MLB's record nine no-hitters this year, is stuck in limbo while dealing with a shoulder injury but he could return as a reliever. Ultimately, October baseball puts all the pressure on teams' bullpens, and for the White Sox, if things go as they have been, the relief corps could be the biggest reason this club wins the Fall Classic.
Astros - Offense
The Houston Astros saw huge offensive performances from Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Yuli Gurriel this year. Tucker, in particular, has been a breakout star for this club, finishing the regular season with an OPS of. 917 and 147 wRC+, good for the seventh-best in all of the majors. Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley were solid for the club as well. Despite losing George Springer this offseason in free agency, the Houston offense didn't appear to feel the absence. They finished the regular season with a plus-205-run differential. Only the Rays (+206) and Giants (+210) offenses put up better run differentials. The Astros also led the league in runs scores. Houston sports a well-balanced attack on offense; it's not one that's overly reliant on home runs to score.
Giants - Veteran resurgence
The San Francisco Giants had the most improbable run to the postseason of these eight teams. But for the Giants, improbable doesn't mean any less talented. This team is just as good as its fellow playoff clubs this season. Sure, their run to dethroning the Dodgers in the NL West was entirely unexpected, but when a club is able to maintain a high level of consistency in the 162-season (like the Giants were able to) then it doesn't seem as out of the blue. The Giants just never had a bad month of play -- their worst month was in July when they finished 15-10 (.600) -- and their longest losing streak this season was just four games. In fact, the Giants were the first NL team since the 1942 Brooklyn Dodgers to post a .600 winning percentage in each of the first five full months of the season.
The consistency in play can be traced back to a group of veterans who led this team all the way to their first division title in nine years. Brandon Crawford (34 years old), Buster Posey (34) and Evan Longoria (36) have seen a resurgence at the plate this year, and it's been huge for San Francisco. Crawford leads the team with a 6.1 WAR, per Baseball Reference. Posey's .506 slugging percentage is his best since he took home the NL MVP Award in 2012. And, Longoria has posted a 123 wRC+ this year, his best since 2016. Pair the slugging veterans with a group of quality contributors like trade deadline get Kris Bryant, LaMonte Wade Jr., Darin Ruf, Austin Slater and Steven Duggar, and this club has a fantastic balance of experience and depth.
Brandon Belt (33) was also solid, but his postseason future is unclear after he fractured his left thumb during the final week of the regular season. Manager Gabe Kapler said that best-case scenario would for Belt to be ready in time for the NLCS should they advance.
Dodgers - Depth
The Dodgers are one of the most complete teams in all of baseball, if not, the most complete. For that reason, it's Los Angeles' depth that's going to be the biggest reason it can win back-to-back World Series championships. Sure, it seems a little basic of a reason, but it's proven to be the club's biggest strength day in and day out.
For this postseason in particular, the Dodgers' depth will be put to the test. Clayton Kershaw will miss the postseason due to elbow discomfort (though no ligament damage), while standout first baseman Max Muncy suffered an elbow injury of his own during the regular season finale. Muncy's ulnar collateral ligament is intact, so he won't need surgery but it's too early to know if he'd be able to return to the lineup for potential NLCS or World Series games. It's not going to be easy to fill those holes, but if there's a team that has that depth to do so, it's the Dodgers. Take the NL Wild Card Game for example where a versatility players like Chris Taylor came through in the big moment. The Dodgers boast an entire roster of players who have the capability to step up when necessary.
Braves - Power hitters
After the Braves lost Ronald Acuna Jr. to a torn ACL in July, the club made a handful of small moves at the trade deadline in an attempt to fill the offensive gap Acuna left behind; they added Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler and Adam Duvall. The club came storming back and won the NL East with ease. Overall, the Braves offense finished the regular season with 239 home runs, third-most behind the Giants and Blue Jays. Infielders Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley each hit 25+ homers. The power of Atlanta's hitters looks to be their biggest weapon for this postseason.
Brewers - Pitching
For some reason, it still feels like the Milwaukee pitching staff is considered by some as underrated. Or, maybe we're all just not talking about it enough? Either way, this staff is elite. They'll be the X factor for if this club can win its first World Series title in franchise history. The majority of the Brewers starters -- Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta -- were heavily featured in the NL Cy Young discussion. The three starters were also the team's top three WAR leaders. Burnes took home MLB's ERA (2.43) title this year and led the league in K/9 with 12.61. Woodruff and Peralta were also standouts, each recording sub-3 ERAs. In 2021, Milwaukee led the league in shutouts.
I specifically went with "pitching" as the Brewers' biggest reason they can win the World Series because it's not just their rotation that's lights-out, the bullpen dominates as well with arguably the best reliever in baseball, Josh Hader, closing out games. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, their relief corps took a hit when high-leverage right-hander Devin Williams broke his hand punching a wall. He'll miss the entire postseason. The bullpen takes a hit with the Williams' absence but the depth (rookie Aaron Ashby, perhaps could fill the role) is there to keep them in it. Pitching is the cornerstone of this Milwaukee ball club and it'll be the biggest reason they find success this October.