MLB Postseason 2015 Recap and 2016 Season Predictions

Postseason 2015 Recap

The 2015 Major League Baseball postseason was one to remember. Many different types of franchises dueled for the title. These included the team with the three young fireballers: Matt Harvey, Jacob DeGrom, and Noah Syndergaard, and second baseman Daniel Murphy, who led the majors with seven home runs in the postseason. Any guesses? Yup. The New York Mets. Another completely different franchise, the Toronto Blue Jays, had the best offense in baseball during the regular season, but sometimes struggled to score runs during their push for the title. They miraculously defeated ex-Phillie Cole Hamels and the Texas Rangers by coming back and winning three consecutive elimination games on the road, but then were dispatched by the eventual World Series Champion Kansas City Royals in the ALCS. Also, let’s not forget the Houston Astros, who miraculously rebuilt their team and made the postseason following 2013 and 2014 seasons where they lost a combined 203 out of 324 total games played during that two-year span. Yeah, they were pretty darn bad. This year, they finished with 86 wins, and 76 losses, and beat the famed New York Yankees in the Wild Card game only to be eliminated by the Blue Jays in the ALDS. The Astros’ season was highlighted by the incredible pitching and huge beard of Dallas Keuchel (pronounced KY-kull), who won fifteen of the games that he pitched at home–without a single loss–and the incredible all-around play and energy of rookie phenom Carlos Correa (Corr-AY-uh). The franchise that captured it all was the Kansas City Royals, whose mastery of speed and “small ball,” a style of play in which stolen bases, singles, sacrifices, and speed play a crucial role in winning. Contradicting some baseball enthusiasts’ predictions, the Royals took the title with a substantial lack of power in two spacious ballparks, their home ballpark, Kauffman Stadium, and the Mets’ Citi Field. Last year, in the World Series against the San Francisco Giants, the Royals had the tying run on third base in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7, but the Giants took the series, so it was something of a mission for the Royals to “finish what they started” from last year. Their solid starting rotation and dominant bullpen was crucial to the franchise going all the way.

Let’s not forget the perennial winners, the St. Louis Cardinals, whose manager, Mike Matheny, led them to a 100-win season and an NLDS appearance, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, with immortal ex-Phillies Jimmy Rollins and and Chase Utley, and longtime broadcaster Vin Scully. The youthful, talented Cubs beat the Cardinals in the NLDS only to be eliminated by the Mets in the NLCS, and the Dodgers were eliminated by the Mets in the 2nd NLDS. (There are two National League Division Series played annually, and the winners of each play each other in the NLCS. This season, the four teams that advanced to the NLDS were the Cubs, Cardinals, the Dodgers, and the Mets.)

Let’s look at these four teams in depth. First, the Cubs: a young, championship-starved franchise (their last World Championship was in 1908!) with a tremendous upside looking into 2016. They already have two very good starting pitchers in NL Cy Young Award candidate Jake Arrieta and veteran Jon Lester. It has been reported that the Cubs are interested in signing elite free agent starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, and they have young pitching talent behind their elite top starters in the rotation and in their relief corps. In fact, Jake Arrieta’s last regular-season loss was on the other side of Cole Hamels’ no-hitter in his last start as a Phillie. On the offensive side, they have many young emerging stars, including Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, and Addison Russell, and a pool of veteran established stars, including Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro. In general, they are an offense that can generate lots of run support for their pitching staff in hitter-friendly Wrigley Field. They are also a very good defensive team, especially in the infield, with gold glover Anthony Rizzo at first base, and shining rookie stars at third base and shortstop, with Kris Bryant and Addison Russell, respectively.

As for the Cardinals, just get used to them winning every year. It’s just a fact, like one plus one equals two. General Manager John Mozeliak’s ability to develop young pitching and hitting talent is what makes the Cardinals stand out from any other franchise. Bottom line: Be prepared to see these guys in the postseason for at least the next five or six years or so.

Now for the Dodgers. Personally, they are one of my favorite franchises, which swelled even more with the arrival of iconic Phillies players Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley this year. They are a great team with a lot of power and young talent, and Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke provide perhaps the best 1-2 top-of-the-rotation punch in baseball, comparable only to the young threesome of Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, and Jacob Degrom of the Mets. Not to mention, the Dodgers have a legendary broadcaster, Vin Scully, who has been around since before the team moved from Brooklyn (in the mid-1950s!) and who is simply one of the best game-callers around.

Finally, for the Mets. First off, and please don’t judge me if this sounds harsh, I hate them. I absolutely, positively detest them. It is an unspoken truth that the Phillies and Mets are bitter rivals. From their beginnings to the 2006, ‘07, and ‘08 postseason races until now, that rivalry has been an indisputable fact etched into baseball lore. While not as intense as the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, if you’re wearing a Mets cap in Phillies territory, or vice versa, you’re bound for trouble. Now for describing their team–I already talked about their three young aces. Along with promising lefty Steven Matz, and the extraordinarily big and ageless Bartolo Colon still going strong, the Mets have perhaps one of the most formidable starting rotations in baseball. However, their bullpen is lacking. Currently, the lone bright spot in their bullpen is their nearly-unhittable closer, Jeurys Familia, who throws a 98-mph fastball with lots of sink along with a devastating slider. He was mostly effective in the postseason, but what stands out is that he blew three saves, including allowing a game-tying home run to Kansas City’s Alex Gordon in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1 of the World Series. Kansas City would go on to win the game in the 14th inning, on a sacrifice fly from first baseman Eric Hosmer. Now, let’s turn to the Mets’ offense. At the beginning of 2015, it didn’t look like the Mets would be a good offensive team this year, but several key midseason acquisitions, including that of powerful Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, the resurgence of third baseman and team captain David Wright, and another strong season from first baseman Lucas Duda played a big part in leading the Mets to the postseason and the World Series.

 

2016 Season Predictions

Looking ahead to 2016, spring training in Florida and Arizona is just a few months away! Since the Phillies have a bevy of new prospects acquired in the trades of Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and other players, I will devote my time talking about spring training to the Phillies, because one, they are the local team and there are a lot of fans in the Friends’ Central community, and two, this could be one of the most interesting spring trainings for the Phillies in years because of their aforementioned prospect haul. The Phillies have a couple of nearly-Major-League-ready prospects, such as shortstop J.P. Crawford and right-hander Jake Thompson, and have tons of young talented players in their farm system acquired in the trades that they have made this past season. In fact, comparing ratings of minor league systems across baseball from last year to this year, the Phillies skyrocketed from 28th (out of 30) last year to 7th this year. Granted, the Phillies held on to their core players from their 2008 World Championship team for waaaaaay too long, but now only two of the players from that team remain: first baseman Ryan Howard (whom the Phillies have tried to trade, but have found little interest, unsurprisingly, as Howard’s offensive and defensive production are on the decline), and catcher Carlos Ruiz, nicknamed “Chooch.” Icons Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley are gone, and so is dominant closer Brad Lidge. A resurgence is in the making as we speak. Rookie center fielder Odubel (pronounced oh-DOO-bull) Herrera shined in a fine rookie season. Young hurlers Jerad Eickhoff, Adam Morgan, and Aaron Nola established themselves with solid rookie campaigns. Young, flamethrowing closer Kenny Giles, nicknamed 100 Miles Giles, blows hitters away with his heat and a devastating slider. As you can see, the Phillies are a rebuilding team with a few established young stars at the big-league level and lots of talented prospects poised to become the next icons of the franchise. Rebuilding will not happen at the blink of an eye, but the Phillies took a huge step forward in improving their farm system and big-league team this year. So, if you are either a Phillies fan, or just a baseball fan in general, consider heading down to sunny Florida over spring break. Maybe I’ll see you there!

We know that the Phillies have potential heading into next year, but they probably will not contend until 2017 at the earliest. So, the question is: Who will? Here are my own lists of: the top five teams likely to contend (which in this context means “to be in the thick of the postseason races next year”) in each league (there are fifteen teams in both the American and National leagues), and the top three teams most likely to win the World Series in all of baseball:

List of Contenders:

American League:

1. Kansas City Royals
2. Houston Astros
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

National League:

1. Chicago Cubs
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

In the American League, the Royals are a no-brainer. The Astros, who re-signed Colby Rasmus and are set to acquire a high-end closer this offseason, should repeat their path next year and go even deeper into the postseason. For the Blue Jays, it’s all about the home run. They ranked first in homers in 2015 with 233 during the regular season (via MLB At Bat). They should ride the longball and a solid starting rotation to another postseason appearance in 2016. The Twins are a name that one might not expect to appear on this list. New manager Paul Molitor quietly drove them to a winning season. They have a talented group of both seasoned veterans and young talent, and the signing of South Korean slugger Byung Ho Park should help them to contend in 2016. Finally, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, another fairly ambiguous name. Led by young superstar Mike Trout and a formidable starting rotation with Garrett Richards, CJ Wilson, Matt Shoemaker, and promising lefty Andrew Heaney, the Angels barely fell short of a postseason appearance this year. The legendary Albert Pujols provides leadership and production, and young players like CJ Cron and Kole Calhoun are proving their worth. Expect them to squeeze into a postseason filled with fierce competition in 2016.

In the National League, the no-brainer is the St. Louis Cardinals. It’s like the fact that you breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. The Cubs are not the no-brainer that the Cardinals are, but they are a sure bet to make the postseason. Earlier, I talked about all of the young talent that they have, and rumor has it that they are pursuing elite free-agent righty Jordan Zimmermann to add to an already formidable rotation. The Dodgers are a lock. They already have a great team at the Major League level, and have a prized pool of nearly-Major-League-ready international prospects at their disposal. The Pirates are a strong team playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark, and they had the second-highest win total in the National League (only behind–you guessed it–the Cardinals). However, they have lost in the Wild Card Game for the past three years. Pirates fans are starved for more than one game of postseason action, but unless the Pirates make a “Big A Trade” (a trade where they give up a few great prospects for a player that will help them now), expect to see the same thing happening. And that brings us to the D-backs–again not a team that one would expect to see on this list. Despite finishing 79-83 in 2015, the franchise has made some remarkable improvements since last season. If they keep accelerating at their current pace, expect them to be like this year’s Houston Astros. They will get their feet wet in the postseason next year, but then develop into a real postseason-caliber franchise in 2017.

Now for my second list: Out of the ten teams above, these are the top 3 most likely to win the World Series:

1. Chicago Cubs
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Houston Astros

The Cubs have not won a World Series Championship since 1908. That’s 107 years dating to 2015–talk about being championship-starved. Personally, this is the team that I believe can fight its way through the competition on raw talent, and I will be rooting for them during the entire 2016 season. It’s also possible that KC will repeat. It’s been rumored that they will trade established players like Alex Gordon and Ben Zobrist, but even if they do, the combination of the stars that they already have and the prospect haul from the trades will arm Kansas City with the ability to go the whole way again. Finally, the Astros: The transformation that they have gone through is amazing. Remember when I told you how bad they were? That from 2013-2014, just a couple of years back, they lost 203 out of 324 games played, good for a 37% winning percentage? And now they’re in the postseason. Pretty wacky, right? If Houston makes the moves that it is rumored to be considering, they could definitely become a World Series-caliber franchise.

From one baseball fan to another, thanks for reading this article. Before I log off, I would like to give a couple of shout-outs. First, to my friend and baseball companion Jacob Lowry ‘22 for inspiring me to write this article. He wrote “the world series” on his index card in Middle School Assembly, and I knew what I had to do. Secondly, I’d like to recognize all of the baseball fans that have read this article, I hope that you found it informative and entertaining at the same time. Finally, on behalf of the Phoenix Inquirer staff, and perhaps most importantly, I’d like to recognize you, the community, for reading not just this article, but the entire school newspaper as well.

Here’s to baseball!