So, I went with the Texas Rangers yesterday as my pick to win the American League title. I still can’t believe that I picked them over the New York Yankees, but the more I think about it, the more I like my pick. The only thing that worries me is that the young starters will feel the pressure in the post-season and wilt against teams like the Yankees/Twins/White Sox/Rays that have been there before.
In looking at the National League, it’s a much cloudier situation, but I’m going to look to a team that’s not even a division leader heading into August, the Philadelphia Phillies. They’re looking to get to a third straight World Series and have been willing to mortgage the future of the franchise in three separate moves to pick up Cliff Lee (now pitching for Texas), Roy Halladay and now Roy Oswalt.
A trio of Halladay, Oswalt and Cole Hamels represents the best 1-2-3 in the National League and possibly the majors. Their line-up 1-9 has been ravaged by a ton of injuries this season, but if they can get everyone healthy for the stretch run, I think they’ll have enough firepower to overcome the 3.5 game lead and pass the Atlanta Braves.
I like the future for the Atlanta Braves led by a stud in Jason Heyward and a great 1-2 punch of Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson, but for now, they just don’t have enough firepower in the line-up and enough consistency from their starting 5 to be able to hold off the Phillies.
The St. Louis Cardinals should be able to get out of the Central division, but the upstart Cincinnati Reds are giving them a good run this year. The problem for both teams is that they offer a great hitting line-up, but their starting pitching is very thin once you get past the first couple of starters.
For the Cards, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright will give you a great chance to win every night. Jaime Garcia has been a pleasant surprise, but I get the sense that his numbers will start to even out towards the end of the year. The last two starters have been just atrocious. For the Reds, they’ve received good stretches from all five of their starters, but there has been inconsistency as well. The only two I would trust to give me a good start right now would be Johnny Cueto or Mike Leake.
In the West, it looks like a two-horse race between the Giants and Padres. Both teams have great pitching depth, but neither teams offers enough a threat offensively to scare anyone come the post-season. The Giants have a scary 1-2 though with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.
However, much like the Texas Rangers, I think the Phillies offer the best of both worlds. They have great pitching to go along with a great hitting line-up. Hard to imagine this World Series, but by my logic, we’ll see a World Series putting the Texas Rangers up against the Philadelphia Phillies.