Power Ranking the MLB Postseason Teams

Hello and welcome to a very special edition of Wake and Jake. It's the Yofs. We made it people. Spring training, world baseball classic. You thought I forgot. The regular season, the trade deadline, all the way to the finish line. We have made it to the post-season. Games begin tomorrow, which means pretty special edition of Wake and Jake, I'd say. What will be different? I think I'm going to power rank the playoff teams on ability to win the World Series. I think that can mean two different things. I don't think it's a straight power ranking. I think path to the World Series matters a little bit because we do have a bracket and I can reveal my bracket, which is also on talking baseball. I'm not, you know, I'm not one of those March Madness multiple bracket guys. Although I'll enter a pool every year that is one and it is fun to fill out the pool with the thoughts you just don't believe in. You see the Kansas team that you're like, I don't like them. I'm not picking them. And then you're like, well, if I get a throwaway bracket, I'll click it. I don't want to be wrong about them. We're not doing that. So I can reveal my bracketology. Shout out Joe Linardi. Talk about a guy who's made it through life somehow. But yeah, I think I'm going to power rank them by World Series winnability. And then that'll lead into some of the matchup talks and conversation along the way. So with that, can't wait, people. Thank you for being on the journey with us for this baseball season. We're here. No more regular season games this year. Who knows when regular season games are next year? No CBA. So we'll talk about all that. We'll have all of that. A whole lot more. A whole lot more. The good news is there's no regular season games left. Or that's the bad news. The bad news is there's no regular season games left. The good news, there's the full postseason left. And that's kind of the goal. So with that, let me power rank them. As teams, I guess these are my like fake win percentages to win the World Series. I do actual percentage numbers. I'm not going to do that because I'm not going to do math on the fly. Becomes toxic quick. It's just there's no win there. I'll tell you where there is a win for all of these exercises. There's an easy number one. It is your two seed in the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers. We don't have to dance around it anymore. The Dodgers season starts now. They are built up with Yamamoto and Scoble. People forget that. And that's before you get to Glassnow and Snell. And that's before you get to the lineup. And that's before you get to a bullpen. That's been pretty good and has potential for a lot more rookie kicking out there. If Edwin Diaz figures it out, he showed a little bit of promise. That'll you guys know this part of it. It just it feels rude to save them for the end of the exercise because I will admit a lot of times this year, the Dodgers get thrown to the back of the exercise because it didn't really, I don't want to say it didn't matter. But do you hear anyone being like, oh my God, I can't believe the Dodgers got the two seed. No, this is beautiful. Sport doesn't work that way. They got one of the buys. They will face the winner of Atlanta and Philadelphia, which will open up questions. Is that going to be the team with the best chance to clip them? You know, I'll touch on that series in a little bit coming up right now. Philly is in shambles. I mean, it's it was rough. They limped down the stretch. It's three baseball games. If Schwarber and Harper run into a couple Edmundo Sosa against sale. They're the Phillies. They're the Phillies. If they can figure it out for two nights, even though they've been playing bad baseball, even though their pitching has been cooked because they've been trying to get into the dance because they were holding off the diamond backs. If the Phillies somehow find a win a way to win two games against Atlanta, then it becomes interesting because they would go into the Dodgers series with their pitching, like realigned, like where the wild card is supposed to punish you for not for like using your pictures. They kind of can't already. So again, that's not the best spin. That's not what Phillies fans were hoping their season came down to three games without their pitching lined up. But if they somehow get past this, then they can almost have their pitching lined up for a five game Dodger set, which depending how this postseason goes, it still might be everyone's best chance to get the Dodgers in five games. One of those teams, they're both very good. After that, on the other side of the bracket from the Dodgers, it's Milwaukee who they've been playing for one thing all year, hopefully to get a chance to play the Dodgers and show them that they are up for it this year after not being up for it last year. And then, hey, the other two teams, my other clickbait video I thought about doing today was doing the National League playoffs or the best they've ever been. I wasn't going to actually do like jolly research on it, but I'll tell you what, these are five. These are six World Series teams. Atlanta won the World Series in 21. Everyone thought it was going to be a dynasty. They have a bullpen formula. Chris Sale is special on the front end. Like they're the Atlanta Braves. I mean, they would probably be considered the class of the American League. How many teams in the National League would be considered the World Series favorite? Is it all of them? Wow. Any? I think it is favored. I think it is. I think all six NL teams right now, maybe not the Phillies, shockingly, as I just mentioned how jacked up they are. All six NL teams have a very good argument to be the best team in the American League. It's pretty insane. The National League is stacked. With that being said, the Dodgers are still a cream of the crop. We're going for a three-peat. The pitching is special. It's legends in the lineup. And it's another reminder. I know you can look back at last year and say like, hey, Toronto kind of had them, guys. Toronto did kind of have them. The Dodgers also didn't play great. Like the Dodgers hit on the interstate. Like what if they have a hot October? A hot-tober, if you will. So they still have room to grow. It's non-negotiable if you were doing whether it's a playoff power ranking, whether it's a World Series power ranking, which I think that's what I'm going for. It's the Dodgers. It's Porkins by a mile. It's still the Dodgers, even with that nasty National League. They are so good that of the other five teams in the NL that I could mention, it's not a conversation. It's just not. Again, maybe Brewers fans are banging the table right now. I don't think they are and I don't think they should be because it's what's going to be the conversation this whole offseason. So World Series win ability. Again, what goes into that? Your team, your playoff form, your path to the World Series and your ability to win it. So would I say that one of the National League teams, if they can get past the Dodgers and get to that AL? No, because I do think the other side of this argument is as much as I'm complimenting the Phillies, the Braves, the Cubs, the Padres and the Brewers, whoever makes it out of the AL has the best chance. And for me, it's kind of a no-brainer, sadly. It is the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays have just kind of been in the shadows of this season. I do have these teams meeting up in the World Series. I don't know if BBD knows that yet. Reveal. There is a shocking resemblance to last year. I'm going to root my head off for the Yankees. If the Yankees were healthy, I do think they'd be the favorite in the American League. And as we record this, we're currently getting updates on Judge taking batting practice for the first time. Giancarlo Stanton is taking batting practice. He hasn't played in a game in April. Trent Grisham says, I'm good, pop. He hasn't played in a couple weeks and he was our starting center fielder. So is that three D-H's? What is that? What is this, Reggie? Two references. I watched a little I Think You Should Leave this weekend. Been a minute. Been a minute. Threw it on. Rainy weekend. I watched the, well that sketch, the Bozo dubbed over. Classic. The OG one that Tim's not in, the eating with these pig shits or whatever it is. That hit harder than I thought. That hit harder than I thought. I hopped around. I did the baby one. If you haven't watched I Think You Should Leave. Then you've missed a lot of jokes. You've missed a lot of jokes on this show. It's on Netflix. Tim Robinson, sketch comedy. Some are misses, but that's the deal with sketch comedy. Some are just fantastic. If you know, you know. If you don't, it's probably not for you at this point because it probably would have gotten to you. But there's a lot of winners in there. Anyways, the Tampa Bay race. And the biggest thing they have going for them is they're not one of the top half of the bracket AL teams. And the Yankees or the Red Sox, one of them isn't gonna get their head lopped. One of them isn't gonna get their head lopped off in the next couple days. It's going to be over for one of those teams in two games or in three games. The Red Sox or the Yankees will be out of it. Now by name and postseason history to a degree and a little bit of the high-end talent, you can talk yourself into Boston. You talk yourself into New York. But the fact of the matter is, one of them's dead. One of them is dead in the water three days from now. It's over. Tampa has been the best team in the American League going back to May. I mean, for a long time now. I know the Yankees caught up to them at one point. Judge goes down. Tampa has run away with it. Boston had a hot streak, which if they can tap into that, although they've got a lot of injuries going on. The Yankees and the Red Sox can't pitch the hell out of the ball. Like, that can be the story of the postseason. You have two guys get hot, absolutely. But my god, those teams can throw the ball. Obviously, the Rays can too. And I just think the Rays know what they are. And they have an amazing home record. I think Tampa, with that, playing in ALE, look at that, 55-26 at home. Like, that is, that's nothing to sneeze at. They have home field advantage in the American League. They know their team identity. Like, Caminero, go mash. Aranda and Yandi in a big moment, swing away. The other guys, figure it out. Grind or don't. Get the runner over or swing for the fence. And it's been a formula that has worked for them all season long. They can obviously pitch as well. Like, I shouldn't have, you know, they're third in starting pitching ERA. They're second in whip. Third in bullpen whip. I feel like their defense has gotten better. That was kind of a missing part from the Rays for a couple years there. They were sloppy. Like, coming from Yankees fans that have complained about our defense for a few years. There was a couple times we played the Rays and we were like, what are the Rays doing? Again, that's probably two years ago. And for a couple years there, it's just like. These last couple years at the Rays were sort of missing. That was. Didn't feel right. Different. And they can platoon you to death. They've got a handful of lefties that they could finish out against a righty pitcher if they want. Yandy and Caminero can be their only righties. If you're a lefty, I think Hicks and Aranda could be their only lefties. Nick Fortes, do they want to play him back there? They're going to platoon you to death. That's their game plan. They have their star players. And then again, Rasmussen is underrated around the league. Freddy Peralta has kicked into gear. Have you seen what fastball Freddy has done? I remember there was an unmentioned person in our Talkin' Yanks chat as the Yankees were trying to catch the Rays, was kind of poo-pooing the Rays. Well, guess what? Freddy Peralta. Is that his last six games? It's September. I can do a last six. I mean, that September is 28 innings pitched to 0-9-6 ERA. If you give him one more start, it's 34 innings to the tune of an 0-7-9. Remember who this guy was before the season? He got metzed. We've all been there. Freddy Peralta, his first couple starts were a little rough. One was in Colorado. One was in Sacramento. The Rays told him, throw your good fastball good. He's been doing that. He's been nails. He used to be the Brewer's Ace. Sorry, Mets fans. Not really, but like, it is what it is. But I think Tampa. It's a shrug, and I said the New York-Boston part of it, that I think neutral. Whoever wins from Boston and New York, I do think there's a little bit of an overwhelming American League, the history of those two teams. And Rays fans, if you're hearing this, you should be a little mad. You guys went to the World Series in 2020, and that's what I have. I have us running back the 2020 World Series. Dodgers-Rays, and I think it's perfect for the CBA. You got the Rays versus the Dodgers. Is that not beautiful sports fodder? America's Rays? This is for Tampa? That I do think they have the number two chance to win the World Series. From there, we've got to hop back over to the National League. In my heart of hearts, do I think it's the Brewers? This is a sick, twisted question. It's none of the AL for a little bit. My next AL team will be the Yankees. I got the Phillies and the Braves are potentially just running into a buzzsaw, although it's the best chance to knock them out. My next pick has to come. All right, I'm dreading this. I think my third pick, I'm going to do the San Diego Padres. The Padres have their formula. And again, does formula matter? Does it not? We've seen every year it feels like we get hyped about special bullpens. Every year we see different bullpens get hot. The Atlanta Braves bullpen in 21, the night shift wasn't great. They got hot at the right time. The Texas Rangers had one of the worst bullpens in baseball. They got hot at the right time. The Diamondbacks, who joined them at that party, their bullpen got hot at the right time. And you're shortening the bullpen, et cetera, et cetera. You guys already know all this. San Diego feels like they could be a horse of a different color. Mason Miller is obviously probably the baddest man on the planet. And then you start going into postseason mode. Can he give you two innings? Can he give you 2.1? That's a 47% K rate on the board. So if you're a nevermind getting on, basically half the time you're going to strike out. The other half, a little open, but still not great. That Mason Miller is a special game-changing type of reliever. That's before you get to Mora Hone, who's sadly with Mason Miller, but look at those 86 innings pitched. Like a nasty wipeout. Lefty, who's not afraid of either side. Brad Glee. I struggle with it. I think I'm around it. That's 74 to 2.19. Like he throws from a weird arm angle. That's not a guy you want to see in a small series. Yuki had an amazing year. Jason Adam just came back. Jason Adam used to be like, had an argument for one of the baddest relievers in baseball. Again, Padre fans, you guys know your team better than me. I don't know how he's looked in his first couple games back, but if he comes out his first outing and looks nasty, guess who's Jason Adam again? Jason Adam. And then even after that, whether it's Morgan, our guy Wandy, there's a recipe there. They need, here's what the Padres need, and I guess this is why I ended up picking them. For the Padres to win, they need Michael King to be very good. I believe in Michael King. I've seen Michael King have special postseason outings. Michael King, when he's right, is just a nasty dude. Both sides of the plate, he can get four pitches working on you. I'll get the stat line because I feel like I forget it every time, but we've seen him in the postseason. His special start was against Atlanta. It was seven innings pitched, five hits, zero walks, 12 strikeouts. I think he's that guy. I think he can be that guy. You know, there's a lot of people that can, but they need Michael King to be a dude this postseason. Do I think that can happen? Yes. Okay, so check that box. I believe their bullpen is a dynamic weapon. That's obviously a check. What else do they need? They need something from Robbie Ray, Nick Pavetta is back and looks good, and Walker Buehler. Can I believe one of those guys is going to be good? I mean, I've seen Walker Buehler in a lot of Octobers. I know he's a different cat now. Pavetta, when he has his moments of being right, good little ball player, if you will, a GLP one. I might have Jimmy North do his GLP list. That should get him in trouble online. Or what about one of the best strikeout starting pitchers ever, Robbie Ray? Do I think one of them can click for a couple nights in October? Absolutely. And if they do click, that was all pitching. That was all pitching. They have Fernando Tatis Jr., who we've talked about a lot on this show, on Talking Baseball, wherever. He's Fernando Tatis Jr. He's one of the most interesting players from the standpoint of his best goes toe-to-toe with everyone. I mean, those numbers are crazy. When's the start of that? The second half? This is the second half. A 995 OPS, 20 homers with platinum glove defense, a guy that likes the moment. We've seen him be big in the postseason. They have him. Machado has put together another Manny Machado year, if you're fine with third base and about 30 homers. Manny's done it again. That's what he does. The overall stat line, not as pretty, but he's still Manny Machado. Thai France put together a huge season. Jackson Merrill has been playing better of late. Thai France's season is out of control. A 502 slug. I guess what I'm saying is they have enough guys in their lineup that when we do this postseason dance, it's small sample size and it's the best pitching in the world that almost everyone, I feel like the Phillies make me laugh every year because the Phillies, it'll be Kyle Schwarber goes through a one for 14 and then Schwarber will hit four home runs in his next seven at bats. Castellanos, like turning on a Phillies playoff game used to be wild. You couldn't tell who was having the worst slump ever or who was the bad guy. San Diego has one of those lineups. If you like a storyline, how do you like 20 year old Ethan Salas? Youngest catcher to ever play in the postseason when he catches the ball. That's nuts. I believe in Juju. They're in a three game playoff with the Cubs. They're at home. They won that over the last month. They've been the hottest team in baseball in September. They've won 13 out of 15. The other reason I'm picking them over Milwaukee because that's who should be mad now. And I'll tell you what Milwaukee, if there's a team that loves getting bulletin board material, it's them. So in a way I don't feel bad. I guess what it is in my head, the Dodgers are going to be there. They just have to be right. So if the Dodgers are going to be there, who do I think can take them down? I think San Diego would have a slightly better chance than Milwaukee to beat the Dodgers. And it's for everything I listed. It's that bullpen being able to secure wins. It's the offense being able to be special enough early to get the ball to that bullpen. And it's a real rivalry, man. But I know the Dodgers poo-poo it hard. And they should. Like to be fair. But man, if San Diego were to get a chance, I think they would have the most juju, the most will, and the best ability to try to knock off the Dodgers. And there's a little bit of me that's surprised in that. But also I guess I flash back to the 24 Dodgers when they were kind of Yamamoto and figure it out pitching wise. Again, asking King to be Yamamoto, that's pretty tough because Yamamoto has kind of an argument for the throne. But he can be really good. And if one of those other guys can step up and give them innings so they can get it to their bullpen, I believe in it. I believe in it. Today's episode is sponsored by Warby Parker. The thing about Warby Parker sport sunglasses is they don't look like sports sunglasses. They look like something you'd actually want to wear every day, but they're built to stay on, hold up when things get moving, no slip design, lightweight frames, and lenses that give you sharper, clearer vision when you're active. Great for the ballpark, the golf course, a long walk outside, or anything that keeps you moving. Performance eyewear that doesn't look the part, which is kind of the whole point. Eyewear that's made to move with you and right now. Buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at warbyparker.com slash bakers. That's 20% off any additional pairs when you purchase one pair at warbyparker.com slash bakers. With that being said, my next team would be Milwaukee. Milwaukee deserves more credit. It's just scary, man. 103 wins. It's sick. It's an awesome season. It's the best in Brewers history. They had the best record last year. They ran into the Dodgers and they just got buzzsawed so hard. So hard. It's tough to erase that. Now, what do the Brewers have going for them? They may just be an advanced baseball franchise. First and average, first and on base, second and runs, 28th in homers, which it's a reminder this time of year is when we get the home run stat. Teams that homer more in playoff games win 80% of the time. I think that number is actually low. I think it's higher than that. Brewers don't do that. They pitch the ball. They throw the ball. They catch the ball. They knock it around just not out of the park. And hey, maybe this is beautiful. Maybe at the end of this October, we're going to be saying, hey, this team played all year trying to get a little bit better, knowing the Dodgers were going to be there and getting ready to take them down. That could easily be the story. It gets a little scarier when you get to the postseason. And again, the depths of the bullpen get worse. Excuse me. You don't see the depths of the bullpen. Every pitcher on the mound is elite. The benches get limited. The Brewers are so good winning at the margins that the margins get reduced a little bit because it's only the elites out there. I think that brings them closer. Now, can they pitch? Yes. They can bullpen a game if they wanted. Mizorowski wasn't who he was last year. A little reminder, Mizorowski was very good in the postseason last year. Again, he's not the dragon that he's turned into. I've also decided I'm going to start using dragon more. I've heard people use it in sports when just describing someone who's really good. And it instantly makes sense, right? Like a dragon is just, it's a game changer. A lot of Game of Thrones. I think I'm going to rewatch. It's just in my head. It would be number four. Maybe watch another show, Jake. Never seen Breaking Bad. They're doing like new Game of Thrones seasons. I know you haven't gotten to full-time. I dipped my toe in and I liked it. I just haven't. Sometimes those comfort shows. Should Game of Thrones be a comfort show? The Brewers are here. We know what they're about. It's a little bit, it's a little bit put up or shut up. And all they've done is put up. I do think if it's San Diego coming in, which I guess I revealed my San Diego, Chicago Cubs pick. I think if the Cubs win that series, which they easily can, it's a three game set. Like that's everything I left out about the Padres. Think about how much I've ranted and raved about the Cubs and their professional lineup. Like the Cubs and all of their dudes versus that Padres bullpen. I think it's the best wild card series. I don't think it's, I think it's non-negotiable. If the Padres advance, I sneaky like them against Milwaukee. I do. If the Cubs advance, I love Milwaukee against them. I just think Milwaukee, that's central. They dominate it. Craig Council and how he left the Cubs being big market. Like I think that just feeds the Milwaukee beast so strong. Like their dream post-season. Oh my God. You want some Milwaukee porn? What I've been getting into. The Cubs advance, they mop the Cubs. You're not even welcome at the party. The Dodgers come in, they beat the Dodgers. It doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to be seven. It could be whatever. If they beat the Dodgers, my God, however they got it. If the New York Yankees were waiting for the Milwaukee Brewers, I mean, Pat Murphy, that city, the new captain, Christian Yelich, it's their dream. I think it's Milwaukee's dream post-season run. Craig Council's Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Dynasty Dodgers, and the shell of a dynasty, Yankees, big markets. Are those the three biggest cities? Three biggest cities, yeah. The three biggest cities, maybe the three most famous teams. Red Sox, sorry for this exercise. Stay with me. I mean, that's Brewers. That's the DVD of all DVDs of them going through that post-season run. For me, I still think with the amazing season they've had facing the Dodgers, either facing the Cubs or the Padres, a five-game set's still tight. I know we've gotten thrown off by the three gamers still coming away from one gamers. How good Milwaukee's year was, there's a chance of back break. There's a chance if they blow that game in the ninth, and we saw it with Devin Williams and Pete Alonzo when that happened, that it could sting them a little more. We did all of this work in the regular season, and we have a formula in the regular season that almost nobody can match, and this is happening. But yeah, I think I explained myself. I like the Padres' high-end potential a little better. I think the Padres can clip them. I don't think the Cubbies have it for the Brewers. I think they just feed off of that, and we'll see. So, Padres, give me the Brew Crew, like the winner of that. I guess Cubbies I gotta put down, which I hate. Let's keep going NL. Give me Atlanta. I just think Philly is limping in so limpy, as limpy as you can possibly come into the playoffs. Literally having to pitch all of their guys to get into the dance. Like, Wheeler's probably out of this postseason matchup. Sanchez is either Game 1 on short rest or Game 2 on full rest. Lizardo's been banged up. He came back, he threw, but nobody knows what's in the chamber. Andrew Painter's probably starting Game 1, a guy who I famously took aggressively in the draft against Bailey, against putting together our young guy teams. And then once he got sent down, he came back up, and he actually pitched really well for the Phillies. But think about what I just said. Andrew Painter got sent down this year. We're talking about the Dodgers, who have Yamamoto and Scoble at their disposal. And the Phillies, limping into the dance, are here hoping to get through on a Painter-Lizardo day? And then how do you still get home? Is it Jonathan Boland? Duran? The Braves have had a really nice season. They've been able to get ready for this. They have Chris Sale in Game 1. Drake Baldwin, he might be up there on that underrated player list. You know, he missed some time this year, but he's been leading off catching and DH-ing. That's a rare player. Ronald Acuna Jr., listeners of this show know how I feel about him. I can almost give the same Tatis argument with him, except he's won an MVP. Did Tatis win an MVP? Is that the whole thing? No. Where did he finish? Second? Let's see. Fernando Tatis, highest MVP. Third. Fourth and then third. As a 21- and 22-year-old. People forget that. Ronald hasn't had the best year. He's been banged up again. He made a great catch in the outfield the other day. He can be a peak high-level player. Matt Olsen, steady as it goes. Michael Harris on both sides of the ball. Albies. Can Austin Riley show up for something? And I think, if we're also talking bullpens, this Braves bullpen, Suarez, the two lefty Dylans, that's got some postseason energy. Dylan Lee and Dylan Dodd? You don't see that a lot. Didier Fuentes, who we've mentioned, and Raisa Iglesias, who's always been one of my favorite pitchers to watch and try to pitch with because I can't do it. They can really shorten games. And they're going to need to. Because right now, their two starters, you'd believe in, are Sale and Malley, who's been fantastic since the trade deadline. A 199 ERA with the Atlanta Braves. It's honestly not that different from that Padres formula I talked about. Chris Sale, Mike King. They need to be the Yamamoto. Malley needs to give him whatever he's got. And then a ton of bullpen and figuring it out along the way. And that's with a lineup that... Do you think Ozzie Albies could get hot in a three-game set? In a five-game set? I do. Sean Murphy? I don't know. I don't know. There's been a lot of injuries, and I haven't been locked in, and some of the numbers aren't there. But Olsen, Acuna, Baldwin, Harris. You know we love some Mauricio Dubon in here that I think the Atlanta Braves... I believe in it more than the Phillies because the Phillies are limping in so much that it's just a really tough ask. A really tough ask. So with that being said, I saw BBD put together a mini tier list for this as I power rank these teams. Just a way to display how you've so far. It's nice. Why not? Today's episode is sponsored by booking.com. Booking. Yeah. An official travel partner of MLB. Booking.com makes it easy for every baseball fan to travel and catch a game wherever the team's schedule takes them. And for me, following my team on the road means exploring a new ballpark. Also an entirely new city. A steakhouse worth a stop before the game. The hotel. Short walk away from the park so the whole night stays easy. That's the kind of road trip that ends up being about more than just the final score. Booking.com makes it simple to find the right hotel or vacation home near wherever the schedule is taking you. So the trip comes together just as fast as the decision to go. Once somewhere gets in your head, go on. Book that trip. It's easy. The easiest way from where you are to where you want to be. Booking.com. Booking.yeah. An official travel partner of MLB. Major League Baseball trademarks used with permission. Give me our Yankees, Biebs. A, scared to put them on a tier lower. The Yankees recipe is there. They had the best ERA in baseball. When you shorten it, it gets a little more exciting. Cam Schlittler has won the Cy Young. He's amazing. He did it last postseason. I hope he does it again. Max Fried. I constantly remind people there's a way to butter knife the numbers. It's pitchers that have 105 plus starts since 2020. He has the lowest ERA. I like that. His postseason history? I'll let you guys look up the numbers. Don't put them on the screen. Carlos Rodon has been pitching fantastic. Rodon has been tremendous this year and now he has a lot of postseason experience. Garrett Cole is still Garrett Cole. He struggled with the long ball for like two to three starts. Otherwise, he's been Cole S coming off Tommy John. Of some of these teams pitching staffs we've talked about, the Yankees, they're up there and they could carry along with Ben Rice had an amazing season. I guess we've been saying this on Talking Yanks in a scared way. They have a lot of platoon guys that what if they mix and match beautifully? What if it works? What if they do the dance? And Elliott Ramos and Paul Goldschmidt mash lefties and Luis Garcia Jr. and Jazz Chisholm mash righties. Yes. We're talking about some big time players playing big time games. There's two things I'm worried about. One, three game set with Boston. Boston's pretty damn good. Boston and the Yankees are a coin flip for this spot on the board, I think. It's three games. It's in the boogie down Bronx. The Yanks are lined up. So are Boston. This Boston team reeks of Boston from firing Cora to wanting to fire the whole front office to wanting ownership out to now in the dance with a chance to end the Yankee season with two good games. Horrifying. I will say I do try to take my Yankee bias out of it. I mean, I just told you guys, I think Tampa, I pick them to go to the dance. I don't want to do that. I don't like that at all. I hate that. I think a Tampa's season just has been overlooked. How good they are in the trop like I laid out. The Yanks can lose this. And even if they beat Boston, whether in two games or in one game, it does have echoes of last year where Toronto was waiting for the Yankees after they beat Boston and Toronto laid the wood down. And it was a, you know, Toronto and Tampa from last year to this year, are they not kind of similar teams? They can pitch a little bit. They make you, they put the ball in play. They make the action happen. It's obviously not same as same, but in a way, uh, Tampa's waiting for either of their division rival who comes out. We may have been tough on the Yankees. We may currently be being tough on the Yankees or we may not. Yankee fans. We've been giving this speech for a little while now. We're not super jazzy judges out. Maybe took batting practice today. He wants to play. I should be more excited about that. Stan and we think is on the roster. That's like one of the few things we're pretty sure they are doing. Haven't seen him since April. He's supposedly on the roster. Trent Grisham's like the amount of maybes the Yankees have going with platoon guys. Even some of those platoon guys, if they play, they like need a pinch runner. We're unsure about the defense. It's going to be a true test. The Yankees run into enough homers and pitch enough that they can win each series. There's a world if they can get to the end of October and the Dodgers are waiting there. I don't know. I don't know. It's baseball to happen. If they can get there and one of the other NL powers is there. Yes. I believe. You need health. You need luck. You need all of it. I wish it felt a little different. The next team would be the Boston Red Sox for almost the copy and paste same reasons. Minus the Aaron Judge part. Although they did get Roman Anthony back a couple weeks ago. We've acknowledged that. I know he hasn't been gangbusters. For anyone that listens to this show regularly, one thank you. I appreciate you. Subscribe, share, all the good stuff. You guys are the best. You guys are blood of my blood. I've said it before. I'll say it again. Roman Anthony at the World Baseball Classic was like next. The story at the World Baseball Classic was Roman Anthony next World Baseball Classic. It's going to be his team. Like him and Witt. Out is going to be Trout and Judge. Here comes Witt and Roman Anthony. Hasn't been that year. Roman Anthony is here. Wilson Contreras is banged up and I think he's really banged up. If you take him out of Boston's lineup, the numbers are... Look at that. That's a 902 OPS, man. I mean, that's... I know they've got... As a team, they've got some gnarly. Last two weeks, they've only scored more than four runs X times. It slowed down a lot. Mickey Gasper, who low-key carried for them, he's hurt. He's out. Boston's... In four days, there's going to be four teams eliminated. Boston's elimination story would check out. Okay, Wilson Contreras got banged up. Gasper went on a miracle run. He's hurt. We only got hot for one point this season. That being said, they can pitch with anyone. Tole Gray, Suarez, absolutely. The back end of their bullpen. Chapman, Whitlock, Miller, throwing Guerrero, throwing whoever. They can pitch with anyone. Their question is runs, which sometimes Fenway just provides that if they can keep it going. And I believe in the magic dust a little bit. If Boston beats the Yankees, they're magic dust meter. I called myself out on not liking Toronto this year. They had magic dust last year. We see it with baseball. Like, it's just a known thing. If Boston gets past the Yankees, they're covered in magic dust. If Boston loses to the Yankees, I don't know, the whole organization hates each other again, which makes it the perfect Boston team. They are chef's kiss perfect. My next team, let's go back to the NL. I'm going to give it to the Phillies. The Phillies story has been dramatic. They fired their manager, and it seemed brilliant. And we all moved on, and we're like, oh, the Phillies are great now. This Phillies dynasty that we thought was forming, they're ready to go, right? Harper's not a lead. He's elite. Schwarber's hitting home runs again. The pitching staff came together. I laughed early on this season when it was like, oh, since they fired Thompson, it was also like when they got Zach Wheeler back, who's still just one of the best and probably overlooked players of our generation. And then it all fell apart again. This team, down the stretch, a rise gets banged up. 10 and 14 in September, fighting off the Diamondbacks to stay in the playoffs, what? That they're coming in, and it looks as tough as it can get. Wheeler, like I laid out, their pitching is not ready to go. That being said, corny line coming. At the playoffs, the record resets. That is what it is. The Phillies have to win two games against the Atlanta Braves. Do you not think that can happen? It can. It's baseball. Schwarber could hit three home runs in the next two days. I'm going to be shocked. If Painter goes three, Lizardo goes three, and they give it to Duran and someone else in the bullpen, win that first game, Chris Sanchez shoves, boom, see you in LA. The other thing that would be sneaky, and I don't know if I believe in it, but it's just the sneaky part of this exercise, is that the Phillies, if they get through Atlanta, and I don't know what it looks like, it feels like it would be very ugly. Their pitching has become so unaligned that it could get aligned for LA. If they get their boppers in the lineup hot, Duran would have to have an all-time special postseason. Guess what? Do you think that guy can? Yeah, I'll check that box. Let's say they win two games against Atlanta. They just shell shock them. Edmundo Sosa three-run homer. Painter, legacy game. Sanchez comes out game two, shoves, bing bong. Philly moves on. Their game one starter is then Zach Wheeler. Is their game two starter Lizardo? Is Sanchez back for three? They get back into it almost instantly. We've seen a couple of these wildcard teams. It was the thing before, what was it, 24 or even last year. If you can get that wildcard juice going, you can keep that momentum rolling. This Phillies team feels like they're on their last legs, but that could become a beautiful thing. I haven't said Trey Turner's name. Louisa Rice, is he playing? I don't know. Not in the wildcard. Not in the wildcard, it's official. They said that. Well, that hurts. Find a way. Figure it out. Two games. Two games in Atlanta. Crazier things. So who does that leave me? I haven't mentioned the Cubs yet, right? The Cubs. Both Chicago's and Cleveland's. Give me the Cubs. I feel awful. And Houston. I feel awful because the Cubs and San Diego, that series can go either way. For me, it's just the logic I've told you guys. I think the Brewers feed off the Cubs. Although the Cubbies, you don't think they want another shot at the Brewers after beating them last year? And PCA is obviously a different dude. I'm just horrified by where the Cubs pitching is at. I'm worried they don't have enough pitching for the three-game wildcard. So how am I going to believe in that in five games? How am I going to believe in that in seven games? I've loved their lineup so much. They have been beaten down by injuries in that rotation. They're like figuring it out on the fly right now. Gossman had an injury pop up. Boyd has been bad against San Diego. Again, if I had to bet on someone, it's Shoda and Cubs fans fight me on that. And it's going to be in Petco Park. Klay Holmes has been good until recently. I'll say this. At this point of the year, I'll be glad to be wrong after feeling like I was right because I love how professional their lineup is. Every inning the Cubs should be able to battle. Dansby in the nine hole, Conforto against Wrighties. They got first lefties option, Tyrone Taylor, a couple other guys. I love how they've assembled this lineup. I really do. For me, I'm wondering how they're going to get nine innings. Their bullpen, I like Palencia. Palencia is a dog. When he's right, he's right. He's coming into the postseason rested. Next on the table is Ryan Zephyrjohn, Ryan Rolison, Jacob Webb, Teal Barr. Hey, in the postseason, the bullpen can come together the quickest. It can also fall apart the quickest that I don't know who's starting games. I don't know who's pitching in the middle, and I don't know who's pitching at the end. They can beat the Padres. Almost any of these teams can win a three game set. They can beat the Brewers. If they get to the Dodgers or whoever's waiting for them, I doubt they'll still have the juice. Cubbies fans, I love Wrigley. I love that team. I hope all of it's wrong. I'm just giving you my honest thoughts, which means the bottom tier. Good God. I guess the one would be Cleveland, who by the way, this is the 10th team. This is the 11th team in a 14 team postseason. They're the two seed in the AL. They have a path. I've hyped up their top two pitchers for a while. Williams and Messick, pretty strong. That's before you do Cantillo and some of the other guys. They have a bullpen. Their lineup's better than I've liked in years. I guess for me, Tampa, who I put at two, cheese and biscuits. I think Tampa's recipe could work in the World Series. I don't think Cleveland's recipe can work in the World Series. And that's why I want to call these World Series rankings because Cleveland, my God, they've got a little bit of a chance. They're the two seed. They're going to be facing the next two teams on this list to go to the ALCS that I don't know. I've kind of been one of Cleveland's hype men. So is Trev, which makes me wonder if we're going to be doing this weird. Hey, we're doing small market, big markets. Could Cleveland be the one? Could it be Cleveland, Tampa? That's currently what I have is my ALCS. That's gross. That's gross. Good for the CBA. I don't know yet. Cleveland, am I going to regret that? World Series winning wise, I don't think I'm going to regret that at all. And that's Chris Rose's whole point when he talks about Cleveland. The Cubs do have World Series hope. If the pitching all snaps, yes. The Phillies, the Red Sox, yes, yes, yes. Cleveland's like a firm no. I'm just a believer in baseball. And for Cleveland, I can't get myself to them winning. And I think that's fair, which leaves the White Sox and the Houston Astros who play each other. Get ready. I picked the White Sox. I don't believe in either of these teams and I don't know if they do. I'll take young and dumb in the White Sox over the grizzled veterans of Houston. The other thing here, the White Sox hit home run. So does Houston. Houston actually hit the most. I think in the postseason, Yordan shouldn't see a pitch. You walk Yordan every time, he has a one dot OPS. That's good. Why would you pitch to Yordan Alvarez? I don't know. I expect that to not happen. Houston, their Achilles heel has been there pitching all season long. And they don't, their playoff, like, hey, let's tighten it up recipe. It gets better. I want to believe in Hunter Brown. Peter Lambert, a nice year. Hayter, Abreu on the back end. Sure, sure. A.J. Blue Ball. Why not? These White Sox are young and dumb. They hit a lot of homers. They try to hit homers and they do. That Houston ballpark gives up homers that I don't know. I don't believe in either team. I just think Houston, the White Sox have a sneaky bullpen of guys that put it together. Listen to just how my voice has changed in this bottom row. I don't believe in any of it. So I'll go White Sox, Houston. It doesn't matter. Those three teams, do I need to bet? I'll bet a tattoo that the bottom three teams do not win the World Series, which by the way, I think Cleveland has a decent shot to go. But those bottom three teams, Cleveland, the White Sox and Houston, that's just one of them will be around away. One of those teams literally is going to the CS. And that's how confident I feel in it. Someone who believes in sport and baseball as much as anyone in the world. And like, you got to believe in anything can happen. Play the games. Those bottom three teams, no. Man, those nine teams, I've been so focused on the AL. I guess we don't look at post seasons that way because it's obviously AL and NL. Those top nine teams, those are good. Literally, six are from the NL. So I guess that's why I've been skewed on it. People, you people are my people. I can't thank you enough. If you have no idea, it would be shocking. But we do so many live streams. When the Yankees are playing, we're doing a live stream. We're live streaming games the other nights the Yankees aren't playing. Talkin' Baseball goes live after a lot of those games. So get ready for that. So much Talkin' Yanks content. Even if you're not a Yankees person, we do pregame shows, the live streams. We record that right after. Wake and Jake will be on the same cadence. The hours it releases might be slightly different because we're juggling a weird postseason schedule. But yeah, if you're in our world or you know anyone that should be in our world, now's the time because we crank content. It's the best time of year. The games count. And yeah, I won't do sketchy baseball on you, but who knows? Who knows the next time baseball will be back. It's normally long anyways, but it might get a little longer. So with that, cannot thank you guys enough. By the time we talk to you next, we'll know one game of the wild card. So that'll set us up for failure a little more. So let's get ready for that. And we'll see you then in all postseason long. You guys are the absolute best. Share, subscribe, go sports. I watch football. Have a good day or two.