America's Pastime: Postseason Preview (NL Edition)

by Kyle Feinberg

NL EAST DIVISION CHAMPION: WASHINGTON NATIONALS (89-64)

The Nationals ran away with the division post All-Star Break; in large part thanks to the somewhat unexpected bat of Denard Span. Span has recorded a .393 OBP, a .846 OPS, and 16  stolen bases in that time. Although Bryce Harper has not been quite the Phenom as advertised, he remains a solid bat in the lineup along with the 25 homers of Adam Laroche, the 89 RBIs of Ian Desmond, and the emergence of second baseman Anthony Rendon. The Nationals are however a team led by their staff consisting of three starters sporting an ERA below 3: Doug Fister, Jordan Zimmerman, and Tanner Roark. The National’s staff also features Stephen Strasburg, who you may have heard of, and his 230 strikeouts. The bullpen is also a strength of the Nationals featuring veteran closer Raphael Soriano, set-up man Tyler Clippard, and Craig Stammen. The Washington National’s staff as a whole is tied for the league lead in ERA at 3.04.  

NL CENTRAL LEADER: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (86-68)

The Cardinals have a similar story to the Nationals in that their surge was post All-Star break, taking advantage of the faltering Brewers. The St. Louis Cardinals’ bats are led by their Matts (rhyme intended). Matt Adams (.287 AVG, 15HR, and 66RBI), Matt Carpenter (.372 OBP, 8HR, 58RBI), and the MVM (Most Valuable Matt) Matt Holliday (.372 OBP, 19 HR, 87 RBI) fill out a deep lineup that also consists of big-name, still-performing catcher Yadier Molina, SS Jhonny Peralta, and 2B Kolten Wong. The Cardinals, like the Nationals, rely heavily on their staff which features All-Star starter Adam Wainwright and his 2.45 ERA, Lance Lynn, who was able to put up a consistent year with a 2.68 ERA, and Shelby Miller who has left a bit to be desired from Cardinals fans this year. Their staff rounds out with a solid bullpen headlined by closer Trever Rosenthal who is tied for 2^nd in the league with 44 saves and All-Star Pat Nishek with an incredible 1.39 ERA and 65 Ks in 64 and 2/3 innings pitched.

NL WEST LEADER: LOS ANGELES DODGERS (88-66)

Kershaw. Kershaw. Kershaw. Easily the best pitcher in the NL, and only really rivaled by King Felix for the best in baseball. The southpaw sports a 1.80 ERA, 228 Ks, and a 0.86 WHIP in 190.1 IP, he is dominant. However, other pitchers have also contributed to the Dodgers success, most notably Zach Greinke with a 2.76 ERA and 196 Ks, an ace on most teams that don’t have Kershaw. Hyun-Jin Ryu should not be forgotten, sporting a 3.38 ERA and rounding out a very impressive top3 staff. Offensively speaking, the Dodgers are dynamic, including Yasiel Puig (.384 OBP, 15 HR, 66 RBI), Dee Gordon (.292 AVG and an MLB leading 63 SB), and the combined 45 HR of Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez. Closing out games for the Dodgers is closer Kenley Jansen (42 SV). Their bullpen beyond that is shaky at best, presenting the shell of what was once Brian Wilson, Chris Perez, and Jamey Wright.

NL WILD CARD #1: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (84-69)

The San Francisco Giants have decided to stick to their every-other year approach and most-likely (99.8% chance according to Baseball Prospectus) make the playoffs this year. The Giants pitching staff is led by ace Madison Bumgarner. His 214 Ks, 1.10 WHIP, and 2.90 ERA propel him to the NL Cy Young debate (which is already won by Kershaw, but nevertheless). Behind him the Giants rotation has been a roller coaster. Former Cy Young Tim Lincecum has looked like his former self for a few games, but beyond that remains a guy beat-up from throwing so awkwardly. Tim Hudson started out hot, but has fallen back to Earth and remains unable to strike batters out. What makes the rotation interesting now is Jake Peavy. Traded to the Giants back in late-July, Peavy has been fantastic with a 2.16 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. Offensively, the Giants are led by catcher Buster Posey (.308 AVG, 21 HR, 86 RBI), Hunter Pence (.288 AVG, 19 HR, 72 RBI), and the combined 32 HR and 130 RBIs of Pablo Sandoval and Michael Morse. In the bullpen, Santiago Casilla replaced Sergio Romo has closer and has performed much better, and Jeremy Affeldt, Jean Machi, and Javier Lopez remain reliable arms.

NL WILD CARD #2 PITTSBURGH PIRATES (83-70) (97.2% chance)

The Pittsburgh Pirates will most likely make the postseason for the second year in a row, once again behind the back of Andrew McCutchen. His .398 OPB, 23 HR, and 17 SB are remarkable and he deserves more talk as one of the best position players in baseball. Super-utilitiy Josh Harrison has also been phenomenal, posting a .318 AVG, 13 HR, and 17 SB. McCutchen, Neil Walker, and Pedro Alvarez lead the way for a team with 8 players with double-digit homeruns. The lineup is all around dangerous, also featuring Starling Marte and Russell Martin who have .288/.296 averages with 13/11 homeruns respectively. Gerrit Cole, Edison Volquez, Jeff Locke, Francisco Liriano, and Vance Worley mark a deep and consistent rotation all of who which have ERAs in the 3s, but none of which have stood out as a truly consistent ace. In the bullpen, closer Mark Melancon has been great, with Jason Grilli, Jared Hughes, Jeanmar Gomez, and John Axford behind him. John Holdzkom has been lights out since being called up, having only surrended one hit in seven innings pitched.

NL PREDICTION: No preview is complete without a prediction so that being said; I will predict that the Dodgers beat the Giants in 6 to win the NL Pennant.