There are a lot of questions going into the 2019 MLB postseason. What teams have made it in? What teams have been knocked out of contention? What are the biggest surprises about this year’s postseason race? 

Living in Chicago, the biggest headline is the first Cubless postseason since 2015, when Joe Maddon took over the franchise. The former World Series champion Boston Red Sox surprisingly missed the postseason by a longshot as the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays lead the AL East all season long. Finally, the Dodgers and Astros lead the league and dominated in their respective divisions. 

All info/records current as of Sep 29.

National League

Los Angeles Dodgers

With a record of 102-56 with the season ending on Saturday, the Dodgers have clinched the one seed in the National League. The Dodgers, with a very dominant offense led by Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, and Cody Seager have rolled over the competition in the NL West. They will face the winner of the wild card game between the Nationals and either the Cardinals or Brewers in the NLDS. The expectations are high for the Dodgers in the 2019 postseason, however anything but a World Series ring will be a disappointment all over LA. 

Atlanta Braves

The Braves have a record of 97-62 in 2019. Players like Ronald Acuna Jr, Ozzie Albes, Freddy Freeman, and Josh Donaldson have led them on their campaign thus far. With five of their players in the starting batting order hitting .270 or above, the Braves hope to make a run in this year’s postseason. Last year, their season was ended by the Dodgers in the NLDS and they hope that this will not be repeated. The Braves await the winner of the NL Central in the NLDS. 

Washington Nationals

The Nationals have surged in the past few weeks. Washington clinched the first NL wildcard spot recently, and hopes to make it further into the playoffs than they have in recent history. The Nationals are 89-69 in the NL East this year. While unable to beat the Braves for the first place spot, they were able to hold off the Mets (led by rookie sensation Pete Alonso) and the Phillies (led by former National Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, and Cesar Hernandez). The Nationals had strong starting pitching with Stephan Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, and Max Scherzer, and should be a fun team to watch this postseason. If they survive the wildcard, they will face off against the Dodgers in the NLDS.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals have a 1.5 game league in the NL Central over the Brewers. They are 5-2 in the past 7 games, including a sweep against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, which ultimately led to the end of the Cubs’ postseason hopes. They end the season with three games against the Cubs at home. Having clinched a playoff berth, the Cardinals will either win the NL Central and play the Braves in the NLDS, or they will play in the wildcard game against the Nationals in Washington DC. The 90-69 Cardinals hope to finish off the season with a division title. 

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers have had a strong second half of the season, however, they have lost their MVP Right Fielder Christain Yelich. Although, since his injury, the Brewers have when 12 of their last 14 games. With a record of 88-70 and 1.5 games back of the Cardinals, the Brewers will need losses from the Cardinals and Wins against the Rockies in their last three games. The Brewers will most likely play in our nation’s capital against the Nationals in the Wild Card game. They will need strong performances from Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, and Yasmani Grandal.

American League

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have dominated the AL West all year long. With a current lead of 9 games and a division title over the hot Oakland A’s, they are in a good position going into the 2019 postseason. Their league-leading record of 104-54 has helped them assure a one or two seed in the American League side of the playoffs. The team led by Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel, and Michael Brantley hope to keep their success against the Yankees in the postseason, as they eliminated the Yankees in the 2017 ALDS. They are definitely a favorite in the American League and hope to repeat their World Series championship from 2017.

New York Yankees

The Yankees hope to make up for their loss against their division for Boston Red Sox in last year’s ALDS, and their 102-57 record seems to show some improvement. The club is in a close race with the Astros for the one seed in the American League. They have won the AL East by edging out the impressive Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees, having not been to the World Series in several years, hope to make New York happy. The offense has been dominant behind dominant performances from DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres. After the Red Sox’s World Series win, the Yankees will try and take back the title of “World Series Champions.”

Minnesota Twins

Having a 98-60 record in the American League, the Twins and their dominant offense take the AL Central out of the hands of the Indians. Although in the arguably worst division in baseball, their record proves that they are indeed contenders in the American League. The Twins were known for the long ball this year, the team together hit a total of 299 home runs this year. The Twins will have to keep this up in the postseason if they want any chance of beating the dominant Astros and Yankees. The Twins will most likely start their campaign against the two seed in the NLDS away. To make it far this postseason, they will have to upset some very good teams. 

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have surprised many people so far in the 2019 season. Nobody thought they would finish ahead of the World Champion Boston Red Sox. With a 95-64 record this year, they currently only 1.5 games ahead of the Indians in the AL Wild Card race, and only a .5 game back from the A’s for the first spot. The Rays finish off the year with three games against the Blue Jays. These games are all “must-wins,” as long as the Rays’ pitching staff can keep the ball in the ballpark against players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, they should find themselves in a good position heading into the wildcard.

Oakland Athletics

The A’s are in a good spot ending the season. Although they were not able to beat out the Astros in the AL West, they do have the number one spot in the wild card at the moment. Their record of 95-63 puts them .5 games ahead of the Rays. The A’s have been very successful in the past couple of years considering they have one of the lowest budgets in the MLB. The team is led offensively by Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, and Khris Davis, and their pitching staff is led by Mike Fiers and Brett Anderson. The A’s hope to keep that number one spot in the wild card while finishing the season with four games at Seattle.

Overall, the postseason this year should be very eventful. Even though there are some very good teams including the Dodger, Astros, Yankees, Twins, and Braves. You never know what types of upsets may happen. The postseason starts with the National League Wild Card game on Tuesday, Oct. 1st. Don’t miss out on the race to the World Series.