It’s that time of year again. The rally towels, the chants, the joy, and the tears. This is the MLB postseason.
First of all, we should look into who is going to be in the postseason. As of right now, the White Sox, trying to achieve the worst record of all time, are most likely out of playoff contention. The Yankees and the Phillies are leading the American and National league, respectively. However, the Yankees are in a fierce fight against the Guardians and the Orioles for first place, with both being within two games of the Yankees. The Phillies are also in a tight race for first place with the Dodgers, who are only one game back on the Phillies. Since the postseason bracket is not finalized, there will be some rules when our makeshift bracket is made. The division leaders will be assumed into their respective spots in the bracket. However, the wild card spots will be held by two teams at most. For example, if the Mets and the Reds were within one game of the final wild card spot, the matchup between the Reds and the Brewers and the matchup between the Brewers and the Mets will both be considered. So, without further ado, here is the 2024 postseason bracket.
AL Bracket
4) Baltimore Orioles
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5) Kansas City Royals
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1) New York Yankees
3) Houston Astros
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6) Minnesota Twins/
Detroit Tigers
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2) Cleveland Guardians
NL Bracket
4) Arizona Diamondbacks
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5) San Diego Padres
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1) Philadelphia Phillies
3) Milwaukee Brewers
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6) New York Mets/
Atlanta Braves
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2) Los Angeles Dodgers
Now let’s dive into each matchup, starting with the Orioles and Royals.
Orioles Overview—With budding superstar Gunnar Henderson and a pitching staff led by Corbin Burnes, the Orioles are a real threat in this postseason. Henderson, who’s having a career year, is batting .281 with 36 home runs. Also, the former number one overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft, Adley Rutschman, has been the leader of this young team since being called up. Along with Jordan Westburg coming back from a wrist injury late in the season and a second half tear from Cedric Mullins, the Orioles seem to have everything going their way going into a World Series push.
Royals Overview—The Royals motto: Bobby Witt Jr. MVP. Bobby Witt Jr. is giving the powerful Aaron Judge a run for his money for MVP due to his extremely high batting average of .333, his 30 home runs, and his elite speed. Their true ace, Cole Ragans, has been nothing but a strikeout machine this year. Their veteran catcher, Salvador Perez, has held down the catcher position at 34, while hitting .278 with 26 home runs. If the Royals postseason push is not this year, it’s coming.
Winner of the Matchup: Orioles
Astros Overview—After an awful start to the season, the Astros seem to be back just in time for the playoffs. Kyle Tucker is finally back after fracturing his shin on June 3rd. Yordan Alvarez is continually showing the world that he can hit a ball 450 feet every time he steps up to the plate, with a .308/.392/.566 slashline and 38 home runs. Jose Altuve, at the ripe age of 33, is hitting .302 with 19 home runs. Along with the Astros abundance of bats, Framber Valdez is back into Cy Young conversations with a 2.91 ERA and only four runs allowed in his last five games.
Twins Overview—With Joe Ryan now out for the season and the recent Pablo Lopez struggles, the Twins pitching staff is thin heading into the postseason. However, with Carlos Correa hitting .310, Carlos Santana’s late season hot streak, and Brooks Lee’s recent breakout games, the Twins lineup is looking like a force to be reckoned with in October.
Detroit Tigers—The Tigers are the underdog of underdogs. Coming off of a 78 win season, the Tigers young team is firing on all cylinders heading into the final stretch of the season. Jason Foley has been a lockdown reliever with 24 saves and a 3.02 ERA. Reese Olson is now back in the Tigers pitching rotation, and with Tarik Skubal a likely candidate for the AL Cy Young, the Tigers rotation seems to be a tough matchup for anyone in a 3-game series.
Winner of Astros/Tigers—Astros
Winner of Astros/Twins—Astros
Arizona Diamondbacks Overview—Here we go again. The Diamondbacks are the unflashy comeback team they were last year. Ketel Marte has been the best second baseman in baseball, without question. Marte is hitting .292 with 32 home runs. Zac Gallen has been hit-or-miss this year but is pitching much better recently. Jake McCarthy has given the D-backs the steady presence they need in the outfield, giving them speed, average, and defense. Christian Walker is the same player he has always been: mediocre average with light tower power. With this power, Walker also has a .345 OBP, so if you’re wondering why he’s so valuable it’s, as Billy Beane would cue Paul DePodesta to say, it’s “because he gets on base”.
San Diego Padres Overview—Without Juan Soto, the Padres are better. With already four more wins than last year, the Padres just keep on rolling, riding Jackson Merrill’s unbelievable rookie season and knack for the big moments. Manny Machado has forgotten his first half, turning his season around by hitting .277 with 26 home runs. And let’s not forget Fernando Tatis Jr. After coming back from injury, he went on a stretch of hitting four home runs in five games, showing no sign of lingering pain or stiffness. Joe Musgrove has been racking up strikeouts since his return from the IL, striking out 35 batters in his last 29 and a third innings.
Winner—San Diego Padres
Milwaukee Brewers Overview—The Brewers have shown us once again that they are the top team in the NL Central. Between William Contreras’s .281 average and 22 home runs and Jackson Chourio’s rookie campaign of .271 and 21 home runs, the Brewers have almost guaranteed themselves the 3-seed. Freddy Peralta has given the Brewers their ace, with a 3.75 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 163 and a third innings.
New York Mets Overview—The Mets have found their leader in Fransisco Lindor. This year, Lindor is hitting .271 with 31 home runs and 27 stolen bases. Lindor is sidelined for the time being with a back injury, but the MRI’s came back negative. Pete Alonso has hit 30 home runs once again, and Jose Iglesias has given the Mets a reason to say “OMG”. Along with Luis Severino’s bounce back season, the Mets have the firepower to make some noise this year.
Atlanta Braves—Oh, it’s the Braves. The poor, poor Braves. Just to name a few, Ronald Acuna Jr, Spencer Strider, and Austin Riley are out for the season. How are they here? Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna is a man on a mission to get this year’s NL triple crown, hitting .303 with 37 home runs and 98 RBIs. With Matt Olson heating up and Chris Sale pitching like the Cy Young winner we know, the Braves might still have enough left in the tank to make a far postseason push.
Winner of Milwaukee Brewers/New York Mets—New York Mets
Winner of Milwaukee Brewers/Atlanta Braves—Atlanta Braves
Now onto the ALDS and the NLDS matchups.
The two matchups in the ALDS are the Astros against the Guardians and the Yankees against the Orioles. In the NLDS, it’s the Padres against the Phillies and the Mets/Brewers against the Dodgers.
Astros vs. Guardians
With the Guardians home field advantage and their young star power, they will be a difficult matchup in October. When at home, the Guardians are 46-28, and the Astros are 40-37. With the Guardians pitching staff being serviceable and most of the Astros best bats being lefties, the Guardians will have the edge in this series.
Winner—Guardians
Yankees vs. Orioles
Let’s play a game of “Guess Who?”. He has a .323/.456/.692 slashline with 53 home runs and 136 RBIs. You guessed it; it’s Aaron Judge. The mammoth of a man is trying to hit 60 home runs in a season, once again. With Gleyber Torres’s late season surge and Juan Soto’s MVP caliber season, the Yankees will be tough to beat. However, if anyone can do it, it will be the Orioles.
Winner—Orioles
Padres vs. Phillies
The Phillies are arguably the most loaded team in baseball. With Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, Zach Wheeler, Ranger Suarez and company, along with the electric crowd in Philly, even the Padres won’t stop them.
Winner—Phillies
Braves/Brewers vs. Dodgers
Ohtani-san, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts are the trio of the year. However, with Glasnow most likely out for the season, the Dodger pitching staff is unsure, to say the least. Even with Yamamoto back, the Dodgers offense will have to show up if they want to compete.
Winner of Braves/Dodgers—Dodgers
Winner of Mets/Dodgers—Mets
The NLCS and ALCS matchups will prove to be exciting. The matchups are the Guardians against the Orioles and the Phillies against the Dodgers or Mets.
Guardians vs. Orioles
With the Orioles rotation being much more consistent than the Guardians, the Guardians will have to pull off a miracle to win this series.
Winner—Orioles
Phillies vs. Dodgers/Mets
With the Phillies having a healthy team heading into October, they will be the toughest team to beat this postseason. With the Dodgers rotation being unhealthy and the Mets having a pitching rotation that is hit or miss, the Phillies have the clear edge in this series.
Winner—Phillies
It’s the time you have all been waiting for. What you woke up this morning ready to do. What you were thinking about all day. It’s the World Series. Welcome to all the baseball fans that have made it this far in the article.
The Matchup
Phillies vs. Orioles
The Fightin Phils are back to avenge themselves from their 2022 World Series loss to the Astros while the Orioles are in the World Series for the first time since 1983. The Orioles are loaded with young talent, showcasing Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, and Adley Rutchsman, just to name a few. The Orioles also have their ace, Corbin Burnes, who has been sitting down hitters left and right this year. The Phillies have their share of talent too, though. With the household names of Bryce Harper, Zach Wheeler, Kyle Schwarber, and JT Realmuto anchoring their team, and their trade deadline bullpen acquisitions of Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez, the Phillies are geared up and ready to win their first World Series since 2008.
WINNER—Philadelphia Phillies
