2022 MLB Postseason- Wild Card Preview

After six months and 162 games, 12 teams are set to battle it out for the Commissioner's Trophy. With an added Wild Card team and the return of the Wild Card series from the 2020 postseason, things are about to get interesting. The 2022 field boasts a lot of familiar faces, but also two that broke long droughts to qualify. It'll all get started with four Wild Card series before the two best winners in each league get into the action beginning next Tuesday. I must admit it, I really like the opening series being a best-of-three that can be completed in a weekend. It amps the pressure up considerably with limited chances to keep your season alive. Here's how each team got here and what to expect from the opening weekend of the postseason. 

Teams with Byes

American League

#1 Houston Astros (106-56)

The class of the American League in 2022, the Astros will enjoy home-field advantage through the ALCS should they make it that far. They didn't get off to the best of starts, going 11-10 in April, but an 11-game winning streak at the beginning of May put them into first place, where they'd stay for the rest of the season en route to another 100-win season. Powered by one of the best rotations in baseball, the Astros just didn't seem to lose. Whether it was Framber Valdez's record-breaking 25-straight quality start streak or Justin Verlander returning from Tommy John Surgery to be almost unhittable at 39 years old, the team featured five 10+-game winners and an equally impressive bullpen. The offense was just as important, finishing with over 200 home runs as a team and top ten in runs. There are very few flaws with this Astros team. They are one of the league's most disciplined teams, striking out the second-fewest times in the league while finishing top ten in walks. If there is one thing that could be interesting, they seemed to struggle the most against the AL East, which makes up three of the six teams in the postseason. There's a good chance they'll see one in both the ALDS and ALCS, but everything changes once you get to the postseason. 

#2 New York Yankees (99-63)

I can admit when I was wrong about a team and I was dead wrong about the Yankees during my season preview. The AL East ran through New York for almost the entire season, but that's not to say things didn't get close. After winning their 70th game on August 1st, the Yankees had to endure a terrible month of August where they went 10-18 and saw their lead in the division shrink. The Rays got to within 3.5 when they arrived in New York for a series in early September, but the Yankees would win the next two games and go on a nice run to put the division out of reach for good. This allowed the focus to shift to Aaron Judge as he fought to make history in the American League. After 61 years, there is a new home run leader in the American League and he fell just a few percentage points behind Minnesota's Luis Arraez in batting average in his pursuit of a Triple Crown. The pitching staff was also very solid for the Yankees. While Gerrit Cole continued to dominate hitters, Nester Cortes Jr was a sneaky good part of the rotation. The back end of their bullpen was solid, led by Clay Holmes, but there could be some concerns about getting it to those guys. It shouldn't matter too much because this offense can hit the stuffing out of the baseball and could be in prime position for their first World Series title in over a decade. 

National League

#1 Los Angeles Dodgers (111-51)

We all knew the Dodgers were very good when the season began, but I don't think any of us expected them to win this many games this season. Their 111 wins are the second-most in National League history and tied for the fourth-most in MLB history. They dominated their division, winning by 22 games over the Padres. They won almost as many games on the road (54) as they did at home (57). They were both the league's best offense and the league's stingiest pitching staff. By every metric, this team was the best in the league. They did it with the help of some incredible individual performances as well. Mookie Betts slugged 35 home runs. Offseason acquisition Freddie Freeman his .325 and drove in 100 runs, as did Trea Turner. Julio Urias finished second in the league in ERA (2.16) while going 17-7. Tony Gonsolin went 16-1. Tyler Anderson went 15-5. Clayton Kershaw won 12 games and had a 2/28 ERA. Name a play, they probably had an incredible season. This all leads them into the postseason as the odds-on favorite to win the World Series for the second time in three years. They don't have many weaknesses. They were only 16-15 in one-run games, but they were so lethal that they didn't need to play in too many tight games. 

#2 Atlanta Braves (101-61)

The start of the campaign for the defending champions didn't begin the way they expected it to. Through two months, the Braves were 23-27 and were 10.5 games back of the Mets in the NL East. June 1st would serve as the turning point in their season. A 6-0 win over the Diamondbacks would begin a 14-game winning streak and a 21-6 month of June to get the Braves back into the race. They'd add 18 more wins in July but still found themselves seven games back in the division on August 9th after losing three of four games to the Mets. The Braves would then go on another incendiary run through the end of the season, going 37-14, including a huge three-game sweep over the last weekend of the regular season over the Mets, to win their fifth straight division title. After losing their franchise star in the offseason, Matt Olson stepped into his spot by hitting 34 home runs and driving in 103 runs. Austin Riley slugged 38 home runs to lead the team. Dansby Swanson had easily the most consistent season of his career. Two rookies came up and made an immediate impact. Michael Harris II hit almost .300 while hitting 19 home runs and driving in 64 runs. Spencer Strider struck out 202 batters in just 131.2 innings, going 11-5. Kyle Wright led the entire league with 21 wins and Max Fried planted himself at the top of the rotation emphatically. Kenley Jansen led the National League with 41 saves, one of two closers in either league to surpass 40. The one edge I think they have over everyone is that they've been playing postseason baseball for the last several months as they fought with the Mets. They looked primed for a repeat performance in October. 

Wild Card Round Preview

#3 Cleveland Guardians (92-70) v. #6 Tampa Bay Rays (86-76)

Cleveland- The era of the Guardians began in Cleveland and while it'll take me a while to think it's a good name, they rang in the change by winning the division for the first time since 2018. I don't think it's any secret that the AL Central underperformed this season and it shows with Cleveland being the only representative from the division in the postseason. For most of the year, the division race came down to Chicago and Cleveland, but the Guardians eventually pulled ahead in mid-August and would end the season with an 11-game advantage in the final standings. The Guardians weren't a flashy team this season and it wasn't until September that they really strung together wins to pull way ahead and finish with a 21-8 record for the month. Jose Ramirez continued to be the guiding force of the offense, knocking 29 home runs and driving in 126. Josh Naylor was the only other batter to hit 20 home runs. They were going to light up the scoreboard with runs, but they certainly knew how to keep teams off the board. They were a top ten pitching staff, finishing among the league's best in most major pitching categories. A major reason for this was the return to form by former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber. After a tough 2021 riddled with injuries, Bieber pitched 200 innings and struck out 198 as he continued to be the team's ace.

Tampa Bay- No team in the postseason has lost more man games than the Rays did in 2022. It felt like a Rays player was heading to the injured list every other game, yet here they are among the final seven teams in the American League. After winning the pennant in 2020 and winning 100 games in 2021, this is probably considered a down season based on their recent success. Regardless, the Rays are in the postseason for the fourth straight season and the eighth time in franchise history. The stars of the show were Randy Arozarena, the first Rays to go 20-30-40 in the franchise's history, Shane McClanahan, the AL starter in the All-Star game, and a bullpen led by Jason Adam and Pete Fairbanks. They also got major contributions from Isaac Parades, their other 20-home-run hitter they acquired during Spring Training, and Drew Rasmussen, who has been huge down the stretch. This team is built differently than most other teams in this postseason. They are very reliant on their bullpen to eat innings, which could also be to their detriment. They're getting Tyler Glasnow back at a good time, so watch out for him to be a major X-Factor in any series. 

Season Series- The Guardians won both series against the Rays this season, most recently taking two of three from them in Cleveland last weekend. All six meetings were fairly low-scoring games, with the Rays scoring just one run in three of their losses. Two of the three games last weekend were decided in extra innings with each team winning one game. 

My Prediction- This is the most likely series of the weekend to turn into a pitching clinic. With McClanahan and Bieber set to start things off on Friday, this game could be a 1-0 game. Any series that is dependent on pitching tends to sway me toward the Rays. Manager Kevin Cash uses his arms in mysterious ways, yet it more often than not works out, Blake Snell in the 2020 World Series notwithstanding. The Rays also hold a slight experience advantage in the postseason, due in large part to the aforementioned World Series trip two seasons ago. Tampa Bay over Cleveland in three.

#4 Toronto Blue Jays (92-70) v. #5 Seattle Mariners (90-72)

Toronto- Despite being the top Wild Card team in the American League, I had higher expectations for this team. While they never dropped below .500 all season, they also never led the division after April 26th. They hovered between second and fourth in the AL East before finally settling into the second spot in mid-September following a series win over Tampa Bay. Though they never really challenged the Yankees for the division, that doesn't mean they weren't a very good team. Vladimir Guerrero Jr followed up his MVP runner-up finish by hitting 37 home runs for a team that slugged 200 as a team and scored the fourth-most runs in the league. The numbers for the offense won't jump off the page individually, but they are very good as a team. Where this team might be a little trouble is with their pitching. They were middle-of-the-road at best and outside of a stellar season from Alek Manoah (16-7, 2.24 ERA, 180 K), there wasn't too much that was impressive for their staff. I thought that this rotation could end up being one of the best in the league, but I was sorely mistaken. Regardless, they come into the postseason with the home-field advantage for their Wild Card series and Toronto can get rowdy. 

Seattle-After 21 years, the Mariners will take part in postseason baseball. I fully expect the statue of Cal Raleigh to be erected after his walk-off home run to clinch a Wild Card spot for Seattle. Things weren't looking good for the Mariners after a subpar start to the season. Midway through June, Seattle was ten games under .500 and struggling to buy a win. On Tuesday, June 21, the season turned around. From then until the All-Star Break, the Mariners went 22-3, highlighted by a 14-game winning streak going into the break, to move nine games above .500 and into second place in the AL West. They would hold onto that spot the rest of the season to end a more than two-decade-long drought. A lot of the focus was on rookie sensation Julio Rodriguez, the runaway favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year, and it was very well deserved. What we haven't talked enough about was the pitching staff, especially their bullpen. They also had a knack for hitting the baseball far. They know how to win tight games, which will be extremely helpful in the postseason.  

Season Series- Seattle won five of the seven meetings this season against Toronto. After the Blue Jays won the first two games, Seattle rattled off five straight victories, including a four-game sweep when they last met in early July. The Blue Jays offense was held to three or fewer runs five times by the Mariners staff, going 1-4 in those games. 

My Prediction- Seattle winning this series would be a huge story for baseball. After over two decades of missing the playoffs, pulling off a series win in Toronto is what movies are made of. Unfortunately, this is not a movie. While I think they may win one of the first two games, I think the edge in most aspects belongs in Toronto's favor. Not to mention this series is taking place in Toronto and the fans can get crazy during the postseason. I'm pulling for the Mariners to get the job done, but my brain is telling me to pick the Blue Jays. Toronto over Seattle in three games. 

National League

#3 St. Louis Cardinals (93-69) v. #6 Philadelphia Phillies (87-75)

St. Louis- With all due respect to every great thing the Cardinals did this season, the real story for St. Louis is Albert Pujols. In his final season at 42 years old, Pujols finished third on the team in home runs with 24 as he finished his career with 703, the fourth-most all-time. He went a step further by passing Babe Ruth for the second-most RBIs in a career, ending with 2,218 in his 22 seasons. Most of his damage was done after he participated in the All-Star Game, hitting 18 home runs in his final 56 games. It's obviously not all about Pujols though. The likely NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt was also a Cardinal. He finished third in MLB in batting average (.317), fourth in MLB in RBIs (115), and tied for fifth in the NL in home runs (35), all of which led the team. Nolan Arenado had an amazing second season in St. Louis, improving his average by almost 40 points while mashing 30 home runs and 103 RBIs. The St. Louis pitching staff also put in some good work, though you likely wouldn't be able to tell individually. Only Adam Wainwright and Miles Mikolas finished with 10+ wins, yet they were both under .500. Ryan Helsley was arguably the best arm on their staff, going 9-1 with a 1.25 ERA and 19 saves out of the bullpen. I'm not quite sure what to make of them in the grand scheme of the postseason but it'd be fun to see Pujols get one last run for a championship, just like he did before leaving St. Louis for Anaheim.

Philadelphia- For the first time in 11 seasons, there is postseason baseball in the City of Brotherly Love. It really came down to the final weekend of the season for the Phillies but they hung onto the final Wild Card spot to see meaningful baseball in October once again. The season got off to a rough start and after beginning 22-29, the front office decided to make a change and fired Joe Girardi as the manager. With Rob Thomson taking over, a new leaf was turned over and the resurgence largely happened without Bryce Harper in the lineup. Kyle Schwarber earned the crown of the National League home run champion, knocking 46 out of the park, six more than anyone else in the National League. Add to him the work of Rhys Hoskins (30 home runs), JT Realmuto (22 home runs, 84 RBIs), and Harper when he was in the lineup (.286, 18 home runs, 64 RBIs in 99 games), and they made for a troublesome group for opponents. Their rotation wasn't terrible either, led by Zach Wheeler (12-7, 2.82 ERA) and Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 ERA, 235 K). Their biggest weakness might be their lack of meaningful experience as a team. This is uncharted territory for some of them and it could show here. 

Season Series- The Phillies won the season series 4-3 with all seven contests taking place in the first 11 days of July. Philadelphia's projected Game 1 starter Zach Wheeler defeated Adam Wainwright in both his starts against the Cardinals, pitching 14 shutout innings. Three of Philadelphia's wins were shutout victories. 

My Prediction- I can see this series as a popular pick for an upset. When looking at the projected pitching matchups for the first two games (Wheeler v. Quintana, Nola v. Mikolas), I think they clearly lean in Philadelphia's favor. I think the real difference is which superstars show up at the plate. Can the dup of Schawrber and Harper outhit the Cardinals' Goldschmidt and Arenado? It's crazy to think that Pujols might be the true X-Factor of this series. He's known for being a clutch hitter and could provide the spark the Cardinals need. St. Louis over Philadelphia in three games.  

#4 New York Mets (101-61) v. #5 San Diego Padres (89-73)

New York- Losing a division the way they did can be tough, but the Mets still won over 100 games this season, the second-most in the franchise's history. They held a 10.5-game lead at one point in the season and seemed to have control of the division for most of the second half until the Braves went crazy and took the lead after sweeping the Mets during the final weekend. They were another team that did most of their damage without some of their most electric players. In their case, it was their pitchers. Jacob DeGrom only made 11 starters, still striking out 102 batters in 64.1, and Max Scherzer missed about a month and a half, yet was still just as good (11-5, 2.29 ERA, 173 K in 145.1). They still found consistency in their rotation with all six starters with 10+ starts also finishing with sub-4.00 ERAs. Offensively, it was the continued rise of Pete Alonso (40 home runs, tied for the MLB lead with 131 RBIs) and the turnaround of Francisco Lindor in his second season with the team (.270, 26 home runs, 107 RBIs) that led the ship in the right direction. Despite the sweep by Atlanta, they turned right around and swept Washington to enter the postseason with some momentum. They'll have a strong arsenal of arms to pick from for this best-of-three series. 

San Diego- Most of the story for the Padres this season will surround the wasted potential of what could've been. They were missing Francisco Tatis Jr to start the season, then you add the PED suspension on top of it and it was already a big problem. They tried to cushion that blow by making the biggest move of the season and trading for Juan Soto and Josh Bell. Soto, in 52 games, hit .236 with just six home runs and 16 RBIs. Bell, in one more game than Soto, hit .192 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. If not for the offense of Manny Machado (.298, 32 home runs, 102 RBI) and the brilliance of Yu Darvish (16-8, 3.10 ERA, 197 K) and Joe Musgrove 10-7, 2.93 ERA, 184 K) on the mound, the Padres could've easily been a trainwreck and missed the postseason. I had high expectations for this team and while some unforeseen issues arose during the season, this was not the way I saw this season going for them. Regardless, they're playing in the postseason and could go on a big run.

Season Series- The Padres won four of the six meetings this season, winning each three-game set two games to one, though they haven't met since early July. San Diego's projected Game 1 starter Yu Darvish was especially good in both outings against the Mets, winning both starts while allowing one run and six hits in 14 innings. 

My Prediction- At this very moment, only Scherzer is listed for the three games for the Mets. Honestly, they might not need to worry about that third game because this is the only series I think could be done on Saturday. As well as Darvish pitched this season, I don't see him outdueling Scherzer It could be anyone after that and I'm confident they can shut down this San Diego lineup. It'll be back to the drawing board out west because not having Tatis is going to be what dooms this team. Thanks for coming, San Diego. New York over San Diego in two games.