October Baseball MLB Postseason Preview

AMERICAN LEAGUE

New York Yankees: Clinched

Why They'll Win: The Bronx Bombers batting. Not only do they lead both leagues in home runs but Jeter is hitting .333 since getting his 3000th hit. Despite, the Yankees reliance on high priced mercenaries, their hottest hitter right now is, Jesus Montero, a product of their minor leagues.

Why They Won't: Starting rotation. After CC Sabathia, the Yankees have few options to round out their starting rotation and lack a second quality starter with playoff experience. Iván Nova(16-4, 3.62 ERA) is only a rookie, A.J. Burnett is 10-11 and Freddy Garcia is winless in September.

MVP: Cano has surged down the stretch while Granderson has faltered.

Texas Rangers: Clinched

Why They'll Win: This team is hungry. Last season, the Rangers advanced to the World Series but left empty handed. Not only are they hungry but these Rangers hitters can abso- lutely crush the ball.

Why they Won't: Cliff Lee. Last season, the Rangers bull- pen was anchored by Lee, who is now the Phillies ace. By a wide margin, the Rangers, Red Sox and Yankees were the best run- scoring teams in MLB this season. Unfortunately, out of that trio, the Rangers have the most inconsistent pitching rotation and lack an intimidating Game 1 starter.

MVP: Michael Young may be in pursuit of his second bat- ting title but Josh Hamilton is the unquestioned leader.

Detroit Tigers: Clinched

Why They'll Will: Lost in the dominance of Justin Ver- lander's pitching this season is closer Jose Valverde's dominant pitching feat this season. In 47 save opportunities, Valverde has emerged victorious 47 times.

Why They Won't: Justin Verlander can't pitch every night. Verlander leads the AL in wins, strikeouts, ERA but contrary to popular opinion, he can't pitch every night. The Tigers just don't have the offensive firepower or outstanding pitching depth to compete with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rangers' vastly superior offenses.

MVP: At the plate, Miguel Cabrera's bat is impressive but Verlander has had a historic season.

Boston Red Sox: On The bubble

Why They'll Win: If there's a team that can find the magic despite a sub-.400 September winning percentage, it's the Red Sox. This team is streaky. Remember the concerns about their 2-10 start to the season? They could catch fire again.

Why They Won't: Forget the Curse of the Bambino. In the offseason, Boston signed the belle of the free agent ball, Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Rays, to 7-year, $142-million con- tract. In return, Crawford is hitting .259(down from .307 in 2010) and stolen just 18 bases (down from 47).

In the midst of an epic playoff collapse, the Sox appear to be in worse shape than The Biggest Loser. On Sept. 2, Boston was nine games ahead in the Wild Card race. Today they are neck and neck with—Tampa Bay.

MVP: Adrian Gonzalez leads the AL in batting average.

Tampa Bay Rays: On The bubble

Why They'll Win: They've gotten hot at the perfect time. With any luck, they can carry it over into October.

Why They Won't: Another obvious reason is that they may not make the postseason. Evan Longoria has regressed this sea- son after approaching a .300 batting average in 2010. The Rays also lack a pitching ace in the bullpen. The Rays bullpen is so unstable that manager Joe Maddon called up pitching prospect, Matt Moore from the minor leagues in the heat of their Wild Card race.

MVP: If they make the playoffs—Carl Crawford.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Philadelphia Phillies: Clinched

Why they'll win: Pitching. The offense has been struggling this season by Phillies standards, but youcan't lose if the other team doesn't score. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels are more thanenough firepower to get it done in any 5 or 7 game series.

Why they won't: Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are two fragile dudes. If they go down, and Ryan Howard decides to have a strikeout fest the Phillies could be home sooner than expected.

MVP: Cliff Lee; It's a tough decision between Doc and Cliff Lee, and their stats are nearly identical, but what gives Lee the edge is his playoff experience/dominance.