MLB: SEPTEMBER IN REVIEW

Breaking News…the LA Dodgers are pretty good. They have set a franchise record for wins in a season with 109 and counting. The National League playoffs runs through Dodger Stadium and if things play out over the final 5 games, they could own home field for the World Series. September was full of other exciting moments. Albert Pujols hit his 700th career home run (up to 701 as of 9/30). Aaron Judge tied Yankee Legend Roger Maris for the AL Record for Home Runs in a season with 61. These individual accomplishments stole the spotlight while Justin Verlander, Sandy Alcantara, and Shohei Ohtani continued to forge amazing seasons.

There were many team accomplishments in September. The first belongs to the Cleveland Guardians winning the AL Central with the youngest roster in the Majors. They surpassed expectations as well as the star studded rosters in Chicago and Minnesota. The Seattle Mariners finally ended a 20 plus year drought (2001 last appearance)and captured a wild card spot. They are joined by the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays as wild card teams. The Yankees won the AL East and the Houston Astros won the west and the top spot in the AL Playoffs. In looking back to my projections for the AL playoff spots, I got all correct except for the Twins surging to win the AL Central. I apologize to all Cleveland Guardian fans for doubting the club. I also swung and missed terribly in our preseason podcast episode when I said the White Sox would win the American League….yikes.

The National League has some intrigue with 5-6 games left. As of the morning of October 1st, the Mets and Braves are tied atop the NL East with the Mets owning the tiebreaker. They have 2 head to head matchups remaining and this will come down to the wire. The Dodgers and Cardinals have won their divisions, but the excitement surrounds the final 2 wild card spots. The Padres and Phillies currently own the 2 spots, but the Brewers sit just a half game back from Philadelphia. The Padres have a game and a half cushion over the Phillies and own the tiebreaker over the Brewers. Milwaukee is living on thin ice, but they are still alive and trying to reach the postseason for a 5th straight campaign.

The Wild Card rounds begin on October 7th, followed by the Divisional round on October 11th.

TOP 10 POWER POLL:

1.). LA DODGERS

2.). HOUSTON ASTROS

3.). ATLANTA BRAVES

4.). NEW YORK METS

5.). NEW YORK YANKEES

6.). ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

7.). TORONTO BLUE JAYS

8.). CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

9.). SAN DIEGO PADRES

10.). SEATTLE MARINERS

BOTTOM 5 POWER POLL:

26.). COLORADO ROCKIES

27.). CINCINNATI REDS

28.). PITTSBURGH PIRATES

29.). WASHINGTON NATIONALS

30.). OAKLAND A’S

AWARD PREDICTIONS:

• AL MVP: AARON JUDGE (NY YANKEES He’ll get the Triple Crown and AL Home Run Record)
• NL MVP: FREDDIE FREEMAN (LA DODGERS)
• AL CY YOUNG: JUSTIN VERLANDER (HOUSTON ASTROS)
• NL CY YOUNG: SANDY ALCANTARA (MIAMI MARLINS)
• AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: JULIO RODRIGUEZ (SEATTLE MARINERS)
• NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: MICHAEL HARRIS II (ATLANTA BRAVES)

WORLD SERIES PREDICTION:

• LA DODGERS VS NEW YORK YANKEES
• LA DODGERS = WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS

AL HITTER OF THE MONTH:

• AARON JUDGE (YANKEES). 35 Hits, 26 Runs Scored, 10 Home Runs, 17 RBI’s, 30 Walks, .417 Batting Average and an OPS of 1.434

NL HITTER OF THE MONTH:

• EDUARDO ESCOBAR (METS). 33 Hits, 16 Runs Scored, 4 Doubles, 1 Triple, 8 Home Runs, 24 RBI’s, 9 Walks, .340 Batting Average and an OPS of 1.042

AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH:

• ALEX MANOAH (BLUE JAYS): 41 Innings Pitched, 4 Wins, 4 Earned Runs, 12 Walks, 33 Strikeouts, ERA of 0.88, WHIP of 0.85 and a K per 9 of 7.24

NL PITCHER OF THE MONTH:

• BRANDON WOODRUFF (BREWERS): 38.2 Innings Pitched, 4 Wins, 10 Earned Runs, 9 Walks, 51 Strikeouts, ERA of 2.33, WHIP of 0.96 and a K per 9 of 11.87

One thing to expect in October is that craziness will ensue and unsung hero’s will rise up and deliver. BUCKLE UP FOR OCTOBER BASEBALL!!!