Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |
The MLB Postseason starts Tuesday and the Mets are sitting at home. That's a bitter pill to swallow after the team fought back in the second half and came close to making it in. But October baseball is still a hell of a lot of fun. Here's a guide for who to root for (and not root for) this Fall...
1. Oakland Athletics
The A's have been doing more with less since Billy Beane took over as GM in 1997 and have made the playoffs 11 times during that span. But they have made it past the ALDS just once, when they advanced to the ALCS in 2006 only to be swept by the Tigers. This year's team went 97-65 and their reward was a date with the Rays in the Wild Card game, which they will host at the Coliseum.
Often an afterthought in a state that includes the Dodgers, Giants, and Angels, Oakland had the fifth-best run-differential in baseball this season (+165), but their starting rotation leaves a lot to be desired. The X-factor could be LHP Sean Manaea, who had a very strong September and could get the start in the Wild Card game. If the A's advance, they're the easiest team to root for to win it all.
Last World Series title: 1989
Ex-Mets of note: Yusmeiro Petit
2. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays had an Opening Day payroll just north of $60 million but hung in the AL East race and wound up winning 96 games and nabbing the second Wild Card spot. Tampa has been to the World Series just once since coming into existence in 1998, losing to the Phillies in 2008.
Like the A's, the Rays have been doing more with less for a while. Unlike the A's, the Rays have a strong rotation featuring Blake Snell, Charlie Morton, and Tyler Glasnow. If Tampa beats the A's, they'll face the Astros in the ALDS, with the Yankees potentially waiting for them in the ALCS if both teams advance.
Last World Series title: Never won
Ex-Mets of note: Travis d'Arnaud
3. Minnesota Twins
The Twins flew under the radar a bit, but this team can mash, having crushed a major league record 307 homers this season. They drew the Yankees in the ALDS, where they'll have to travel to Yankee Stadium for Games 1, 2, and 5 (if necessary).
Minnesota has lost to the Yankees five times in their last six playoff appearances -- four times in the ALDS and once in the Wild Card game. Aside from the fact that the Twins beating the Yankees would make them and many Mets fans happy, Minnesota is an easy team to root for, with a young core featuring Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler, and Jose Berrios.
Last World Series title: 1991
Ex-Mets of note: None
4. Milwaukee Brewers
Yes, the Brewers are in the playoffs and the Mets are not. And it won't be fun to think about that while watching them play in October. But the Mets missing out has more to do with their bullpen doing them in far too often this season than it has to do with Milwaukee getting impossibly hot in September after losing MVP candidate Christian Yelich and going on to win 89 games.
The Brewers are a likable underdog and will be looking to take out the Nats (and ace Max Scherzer) in the Wild Card game. After that would be a date with the Dodgers in the NLCS.
Last World Series title: Never won
Ex-Mets of note: None
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are not an underdog by any means with their massive payroll, but they have lost in the World Series two straight years. That hurts. And while Clayton Kershaw will likely never be as dominant as he was in his prime, it would be nice to see one of the best pitchers ever be able to finally celebrate winning it all.
Last World Series title: 1988
Ex-Mets of note: Justin Turner
6. Houston Astros
Houston has been an absolute force since 2017, winning 100+ games each season since then and winning the World Series in 2017. Aside from the plethora of MVP-level offensive players they have (George Springer, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve), the Astros have one of the best 1-2 rotation punches that has ever been in the postseason: Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, who are both worthy of the AL Cy Young this season. The Astros also traded for Zack Greinke during the season for good measure.
Watching those pitchers pick apart lineups on the biggest stage could be a lot of fun.
Last World Series title: 2017
Ex-Mets of note: Collin McHugh
7. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are a very easy team to root against, especially for Mets fans. The bad blood started in the 80s (during the 'pond scum' era) and continued in 2006, when St. Louis took the Mets out in an incredibly painful Game 7 of the NLCS at Shea Stadium that also set in motion two more years of pain for New York.
Add to the above the fact that Cardinals fans preach about the "Cardinal Way" while at the same time being arguably the most detestable fan base on Twitter, and it's easy to hope for their quick playoff demise. The only problem is who they're playing in the NLDS (more on that below).
Last World Series title: 2011
Ex-Mets of note: John Gant
8. Washington Nationals
The Nats have not won a postseason series since moving to D.C., and that could continue this season since they'll be traveling to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers in the NLDS if they make it past the Wild Card game.
If the Nats were in another division, they wouldn't be hard to root for. Max Scherzer is a dominant force at the top of his game, Anthony Rendon is tremendous, Juan Soto is a fun young star, etc. But they are in the NL East. Feel bad about rooting against them for some reason? Remember that Adam Eaton is on their team.
Last World Series title: Never won
Ex-Mets of note: Asdrubal Cabrera
9. Atlanta Braves
Like the Nationals, the Braves (facing the Cardinals in the NLDS) are a terrific team with a dynamic young offensive core. They would be very likable if not for the fact that they share a division and bitter rivalry with the Mets.
In addition to the rivalry (arguably more fierce than anything the Mets have ever experienced with the Phillies or Nats), the Braves still use the Tomahawk Chop (annoying and morally questionable) and have had trouble selling out playoff games -- even ones in the NLCS -- going back 20 years. If many of their own fans don't care to support the team, why should anyone else?
Last World Series title: 1995
Ex-Mets of note: Jerry Blevins, Anthony Swarzak, Adeiny Hechavarria
10. New York Yankees
The Yankees overcame an insane amount of injuries to win the AL East and give themselves a chance to capture their first World Series title since 2009. They deserve credit for that, but they remain impossible to root for.
It's not that lots of their players aren't likable (they are). And it's not like they haven't built up their team in a smart and creative way (they have). But adding to the intra-city rivalry and the annoying 314 foot home runs the Bombers hit is the fact that so many Yankees fans take needless digs at the Mets and their fans from the penthouse, like this.
Last World Series title: 2009
Ex-Mets of note: Luis Cessa