This isn’t or wasn’t the 2018 American League, where the playoff positions were all but decided one week into September. No, there wasn’t any loping or sliding into the National League playoffs, not with two divisions needing extra games to decide titles and the Chicago Cubs the team needed to be overcome for two teams to punch tickets to the NL Division Series.
Indeed, the matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies will pit two of the stretch-drive’s hottest teams against each other, while the one team that had a spot locked up a while ago – the Atlanta Braves – gets the Los Angeles Dodgers, the defending league champions who have also had to sweat out entry into the playoffs.
It might seem at a glance as if there’s less star power in the NLDS than ALDS — and that some of the teams have more glaring weaknesses than AL teams (the Brewers starting pitching, the Braves bullpen) — but there are some stars to keep an eye on …
Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies
There is no reason to expect the Rockies to knock off the Brewers, who are the hottest team in the majors playing the best defence and with the best bullpen. To have any chance, they need a fall renaissance from Arenado, who slugged below .500 in the last two months and is fighting a sore shoulder. Arenado has made some contact in a small sample size against the Brewers bullpen — which is saying something. The Rockies will need all hands on deck to have a prayer.
Max Muncy, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
Last season, it was Chris Taylor’s versatility that helped make the difference for the Dodgers. This year, it’s been Muncy, cut by the Athletics three years ago and now a 35-homer guy who has played five positions, strikes out over a quarter of the time while walking 16 per cent of the time with eye-opening line drive percentage. He has an .891 OPS against lefties, but his defensive liabilities had him platooning even earlier this season when his OPS against lefties was .932. But considering how righty-dominant the Braves are in their rotation and bullpen, Muncy will get ample opportunity to write himself large all over this series. Considering the state of both bullpens in this series, runs will be needed. Many of them.
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Walker Buehler, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Let’s be honest: we’re all tired of Rich Hill’s blisters and Clayton Kershaw’s Incredible Shrinking Man act and manager Dave Roberts paint-by-numbers approach to handling pitching in the post-season. Six division titles with bupkis to show for it … man, are we ever ready for Buehler. Roberts tabbed Buehler to start Game 3 of the NLDS, but my goodness, after shutting down the Rockies in Game 163 to win the NL West, a continuation of an impressive 3-1 (1.43 ERA) in his last 10 starts, Roberts has to be tempted to use him in a high-leverage relief situation, especially given Kenley Jansen’s woes. Over Buehler’s last 11 starts, he has struck out 80 and walked 23 and has a WHIP of 0.86. He sits 98 m.p.h. or 99 just for yuks. He could very much be a man for his time, if Roberts lets him.
Arodys Vizcaino, RP, Atlanta Braves
The Braves bullpen had been pretty much average all season but had an atrocious September, posting the fourth-worst ERA in the majors (5.05) and the fifth-worst FIP (fielding independent pitching.) Closer Vizcaino has been wobbly since coming off the disabled list on Sept. 14 — his second trip to the DL with shoulder inflammation. Vizcaino needs a turnaround: in 25 of his 39 outings this season, he has allowed a baserunner; he’s fired clean innings in just three of 18 save opportunities. On the plus side? He’s held the Dodgers in check: 3-for-21. Small sample size, but still …
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Christian Yelich, CF, Milwaukee Brewers
The Miami Marlins and Blue Jays scouted the hell out of each other’s organizations last season, ahead of a winter in which Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Yelich were traded and, well, let’s just leave it at that, shall we? Yelich took a real run at the Triple Crown and helped carry the Brewers through a scalding-hot September, as well as to victory in a 163rd game to determine the NL Central Division title. As Fangraphs point out in this breakdown (https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/lift-off-for-christian-yelich/), Yelich is hitting fewer ground balls and that, coupled with the fact he’s hitting them harder and is in a friendlier home-hitting environment in Miller Park, explains part of his season. But the guess here is it’s simply experience — a terrific hitter whose time has arrived. And don’t overlook his defence: the Brewers hunt down opponents’ fly balls as good as anybody.
Corey Knebel/Jeremy Jeffress/Josh Hader, RPs, Milwaukee Brewers
OK, this is cheating but how on earth do you separate these three late-inning power arms? The Brewers are the hottest team in the game with an underwhelming rotation because they are an offensive machine, play sound defence and have a lock-down bullpen. The Brewers had one starter with double-digit wins; three relievers (Hader, Corbin Burnes and Jeffress) went 21-2 and Knebel, Jeffress and Hader all had double-digit save totals. Hader had 12 saves and led the NL with 81 1/3 relief innings. His 140 strikeouts led MLB relievers. Jeffress, who was waived by the Blue Jays and general manager Alex Anthopoulos in 2014 and elected free agency instead of reporting to triple-A Buffalo, didn’t allow a run in 63 of 73 regular-season appearances.
