In 2013, it was the Pittsburgh Pirates that were the major story of the playoffs. A season ago it was the Kansas City Royals that captivated most of the baseball audience by making it to the World Series. So the question is: Which team has the biggest story going into October?
The great thing about the 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) Postseason is that there isn’t just one Cinderella like the last few years, but three unfamiliar faces: the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.
For the Blue Jays, it is a relief just to get back to the postseason. The last time the team up north was playing October baseball was before most college seniors were born – the year 1993. That 22-year drought that has finally ended.
The Blue Jays won their second of back-to-back titles that year, so they are looking to bring some of that 90s magic back to this playoff run. Toronto brings by far the best offense out of the postseason field.
Led by power hitters Jose Bautista, MVP candidate Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion and newly acquired Troy Tulowitzki, the Blue Jays have the nastiest starting line-up in the league.
People looked at the starting pitching of this ball club as the big weakness at the trade deadline, or at least until they traded for ace David Price. He is the clear No. 1 pitcher for Toronto, and he is a huge reason why they just clinched the AL East.
The Chicago Cubs look at the Blue Jays’ 22-year championship drought with envy. For the Cubs, 1908 was the last time they could say they were world champions. The lovable losers from the north side are ready now to compete for the title.
Top prospects Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell were all called up within the last year, so this was supposed to be the rebuilding year, but don’t tell manager Joe Maddon that.
Chicago is one of the biggest surprises of 2015 thanks to a second-half surge that has seen the Cubs go 45-25 since the All-Star break. The biggest story of this recent run has been the dominance of ace pitcher Jake Arrieta.
Arrieta leads the league in wins (21) and is second in ERA (1.82). With Chicago playing in the Wild Card game next Wednesday, likely against the Pittsburgh Pirates, expect Arrieta to get the ball.
For as much of a surprise as the Cubs have been, it certainly doesn’t match what the New York Mets did this year. Everybody was picking the Washington Nationals as a lock to win the NL East before the season.
New York was able to keep pace with the Nats at the All-Star break, and then they flew past Washington thanks to acquiring outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. The former Tiger came in and played like an MVP since arriving in Queens. In 53 games with the Mets, Cespedes hit .287 with 17 home runs and 44 RBI’s.
The Mets bring a pitching staff that is as talented as any in the league. A rotation that is filled with young aces grew up in a big way this season. They include: Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Jonathon Niese.
Pitching becomes more crucial come playoff time, and the Mets will ride that as far as it takes them in the postseason.
These three organizations are desperate for a championship and figure to be dangerous in October. Underdogs seem to pick up a large number of fans along their ride, so now it is time to decide whose bandwagon to jump on.
Nick Konotopskyj is the sports assignment editor at The BV. His email is konotonr12@bonaventure.edu
