The end of Major League Baseball's season is a month away.
Which contender will make it to the playoffs? Which teams were close to missing the cut? What will the divisions look like? Who will make it to the fall classic? Who are the favorites to win the award? Will Judge break Roger Maris' American League record for most home runs in a single season? What could happen down the road?
In order to discuss what the final month of the season might bring, we asked a panel of 17 baseball experts some of the game's biggest questions. Many of them were asked to explain their answers.
Our picks for the postseason, major awards, and more, as well as a few surprising answers and some bold predictions about what's next, can be found below.
There were six votes.
There were 4 deaths.
There were 2 in 112.
A total of 2.
There were 2.
106: 0.
There were 112 wins picked. How will they get there? It's not bold to get to 112 wins. They'll keep playing at the same level, just shy of a.700 winning percentage. The Dodgers let up. They just got the ace pitcher back. There is a new person next. The deepest team in baseball is this one. Freddie wants to become a batting champ. Tony wants a pitcher. If the Padres play better, and the last six games are at home against the Rockies, the schedule will only get harder. The Dodgers want to win. They keep going. Eric Karabell said that 112 wins may be conservative.
You were one of six people who picked the winners. The magic number is why. The Dodgers have a win pace at this time. The Dodgers will likely have the top seed in the National League sewn up with at least a week to go in the season. It is possible that they will spend a period of time relaxing and shifting their focus to the playoffs. The Dodgers might be able to coast at the end of the season, which seems to make them only a-110-win team. It's a good position to be in.
The Houston Astros are a baseball team.
The New York Yankees didn't win.
The Astros are the favorites. There are many things to like about their pitching. It's hard to get them with runners on because they keep the ball in the park. They have done it in a small ballpark with the least HRs in MLB. It's impressive. They are in sync. The two guys got hot. At the trade deadline, they have a two-way catcher. Don't look out.
The Yankees used to have a big lead for the top spot in the American League. Why did it happen? The lack of consistency in the lineup has been one of the reasons why the Yankees have struggled in the second half. In the first half, the focus was on Joey Gallo, but now that he's playing for the Dodgers, the spotlight is on other players who haven't lived up to expectations. The struggles of the trio have forced the Yankees into a position where they need to depend on rookies such as Oswald Peraza and OswaldoCabrera. The lineup cannot be carried by one person deep into October.
It's al.
The Houston Astros are playing.
The New York Yankees played a game.
The baseball team from the bay area is 2.
The Toronto Blue Jay's had a single point.
There is a country called NL.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are playing a game.
The New York Mets are a baseball team.
The St. Louis Cards had a 2-0 victory.
The Atlanta Braves have one.
The Astros-Dodgers was the one we picked. The two teams are going to meet in October. The Dodgers are far and away the best team in baseball, as good as the Mets and Braves can be, and as much of a threat as the Cards and Padres could be, so picking against them is easy. The Al is not the same as the others. The Astros are the best team in the league and they show no apparent weakness. The difference between them and a full-strength Yankees team is not large enough to suggest that Houston is impervious. As October nears and teams heat up or cool down, that is subject to change.
The Yankees and Mets were runners up. You made a choice. Why do you think they're the team to beat? Baseball has a degree of randomness to its playoffs, so I don't think either team is unbeatable. Sometimes natural baseball storylines find a way, and with the Mets now the bigger story of the two teams in New York, it just feels like it. Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer will be tough to beat in a short series, and I think Judge is the kind of guy who could take hold of a series and single-handedly steer his team. The Yankees' chances of making the playoffs will be affected by whether or not Cole shows up.
The two stars are vastly different players. How do they fit together?
Judge vs Ohtani.
You were the only one of the seven teams to vote for the World Series contender. What do you think about this season? Only one of us will be correct. The American League is wide open because of the Yankees' slide. I picked the Rays to reach the World Series in the preseason and that's part of my faith in them. There was a list of injuries before the season began. They have a chance to steal the American League East from the Yankees after being down by as many as 15 games. There is still a deep bullpen, a possible return of Tyler Glasnow, and a lot of other positives despite the fact that the injury is bad. Are you talking about offense? There is a way to get enough runs. This isn't pretty but it works.
It's al.
A judge.
There is a country called NL.
The speaker is Paul Goldschmidt.
Nolan Arenado was the first person.
Mookie Betts was the first player.
Judge was the unanimous choice of our voters. He isn't just a home run hitter. He leads the league in walks, has a high batting average, and isn't leading the league in strikeouts. He could hit over 60 home runs.
Why did Goldschmidt get this award? Goldschmidt leads the league in almost every offensive category, and he is a Gold Glove defensive first baseman, so he should be the Most Valuable Player. Joe Medwick was the last NL player to win the Triple Crown. He is doing it for a team that is going to win its division.
Two people didn't vote for Goldschmidt and you chose Betts to win it. What's the reason? Nobody in the NL is better when Betts plays at the top of his game. Since returning from a rib injury in July, Betts has been mostly himself, but he took things to another level in August, finishing with anOPS of 1.031. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Betts overtake the lead in fWAR by the end of the season, as Goldschmidt, Arenado and Machado can't match his defensive prowess. I wouldn't put it past Betts, given the way he has been hitting recently.
It's al.
The name of the person is Justin Verlander.
Dylan Cease had two.
Shohei Ohtani has two.
There is a country called NL.
Sandy Alcantara was the 16th person.
Nola had one
The Cy Young campaigns are so dominant. If I'm labeled the oldest of olds, I'll defer to the earned-run average. The best pitcher in baseball is Verlanders. His 2.36 is second best in the NL, and he has thrown 25% more times than the next best pitcher. Both their expected ERAs and independent pitching figures show that neither's is a mirage. Verlander's injury leaves a lane for Dylan Cease, who has a 2.13 earned run average in 156innings with Verlander having thrown 152. Alcantara's lead is large enough that it's not much of a threat, even though he's allowed six runs in his last start. His four complete games are more than every other team and he is the unanimous choice.
Alcantara got all the votes, but yours. The case for Nola needs to be made. I was leaning towards Nola because I think he will close a little better. The strikeout rate and walk rate are better than the other ones, but they are more indicative of the outcomes to come. Outcomes matter since the Cy is mostly a backward-looking award. He has thrown more times than Nola. Nola starts Tuesday to close that gap, he'll be in a race to the finish with Alcantara, and I think he'll edge him out in the end.
Ohtani was the one you voted for. Why doesn't someone else get this award? Ohtani is having a better all-around season than he did in 2021, and it would be a shame to see him shut out on awards just because Judge might pass Maris. Is Ohtani for the Cy a big deal? His FIP is better than either Cease or Verlander, and he has an opportunity to close the gap when either Cease or Verlander is unavailable. This is a close award race. Over the past three months, Ohtani has been outstanding, and he has finally started to pitch on five days' rest. Maybe the writers will make this an only-pitching-stats matter -- and arguably that's what they should do, by the award's definition -- but if this race is razor thin come Game 163, might his two-way status give him an advantage? We're going to see.
There are 9
59:2
61:2
60:2
64:1
63:1
Judge's record of 61 was broken by a majority vote. Is he going to do it? Judge will hit 62 because he has had a terrific season, he is a better hitter than he has ever been, and he is the strongest man in the game. There is magic involved. There is a person named Ruth. There is a person named Maris. The judge is on the case. Judge has had a great year.
The teams with the most star power will be sorted by the end of the century.
The 30 MLB core is ranked.
The highest total was 64 by Judge. How will he get there? Throughout his career, Judge has been relatively consistent month to month when it comes to home run production, and his relative consistency has been the key to the Yankees' success this season. Judge is on pace to hit 63 home runs, which is not skewed with a single outlier month. With the Yankees needing to turn things around, I think Judge will continue his home run march.
The SeattleMariners are 17
The Toronto BlueJays played 15.
The baseball team from the bay area: 13
The New York Yankees played a game.
The Baltimore Orioles lost.
You had all three of the teams that were picked by us. They're the favorites. It's difficult to remember that those spots are still up for grabs. There is a gap in run differential between Seattle, Toronto and Tampa Bay, as well as Baltimore, Minnesota/Cleveland and Chicago. Even though the race is close, I wouldn't want to bet my house on it remaining the same. The teams built up to win now.
What would happen if the Yankees ended up in this situation? The idea of the Yankees' late-season collapse concluding with them opening the playoffs in the wild-card round was laughable a month ago. They had a five-game lead over the Rays, which was less than a month ago. They lost two of three to the Rays over the weekend, and will face them again this weekend. At the end of September, they will travel to Toronto to play the Blue Jays, who have won seven of their last eight. The team's pre-August surge may be over, as Andrew Benintendi may be out for the season, Matt Carpenter may also be out, and Aroldis Chapman may be out for the rest of the year. If one of the two teams dominates the other, the pressure on the Yankees will increase. It has taken a few wild turns to get to this point, but a collapse would take a lot of events. It's now at least possible.
Three people voted for the Orioles. What do you think will happen? They've been doing it the same way since early July, with enough offense, just enough starting pitching and good defense. Throw in Henderson to add a spark to the lineup and he's already started at three different infields and hit fifth in the lineup. With a bunch of head-to-head games left against Toronto, the Orioles can deliver a knockout blow to the BlueJays.
The New York Mets play a game.
The Atlanta Braves had a 2-0 victory.
The Mets are dominating this season. There is depth and experience on the team. The transition to New York was difficult for both Francisco Lindor and the other two players, but things have clicked for both of them. Even though deGrom hasn't been healthy, the team has been able to make up for that with depth in the rotation from Chris Bassitt to Taijuan Walker.
You think the Braves are stealing the division? What's the reason? Timmy Trumpet sounded great at Citi Field, where there is a lot of energy. Steve Cohen's club is doing everything the old Mets did, and it's been a joy for the fans. Staying healthy and holding off the Braves are two things the Mets couldn't do last year. It might be time to believe.
The ClevelandGuardians are 10.
The Minnesota Twins have four.
The Chicago White Sox lost to the Chicago Cubs.
Which future stars have risen to the top of our prospect lists during the 2022 season?
Kiley McDaniel's midseason top 50 »
Post-trade deadline farm system ranks »
How did theGuardians end up in this situation? Cleveland has balance, can push the envelope on the bases, and has not made many self-destructive mistakes. The team is a solid one with a young roster. It doesn't hurt to have Jose Ramirez leading the way while talents in Minnesota, for example, or Chicago, for example, are out of the lineup.
Is the Twins going to win the title? That's really cool. I hate to defend those picks because they're a hunch and I don't have a strong degree of conviction. Minnesota is a club that has underachieved despite being near the top of the division, while Cleveland is playing over its head. The Twins have a number of key contributors who have been there and done that. If I flip a coin, I could defend it. It's hard to say what to think about them. Whenever it seems like it's time to write them off, they reel off a few wins at the same time the Twins andGuardians go down. We have seen this year's White Sox flop in the face of prosperity too many times for me to pick them at this point.
You were one of the few people who chose the White Socks. What is it about Chicago that makes it special? I spent the entire year waiting for the White Sox to get going and have been thoroughly disappointed, so I don't think this pick is a good one. They are simply a below average team at this point. They have the most talent and depth in that division, and those things tend to win out over time. It's going to be a hot month for them, perhaps more so than any other team. It's possible that it's September.
700:5
699:4
699: 3
There are 3
701: 0.
You think Pujols will get to the 700 number. What will he do to get there? Pujols will hit 700 homers because he has been the best individual story of the year. When the season began, I didn't think he had a chance at 700, but he finished the season with a.387 average, the last time he did that was 2008. There is a chance for something to happen here. On the final day of the regular season, seven hundred seems appropriate.
He's going to finish shy of the 700 club, that's what you said. What's the reason? It is not a good idea to bet against Pujols to do anything. He hit eight home runs in August, which was the best in baseball. Who knows if he can hit six more. He had at least six home runs before the most recent one. He hit five homers in a month eight times over the course of six years. This is more of a wager on history than the man himself, but it's clear that manager Oli Marmol has figured out when to use Pujols. I hope I don't win.
There is a league in the American league.
There will be a tie for the final wild-card spot on the last day of the season. Biggio hit a ninth-inning home run at Baltimore to give the Blue Jay's the lead, and Jordan Romano got the win. The Blue Jay lost to Houston in the ALCS after beating the Yankees.
The easiest schedule in the American League East will allow the Orioles to make the playoffs for the first time in at least a decade.
A way to win the American League Central will be found by the WhiteSox.
In the league.
Which stars did not stay the same. Which contender made the most noise? Everything that happened before the deadline is here.
Those who won, those who lost and those who were in between.
There is a trade deadline tracker.
Every deal has a grade.
The Brewers get the last wild-card spot while the Padres barely make the playoffs.
Thankfully, the outrage caused by this results in the return of the traditional tie-breaker.
Individual players, as well.
Judge hit two home runs on the last day of the season to set a new record.
Five more players will get to at least 40 home runs this season, while Judge's chase for 60 will dominate discussion over the last month. What's the lesson? The biggest hitters in the game are still thriving despite all the talk about the decline of offense.
The Nationals lefty won't get to 20 losses on the season.
By the end of the season, "Narco" will be streamed over one billion times.
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