Four Teams Left: Here's What To Expect in the 2023 MLB Playoffs
- Nathaniel Wiley
- Oct 16, 2023
- 6 min read
The second-to-last round of the 2023 MLB Playoffs is officially underway, with the American League Championship Series (ALCS) having starting on Sunday and the National League Championship Series (NLCS) beginning Monday. There are so many interesting players and talents to watch in these two series, and many big storylines. So, compiled into one article, here's what to expect from the remaining teams in the 2023 MLB Playoffs. Here you'll find the top three players to watch out for each team, and the biggest storylines in each series.
ALCS: Rangers (TEX) vs Astros (HOU)
Rangers:
3. The Bullpen
The Rangers bullpen has been lights out so far this postseason, combining for only three runs allowed. Three of the Rangers' five bullpen arms (the five being those who've pitched already) have a 0.00 ERA and their fourth bullpen arm has a 1.50 ERA so far. The bullpen has pitched in a total of 16 appearances, which adds up to roughly 12.5 innings pitched. Backing up a pretty well-rounded starting staff, the Rangers' bullpen will be a large factor in this series against Houston.
2. Corey Seager (Shortstop)
Seager, acquired by the Rangers after he left the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been nothing short of fantastic this season. During the 2023 Regular Season, Seager hit .329 with 33 homers, 96 RBI, and a .390 on base percentage. His batting average was second in the American League, following only Yandy Diaz of the Tampa Bay Rays (.330). This postseason, Seager has been even better, batting .389 with a homer, three RBI, and seven hits across 18 at-bats. And even though he doesn't have the best batting average on the team this Postseason (Josh Jung, third baseman - .391), he's certainly a force to be reckon with, and an extremely consistent one, too.
1. Jordan Montgomery (Starting Pitcher)
Although his start against Baltimore in the 2023 ALDS wasn't his best (allowed four runs on nine hits in four innings), his other two Postseason starts have been fantastic. In the first game he pitched, he helped the Rangers to shut out the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card, pitching seven shutout innings. His most recent start, in Sunday's ALCS Game 1, resulted in another Rangers win, in which he pitched just over six innings, allowing no runs and five hits. His Regular Season wasn't great (3.20 ERA, 10 wins, 11 losses), but his Postseason has certainly been fantastic this year.
Astros:
3. Christian Javier (Starting Pitcher)
Javier has only made one appearance this postseason, but it was a fantastic one, against the Twins in the ALDS. He pitched a gem, going 5 innings with no runs and only one hit allowed. He also struck out nine batters. During the regular season, he was 10-5 with a 4.56 ERA, and entered the Postseason on a roll, after posting a 2.30 ERA pitching in two Astros wins in his last three Regular Season starts.
2. Jose Abreu (First Base)
Although he only has a .300 average this postseason, he has been effective and has knocked in a lot of runs this Postseason. Abreu, age 36, has eight RBI and three homers this October. During the Regular Season, he hit .237 with 18 homers and 90 RBI.
1. Yordan Alvarez (Left Field)
A Postseason article simply wouldn't be complete without Yordan Alvarez. During his career in the Postseason, Alvarez has hit .267 with twelve homers, 34 RBI and a .373 on base percentage. This Postseason he's been amazing as well, posting .391 with SIX homers and eight RBI. Half of his career Postseason homers have come from this year alone, and in just over one full series. Not to mention the fact that he's been battling a virus while playing, which hasn't seemed to hinder his abilities at all.
Biggest Storyline: "The Battle For Texas," as some call it, is one of the biggest storylines this Postseason. The two teams will be fueled by the Texas baseball rivalry to win the series. Although the Rangers were founded first, the teams have shared players, and met many times during regular season play since the Astros (originally the Houston Colt .45s) were founded in 1962. One shared player, and perhaps the most notable, was Nolan Ryan, who played for both teams, resulting in a large turnout for an Astros-Rangers game in 1993. The two teams have also had multiple benches-clearing arguments over the past few seasons.
ALCS: Diamondbacks (ARI) vs Phillies (PHI)
Diamondbacks (excerpted from this month's D-backs Newsletter):
3. Starting Rotation
OK, well, technically this is more than one player, but the starting pitching staff was amazing versus the Dodgers, supported by an already lights-out bullpen. They've been pretty spot-on throughout the entire Postseason, too. Over these past five postseason games, the three starters (Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt) have combined for (roughly) a 2.35 ERA, allowing 7 runs on 22 hits. And compared to the Dodgers abysmal pitching performance in the Postseason, that's pretty darn good. The rotation was especially great against the Dodgers, with Merrill Kelly pitching 6.1 innings, allowing no runs on three hits and striking out five. Zac Gallen pitched well against them as well, pitching 5.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out four. Both Gallen and Kelly earned wins in those starts. Brandon Pfaadt has pitched in two games, and although he struggled a bit against Milwaukee, he settled in against L.A., pitching 4.1 innings, allowing no runs on 2 hits and 2 strikeouts. Impressive for a rookie in his first Postseason.
2. Ketel Marte (2nd Base)
A main piece in the D-backs' 2017 Postseason run, Marte has been fantastic this October, posting a .318 batting average with two homers, a double, seven hits and a stolen base. What more could you want from a star player? Oh, yeah, he's also got 4 RBIs and has scored four times. Safe to say the D-backs picked the right player from 2017 to keep around.
1. Corbin Carroll (Center Field/Right Field)
As far as candidates for Rookie of the Year go, he's certainly the frontrunner. Carroll has been praised for his mature approach to the game, but also his amazing defense in the outfield. Carroll was a member of a group of D-backs who played in the 2023 All-Star Game, as well. In the 2023 season, Carroll hit .285 with 25 homers, 54 stolen bases, and 161 hits. Carroll was the first rookie in MLB history to have a 25/50 season. Over these past five Postseason games, Carroll is batting .412 with two homers, seven hits, a double, two stolen bases and six walks. All of that in five games. Wow. Nothing more to say about him, just wow.
Phillies:
3. Nick Castellanos (Right Field)
During the 2023 MLB Postseason, Castellanos is batting .391 with four homers and five RBI. In the past he wasn't great in playoff baseball, batting only .231, with only one homer. This season, he made history this postseason by becoming the only player to have multiple-homer games in consecutive playoff games. He also hit two homers in a single game against the Braves in the NLDS.
2. Bryce Harper (First Base/Designated Hitter)
Harper has been a superstar over his career, and had a great Regular Season this year. During the 2023 season, Harper hit .293 with 21 homers and 72 RBI. Harper, over his career, has the most Division Series homers in history, that magic number being 10. This Postseason, Harper is batting .368 with seven hits and three homers. Harper won Rookie of the Year in 2012, and has been a consistently good player since then. It is Harper's 31st birthday today, and he hit a solo homer off of D-backs ace Zac Gallen in the first inning of Monday's NLCS game 1 to celebrate. He has been unstoppable so far... can the D-backs keep him at bay?
1. Zach Wheeler (Starting Pitcher)
As far as Postseason pitchers go, Wheeler might be one of the best this year. Wheeler pitches primarily in the strike zone, and has twenty strikeouts so far in October. In his career in the Postseason, he's been fantastic, posting a 2.54 ERA in 9 games. This year, Wheeler has a 1.93 ERA in the playoffs, being the winning pitcher in one of his three games pitched. Wheeler has looked fantastic so far in Game 1 of the NLCS, with two dominant first innings backed by Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber's two first inning homers.
Biggest Storyline: Two former teammates turned managers facing off. That's right, the managers of the D-backs and Phillies, Torey Lovullo (D-backs) and Phillies manager Rob Thomson both met as young ballplayers in Lakeland, Florida. They were both teammates for the Lakeland Tigers in the minor leagues. Now, they face off in what is sure to be a very entertaining Diamondbacks vs Phillies series.
Citations available here.
Thank you for reading!
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