The 6 Biggest X-Factors for the 2024 American League Playoffs
The 6 Biggest X-Factors for the 2024 American League Playoffs
Who has that DAWG in them?
If the season were to end today the American League playoff field would look like so…
American League:
Cleveland Guardians (73-52) {AL Central}
Baltimore Orioles (74-53) {AL East}
New York Yankees (73-53) {Wild Card}
Minnesota Twins (70-56) {Wild Card}
Kansas City Royals (70-56) {Wild Card}
Houston Astros (68-57) {AL West}
All I can think about lately are the MLB playoffs. I thought it would be a fun exercise to look through the 6 teams projected to be in the playoff field as of today and find each team’s X-Factor! Who can be the difference maker for these teams when it is crunch time?
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
What wins in the playoffs? Pitching. Gavin Williams needs to be the guy if the Guardians have aspirations to win some hardware in October. The thing is Williams can be that dude! He started the season on the Injured List with elbow inflammation and has not been nearly as effective as he was in 2023 as a rookie. If Williams can figure it out, the Guardians can roll out a scary 1-2 between Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams for a playoff run.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
If you pay attention to baseball you know that Baltimore has a starting pitching issue right now. I could be boring and pick a pitcher who needs to step up but honestly, I’d have to select the entire pitching staff if Baltimore is going to win in October. For that reason, I am going with recently acquired outfielder Eloy Jiménez. The 27-year-old “prodigy” is getting a 2nd chance with a much more talented roster. Since the move from Chicago to Baltimore he is slashing .341/.356/.787. If he can get the power going and keep making contact, the Orioles might have found a secret weapon for the playoffs. The lineup is already stacked but adding healthy and productive Eloy Jiménez is a game-changer for this lineup. Keyword…healthy.
NEW YORK YANKEES
This one is tough for me as I am a Yankees fan. I should be happy at 20 games over .500 but there is so much to worry about with this team. Will the starting pitching hold up? Do we have enough 7-8-9 inning guys in the bullpen to close out games? Is anyone going to be reliable besides Aaron Judge and Juan Soto to hit come playoff time? At the end of the day, I am picking the obvious one. Recall JASSON “THE MARTIAN” DOMINGUEZ and let him do his thing! The Yankees need more firepower in the lineup and Dominguez is just the player to be that spark plug.
MINNESOTA TWINS
I think it is noted that the Twins are my least favorite team in the big leagues. Personally, I just find this team boring. At least in my lifetime, they have not done much when it comes to the playoffs. Kudos to the Twins they did win the World Series two years before I was born. This one was also an obvious one to me. Byron Buxton just makes this lineup different. The numbers provided by statmuse help illustrate my point that this lineup is just a different animal with Buxton in the mix. The issue is he NEEDS to get healthy for the playoffs and stay healthy. Buxton is a monster when healthy but like our friend Eloy Jiménez, Mr. Buxton tends to miss games often as well.
Date Source - statmuse
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
PASQUATCH is on 🔥right now and he is the difference-maker for this lineup. Over the past month, Vinnie Pasquantino is hitting .333 AVG and pairing that with a .959 OPS. Not to mention he’s hit 7 home runs and 32 RBIs. Since the start of July the Royals are 23-17 and climbing in the very winnable American League Central standings. Kansas City needs Pasquantino to keep hitting up to his potential to give them a shot at advancing far in the playoffs.
HOUSTON ASTROS
It is not a question about Houston’s hitting on whether or not they can win in the playoffs. It is their pitching. The Astros have had their fair share of injuries to the pitching department this season. Jose Urquidy underwent Tommy John. Cristian Javier underwent Tommy John. Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) is done for the year. Luis Garcia (elbow) is ruled out for the year. Justin Verlander is not a spring chicken anymore and has dealt with some injuries this season. As Verlander makes his debut tonight we shall see how that goes. As for my X-factor in Houston, I am rolling with Spencer Arrighetti. If Spencer Arrighetti can continue to have outings like he did against Boston and Tampa Bay earlier this month, Houston can make things very interesting in the American League. Rolling out Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander, Hunter Brown Ronel Blanco, Yusei Kikuchi, and Spencer Arrighetti can be a sneaky good rotation come playoff time if all bodes well.