The month of October is drawing near and the MLB Postseason have arrived.
The playoffs are looking very chaotic and eventful this year, with the World Series favorite being the Toronto Blue Jays according to FanDuel. The Milwaukee Brewers aren’t too far off either, with a dominant record of 97-65. But I want to focus on some under the radar teams who I think can go far in the playoffs that people aren’t giving enough credit.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs currently hold the top Wild Card spot in the National League. Although they have been a hit or miss team this season, they can dig deep and go far. With the playoffs starting Sept. 30, the Cubs will have to play the San Diego Padres, who they are 3-3 against for the season.
The Wild Card series is a best of three. If they get past the Padres, they would then need to beat the Brewers who they are 7-6 against in 2025, in a best of five series. After that it gets messy to predict.
The Cubs offense hasn’t been bad this season. They are ranked fifth in the National League in runs scored with 793. They are also 3rd in the NL in Home Runs with 223. They are second in the NL in Stolen Bases with 161. 35 of those stolen bases are thanks to Center Fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Their pitching hasn’t been bad either, as they have the 5th lowest ERA in the NL with 3.79. (tied with the Phillies) The batting average against the Cubs is the 6th lowest in the NL with .239. The pitching’s best feat is they have the lowest number of walks in all of the Major League with 405. Overall, the Cubs are an underdog team that could see some success on the National League side of the bracket.
New York Yankees
You may be wondering how a team that made the World Series last years is considered an “underdog” team, but the New York Yankees finished in a wild card spot this season, as the Blue Jays won the division. Yankees captain and dominant hitter, Aaron Judge, missed a couple of games this season, which drastically hurt their chances at clinching the American League East division.
The Yankees offense, led by Judge, is arguably some of the greatest in baseball. Judge has the second highest amount of homers in the AL with 53. He also has the highest batting average with .331. The Yankees currently lead the majors in home runs with a whopping 274. The next closest team is the Dodgers with 244. They also have the highest SLG percentage with .455, the highest number of runs with 849, and the highest amount of RBI’s with 820. Their pitching hasn’t been as good as their offense, with a ERA of 3.91, the 7th lowest in the AL. They do however have the second most number of strikeouts in the AL with 1440 K’s. They also have the fifth lowest home run allowed in the AL with 175.
The Yanks will be facing off against their hated rival, the Red Sox. The Red Sox are currently 9-4 with the Yankee’s this season, but once the playoffs start anything could happen. If they can make it past the Red Sox, they’d face off against the Blue Jays for the division series. The Jays are 8-5 against the Yanks this season.
While the odds are stacked against the Yankees in the playoffs, let’s remember that this team did make it to the World Series last year, and that it’s anybody’s ball game.
