MLB Teams Poised to Make a Run at the Playoffs
By Nick Fustor
With the MLB season winding down, division races are tighter than ever. Here’s three teams capable of making a run at a playoff spot.
Entering the season, the league wide parity in MLB made it seem that virtually any team could make a run at their division championship.
The Arizona Diamondbacks capitalized on the momentum from their new uniforms and the signing of Zack Greinke to garner lots of interest as sleeper picks to win the NL West, while the Chicago White Sox got off to a hot start to lead the AL Central.
But the Diamondbacks lost A.J. Pollock for the season, and seemingly slipped into a pit that they’ve been unable to escape for the entire season. The White Sox quickly cooled down from their torrid start and are now under .500 without direction for the offseason.
Meanwhile, teams like the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants have dominated as expected. There’s been plenty of teams that dominated last season that have failed to gain any sort of momentum this year.
The reigning World Series champion Kansas City Royals were in a battle atop the AL Central for most of the season, but have slipped and are now mired under .500 beneath the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. The Boston Red Sox entered the season much like the Diamondbacks, riding the momentum of signing David Price, but have largely failed to overcome their otherwise weak pitching staff.
Down in Houston, the Astros got off to a horrid start after a surprise 2015 season – but have since rebounded and now have a shot at clinching a Wild Card spot. Similarly, the New York Mets have succumb to various injuries and are stuck competing with the upstart Miami Marlins and the dominant Washington Nationals.
Now that the season is nearly over, most of the playoff races are just getting going. Here’s three teams capable at making a run down the stretch.
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