2018 MLB Playoffs: Who Will Make National League Playoffs?
By Max Neibaur
Nine teams atop the 2018 National League Standings are vying for five MLB Playoffs slots. Three teams in the NL East, NL Central, and NL West will compete over the final month of the season to determine this year’s postseason.
The National League has a rich history of supplying some great moments of teams “winning the pennant” during the MLB Playoffs.
Perhaps none are greater than the one that happened shortly before the above picture from October 3, 1951. On that day, Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants hit a walk-off homer against the rival Dodgers to win the pennant and send his team to the World Series.
Which teams will make the final cut to make history this season? A look at pros and cons of the contending teams’ situations should give insight on the exciting race to the 2018 MLB Playoffs.
Just because the 2018 MLB Trade Deadline has past does not mean teams have finished swapping players.
On August 21, two NL Central teams poached a hitter a piece from the NL East’s Washington Nationals.
The Chicago Cubs picked up professional hitter Daniel Murphy and St. Louis acquired power hitter Matt Adams.
The Nationals did not bring much back in these trades causing some to scratch their heads.
Meanwhile, the Cubs and Cardinals will use their new players to help boost them into the MLB Playoffs. This puts additional pressure on the other NL Central team, the Milwaukee Brewers.
The NL East appears more and more like a two team race now as the Nationals shift focus more towards the future.
In the NL West, the preseason favorites were the Los Angeles Dodgers. Furthermore, the San Francisco Giants made moves to improve its club heading into 2018. But, the Dodgers find themselves in third place halfway through August and the Giants are no longer realistically in playoff contention.
The Arizona Diamondbacks overcame a very slow start from its superstar first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and are leading the NL West with momentum and time running out in the season The Colorado Rockies have surprised many by staying in the race despite a run differential of -12.
If the 2018 MLB Playoffs started August 21, the Dodgers and Nationals would be on the outside.
The Cubs, Braves and Diamondbacks would win the NL Central, NL East, and NL West, respectively, and the Brewers would secure homefield in the Wild Card game. The Phillies, Rockies, and Cardinals would tie for the final Wild Card slot.
That’s how close it is.