2020 MLB playoffs: One X-factor for each American League team
By Nick Stevens
Minnesota Twins- RHP Michael Pineda
The Minnesota Twins may not be mashing home runs at a record pace again this season, but they finally have a healthy Josh Donaldson, Byron Buxton is scorching hot heading in the playoffs, and Nelson Cruz has put up MVP-worthy numbers in 2020. Could this finally be the year the Twins find success in the postseason after a long stretch of misfortunes?
Without any off days, teams with deep pitching staffs are going to have an advantage. Kenta Maeda has very quietly put together a fantastic season and Jose Berrios has turned his season around and is once again pitching at an All-Star level.
The X-factor here is Michael Pineda. Pineda is back after serving a suspension for a banned substance and the seven-year MLB veteran has picked up from where he left off last season.
Through four starts, Pineda is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA (1.99 FIP), 21 strikeouts, four walks, and no home runs allowed. He’s already accumulated 1.0 fWAR and will get one more tuneup start against Cincinnati before the playoffs.
When your number three postseason starter would be the number one starter on a handful of other MLB teams, you have a rotation capable of taking a team deep into the postseason.
Chicago White Sox- OF Luis Robert
The Chicago White Sox don’t have a hole in their starting lineup. From MVP candidates Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu, to budding young stars like Yoan Moncada and Nick Madrigal, to reliable veterans like Yasmani Grandal and Edwin Encarnacion, every single hitter in this lineup will punish any pitcher not on their A-game with every pitch.
The X-factor, however, is noted rookie Luis Robert. Robert burst onto the scene in 2020, hitting .298 with nine home runs through the month of August with a 1.015 OPS and a 171 wRC+. Those elite numbers had him at the forefront of the AL Rookie of the Year conversation, but the numbers have significantly cooled off.
In 20 September games, Robert is hitting just .086 with one extra-base hit (a HR), a 37% strikeout rate, and a -2 wRC+. If Robert can even just split the difference here in the playoffs, the White Sox will continue to surprise MLB fans.
New York Yankees- OF Aaron Judge/ DH Giancarlo Stanton
No team in baseball was more dangerous than the Yankees down the stretch, even as injuries continued to pile up. An MVP-worthy season from Luke Voit and the emergence of Clint Frazier as a legitimate major leaguer both fueled the New York offense, a lineup that has recently seen two massive additions in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
It’s easy to point at both Judge and Stanton as X-factors for the Yankees heading into the postseason. Both have played in a combined 44 games this year and will have had about two weeks to get back into game shape once the playoffs start.
When healthy, they are one of the most feared duos in MLB and to add them to an already potent offense just doesn’t seem fair. No lead will be safe and no opponent to tough to overcome when the Yankees are at full strength.