Which teams will be the fan favorites this September and October as the MLB postseason races really heat up?
We’re not talking here about the betting favorites. That’s for the brains in Vegas to decide, and they’ve pretty much already decided. In their book, it’s the Astros and Braves or Dodgers. No others need apply.
We’re talking about the rooting favorites … the teams that by their play or their history will draw the intrigue of fans whose own teams have already crashed and burned.
And since America loves an underdog, many of the fan favorites will for one reason or another also be among the least likely to actually win the World Series. That’s OK, too.
Who will be the fan favorites in the 2023 MLB postseason?
It’s a strange MLB postseason we’re coming up on; strange in that many of the regulars won’t be showing up. The Yankees, Cardinals and Red Sox (who among them have 59 October appearances since the Wild Card was created in 1995) are all out of the running. The Mets and Padres (with the Yankees the three highest-spending teams) are also dead and buried.
With less than three weeks to play in the regular season, 16 teams remain in plausible contention for a postseason shot. And as teams prove season after season, once you get in you have a chance to win it all.
Just since 2011, three teams that did not win their division won the World Series, and two others (including the 2022 Phillies) played in the Fall Classic.
Our standard for measurement is almost entirely subjective. That’s fine; there’s nothing rational about rooting interest. It consists of several factors:
1. How long has it been since the team actually won a World Series (the less recent, the better)?
2. Does the team bring fresh blood to the postseason, or is it loaded with October regulars (the fresher, the better)?
3. Does it have a high or low payroll (the lower, the better)?
4. Does it play an exciting brand of ball or are its victories methodical and boring?