2019 MLB PLAYOFFS - AL Team Reviews

The inaugural LOEGM MLB season is in the books. For some of us it was everything we could have hoped for and for others abysmal performances and the IL bug costs us our season. Regardless the first year was all that I hoped for when I started the league and then some. We will have some recap posts for the season as well as GM awards but this post is dedicated to a brief summary of the American League playoff teams, then as the playoffs progress we will have update posts twice a week (hopefully).

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#1 - Seattle Mariners (20-1) - Mikel P.

In terms of record alone this Mariners squad is one to be reckoned with. With their lone loss coming at the hands of the #2 seeded Boston Red Sox, Mikel leveraged his drafting strategy, a handful of trades, and an perfect division record to coast into the position where he was the first to clinch his division. The only caveat to his impressive finish is that the 2nd place Athletics went through a major renaissance, that had it occurred earlier in the year might have gave Mikel a run for his money. Regardless we should expect this squad led by the likes of Muncy, Rendon, and a surprisingly performing pitching rotation to remain in the conversation in the American league for years to come.

#2 - Boston Red Sox (19-2) - Bill C.

Bill's division title in the American League East is more impressive than you'd think. Despite having one of the best 1-2 keepers to start the year, we all know Chris Sale's season has been less than advertised. But this didnt stop Bill. Through an impressive draft (at 1.30) and effective trading Bill was able to bolster his squad through the likes of Arenado, Bell, adn Blackmon on the offensive side and Berrios and Minor on the pitching side. When you line him up against the other AL playoff teams you could argue that he should be in the top two for ALCS favorites. Regardless of his 2019 performance i would expect him to be a perennial defender of his division title and a formidable challenge for anyone trying to make the World Series.

#3. Cleveland Indians (15-6) - David S.

Though David cannot take credit for this squad given that he took over a division leader at the original owners request, he is definitely poised for a run at repeated titles if he can manage effectively. The 2019 record is aided by what was arguably the weakest and most inactive division in the league. Outside of the AL Central the Indians were just above .500 so look for him to upgrade via the draft and offseason trades as he will likely face a division challenge from the rebuilding and surging Royals among others.

#4. Oakland Athletics (17-4) - Aaron P.

Once the postseason wraps up, look for Aaron to be a prime candidate for AL MOY as he completely flipped the script on his squad in the span of a month. What started as a menagerie of blue chip prospects and young guns quickly turned into a contender with the deepest and strongest rotation in the league in terms of points scored. One could easily argue had he taken on the rebuild endeavor sooner that he might have challenged Seattle in the division. His only playoff struggle will be managing the deep rotation as in the Wild Card he has 6 SPs on one day with 3 slots. Regardless of the 2019 outcome look for Oakland to be a dominant force in the AL unless Aaron decides to have fun and flip back to his prospect focus.

#5. Tampa Bay Rays (16-5) - Harry K.

If it weren't for some untimely injuries this Tampa Bay squad would be a formidable opponent in the 2019 postseason. However, due to the roster limitations faced by Oakland this week we could be in for a surprise in Wild Card Week.

Regardless, Thanks to an effective draft strategy and a trade that netted him the newest member 30/30 club in Acuna Jr, Harry has built a squad built around marquee blue chip prospects and rookies that will be a challenge for any team not only in the postseason but in future years to come as the likes of Fried, Adames, Diaz, Lucceshi, and Mckay continue to develop to complete the stalwarts of Bogaerts and Acuna Jr.