MLB League Divisional Series Picks

(H/T B-FLO 360)

Welp, here we are folks. After a long season, and the two Wild Card games last night, we have reached the League Divisional Series. Over the years we have been provided with great moments, games, and series as a whole and with the matchups we have now, I don't see a stinker anywhere. I don't even see a clear and concise favorite, even with my selections, and frankly any of these eight teams can make a run to get the Commissioner's Trophy. How will things shake out? I'm making my best bet here, so here we go.

American League

vs.

Oakland Athletics vs. Detroit Tigers

Game 1 | 6:00 PM ET | Saturday Oct. 6 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 2 | 12:07 PM ET | Sunday Oct. 7 | MLB Network | ESPN Radio

Game 3 | 9:07 PM ET | Tuesday Oct. 9 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 4 (If Necessary) | TBA |  Wednesday Oct. 10 | TBS or MLB Network | ESPN Radio

Game 5 (If Necessary) | TBA | Thursday Oct. 11 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Commentators: Don Orsillo, Buck Martinez, Jaime Maggio (TBS)

Matt Vasgersian, Jim Kaat, Sam Ryan (MLB Network)

Dave O'Brien, Aaron Boone (ESPN Radio)

Boy, who would have thought this would be an American League Division Series matchup? Even with how good the Tigers were supposed to be, they were left for dead for most of the season. A late season run later, and here they are in the postseason for the second consecutive season, a feat last accomplished in the 1930's. And speaking of surges, how about those Oakland Athletics? A five-game deficit in nine games in the AL West Division was nothing huge for them, and here they are in the underdog role again. 

The A's have done this all without a .300 hitter and most of their starters are below .290. Their best player has arguably been rookie Yoenis Cespedes, who caught a lot of heat for strangely signing with the A's in the offseason. He must have known something that we all didn't, and he has lived up to the hype this season. Had it not been for Mike Trout's incredible season, Cespedes would arguably be the Rookie of the Year in the American League. .292/.356/.505 with a .326 BABIP, 23 HR and 70 R scored are certainly not bad numbers for a rookie, lest we forget his awesome 138 wRC+. Josh Reddick looks like an absolute steal from Boston after giving up Andrew Bailey, and they have gotten good contributions from a very young pitching staff that will be put to the test this series. 

The Tigers were supposed to runaway with the AL Central. They didn't, but that doesn't matter anymore because they are in the playoffs again. MVP candidate and AL Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and AL Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander are certainly big reasons why, but don't over some other contributors. Austin Jackson is coming of age, and was one of the best leadoff hitters in MLB this season. And most certainly we can't forget the contributions of cleanup hitter Prince Fielder. Prince had career highs in BA (.313), BABIP (.321) and his lowest K% of his career at a minuscule 12.2%. That honestly might be the most impressive thing of all given the 'slugger' label that Prince has.

Pick: When you look at this series on paper, you think to yourself, "how can the Tigers lose?" However, as we have learned with the Oakland Athletics, you can't write them off or count them out. Still though, I think that it certainly helps out the Tigers that they start this eries off at home where they were 50-31 in the regular season. On the other hand, the A's are 44-37 on the road, which is definitely going to help them out. I can see this fiery Oakland club stealing a game in Comerica, which may occur tomorrow afternoon, but I think that the Tigers will eventually come away with a victory in this series. Verlander will pitch well enough for the Tigers to get the bats going and for as great of a story that the A's have been, I don't think that this story will continue on. I could be proven wrong though, and certainly, I wouldn't be surprised if I was.

Result: Detroit Tigers in 4 games

vs.

Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees

Game 1 | 6:15 PM ET | Sunday Oct. 7 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 2 | 8:07 PM ET | Monday Oct. 8 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 3 | TBA | Wednesday Oct. 10 | TBS or MLB Network | ESPN Radio

Game 4 (If Necessary) | TBA | Thursday Oct. 11 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 5 (If Necessary) | TBA | Friday Oct. 12 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Commentators: Ernie Johnson, Cal Ripken, Jr., John Smoltz, Craig Sager (TBS)

Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser (ESPN Radio)

Paging 1997, where for art thou? An AL Easat battle that nearly came down to the end of the regular season has bled its way into the Postseason. Frankly, for both parties, this is the best situation that could have happened. Unless it occurred in the ALCS, of course. What we have here is your classic David versus Goliath situation. The Baltimore Orioles have defied logic all season and now stand seven victories from a World Series appearance. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees not only stand seven victories away from a World Series appearance but also from an unprecedented 41st American League Championship. How will things shake out in this series? Well, time will tell, but I'll give it my best shot.

As its been said, I love what the Orioles have done this season. No matter the situation, no matter the foe, no matter the player ont he roster, everybody has found their own way of contributing. Whether it's Adam Jones, Mark Reynolds, rookies Manny Machado and Wei-Yin Chen, veteran outcasts Lew Ford and Nate McLouth, ring-searcher Jim Thome, homegrown talent Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters, everybody has done something to make this remarkable push to the playoffs. Buck Showalter is clearly one of the best managers in baseball and ran circles around Ron Washington last night. After taking down one of his former teams, he now looks ahead to another.

The New York Yankees of course, resemble Goliath in this matchup. They're the big dogs of the American League East. They have 27 World Series Championships and 40 AL Pennants. They have the All-Star lineup, and a solid enough pitching staff and a pretty good bullpen. Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter have been the best hitters that the Yankees have had all season. Curtis Granderson may have 43 HR, but his average greatly dipped in the second half. Some other things of note are that the Yankees this season were 1st in SLG, 8th in BA, 2nd in runs scored, and 2nd in OBP. This is no doubt a juggernaut offense, but their pitching inconsistencies may do them in later on.

Pick: I picked the New York Yankees in the beginning of the season to win the World Series over the Cincinnati Reds. At this point, I'm not going to change that. Yes, Baltimore, much like Oakland, has had a remarkable run. However, I feel that in both cases, both of these teams are running into foes that are just too much for them. Baltimore and Oakland had the luxury to run into a choking Texas ballclub that is definitely going to have a lot of changing to do this offseason. For Baltimore in this series, I think they play the Yankees close, but the Yankees will at the end of the day clinch a berth into the ALCS after a tough five game series.

Result: New York Yankees in 5 games

National League

vs.

San Francisco Giants vs. Cincinnati Reds

Game 1 | 9:37 PM ET | Saturday Oct. 6 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 2 | 9:37 PM ET | Sunday Oct. 7 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 3 | 5:37 PM ET | Tuesday Oct. 9 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 4 (If Necessary) | TBA | Wednesday Oct. 10 | TBS or MLB Network | ESPN Radio

Game 5 (If Necessary) | TBA | Thursday Oct. 11 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Commentators: Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, Joe Simpson, Tom Verducci (TBS)

Gary Cohen, Rick Sutcliffe (ESPN Radio, Games 1, 2)

Chris Berman, Rick Sutcliffe (ESPN Radio, Games 3, 4, 5)

Now if there is a LDS series that I think can turn into an instant classic, it's this one in my estimation. Despite the Nationals' incredible record, I think that these two teams were the best in the National League all season. I had high hopes for the Reds this year and guess what? They have lived up to them so far, even without the presence of Joey Votto for much of the season. He's back now, he's healthy, and The Big Red Machine are poised to make a big run this postseason. But on the other hand, you have the San Francisco Giants, your 2010 World Series Champions, who have looked equally as impressive since the All-Star Break. They took the NL West division from the Dodgers and rarely looked back. Buster Posey has put up MVP-like numbers and Matt Cain looked like a stud. What's to happen here?

As noted, the Reds have big time dreams this year. For a while, Votto looked like the surefire pick for MVP. But he went out with an injury in the summer, and the rest of the team did a damn godo job of keeping afloat with a fiery Pittsburgh Pirates team on their tail, as well as the St. Louis Cardinals. Part of that is because of rookies like Todd Frazier and Zack Cozart. I picked Cozart to be ROTY in the preseason, but Todd Frazier has certainly made a big case for himself. Being from New Jersey helps out, too. Brandon Phillips has looked like the best second baseman in the National League this season, and an under-the-radar player that I think can play a big role in this series is Ryan Ludwick. Ludwick was signed for cheap this season and boy did he exceed expectations. His .531 SLG was second on the team to Joey Votto, and he hit 26 HR with a ridiculous .256 ISO. Johnny Cueto may not win the Cy Young, but he has been a very good pitcher and their bullpen has been fantastic. 

That isn't to say that the San Francisco Giants haven't been equally as impressive. Despite being 12th in runs scored and 18th in SLG, they were 5th in BA and 8th in OBP. What also helps was that they were 5th in Team ERA (3.68), 9th in Team FIP (3.78), and only allowed a .248 BA against hitters. Matt Cain was my Cy Young pick and unfortunately his stats don't quite match up to the prime contenders, but that sure as heck isn't to say that he didn't have a great year on the mound. Cain and Cueto might be the best pitching matchup you'll see in the League Divisional Series. The Giants definitely have a lot to like as well, and certainly if they prove me wrong, they can be great.

Pick: Much like the Yankees pick, I can't shy away from my Reds pick in the offseason. Nothing has changed with this, but I do like San Francisco to make things interesting. In fact, I think this series is going to be your prototypical "team wins at home" series, so expect San Francisco to go up 2-0, but then fall 3-2 in Cincinnati as the Reds will move onto the NLCS for the first time since 1990, when they won the whole dang thing.

Result: Cincinnati Reds in 5 games

vs.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals

Game 1 | 3:07 PM ET | Sunday Oct. 7 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 2 | 4:37 PM ET | Monday Oct. 8 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 3 | TBA | Wednesday Oct. 10 | TBS or MLB Network | ESPN Radio

Game 4 (If Necessary) | TBA | Thursday Oct. 11 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Game 5 (If Necessary) | TBA | Friday Oct. 12 | TBS | ESPN Radio

Commentators: Dick Stockton, Bob Brenley, David Aldridge (TBS)

Jon Sciambi, Chris Singleton (ESPN Radio)

The Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals. The upstart team that's been looking for glory against the defending World Series Champions. The story writes itself to be honest, and this definitely has a chance to provide for some epic encounters. The Nationals definitely have a lot of strengths on the mound, a boastful young rookie, and a lot of key roleplayers. The Cardinals have been sneaky all season, and we saw last year what giving them an opportunity in October can do for them. In a series that seemed pretty improbable in the offseason, here we are today.

Is it deja vu again for the Cardinals? Last year they got into the dance thanks in part to the Atlanta Braves gaffing it up, and then they played a NL East team in the first round and won in five games. Obviously, the Phillies are certainly not the Nationals, but the similarities are a bit eerie. Nonetheless, I do worry about the Cardinals in regards to their pitching. Yes, Kyle Lohse has been sensational this year but what else are they going to do? Adam Wainwright has been hot and cold this year, Chris Carpenter just came back, and the rest of their staff has not been much to speak of. And yet, their offense has been great, and they always seem to find some way to pull something out of their butts. The veteran presence is really remarkable.

And going from veteran presence to a team with a lot of guys who are craving success, the Nationals certainly were a team that nobody thought would win nearly 100 games. That's baseball for you though, and here we are. Bryce Harper at just 19 years old nearly had a 20/20 season, which is really remarkable. Normally 19 year olds are playing in Rookie ball or A-ball, not doing what Harper did this year. The Nats pitching staff was sensational as well, boasting a 3.54 FIP, an 8.12 K/9 (1,325 K) and just let up a .232 BAA. With Stephen Strasburg shut down, it will be Gio Gonzalez that most likely will be looked as the Nats' ace, and for good reason too. Don't overlook Jordan Zimmerman either.

Pick: Even with how the Nationals' staff looks against the Cardinals, I still expect this to be a close-played series. Even with how St. Louis is un-count-out-able, I'm still going to do it and say that the Nationals advance to the National League Championship Series. I just like their pitching staff too much, and with some timely hitting from the likes of Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, and Adam LaRoche I expect them to do very, very well. The Cardinals could pull their usual shtick and waltz to another World Series, but I am not counting on it. This one goes the distance, too. 

Result: Washington Nationals in 5 games