MLB 2022 PLAYOFF PREVIEW
THE DRAMA OF THE MLB PLAYOFFS ARE HERE!!!
The regular season did not end how Toast wanted, and that is putting it nice! Last year he did call the Braves and Astros world series. He had the Astros winning, but still a nice call. Here is a message from Toast..
" What up guys, sorry about the shit last month. I am putting that behind me and I am very excited for the playoffs. Any google search can find you previews of these series. So I do something just a litte different. I am going to show you stats like base running, strikeout rates, things of that nature. Things that may go under the radar, but can come in very handy in the postseason. this is kinda baseball nerd stuff, but I got a lot of messages about the one from last year so I hope you enjoy it. "
Toast will have plays for all the games tomorrow as well as the rest of the post season.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS RIGHT???
dWAR is a stat that takes a ton of things into consideration, to value a team or players performance.
Teams to watch:
As you can see teams like the Mets and the Phillies are at a huge disadvantage when to comes to defense.
Yankees even with not winning games were able to continue to play great defense all year.
Cleveland, yet again another thing they do well.
Runs From Base Running.
Trust me when I say base running is important.
Teams to watch:
As you can see teams like the Mets, Padres and Blue Jays have some real trouble compared to the rest of the field. Good news the bottom 4 teams all play each other in the first round.
Can Cleveland continue to take bags?
Will the Cards be more aggressive being home playing a team like the Phillies who do not play defense well?
Ground into Double Plays
How irritating is it when a team get a man on base and then hits into a double play and it kills the threat? I look at that as well, especially for the post season.
As you can see, some teams like the Blue Jays and Mets really have a issue with this, where teams like the Dodgers can avoid it with the speed and power at the top of the lineup.
Teams to watch:
Mets have to do something with Marte out to fix this issue. I trust Buck knows this.
Rays will need to continue to stay out of harms way on the base paths, considering how well Cleveland can play defense.
WHO HAS THE POWER??
ISO measures the raw power of a hitter by taking only extra-base hits -- and the type of extra-base hit -- into account. For example, a player who goes 1-for-5 with a double has an ISO of . 200.
Teams to watch:
Phillies solid at .170, can they get hot?
Cleveland has a very low ISO, can they generate some power?
Cardinals are not really as high as you may expect.
At Bats Per Strikeout
Power is great, but at the same time, in the post season the pitching is just better. I like teams who are going to put the ball in play. Cleveland the best averaging 4.9 at bats per stikeout. so pretty much only 1 out of 5 Guardian batters srikeout.
Teams to watch:
Mets do not have a great ISO power number, but as you can see a low K rate helps ease that pain.
Yankees seem to be long ball or strikeout, do not love that.
Stolen Bases and Stolen Base Percentage
Teams that can cause havic on the bases can be really hard to plan for. So here is 2 lists. the first is stolen base percentage, and the other is just straight stolen bases. You can see a team like the Padres do not steal much, and Phillies 2nd amound playoff teams with 105 swipes, but only 5th in percentage.
Teams to watch:
Dodgers. If they are stealing bases at a high clip and hitting like they have been, they could outscore every one.
Padres. Gotta switch it up somehow.
MLB Post Season Bracket Predictions
Wild Card Round: ( series price)
Cleveland over Tampa Bay (-125)
Cleveland is playing at home, which matters to me considering the Rays are only 35-46 on the road this year and 51-30 at home. Rays lost four of their six games against the Guardians this year as well. Tampa may have a tiny edge starting wise with McClanahan and now Glasnow back, but at the same time Bieber, McKenzie and Quantril have been great all year. The Cleveland bullpen has been lights out as well. Guys like James Karinchak have came in really excelled in the set up man role. Clase in the back end shutting it down. Rays ended the season on a 8-18 since september 10th, while Cleveland is 24-6 their last 30.
Toronto over Seattle
This comes down to pitching for me. Game 1 is a wash with Castillo and Manoha, but I think Toronto has the pitching advantage after that, not to mention the Bats to go with it. I consider the bullpens to be a wash as well. I would not be surprised if we see a game 3 in this series, but having all 3 games in Toronto is what pushed me to the Jays.
Phillies over Cardinals
This could make me look really dumb, but I have to take the dog in this series. The pitching is a wash, and I know the Phillies can be very up and down at times, but the pitching has been better and the Bats can be deadly if they are producing. I know how well the Cardinals play at home, I think the Phillies have the momentum and kinda playing with house money. I like that! RING THE BELL!!
Padres over Mets
This was so hard. I could be way wrong here, but the Padres are the play for me. Mad Max and deGrom have reallly not pitched lights out to end the regular season. Darvish, Snell, Musgroove were. I think the Mets missing Marte is really going to hurt them this series, not having his speed on the bases.
Division Series
Guardians over Yankees
I am sorry, I just do not trust this Yankees team. Yes the lineup can be good, but the pitching is so up and down. I know Cleveland is young, but they have a manager who knows how to win, and they do all the little things right.
Bad Guys over Blue Jays
This is Astros baseball. They win in the postseason. For real, that is all I have to say, Ill see you in the ALCS.
Phillies over Braves
You think I like typing this?? YO for real I hate it, but bare with me. It is very hard to repeat in MLB, which the Braves are trying to do. Do you trust Jansen and that pen? I am sorry I do not. Now the Phillies, they played the Braves close this year going 8-11, but there was multiple 1 run games and a few Phillie bullpen blowups. It is asking a shit ton of that Phillies bullpen, but they have shown at times they can pitch well. Keep in mind the Phillies were winning a lot during the 2nd half of the season. Does the Defense worry me? yes! but at the same time, everyone is healthy now, I expect that to improve.
Padres over Dodgers
We have seen the Dodgers stuggle in the post season before. This series was hard for me. It is hard to know what you are going to get from the Dodgers pitching staff. I know they have been good all year, but they are also dealing with guys like Tony Gonsolin coming back from injury. Padres if they beat the Mets will be flying high, and if Hader continues to pitch well, the Padres have a great shot at beating the Dodgers. Not to mention everyone is picking the Dodgers. I just do not like that.
Championship Series
Bad Guys over Guardians
This is my betting team. Astros have been there and done that. I think they are the most complete team in MLB, and while everyone is talking about the Dodgers, I think the Bad Guys with Lance, Framber, Garcai and Javier can match up with anyone. Not to mention the power up and down the lineup.
Padres over Phillies
Look, I know this is not the Matchup that everyone expected. At the same time there is a shit ton of talent on both teams. Harper, Soto, Nola, Darvish, Snell, Schwarber to name a few. I just really think the way Snell and Darvish have pitched. Add on Musgroove and Hader are both starting to find a groove. last year we saw 2 teams from the wild card round make it to CS, one from both the AL and NL. I think this year, the 2 of NL wild card teams face off for a spot in the fall classic.
World Series
Bad Guys over Padres (+4500)
If you know me, you knew I was taking Houston. I love this team. I think they have the deepest, most experienced lineup, along with the best pitching staff in MLB. They were just shy of the goal last year and ran into a great Braves team. I think this year the Bad Guys find a way to win another title.
Word Series MVP
Yordan Alvarez
POST SEASON BETS