In what has been quite possibly the greatest postseason in recent memory thus far, there have been quite a few major storylines as we sit here today four games through the NLCS & ALCS. If you haven’t been watching this years playoffs, here are the biggest things you might have missed.
Big Payroll is Back on Top- Much has been made of the New MLB postseason format, which was fully implemented in 2022, and how there is an incredible disadvantage for teams with the first-round bye. In 2022, we saw the 6th seed NL team make the World Series, and the same thing happened in 2023, and although the Mets are down 3 games to 1 to the Dodgers, it could happen again. Although the Mets were the last seed in the NL playoffs, they currently have the largest payroll in baseball, followed by the Yankees and the Dodgers. This is a great sign for the overall product of Baseball, as more casual fans will tune into to see the biggest names, in the biggest markets, playing the biggest games.
No Lead is Safe, not Even with the best Closers– Starting back in the Wild Card round, we saw some of the best closers in the MLB blow big games for their squads, and coast them the series. Josh Hader, the closer for the Astors, who is making more this season than the enite 26-man Postseason roster for the Tigers, came into the game late in Gm2, and let up 3 hits and a run, which was the end of the 2024 Astors season. In the National League, the Milwuakee Brewers had a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 9th, with their lockdown closer Devin Williams on the mound, who has a 1.83 Career ERA. He blew it giving up a three-run homer to Pete Alonso and the Brewers season was over. Even the best closer since Mariano Rivera, Emmanuel Clase, who let up 5 earned runs in 74 innings this season, has blown 2 saves, and let up 6 earned runs in 12 innings of work. The bright lights and pressure of October baseball has proven to be a major factor for everyone, and has made for some of the most epic moments in postseason history.
The Unsung Hero’s Strike Again– Most casual Baseball fans would not be remised if they haven’t heard the names Lane Thomas, Kike Hernandez, Brayan Rocchio & Mark Vientos. Thomas had a disappointing 2024, and the other three had good, not great regular seasons. But what they have achieved in the Postseason this year is what makes Baseball great.
Lane Thomas has risen his batting avg from .237 to .286 and his OPS from .709 to .930.Kike Hernandez is making a run at the new Mr.October raising his OPS from a dismal .654 to .900Brayan Rocchio has never been known for his bat, posting a .206 avg this year. In October he is batting .407 with an unfathomable 1.041 OPS.
  Those are the biggest things that jumped out to me thus far in the 2024 MLB Postseason, stay tuned for next weeks article where I will be doing a full World Series breakdown, and giving my prediction on what squad comes out on top.
