The 2022 MLB regular season is complete and the postseason field is set. After a 162-game grind, 12 teams move on to play in a brand new playoff format that will begin on Friday, October 7 with the Wild Card Series. Gone is the one-game, winner-take-all Wild Card Game and in comes a best-of-3 Wild Card Series that features the 3 wild card teams and lowest seeded division winner from each league. The top two division seeds from each league get a first-round bye. So the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta Braves will get to enjoy the first weekend of postseason baseball like the rest of us while they prepare for the Division Series. So let’s dive into the four Wild Card Series and preview how each team can move on to the next round on the path to October (and a little bit of November this year) glory.

American League

Cleveland Guardians (3) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (6)

The Cleveland Guardians have had themselves a surprisingly good season. It is a narrative they feed on after pretty much everyone didn’t expect them to make the postseason. Although they are the 3 seed, make no mistake about how good this team is and they’re playing their best baseball at the right time. Since September 5, they have a 23-6 record. The strength is their pitching, led by the big three of Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill, and Triston McKenzie. They also have arguably the best closer in the game in Emmanuel Clase. Offensively, a breakout season from Steven Kwan and great production from Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario compliment the great Jose Ramirez to give this team some legitimate depth in the lineup. It will be the first taste of the postseason for a majority of this team but they have, in my opinion, the best manager in baseball to lead the way in Terry Francona.

The Tampa Bay Rays have cruised their way to another postseason. They got the benefit of the expanded postseason format as they have not had a good September. There was a brief moment in August where they had a chance to catch the Yankees for the division but things haven’t gone too well since then. They have dealt with injury woes, losing players like Kevin Kiermier, Brandon Lowe, Shane Baz, Mike Zinino, and Andrew Kittridge for the season. They did see the return of Tyler Glasnow who will join a very good pitching staff including Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen. If there is one thing to never doubt about the Rays, it’s their organizational depth. Injuries are hitting this team hard but don’t count them out. The lineup features Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena, who seems to always have huge October performances.

The Guardians are clearly the better team in this matchup. They have a grit to them that is perfect for October and despite their inexperience, the leadership from the coaching staff will help a ton. The Rays just cannot match the Guardians depth in this matchup. Unless they get incredible performances from their pitching, I don’t see a way they can move on this postseason. My prediction is the Guardians win this series 2-1.

Toronto Blue Jays (4) vs. Seattle Mariners (5)

The Blue Jays had a rollercoaster of a season including having two managers but they find themselves as the top wild card. This team has been looked at as one of the next young, up and coming clubs for the last couple of years. They have a fantastic lineup, one that led all of baseball in batting average. Their bats are scary for any team to match up against. Where they run into trouble is pitching depth. Alex Manoah is a stud and he can beat anyone. Kevin Gausman has pitched much better down the stretch after a slow start. Past that, you don’t know what you’re going to get. The fan base in Toronto is one of the best in baseball and it will be rocking for these postseason games.

The Mariners finally ended their historic 21-year postseason drought in dramatic fashion with a walk-off home run by Cal Raleigh. Seattle came into this season with expectations to make the playoffs and they delivered. The pitching is definitely good enough to match up in a short series. Robbie Ray has put together a solid season and he joins veteran Marco Gonzalez, all star Luis Castillo, and the young arm of Logan Gilbert to complete a very competitive rotation. The offense is led by rookie phenom Julio Rodriguez. He along with the big bats of Ty France, Eugenio Suarez, and Mitch Haniger are parts of a good lineup that can be inconsistent at times but if they get hot at the right time, they are dangerous. This team is young and lacks October experience but there’s no doubting the talent. Hopefully Seattle can be rewarded with a home postseason game.

This is a fascinating series. I think it’s a much closer matchup than many people think. Both teams have a great fan base and so much young talent. I’m gonna love watching this series. To me, it comes down to which team can get the big hit at the right time. Although I picked Seattle to win on the podcast, after some more thought I’m gonna officially pick Toronto to win the series 2-1.

National League

St. Louis Cardinals (3) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (6)

The St. Louis Cardinals have had a magical season. They brought back Albert Pujols and he has his best season he’s had in a long time. The future Hall of Famer announced his retirement ahead of the season along with long-time Cardinals teammate Yadier Molina. The nostalgia is real but let’s also look at what really makes this team a great and that’s the dual threat of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. Both have put together MVP level seasons. The pitching is a bit of a question mark. They have dealt with injuries but Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright both can hold their own against any ball club. The Cardinals have a very rich and successful history in October and this team will be hard to beat.

The Philadelphia Phillies finally made the postseason (albeit just barely) after years of high expectations. They changed managers half way through the season and performances from everyone have been very inconsistent. A line up that features Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Rhys Hoskins, and Alec Bohm should, in theory, be a freaking force. They are good but not as good as they should be. The pitching is the same story. Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Kyle Gibson, and Noah Syndergaard should be much better than their stats and record have shown. This is a team that has the potential to be very good and can be a dark horse to go far. But they have yet to prove that.

The Cardinals are the easy pick in this series. There is something there though with the Phillies. It’s hard to ignore that talent on their roster. The Cardinals have talent too, very, very good talent that has consistently been good all season. I gotta take St. Louis to win this series 2-0.

New York Mets (4) vs. San Diego Padres (5)

The New York Mets blew a 10.5 game division lead to the red-hot Atlanta Braves and had to settle for the top wild card spot. A lot can be said for how the regular season ended but let’s not forget that this team finished the year with 100 wins. They are a very, very, very good team that can hit and pitch and have very few weaknesses (other than they are the Mets and they are great at disappointment). They have stars in the lineup with NL batting champ Jeff McNeil, 40 home run slugger Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Eduardo Escobar, and Starling Marte (if he returns from injury). Everyone knows about the pitching, led by Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, which came into this season as the best 1-2 rotation punch in baseball. It has the potential to be deadly to any team they face. deGrom has not looked sharp since his return from injury but that could all change once the postseason lights are on.

The San Diego Padres are back in the postseason after a disappointing 2021 season. You could argue that 2022 has been a disappointment too with so many injuries, underperformances and of course the Fernando Tatis Jr. saga. However, they find themselves playing in October and have a chance at moving on. The pitching is not as lethal as they had hoped but a 1-2 punch of Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove will hold up. Plus it looks like Josh Hader has found his stuff again after a rough start to his Padre career after getting traded. The offense is what concerns me with this team. Yes, they have Manny Machado who will certainly have some big hits but after that, who can you count on consistently? Juan Soto, for all his great potential, has not been himself all season. Maybe he can figure something out. I’m just not confident this lineup can get the job done against the best of the best in the National League.

When you look at this match up on the pitching end, it’s fairly close. But when you look at the lineups, the Mets dominate the Padres and it’s not even close. For that reason I have to pick the Mets to win this series. Because of my respect for Darvish and Musgrove, I think the Padres can get one win but the Mets will move on with a 2-1 series victory.

MLB Wild Card Series Preview