It wasn’t all that long ago that the American League Wild Card race wasn’t just looking like the best race in baseball this year but also one of the best in recent memory. The second wild card has its flaws, but it’s undeniable that a new caliber of team is now involved in postseason races and it can make for some real excitement. Once upon a time about half the league felt it had a legitimate shot at making the postseason, and while it would be kind to describe these teams as “good” the quality of the race made up for the quality of the teams. Now, seemingly in the blink of an eye, the Twins are running away with the second wild card spot and it doesn’t appear they are going to get much of a challenge.
The once thrilling AL Wild Card race is falling apart
Sunday’s Say Hey, Baseball includes the Twins running away with a playoff spot, the rookie successes in 2017 and Bruce Maxwell’s statement.
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Minnesota certainly deserves plenty of the credit for running away in this race. This is a team that is starting to fire on all cylinders and they’re playing well over the last month or so. Granted, they aren’t dominating, but their 16-12 record would work out to over 90 wins over a full season. The offense is getting a vintage performance from Joe Mauer of late and Byron Buxton is finally looking like the player we all thought he’d be as a prospect. Their bullpen looks as strong as it has all year and Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson and Jose Berrios are forming a solid trio atop their rotation. In short, they’re hitting their stride at the best possible time.
All that being said, the real story with this American League Wild Card race is how the rest of the teams are falling apart. The Angels appeared to be the best challenger, but they’re losers of their last six and have suddenly fallen to 4.5 games back. Kansas City and Texas have had their chances to make a move but couldn’t make a run. The American League East contenders in Baltimore and Tampa Bay have fallen apart in September, and it’s been clear for the last week or two that they need to look forward to 2018. It seemed impossible that all of these teams could simultaneously fall out of the race before the final week of the season even starts, but barring a miraculous run that’s exactly what’s happening.
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- As the Brewers and Cubs continue their huge, thrilling series, Milwaukee got a massively important win on Saturday thanks to a walk-off dinger from Travis Shaw.
- Oakland has been out of contention for some time, but it was the focus of the baseball world on Saturday when catcher Bruce Maxwell became the first MLB player to take a knee during the national anthem. Good on you, Bruce.
- As it becomes more and more clear that this last go-around is not going to end in glory for the Royals, attention turns to 2018. For his part, Ned Yost fully believes he’ll still be in the dugout.
- Here is the latest update on Bryce Harper and when we can expect him to come back.
- The Diamondbacks knew they were getting a good hitter in J.D. Martinez when they acquired him at the trade deadline. He’s been better than they could have imagined and is in the midst of the best month in team history.
- Todd Frazier hasn’t been as impactful as Martinez, but he’s having a positive effect on the Yankees, both on the field and off of it.
- Joe Panik is the Giants’ best trade chip as they try to recover from this horrendous season, but things are never as easy as they seem.
- Tommy Pham has had one of the more surprising seasons in baseball, and he’s still getting better.
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