With a few weeks to go in the MLB regular season the playoff race is heating up, there are a few teams that throughout the year have consistently impressed and look ready for a deep October run, and there are some teams that are in a position to surprise the baseball community. 

LA Dodgers

The first team that is prepared for a deep playoff run is the Los Angeles Dodgers. With a roster containing five current Allstars and one of the MVP frontrunners, it is no surprise that the Dodgers have already clinched their division. They have shown throughout the season that they are one of, if not the, most talented teams in the league. With an offense that has been second to none in production all year, the Dodgers offense looks suited to propel the team to the promise land. 

They rostered one of the most polished, and experienced rotations heading into the playoffs, headlined by the nine time all star and future first ballot hall of famer, Clayton Kershaw. On the year he is (7-3) with a 2.3 earned run average, and he has plenty of experience in them with over 20 starts in the playoffs including four career starts on baseball’s biggest stage. 

New York Mets

The second team that has shown true world championship potential is the New York Mets. They have the perfect combination of youth and experience in their lineup led by Fransico Lindor, and Pete Alonso. The lineup has been one of the most consistent and successful in the league with them boasting the second highest OBP (On-Base Percentage) in the league with a team average OBP of .327. Their rotation threatens to be second to none barring injuries, with arguably the most dominant pitcher himself, Jacob Degrom, taking the ball game one, and Max Scherzer looking to end his rehab stint in time to be the league’s best number two. The Mets bullpen that has surrendered the second least amount of runs on the year  in the league headlined by the Trumpet man himself Edwin Diaz. 

New York Yankees

The Yankees host one of the most cultured and historic organizations in baseball. It is no surprise they are building for a playoff run with the AL MVP in Aaron Judge paving the way for the Yankee faithful.

He is slashing 302/.403/1.090 and leads the league in home runs with 55 making him only six away from the MLB record. With such a presence in the box, it is easy to overlook the force the Yankees bring to the mound.  Gerrit Cole, Nelson Cortes Jr, and Jamison Taillon lead the way for the pitching staff; they look very capable of being able to be the last team standing once October hits. 

Houston Astro

The Houston Astros are one of the teams that is still looking to claim a spot in the playoffs, but it looks to be as they will have no struggles getting in. They currently hold a 13 game lead in the AL West making them a lock. They are led by a tried and experienced pitching staff, and one of the most explosive offenses to date. Veteran Justin Verlander leads the way for the rotation carving his way to one of the best years in his historic career,

followed up by a few arms of the future in Lance MCullers Jr, and Frambler Valdez who both have poster very impressive records to date. On the offensive side of the ball, there is eight time all star Jose Altuve, and a few more staples from their world championship team back in 2017 such as Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and one of the best left handed bats in the league Yordan Alverez. With all pieces considered, the team looks to be one of the best contenders for the title.