Originally published October 8, 2010
Yankees
The MLB playoffs are finally upon us.
After a grueling 162 game schedule the best team in baseball will be decided over the next month.
That team for the second straight year will be the New York Yankees.
The Yankees have the experience and most importantly the talent to win it all again.
New York’s lineup is the best in the playoffs and features four guys that can go yard at anytime.
With Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Robbie Cano in the middle of your lineup there isn’t an American League pitcher who isn’t dreading facing the Yankees.
To beat New York in a playoff series you will have to score runs early and often, but that will be a tough task for opponents.
CC Sabathia is the ace of the Yankees pitching staff and is a player who can carry a team through the playoffs. He is a workhorse who is expected to get a win every time he takes the mound. Every team needs a guy like that in the playoffs.
Phil Hughes, AJ Burnett and veteran Andy Pettitte complete a solid playoff rotation.
The Yankees have all the ingredients necessary to repeat. They have one of the scariest lineups in baseball and good enough pitching to win.
The Bronx Bombers will win its 28th championship in franchise history.
-Alex Ross
Rangers
Since their inception, baseball immortality has eluded the Texas Rangers. But with a new look from top to bottom, the time is now to reach those lofty heights.
Since Nolan Ryan took over as the team president and Jon Daniels became the youngest general manager in the game, a new brand of baseball has been played in Arlington.
In the ’90s, the Rangers were built on offense with the likes of Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez – an offensive juggernaut, but suspect pitching always held them back.
In the last few years, the Rangers have worked to build a farm system filled with pitching and now are seeing the benefits.
Potential AL Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz and C.J. Wilson lead a group of youngsters that can sneak into the postseason and turn some heads.
Having Cliff Lee, a Cy Young winner, at the front of the rotation also helps.
But unlike before, this Rangers team isn’t one dimensional like it was in the ’90s.
The Rangers still are the offensive powerhouse they were before. Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Nelson Cruz all turned in monster numbers and Vladimir Guerrero went from Angels’ outcast to designated hitting savior for Texas.
Their combination of power and speed, plus a more consistent rotation should cause headaches for the defending champion New York Yankees in the first round.
-Bill Hopkins
