Los Angeles Dodgers
Contrary to popular belief, the National League representative will not be the St. Louis Cardinals. Instead, this will be the year that the Los Angeles Dodgers break through and prove they are the best team in baseball.
Talk of the Dodgers begins at the top of their starting rotation as they feature the best one-two punch in all of baseball with Clayton Kershaw and Zach Greinke. A telling statistic of a pitcher is their walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP), and both of these aces boast a WHIP under 1.00. That is simply remarkable.
There isn’t necessarily a star or lots of firepower throughout the Los Angeles lineup, but they have a handful of guys who are as steady as they come. Four-time all-star Adrian Gonzalez anchors the heart of the Dodger lineup, while Yasmani Grandal’s 15 home runs rank him third among all National League catchers.
The post-trading deadline acquisition of Chase Utley cannot go unnoticed. He’ll go alongside former (but once again curren)t teammate Jimmy Rollins, each of whom have unquestionably been two of the best middle-infielders of their era, and they’ll make one last push for another World Series ring.
Take a deep breath, Dodger fans. Your league-leading $273 million payroll will finally pay dividends. You have the best team in baseball.
— Matt Crusen
Kansas City Royals
The National League has the best teams this season, there’s no doubt about that. Three NL Central teams have three of the five best records in baseball, and the two other division leaders are certainly worthy of a World Series run.
However, the best team in baseball is in the American League, and they came within two runs of winning the World Series last year.
The Kansas City Royals were already a stacked club before the trade deadline. Offensively, they have fired on all cylinders the entire year. They just received a huge boost with the return of Alex Gordon from the disabled list, so their offensive numbers will continue to climb.
They already boast multiple starters with OBP’s over .340, and they are second in all of baseball with a .270 team average. Now with Gordon coming back, they will have an extra boost of power.
The addition of Johnny Cueto to their pitching rotation is what turned them from a good team into a true contender. Now, they have a bona fide ace, which is something the other team in the state of Missouri can’t say (sorry Wacha and Lynn; you’re not aces).
The best thing they have going for them is continuity and chemistry. Those aren’t measurable stats, but there’s something to be said about a team that has totally bought in to something larger than themselves. They want a championship badly, and they came so close last year. The best team in baseball won’t let glory escape them again.
— Alex Kryah
