October fifteenth, 2023
Eventually, we all know the 4 groups that may populate every of our League Championship Collection. We now have the Phillies, a raucous, brash and joyously intense crew with a house crowd that matches their distinctive charisma and noise. We now have the D-backs, essentially the most unlikely crew to have made it this far and one which, it ought to be stated, has but to lose on this postseason. We now have the Rangers, a crew that can be but to lose this October and has a few of its key gamers coming back from damage simply after they want them essentially the most. And we’ve got the Astros, the defending champions, attempting to do one thing that hasn’t been accomplished this century: Win two World Series in a row.
Every of those groups has its personal dramas and storylines and narratives, however it’s what occurs if you mix these groups collectively, in theoretical World Collection matchups, that they’re essentially the most fascinating. Because the ALCS preps to start on Sunday evening (and the NLCS on Monday), right here’s a take a look at the main theme of every of the 4 potential World Collection matchups. One among these goes to truly occur. Right here’s what we’ll be speaking about when it does.
Phillies-Rangers: The Free Company Works! Collection
Each Sizzling Range season, you hear it from the effectivity consultants: Signing gamers to mega-contracts is a dangerous technique! These are gamers coming into their decline phases with contracts which might be destined to prove poorly! Nicely, the Phillies and Rangers could be two extraordinarily high-profile refutations to that notion.
These groups have been in some ways constructed with free company. The Phillies spent massive to usher in all their stars: Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Zack Wheeler, even Craig Kimbrel. And the Rangers have been even extra all-in on free brokers. This franchise introduced its insistence on busting out of the AL West cellar by paying massive cash to Corey Seager and Marcus Semien (in addition to Jon Grey) previous to 2022, then adopted it up a 12 months later with Jacob deGrom (who, in fact, received’t be right here) and Nathan Eovaldi. The subsequent time a crew govt tries to argue that they shouldn’t be spending cash within the offseason, if this matchup occurs, you’ll merely have to level to the World Collection. Spending is how they acquired right here.
D-backs-Rangers: The Fast Rebuild Collection
We’ve already established how the Rangers turned themselves round — spending! — however we haven’t actually regarded that carefully at simply how shortly they did it. The Rangers misplaced 102 video games simply two seasons in the past, with a crew that gave common at-bats to gamers like David Dahl, Eli White, DJ Peters and Brock Holt. (That crew acquired 24 begins from Mike Foltynewicz!) It’s not like final 12 months was significantly better: They misplaced 94 in 2022.
However that’s nonetheless a greater complete file than the D-backs have had during the last two seasons. They misplaced a surprising 110 video games in 2021, a 12 months through which Zac Gallen went 4-10. (It’s laborious to even think about Zac Gallen going 4-10.) They weren’t fairly as dangerous final 12 months, shedding 88 video games, however this definitely wasn’t a crew anybody ticketed for the World Collection anytime quickly. However Corbin Carroll – the NL Rookie of the Yr frontrunner — gave the crew a bona fide celebrity. Ketel Marte acquired wholesome and performed like an All-Star. Christian Walker continued to indicate he’s one of many higher late-bloomers in current historical past. Oh, and Gallen was a Cy Younger contender. Voila, you might have a contender.
In case your crew is struggling, even when it has been struggling for some time, these two groups are proof {that a} turnaround for you possibly can be simply across the nook.
Astros-D-backs: The David vs. Goliath Collection
It’s tough, in a league with simply 30 groups, in a sport the place last-place groups win collection over first-place groups on a regular basis, to attempt to discover a true large underdog on the market. However this one is about as shut as you possibly can come, proper? The Astros simply reached their seventh straight ALCS, and are attempting to make the World Collection for the fifth time in seven years. They’re additionally attempting to change into the primary crew to win two consecutive World Collection for the reason that 1998-2000 Yankees. That was a very long time in the past. It was such a very long time in the past that the D-backs — of their final World Collection look — have been the crew that ended that streak. The D-backs received solely 84 regular-season video games, and have been thought-about by some to be the worst crew heading into this postseason. And so they’d be dealing with the juggernaut, the crew attempting to make historical past. It will be powerful to discover a larger underdog. And everyone loves an underdog.
Phillies-Astros: The Rematch Collection
You’d assume that World Collection rematches would occur much more usually than they do. The Braves and Yankees principally dominated the ‘90s, however they by no means met two seasons in a row (and solely twice total, in 1996 and 1999); similar with the Astros and Dodgers during the last decade, and so they solely met as soon as (2017) within the Fall Traditional. But when the Phillies and Astros can win their LCS, we’ll have the primary World Collection rematch since … 1978.
That was the Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin Yankees beating the Dodgers in six video games in two straight World Collection. Earlier than then, we hadn’t had one since 1958. (You possibly can see the full history of World Series rematches here.) Final 12 months’s World Collection was a enjoyable one, however with franchises just like the Astros and the Phillies, there’s much more drama right here to mine. If these two groups meet once more, there’s each motive to imagine this one could be even higher.
