After two wild-card nights that saw one game live up to the wild-card name in the American League and a blow out in the National League, the playoff field has now trimmed down to eight with the ALDS and NLDS about to overtake the baseball diamond. Here are 10 players to watch during the upcoming series as teams continue to build toward their goals of making it to the Fall Classic.
American League:
In the American League, the AL West-winning Los Angeles Angels play the wild-card survivor Kansas City Royals in the ALDS while the AL East-winning Baltimore Orioles and AL Central champion Detroit Tigers also clash with a trip to the ALCS on the line.
Mike Trout, OF Los Angeles Angels: Trout, 23, is almost a shoe-in for the AL MVP award after leading the MLB with 115 runs and 338 total bases this season and he will now get his first crack at October baseball. Trout also led the AL with 111 RBI, ranked tied for third with 36 homers and was in sole possession of third place in slugging percentage (.561) and OPS (.939). Trout had a dazzling regular season with the bat and the glove, what will he do for an encore in his first trip to the playoffs?
Yordano Ventura, RHP Kansas City Royals: Ventura has been dependable all year long for the Royals and the flamethrower will look to bounce back from a hiccup in the AL wild-card game when he takes the hill against the Angels in LA in Game 2 of the ALDS. How will the 23-year-old Ventura respond to giving up a three-run homer to Athletics slugger Brandon Moss in his postseason debut? The Royals rallied to give Ventura -- who only had one relief appearance in his career before that moment -- a second chance. Ventura went 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA in 30 starts in the regular season.
Nelson Cruz, OF/DH Baltimore Orioles: Cruz lived up to every cent of the one-year $8 million deal he signed last offseason with the Orioles and helped propel them to the AL East crown for the first time since 1997. Cruz led the MLB with 40 homers this season and ranked third in the AL with 108 RBI and 322 total bases while his .525 slugging percentage placed him fifth in the AL. Cruz is a .278 lifetime postseason hitter through 34 games with 14 homers and 27 RBI.
David Price, LHP Detroit Tigers: The Tigers acquired Price from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline in order to bolster the team's chances of getting deep in the playoffs and Price will make his presence known against the Orioles in Game 3. Price led the MLB with 271 strikeouts and 248.1 innings pitched this season while going 15-12 with a 3.26 ERA overall and 4-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 11 starts with Detroit. Price hasn't had much luck in the postseason, where he is 1-4 with a 5.06 ERA. He'll look to reverse the trend this time around.
Miguel Cabrera, 1B; Victor Martinez DH, Detroit Tigers: This two-headed monster is rolled into one as the Detroit offense has been sparked by these two big bats all season long. Cabrera, who recently turned down his playoff bonus because he only wants a ring, finished first in the AL with 52 doubles, second with 109 RBI and third with 191 hits. Martinez led the MLB with a .974 slugging percentage and ranked first in the AL with a .409 on-base percentage, second with a .335 batting average and tied for fourth with 188 hits. The dynamic duo was deadly down the stretch, but let's see what they have in store under the bright lights of postseason baseball.
Predictions: Angels over Royals in four, Tigers over Orioles in 5
National League:
In the National League, NL East champion Washington Nationals play the wild-card surviving San Francisco Giants in the NLDS while the NL West-winning Los Angeles Dodgers and NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals will also clash with a trip to the NLCS hanging in the balance.
Clayton Kershaw, LHP Los Angeles Dodgers: Kershaw is not only likely a lock to win the NL Cy Young Award for the third time in his career after this season, but he may also pick up his first ever NL MVP Award when all is said and done. Kershaw had a monster campaign, leading the MLB with 21 wins, a 1.77 ERA and a .086 WHIP. Kershaw was also tops in the majors in strikeouts per nine innings (10.85), complete games (six) and winning percentage (.875).
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B Los Angeles Dodgers: Gonzalez put up MVP-caliber numbers in the NL this season, leading the MLB with 116 RBI while ranking third in the NL with 41 doubles and fifth with 285 total bases. Gonzalez also led Los Angeles with 27 homers this season and will look to carry that success into October.
Adam Wainwright, RHP St. Louis Cardinals: If not for Kershaw's heroics this season, Wainwright could have been looking at his first Cy Young Award based on the numbers he put up for the Cardinals. Wainwright finished third in the league with a 2.38 ERA, tied a career-high with 20 wins and finished third in the NL with a 1.03 WHIP all while holding opponents to a .222 batting average. Wainwright also added five complete games to his resume.
Stephen Strasburg, RHP Washington Nationals: Shutdown the last time the Nationals made the postseason due to an innings limit, Strasburg is set to make his postseason debut when the Nats play host to the Giants in NLDS Game 1 on Friday. Strasburg had a decent year in 2014, but it wasn't up to his usual standards. Strasburg went 14-11 with a 3.14 ERA while tying for the NL lead with 242 strikeouts in a career-high 34 starts. How will the pressure of the postseason affect him in his first opportunity?
Buster Posey, C San Francisco Giants: Posey is no stranger to postseason success, having won two World Series titles in the past four years with the Giants, and now he'll try to help the team collect a third ring in the last five years. Posey ranked fourth in the NL with a .311 batting average while leading the Giants with 22 homers and 89 RBI. Posey is a .250 lifetime hitter in the playoffs with four homers and 15 RBI in 32 games.
Predictions: Nationals over Giants in four, Dodgers over Cardinals in five.
The MLB postseason continues when the ALDS and NLDS kick off as eight teams battle with an eventual trip to the World Series hanging in the balance.
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