2022 National Wildcard preview
NL wildcard race 2022
As the MLB regular season comes to an end, playoff brackets are beginning to take form. With less than 30 games left of regular season play, the National League wildcard race has only reached its dramatic height.
NL East
The NL East is the focal point of all the wildcard drama. As of the last few weeks, the situation has been divulged to baseball fans stating, “Mets or Braves take your pick.” The Atlanta Braves will squeak past the Mets by a game or two, stealing the NL east division in the last week of the regular season.
Do not fret Mets fans, you easily have the best wildcard team in the entire league. However, elite pitching will not be enough to counteract the offensive inconsistencies this 2022 Mets team has dealt with all season long.
No, I did not forget about the third-wheel Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies are a very intriguing team, they seemed to be heading in the wrong direction earlier in the season under former manager Joe Girardi.
Since the hiring of new manager Rob Thomson, the Phillies have looked like a different ball club. Thomson, who inherited the team with a feeble 21-29 record, quickly re-routed the entire season for Philadelphia.
The team now holds an impressive 75-61 record, with the extension of having control of the second wildcard spot in the NL.
NL Central
Cardinals.
In all seriousness, the St. Louis cardinals are the best team in the division by a long shot. However, the Milwaukee Brewers have been steadily creeping their way up in the wildcard race.
The Brewers are currently four games behind the Philadelphia Phillies. Philadelphia being the last wildcard team means that the Brewers' objective is to simply compete for that last spot.
The race between a hungry Milwaukee team just shy against a Phillies team trying to keep their spot in the playoffs will be an interesting one to keep an eye on.
A four-game deficit is too steep of a hill to climb, with October baseball just around the corner.
NL West
Barring an absolute collapse, the Los Angeles Dodgers have essentially clinched the division.
The interesting story comes from the second place San Diego Padres. They currently hold the second wildcard spot with a 76-62 record.
Just a game in front of them in Philadelphia. A battle-tested team coming from the NL East. The Padres should be able to reclaim the lead with superstar tandem Manny Machado and newly acquired Juan Soto.
Not having Fernando Tatis Jr. for the rest of the season is a real killer for this Padres team if they want to be a part of something special. Another massive setback is the difficulty of the remaining schedule for San Diego, featuring two three-game series against the first-place dodgers.
As well as a two-game series with the St. Louis cardinals and a few must-wins against a gritty Chicago White Sox team who still has an outside shot in the AL.
Despite the difficulty, San Diego has the squad to get it done and take care of business. Realistically there’s no chance of catching up to the Mets, but the Padres will take back the second wildcard spot from Philadelphia by the end of the season.
Prediction: Mets, Padres, and Phillies make it to the wild card. The St. Louis Cardinals win the NL Central but are fated to face Philadelphia, who will place third in the wildcard.
Antonio Fondacaro is a second-year studying broadcast journalism. To contact him, email adf5400@psu.edu.
