2022 AL Wildcard preview
There is absolutely nothing like playoff baseball, and it is officially that time of year when anything can happen. With the MLB adding one team to each conference’s playoff pool the number one and two seeds, respectively will have a bye. That means the number three and six seeds will face off, and the number four and five seeds as well.
Cleveland Guardians (3) vs Tampa Bay Rays (6)
This game will take place in Cleveland on Oct. 7th. Both teams will throw their aces as Shane Bieber will be on the bump for Cleveland and Shane McLanahan for Tampa Bay.
This season Bieber has a 2.88 ERA with a 2.87 FIP and 1.040 WAR which was an improvement from last season, but nothing compared to his CY Young winning season in 2020.
The two names that stand out when it comes to the Rays' position players are up-and-coming stars Wander Franco and Randy Arozarena.
Arozarena is known for his playoff success for some weird reason. There are always those players who have their bats come alive in October, and he could be one of them.
McLanahan was putting up near CY Young candidate numbers until they started to trickle off toward the later half of the season.
He still put up remarkable numbers with a 2.54 ERA, 0.926 WHIP and a 3.00 FIP. The upstart lefty will face a strong Guardians lineup headed by Jose Ramirez who needs no introduction as the switch hitter has been having yet again another great season.
This lineup has two surprise stars, Steven Kwan and Andres Gimenez, who played beyond their expectations this season.
Seattle Mariners (5) @ Toronto Blue Jays (4)
This game will also take place on Oct. 7th but in Toronto.
The drought is finally over! Seattle has not made the playoffs in 21 years, but that is finally over. Blue Jays’ pitcher Alek Manoah will be facing a pitcher to be determined for Seattle.
Manoah has become the ace for Toronto putting up a 2.24 ERA, 0.992 WHIP and a 3.34 FIP this season. Seattle will most likely pick between free-agent acquisition Robbie Ray and trade deadline-acquired Luis Castillo for the starter in this game, as they are the two high-profile pitchers on the team.
They are more likely to go with Castillo, who has put up better numbers. Toronto has one of the most complete lineups top to bottom in baseball, especially first-baseman Vladdy Guerrero Jr. and center-fielder George Springer.
Both players have shown huge promise in the postseason and can tear a game wide open with even one swing of the bat.
Seattle is headlined by rookie outfielder Julio Rodriguez who has been a spark plug on the team and a highlight reel throughout the season.
They also have first-baseman Ty France, who went under the radar this season but had a very strong year at the plate.
Joey David is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jtd5508@psu.edu.
