MLB Playoff Picture 2023: Hot Takes, Top Storylines, Odds for ALCS, NLCS
The American and National Leagues Championship Series are upon us, with two match-ups featuring the four hottest teams in the game.
The Philadelphia Phillies will look to defend their NL title against the red-hot, uber-young Arizona Diamondbacks, while the defending World Series champ Houston Astros will continue their journey to two-in-a-row by eliminating the Texas Rangers.
Ahead of those clashes, these are the odds for Game 1 of each series, as well as storylines and hot takes to keep an eye on throughout.
All stats from MLB.com unless otherwise stated.
Much will be made about Bryce Harper as the Phillies continue their journey back to the World Series, and rightfully so. He is the heart and soul of the team and has literally put his body on the line to help get Philadelphia back to the postseason by coming back from Tommy John surgery after just 160 days.
He is not the only Fighting Phil that has helped set the tone for this year's squad.
Right fielder Nick Castellanos has helped establish the attitude of the team and more importantly, has made history in these playoffs when it comes to swinging the bat.
In 23 at-bats, Castellanos has recorded nine hits, four homers, six total runs, as well as a stolen base, and has an average of .391 with an on-base percentage of .440. He has been outstanding and set the mark as the only hitter to ever deliver multiple home runs in back-to-back postseason games.
Beyond the plate, Castellanos is a career .992 fielder in right and somehow, even better in left with a perfect career fielding percentage. He impacts the game offensively and defensively and is finally earning recognition for his incredibly important contributions to the squad.
With his son, Liam, becoming the unofficial team mascot, the veteran slugger has become a player capable of putting the team on his back and carrying them to crucial victories.
MLB @MLBLiam Castellanos is LIVIN'! pic.twitter.com/7aCiTCFnRt
the guy every night and gives Phillies fans hope that if their franchise star is having an off night, Castellanos can come through with a defining hit that puts the team over the top.
Arizona and either Texas or Houston will gameplan to contain Harper and his ability to change the game and in the process, leave the door wide open for Castellanos to continue writing his name in the history books as well as potentially earning some MVP hardware along the way.
The Houston Astros do not care if you don't like them.
They are the defending World Series champions and have made the ALCS every season since 2017.
They know what it takes to win, have the experience in doing so, and are poised to repeat as champions for the first time since the New York Yankees at the turn of the Millennium.
And they will.
Justin Verlander looked like the future Hall of Famer that he is, playing shutout baseball against Minnesota, with six strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.17. Yordan Alvarez is raking this postseason, delivering seven hits, seven runs, four home runs, an average of .438, and an OPS of 1.784. Throw in the resurgent Jose Abreu and his five home runs, and you have a team building momentum and heating up at the right time.
Yes, there is a concern about ace Framber Valdez and his play, but Jose Urquidy has stepped up and helped bridge the gap on the mound.
There is reasonable expectation that Jose Altuve, Lance Bregman, and Kyle Tucker are going to get hot at the plate, too, giving the Astros all of the firepower they need to compete against the top offensive unit in baseball this season in their division foes, the Texas Rangers.
There is something to be said about experience, too.
This team, for all of the ups and downs, controversies, and hostile crowds they play in front of, has always managed to compartmentalize and play baseball when the lights are brightest and the stage is grandest.
There is no reason to believe they cannot, and will not, do it again.
They will beat the Rangers and do so more handily than expected, maybe in six but five is not out of the question.
Then, they will get busy defending their World Series title against either Philadelphia, whom they beat a season ago in the Fall Classic, or the Diamondbacks, whom they swept at the conclusion of this regular season to win the AL West.
