MLB
Future Outlooks for MLB Playoff Teams
Breaking down the future of MLB's Playoff teams and where they stand going forward
Patrick Semansky / AP Images
The MLB Playoffs are shaping up to be a memorable one, with many teams having a roster capable of winning the World Series. While these teams are currently constructed for a run at the 2019 World Series, many of these teams are built for the future as well, and have the young talent necessary to be competitive on a perennial basis. Here’s how the 2019 MLB Playoff teams are built for the future.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: The Best in Baseball
The Houston Astros have the best team in baseball. Not only on paper but based on their 107 wins that paced the bigs, there’s no argument for any other team holding the crown unless they fail to win their second championship in three years. Jeff Luhnow and the Astros front office has built a team full of young talent after a lengthy rebuild that has quickly transformed into an annual powerhouse. Developing a core group of hitters and leveraging top prospects into premier established pitchers has helped construct a contender in Texas that can be considered the best team in baseball now, and going forward.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: Times are Good in LA
Coming off of two consecutive National League Championships, the Dodgers have been one of the most stacked teams for a while now. While the Astros have a better wealth of elite hitters, nobody in the MLB has more depth in their organization than Los Angeles. Their continuos additions of premier young players in recent years (Bellinger Buehler, Verdugo, etc.) have added an element to the Dodgers that will set them up for years.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: The Evil Empire Wasn’t Built in a Day
The Yankees surprisingly only had one elite player this year and it was one that nobody would’ve predicted before the season. While Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, and Dellin Betances could’ve easily been elite players if they hadn’t gotten injured in 2019, LeMahieu was the only player to finish the season among the league leaders in many categories.
If Mike Tauchman and Gio Ursehla are any indication, a Yankees player can go from unheralded to above-average almost instantly with Aaron Boone running the show. Even if they don’t have anymore players like them that come out of nowhere to become regular contributors, the Yanks have enough hitting and prospects in place to construct a Championship contender that brings the Evil Empire back to prominence.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: Power Surging into a Premier Contender
After setting a MLB record for HRs in a season this year, the Twins don’t look to lose that power anytime soon. Among their 2019 starters, only Nelson Cruz, Jonathan Schoop, & C.J. Cron will be free agents by 2022. With a No.1 overall pick in Royce Lewis on the way up, the Twins could break their MLB record in the coming years as their young studs continue to develop. The pitching staff isn’t nearly as promising, but using the Astros as a blueprint, Minnesota can spend outside resources to enhance their arms and enter the top tier of MLB Title Contenders.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: Baby Braves Becoming Big Threats
After a small rebuilding phase, the Atlanta Braves are loaded with talent and the pieces capable of making noise all throughout the 2020’s. Injuries and unforseen things happen, but where things stand now, the Braves are set up to be among the league’s best teams for years to come with two young aces and a collection of hitters that project to be elite contributors.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: Built Better Than People Think
Some of the narrative surrounding Oakland entering the playoffs was they outperformed their talent expectations, which is fair with the injury to Manaea and suspension to Montas, but with those two frontline starters back in the fold along with Jesus Luzardo’s future development, the A’s could have a ‘Big 3’ atop of their rotation along with a trio of prominent hitters in their lineup that could lead to more postseason appearances in the next decade, and with some luck, can actually win a playoff series.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: Tampa is Full of Talent
While Tampa Bay may not have the resources to re-sign their premier players like Blake Snell, they have so much young talent on the cusp of becoming valuable contributors, if not already, that Tampa Bay is in great shape to be a contender for the foreseeable future. The focus on the Rays’ future once they prove to be a perennial contender will be the stadium situation if they can’t sell more tickets than the AL worst 1,178,735 they sold in 2019. The Rays are building a team worthy of being fully supported, and if the city of Tampa Bay doesn’t reciprocate that, the Montreal experiment could turn into more than a short-term thing.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: St. Louis Set the Standard in the Past, But Not in the Future
No team in the 21st century has been as successful as the St. Louis Cardinals who have set the standard with their 13 postseason appearances, 9 league championship berths, and 4 NL pennants. While they have been the model franchise thus far in the 21st century, they are from the model organization currently for collecting future talent. A young pitching staff that once could’ve developed into the best ever now has Alex Reyes dealing with major injury concerns, Carlos Martinez getting better suited for the bullpen, Luke Weaver now in Arizona, and Michael Wacha regressing significantly. Lacking a dominant pitching staff and any elite hitters puts STL closer to the middle of the pack when it comes to future outlook.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: Natitude is BACK, But for How Long?
After eliminating a team in the Playoffs for the 1st time since moving to DC, some have declared that Natitude is back. With a trio of elite pitchers and trifecta of top-tier hitters, the Nats could compete with anyone this year if they had a more competent bullpen. While Victor Robles and Carter Kieboom are going to soon give the Nats an even more fearful lineup, Strasburg & Rendon are likely to hit the market this offseason, and DC has to rely on outside sources to revamp the bullpen. This will be a big offseason for Washington to determine their success in the future.
FUTURE OUTLOOK: The Brew Crew Has a Crew That Can Compete
Milwaukee was a surprise entrant in last year’s playoffs, and surprised MLB fans again when they went on a 13-2 run after Yelich’s injury to steal the last NL Wild Card slot. However, with an all-around quality roster in place, they shouldn’t surprise anybody in the future if they continue to make postseason runs. Keston Hiura and Brandon Woodruff both had big 2019 seasons thats put them in line for future All-Star consideration, along with Christian Yelich and Josh Hader who can be considered the best at what they do. The Brewers will need more elite-level talent if they want to compete with the powerhouse teams like Houston, New York, and Los Angeles.
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