2000 Playoff preview
10/02/2000
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The Major League Baseball playoffs begin on Tuesday, October 3, so grab a bag of chips and a six pack and follow all the action. Below, we've given our takes on the eight playoff teams and what we think they need to do to make it to the Series. Be sure to get all the latest playoff action with great coverage from ESPN.com and Majorleaguebaseball.com, and for even more coverage, check out Bullz-Eye.com's baseball Web guide.
American League
Chicago White Sox
Record: 95-67 (1st place in the AL Central)
Season review:After a monster first half that ended with the Chicago White Sox owning the best record in baseball, injuries to the pitching staff and some cooled-off bats had the Sox stumbling into postseason play with a 44-41 second-half record. Still, with a comfortable lead in the AL Central practically all season, manager Jerry Manuel got a good, long look at some of the young talent he'll rely on in the playoffs. 1B/DH
Frank Thomas enjoyed a resurgent MVP-caliber season while OF Magglio Ordonez proved to be one of the best young OF in the AL.
Playoff success if... Chicago's young starting pitchers, guys like Kip Wells and
Jon Garland, can step it up when it counts. This team is going to score some runs, especially if 2B
Ray Durham is healthy and on his game at the top of the order, but with P
James Baldwin and P Cal Eldred question marks because of health concerns, Manuel must squeeze every out he can from his young pitchers.
Early exit if... the Sox youth shows. Guys like 1B Paul Konerko, OF
Carlos Lee and Ordonez have never experienced postseason play and must avoid the ever-popular playoff choke if this team is going to succeed. They lack too much experience in the rotation to handle an offensive collapse, so these young guys have to act like they've been here before. Otherwise, it will be a short playoff stay for the South
Siders.
Key player: 1B/DH Frank Thomas. He's the catalyst for this team, both on the field and in the clubhouse. In the past, Thomas has been criticized for being a numbers player who never really cared too much for team success. But these young players automatically gravitated to the Big Hurt and he's responded with the veteran leadership Manuel needed. He's also enjoyed a comeback season that will probably earn him the AL MVP award. See Frank, you don't have to sacrifice personal accolades for team success.
Oakland Athletics
Record: 91-70 (1st place in the AL West)
Season review: Oakland capped off an exciting season by wrapping up the AL West title with a win over Texas on the last day of the season. A relatively young group of exciting and talented young players, led by
1B Jason Giambi and P Tim Hudson, has Oakland fans dreaming of long-term success, but this team is ready to win now. The rotation is solid, and while the bullpen faltered slightly at the end of the season, the A's have enough offensive punch to be a force in the 2000 playoffs.
Playoff success if... Oakland is able to overcome a lack of experience. The A's and White Sox are very similar in that neither team has much playoff exposure. If guys like OF
Ben Grieve and SS Miguel Tejada let the postseason atmosphere intimidate them, then the A's are through. But if this young team can continue to play within themselves, they could surprise a lot of people. The American League is wide open and Oakland has the talent to make it to the World Series.
Early exit if... closer Jason Isringhausen continues his own personal downward spiral. This is a talented bullpen but manager Art Howe can't afford to go to a closer-by-committee. Issy blew seven saves this season, four in the second half, and after carrying a 2.79 ERA into the All-Star break, the former starting pitcher posted a 5.04 ERA since. One or two blown saves all too often is the difference between advancement and elimination.
Key player: As important as Jason Giambi is to this team, Tim Hudson will either ignite or drown any Series hopes in Oakland. If Hudson isn't that all-important dominating #1 starter that any true contender needs, then the A's must rely on
Kevin Appier or Gil Heredia to lead them to the promised land, and that ain't happening.
New York Yankees
Record: 87-74 (1st place in the AL East)
Season review: The Yankees seemed beatable heading into the second half of the season with the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays well within striking distance in the AL East. Then George Steinbrenner became Sir Dealsalot in the days leading up to the trading deadline, making several moves that initially seemed to have pushed New York into elite status in the AL once again. But since then, inconsistencies and injuries to veterans like OF
Bernie Williams and 2B Chuck Knoblauch have the Yankees in a vulnerable spot heading into postseason play. In fact, the Pinstripers have the worst record of all the 2000 playoff teams, while four other non-playoff teams had at least 85 wins with the Cleveland Indians (90-72) actually posting a better record than the Yanks.
Playoff success if... their opponents take the Yankees lightly. We're talking about the New York Yankees here, arguably the team of the 1990s, the same team that won the World Series back-to-back in 1998 and 1999. With guys like Williams, 1B
Tino Martinez, SS Derek Jeter and OF David Justice on offense, the Yanks can hit. The rotation, led by a healthy
Roger Clemens, is still one of the best in the game and closer Mariano Rivera is about as automatic as they come. Combine that with perhaps the deepest bench in baseball and this is a team that, provided they pull out of this current funk, should challenge for another title.
Early exit if... they don't play to their talent level. This team has way too much physical ability and postseason experience to get stomped out of the playoffs early on, but we've seen the odds-on favorites in any given playoff series bow out in the early rounds before so it could definitely happen, especially if New York can't figure out how to win again... soon.
Key player: OF Bernie Williams' ribcage injury pretty much marks the beginning of the terrible slide the Yankees endured in the last month of the season. Much like Frank Thomas for the White Sox, Bernie is the team leader on and off the field and without him, the Yanks struggle. Tino Martinez isn't the explosive bat he once was and Justice can be shut down by a good lefty, meaning Bernie is the only consistent big bat in the lineup and if he's not healthy, New York's in trouble.
Seattle Mariners
Record: 91-71 (2nd place in the AL West: AL Wildcard team)
Season review: Ken Griffey Jr. is gone? No problem, right? When Seattle
dealt their most popular player in the offseason, many thought the Mariners
would fall out of contention in the AL West. Instead, riding great veteran
leadership from DH Edgar Martinez, SS Alex Rodriguez and OF Jay
Buhner, Seattle not only challenged for a playoff spot, they won the wild
card outright with a huge victory over the Angels on the final day of the
season.
Playoff success if... the bullpen, easily Seattle's biggest improvement
from a year ago, can continue to lock down late-inning leads. Kazuhiro Sasaki
has been fabulous in his first season in Major League Baseball, setting an AL
rookie record with 37 saves despite being roughed up and doubted earlier in the
season. Jose Paniagua, Arthur Rhodes and Brett Tomko have
been great, especially down the stretch, and the Mariners' rotation is talented
enough to hand several late-game leads to the 'pen.
Early exit if... some of the veterans begin to slow down. DH Edgar
Martinez (37), OF Jay Buhner (36), OF Rickey Henderson (41), 1B John
Olerud (32), 2B Mark McLemore (36) and P Jamie Moyer (37) are
nearing the ends of their impressive careers but manager Lou Piniella is hoping
they've got another month left, especially Martinez, who enjoyed his career year
with 37 homers and 145 RBI. Come playoff time, veteran leadership is great, and
the Mariners certainly have that area covered, but 37-year-old knees and
41-year-old backs tend to ache a little more when the colder months roll in.
Key player: SS Alex Rodriguez is, without question, this team's
backbone and one of baseball's brightest young stars. He's one of the best
defensive SS in the game and he may be the best hitting SS ever (sorry all you
Ernie Banks' fans), and the Mariners will not go anywhere if he disappears come
playoff time. He knows how to lead this team, he saves runs with spectacular
defense and he hits the crap out of the ball.
National League
San Francisco Giants
Record: 97-65 (1st place in the NL West)
Season review: The Giants were able to erase the Arizona Diamondbacks' first-half division lead with a combination of timely hitting, solid defense and, most important, some surprising pitching performances. With veterans like OF
Barry Bonds and 2B Jeff Kent leading this team throughout the season, San Fran ran right past Arizona and never looked back, posting the top record in the Majors and playing their best baseball heading into postseason play.
Playoff success if... pitchers Russ Ortiz, Shawn Estes and Livan Hernandez continue to throw the ball well. Estes and Hernandez both had tough seasons a year ago while battling various aches and pains but have really turned their careers around with some impressive pitching. Ortiz, meanwhile, was San Fran's best pitcher in 1999 but suffered through a miserable first half this year. Since then, however, he's really settled down and given the Giants a third reliable pitcher heading into a five-game series.
Early exit if... Ellis Burks' knees prevent him from playing everyday. During the regular season, Dusty Baker regularly sat Burks, a hard-hitting outfielder, to let him rest his knees. Presumably, Baker was trying to keep Burks fresh for the playoffs. Well, the playoffs are here now and if the plan didn't work, the Giants will sorely miss Burks' bat in the middle of their lineup.
Key player: OF Barry Bonds has never enjoyed much postseason success. In fact, if there's one knock against the future Hall of Fame outfielder, it's that he could never come up big in the playoffs. 2B Jeff Kent and 1B
J.T. Snow are both having great seasons but the Giants need Bonds to light up opposing pitchers. Otherwise, Baker will have trouble putting runs on the board.
St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 95-67 (1st place in the NL Central)
Season review: The Cardinals' fate was actually decided this offseason when the St. Louis front office made some great moves that put this team in contention from the start. Although the Reds and Astros were favored by many to win the NL Central, the Cards, led by 20-game winner
Darryl Kile and MVP candidate Jim Edmonds, piled up the wins and ignored their critics. In fact, this team is so good that even when home run king
Mark McGwire was forced to miss much of the second half with a back injury, the Cards didn't flinch.
Playoff success if... the rotation can continue to deliver when it counts. The Cards signed Darryl Kile away from Colorado and it couldn't have worked out any better for either party.
Garrett Stephenson has been a pleasant surprise this season and guys like
Pat Hentgen and Andy Benes eat up innings, but they'll need quality starts to go anywhere.
Early exit if... closer Dave Veres isn't on his game. Unlike some other teams in the playoffs, the Cardinals don't have much help in the bullpen. They traded for
Mike Timlin at the deadline, a guy who closed for the Orioles for a while, but he's never been someone you'd trust the outcome of a playoff game to. Simply put, manager Tony LaRussa needs his closer to come up big.
Key player: P Rick Ankiel. This young phenom is everything the Cards said he'd be on the mound, plus he can swing the bat. But St. Louis really needs Ankiel to be a lights-out #2 guy in the rotation. If he can step in behind Kile and give LaRussa solid innings while also giving the offense a chance to win the game, anything he does with the bat would be a bonus.
Atlanta Braves
Record: 95-67 (1st place in the NL East)
Season review: Nobody's season started with more controversy than Atlanta's. RP
John Rocker's comments may never be completely forgotten, but the Braves' ability to put that situation behind them has the rest of baseball instead focused on ways to beat this talented team. P
Tom Glavine delivered another Cy Young-caliber season while P Greg Maddux rebounded from his below average 1999 season. Offensively, 3B
Chipper Jones kept rolling along and OF Andruw Jones became one of the best young players in the game.
Playoff success if... Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux continue to be Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. There are very few teams who can match Atlanta's one-two punch in a five-game playoff series, and if Glavine and Maddux pitch in the playoffs like they did in the regular season, the Braves should go to nearly any game three with a 2-0 lead.
Early exit if... the top of the order stumbles at all. Atlanta started the season with 2B
Quilvio Veras batting leadoff and the offense clicked. Since then, Veras tore his ACL and rookie SS
Rafael Furcal was inserted into the one hole. If Furcal or the #2 hitter, Andruw Jones, struggle early on, the Braves don't have the kind of offense that can make up for a lack of base runners and they also don't have anyone on the bench who could ignite the offense from the leadoff position.
Key player: When RP John Rocker is on, there are very few pitchers who are better than he is at closing out a win. After early season struggles, Rocker really turned it on near the end of the year but, as he proved in his blown save on the last day of the season, he's still prone to wildness and the long ball. The Braves have other guys who could close in an emergency, but none are as effective as Rocker can be.
New York Mets
Record: 94-68 (2nd place in the NL East: NL Wildcard team)
Season review: Much like last season, it seems the Mets battled with the Braves for the AL East title since Opening Day. Led by their own MVP candidate, C
Mike Piazza, the Mets gave Atlanta a scare by pulling even with them in the last month of the season before finally falling back a bit. The team defense wasn't as spectacular as it was a year ago with 1B John Olerud in Seattle and SS
Rey Ordonez suffering a season-ending wrist injury, but the pitching, with
Mike Hampton onboard, is much improved.
Playoff success if... anyone can step into the rotation behind Al Leiter and Hampton. During the season, guys like
Bobby Jones, Glendon Rusch and Rick Reed have shown signs of being a capable third option but were never really able to solidify that spot. The Mets have Reed slated to start the third game of their opening series, but if he doesn't deliver, they'd take help from anyone else.
Early exit if... the bats can't get going early on. The Mets have terrible team speed so if the big boppers can't find their strokes, New York doesn't have the wheels to make things happen on the base paths.
Key player: After having an MVP-caliber season last year, 3B Robin Ventura suffered through a few injuries on the way to perhaps the worst season of his career, posting a career-low .232 average with only 109 hits. If he heats up, suddenly Piazza and 2B
Edgardo Alfonzo have great protection in the lineup.