MLB Playoff Push

image courtesy of ESPN

The MLB Playoffs are closing in. Teams have been fighting hard since April to attain a playoff spot. 
by Drew Caraway

The MLB Playoffs are closing in. Teams have been fighting hard since April to attain a playoff spot. With only half a month left, the Braves have already clinched a postseason spot, via ESPN. A tough AL West, a disappointing AL Central, and a competitive NL Central are just a fraction of the craziness of this MLB season. 

Current Playoff Race (as of September 14th, 2023)
*Seeds 1-3 are based off division winners, Seeds 4-6 are based off record*

National League (NL)
#1: Atlanta Braves: (96-50)
#2: Los Angeles Dodgers: (88-57)
#3: Milwaukee Brewers: (81-64)
WC #1: Philadelphia Phillies: (79-67)
WC #2: Chicago Cubs: (78-69)
T-WC #3: Arizona Diamondbacks: (76-71)
T-WC #3: Cincinnati Reds: (76-71)

American League (AL)
#1: Baltimore Orioles: (91-54)
#2: Houston Astros: (83-64)
#3: Minnesota Twins: (76-70)
WC #1: Tampa Bay Rays: (90-57)
WC #2: Toronto Blue Jays: (81-64)
WC #3: Seattle Mariners: (81-65)

photo by Jim Mone/AP

MVP Odds 

The NL MVP race is tight. Ronald Acuña Jr. leads the voting, with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Matt Olson all following close behind. As of now, the MVP is looking like it will come down to Acuña and Betts.

On the other hand, the AL MVP is in a close race, for 2nd place. (from Fox Sports). As of now, Shohei Ohtani leads the AL in MVP voting, by a lot. He’s so far ahead, the odds have been turned off. Shohei Ohtani has locked up the AL MVP, and everyone knows it. The estimated betting odds would be Shoehei leading, at -9000 odds (Sports Betting Dime).

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Atlanta’s Dominance
The Atlanta Braves have fallen short of nothing but near perfection. They sit at 96-50 (as of 9/14/23) and are 11 wins away from breaking the franchise record for wins in a season, set by the 1998 team who won 106 games. 

On Wednesday, September 13th, the Atlanta Braves won the division for the 6th straight year (via 11 Alive).  With the 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, the Braves sit ahead in the NL East by 17 games, but that doesn’t matter.

As mentioned in the Atlanta Braves Article, published on September 6th and written by Ty Cameron, the Braves are the best team in baseball, and are possibly having their best season in franchise history. 

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Brayden Kelly’s Opinion
Brayden Kelly is a sophomore at WGHS. Last year, he was named to the WGHS Baseball Freshman team. This year, he hopes to make it to JV or Varsity.
 
When asked about the two World Series teams, and who will win the series, he confidently says, “[Boston] Red Sox and [Los Angeles] Dodgers, and the Red Sox win.”

When asked about who he thinks is better, Mookie Betts or Ronald Acuña Jr., he states, “Acuña for sure. He’s going 40/40 and he’s broken so many records this year, so why wouldn’t he be MVP.”

Finally, when asked about who he thinks is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), he explains, “Right now, Mike Trout, but give it a couple more years, definitely Shohei; he’s already a top 10 player of all time.”


The MLB regular season is quickly coming to a close. However, that doesn’t mean the action does. Many teams are still fighting for playoff spots, and as of 9/14, the Braves are the only team to clinch a postseason appearance. It is looking like the season is still far from over, with only a couple games remaining.

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