Pros and Cons: A look at the 8 AL wild card contenders
When baseball added a second wild card in each league this season, the thinking was it would keep more teams in the hunt as the season wore down.
So far, so good -- especially in the American League.
There are currently 8 AL teams that either occupy one of the two wild card spots or are within three games of the second one.
Each team has its own pros and cons that have landed it in this spot. Here's a look at a pro and con for each of those teams. After going through, take your best stab at picking which two teams will play in the inaugural wild card playoff in October. (NOTE: Stats through Tuesday's play.)
-- David Selig
So far, so good -- especially in the American League.
There are currently 8 AL teams that either occupy one of the two wild card spots or are within three games of the second one.
Each team has its own pros and cons that have landed it in this spot. Here's a look at a pro and con for each of those teams. After going through, take your best stab at picking which two teams will play in the inaugural wild card playoff in October. (NOTE: Stats through Tuesday's play.)
-- David Selig
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Oakland Athletics( Jamie Squire, Getty Images / June 1, 2012 )
CON: Offense
The ballpark might factor into this equation too, but the A's have the worst batting average in the majors (.227). Josh Reddick has been a pleasant surprise, and Yoenis Cespedes has the power to leave any yard. But after them, there aren't many feared hitters in the lineup. Oakland is also one of the worst teams in the majors in terms of on-base percentage, which isn't very Moneyball-esque. Speedy leadoff hitter Jemile Weeks (above) is a poster child for this issue, getting on base at just a .312 clip. |
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