DARK HORSES

Evan Davis

With the MLB postseason fast approaching, I wanted to assess some of the potential dark horses heading into October. Everyone is talking about the Dodgers, Mets, and Astros as the guaranteed locks to win the World Series, but in baseball, the favorite doesn’t always win.

Atlanta Braves

I don’t know if this is necessarily considered a “dark horse”, but I just haven’t seen many talking about the Atlanta Braves, probably due to the dominance of their rival New York Mets. The Braves have a star studded lineup to pair with a star studded rotation and bullpen. Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, and Kyle Wright are easily the second best rotation heading into the postseason.

If they were to win the Wild Card series, they would face the Dodgers in the divisional series, and I am terrified as a Dodgers fan. The lineup is deadly, and even without Ozzie Albies, every fan should pay attention. With a battle going on for NL Rookie of the Year between Spencer Strider and Michael Haris II, the Braves have talent galore. Michael Harris II is one of the best defenders in Center Field, Spencer Strider is one of the game's best pitchers and Matt Olson has been crushing it at the plate after a slow start to the season. Watch out for the Braves.

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners were definitely a team I wasn’t considering as a potential contender this season, but they have proved me wrong. Since the acquisition of Luis Castillo at the deadline, the Mariners have been dealing and are one of the hottest teams in baseball.

The rotation is loaded with talent and the bats have been mashing. They have the potential rookie of the year in Julio Rodriguez and a starting rotation that features Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby. Andres Munoz has been straight heat out of the bullpen. Watch out for the Mariners as a potential dark horse.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals have been the best team since the trade deadline, and just like last year, are heating up at the right time. With the acquisitions of Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana, the Cardinals now have a total of four starting pitchers they can turn to come playoff time.

It is all but certain that the Cardinals will win the division, after the epic collapse of the Milwaukee Brewers. With two potential NL MVPs on the roster, to pair along with some young talent, I’m looking at the Cardinals as a potential team to make it to the World Series.