Over the past several years, the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians have been out of contention. Cleveland was on the outside looking in at the playoffs last year, but none of these teams has been serious contenders for quite some time. This season, though, all three have a chance at the playoffs and they’re getting help or going to be getting help from some elite rookies.
The Cubs have Kris Bryant and Addison Russell, both of whom have played well in their first couple months in the major leagues. Bryant is the elite power hitting prospect of the two, and he’s proven to have a very mature approach at the plate. He’s seeing as many pitches per plate appearance as any player in the league and it’s paying major dividends.
Chicago would make the playoffs if the season ended today and that’s due in large part to their elite rookies. Of course, they may hit a wall at some point in the middle to end of the season, but they’re a big reason why the team is now a real contender.
In Houston, the Astros have been baseball’s most surprising team this season. They lead the AL West and managed to do all of that without top prospect, shortstop Carlos Correa. Last week, Correa got the call-up, and he will only provide a bigger boost for an Astros team that keeps showing how for real they are.
With a developing rotation and a borderline elite bullpen, the Astros are contenders. Their lineup has been pretty good at times too, but with Correa, it could put them over the top. It might be a year earlier than expected, but the Astros have arrived.
Cleveland hasn’t had as much success as the Cubs or Astros this season, but they’re still very much alive in the playoff picture since the AL as a whole has been mediocre this season. They just called up top prospect Francisco Lindor, who roped a single in his lone pinch-hit appearance in his debut.
Lindor’s bat may be able to provide some stability for a team that has been unable to consistently put together a good offensive effort. If he’s able to do that, the Indians will make the AL Central and the AL Wild Card races very interesting.
We’re not used to seeing such young players making such an impact on MLB playoff races, but that’s exactly what we’re getting this season. Before any of these players has a full year of playing time under their belts, they may be what makes or breaks their team’s season.