2006 Loaded Baseball Divisions

Baseball’s elite teams travel in packs. The Whitesox and the Tigers make the top of the charts out of the AL Central and the Redsox, Yankees, and Bluejays stick out in the AL East. These are 5 of the top 6 teams in baseball, all in the American League and all in just 2 different divisions. What does this mean come playoff time? The ball club which can edge out the others for a spot in the post season in these 2006 loaded baseball divisions has the advantage in the playoffs.

The Mets may be the best team in all of baseball right now, but they aren’t playing the same amount of playoff intensity games in the NL East that the Redsox, for example, are playing in the AL East. Boston’s 10-1 interleague record and the way they have lunched on the NL East in interleague play is just one example of this theory at work.

Another example came last season. Toward the end of the regular season in 2005, the Whitesox were starting to look complacent as they had been so far out in front for so long in their division. It wasn’t until the Cleveland Indians made a run at them and they were ignited out of necessity that they got back to playing a high level of baseball, going on to collect a World Series title and plenty of money for those taking them with their baseball picks.

If we look at Interleague play in general, the numbers don’t lie in revealing to us that the AL is a much stronger league. And it’s because of these loaded divisions that the AL cleans up. The Devil Rays are a bottom feeder in the AL East, but in interleague play they are a dominant force as the competition they have to play on a daily basis forces them to play at a higher level.

I know the post season is still a ways off as we are not yet to the All Star break, but this is something you’ll want to keep in mind for the playoffs. Although the Mets may go on to have the best record in baseball, thriving in the NL East, they may pay for having a weak division come playoff time. The 3 AL East powerhouses are battling it out for 2 spots in the playoffs and probably just 1 as it looks like the second place team in the AL Central could take the wildcard. They will beat each other up and in the process be the best simulation for the post season Any 1 of these teams will be tough in the playoffs if my theory holds true. If you want a pick, I’ll go out on a limb and say that the AL will win the World Series. I’ll go out on another limb and say that it will be one of the top 5 AL teams I’ve mentioned. OK, I’m not going to far out on a limb. Just note that the NL and the rest of the league facing any of these loaded division teams in the playoffs will have their work cut out for them.