It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Not Christmas and all the festivities that come along with it, but playoff baseball! The electric atmospheres will be back and the vibes will be immaculate! There is so much to look forward to this postseason and storylines to follow along. With the festivities set to begin, here are things to look forward to this playoff year!

Ohtani Playing Meaningful Games

Finally, the time has come. The unicorn of baseball that is Shohei Ohtani will be playing meaningful baseball. The baseball world got blessed with Ohtani vs Mike Trout in the World Baseball Classic, but playing in the postseason is an entire different animal. For the first time in his illustrious career, Ohtani will be playing meaningful baseball.

It was always a shame that the Los Angeles Angels had arguably the two best players in the sport and did absolutely nothing with it. Especially when Ohtani won two MVP awards while being a member of the Angels. While he won’t pitch for the Dodgers these playoffs, his impact bat will be on full display.

Ohtani is coming off an incredible season. He officially passed Ichiro Suzuki for the most stolen bases in a single season by a Japanese born player, while also being the all-time leader in home runs by a Japanese born player. Not to mention, he is the first player ever to record a 50-50 season.

Ohtani and the top of the Dodgers lineup is among the best in the sport. With all the electric excitement he’s provided this season, seeing him do it on the big stage will be the best thing to watch regarding this postseason.

The Yankees Dynamic Duo Mashing in the Bronx

All eyes will be on the New York Yankees this spring. Everyone wanted to write off the Houston Astros by June amid their poor start. Instead, the Astros turned it around and got healthy and dethroned the Seattle Mariners for the division crown. Thats truly been the thorn in the Yankees side, as the Astros have derailed any hope of the Yankees reaching the World Series. With the Yankees clinching the number one seed in the AL, all eyes are on the men in the Bronx.

What makes this a boom or bust scenario is this could be the ONLY year of Juan Soto. After missing the postseason, the Yankees went out and acquired Soto. He’s been everything as advertised and has played at an MVP level. Aaron Judge is coming off an MVP level season as well, making this the leagues best duo in the AL.

With only one year of Soto (for now), winning it all is the goal for New York. The biggest question mark will be the depth behind them. Can Giancarlo Stanton deliver that extra power? Will Gleyber Torres carry his strong end to the season into the playoffs? How will guys like Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera fair out? A major bright spot has been Jasson Dominguez. The next question; the pitching.

All eyes will be on the pitching staff. Carlos Rodon finished the year strong, posting a 2.20 ERA in September, which is a huge boost of confidence. Around him is 2023 CY Young winner Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes, and Luis Gil. Another question is how they go about the close role. Clay Holmes has always been reliable, but has blown multiple saves. One player who can lock things down is Luke Weaver. He owns a 2.93 ERA and a whopping 10.95 K/9. This Yankees rotation has the pitching staff to be able to sustain a deep playoff run. Can they finally do it? We will certainly find out.

Vibes in Detroit Will Be Immaculate

There is no team more fascinating than the Detroit Tigers. The last time they won a playoff game came in 2013. How they got here is a wild scenario. This was a team that sold at the trade deadline, as they traded pitchers Jack Flaherty and Andrew Chafin. Heck, even Tarik Skubal had his name thrown into the ring given where the team was at that given point. You thought all hope was lost, but nope here they came roaring.

As of August 10, the Tigers had a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs. From that point on, they went 31-13 and roared their way into the postseason. It also helped that they had the Minnesota Twins begging someone to take their place. They swept the Mariners and then took a series from the Yankees. Playing the White Sox of course helps, but it’s what they did for three consecutive series in September that helped cement their place. They took two series from the Orioles and one from the Royals. Beating those contending teams is enormous stuff.

The Tigers reach the postseason. They very well could be this years’ Arizona Diamondbacks team that got hot at the right time and goes on an absurd run. Seeing CY Young caliber pitcher in Skubal pitch in meaningful games is going to be amazing to see. What the Tigers do these playoffs is great and seeing them go on this absurd run was even better.

The Year for the Phillies to Bring it Home

It was not long ago that Bryce Harper cemented his legacy among the Philly faithful in the postseason. Here we are again where the Phillies have the third best odds to win it all (+500 per Draftkings). This team has everything in what a World Series contender should be.

They have the offense and the firepower and there is no shortage of it. You have Harper. Behind him is Trea Turner, Alex Bohm, and Kyle Schwarber. Thats not including the complimentary bats in JT Realmuto, Bryson Stott, and Brandon Marsh. This team does it all at the plate. They rank fourth in doubles, fifth in RBI, seventh in HR, and fifth in runs. Also, they rank in the top five in average, on base percentage, and slugging. This is an elite offense and there are no easy outs.

Not to mention the pitching. They are heavily led by Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Factoring in is Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez. This team is deep and is poised to go on a deep run.

Is this the year they can finally go on a run? The NL is not going to be easy. The Dodgers lineup is fierce. The Padres have been the best team in baseball since the All-Star Break. The Brewers have managed to shock the world and be a contender this season. Dave Dombrowski has done a tremendous job putting together this contender and now it’s up to them to go out and bring it home.

The City of Brotherly Love is hungry for a championship and so is Harper. Get the popcorn ready folks, playoff baseball is coming.