We're midway through the final month of the 2016 MLB season and by all accounts, there are still five postseason spots up for grabs.
On the National League side, the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals look like locks to win the Central and East Divisions, respectively, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are leading the NL West by four games, are a safe bet to reach the postseason in some capacity.
That leaves the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals fighting for the two remaining spots.
The American League side is far more crowded, with the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians looking like the only locks for October.
The Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are all still in the running for the AL East title, while the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are all within four games of the second wild-card spot.
In an effort to make sense of such a cluttered postseason picture, what follows is a look at each of the remaining contenders' biggest roadblocks to reaching the playoffs.
Whether it's a specific area of weakness, a tough remaining schedule or a troubling home/road split, all of the 11 teams still fighting for their postseason lives have at least one significant hurdle to overcome.
- Login to post comments