World Series 2014: Breaking Down Favorites to Play in Fall Classic

With only a few days remaining in the MLB regular season, it's time to shift the focus to the playoffs and the 2014 World Series. Despite several postseason spots still up for grabs, there's a solid understanding of which teams will most likely be partaking in October baseball.

In the American League, the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees are still alive, but not by much. Seattle has the best chance to make the playoffs; as of Wednesday, the Mariners are three games back in the wild-card race and are currently on a four-game losing streak.

The National League is even clearer. Besides deciding the NL Central champion, the Milwaukee Brewers are the only other team alive, and they're five games back of the final spot.

The playoffs begin in less than a week. Let's break down each league and determine the favorites who will play in the Fall Classic.

American League

As of right now, it appears the teams representing the American League in the postseason will be the Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics. Of these five, the Angels have to be the favorites to reach the World Series.

Los Angeles ran away with the AL West, and that was no easy task. They're currently 10.5 games ahead of Oakland thanks to solid pitching and one of the best lineups in baseball.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The Angels lead the majors in runs scored with 763. That's 25 more than second-place Colorado. They also lead the league in RBI and are among the top five in doubles.

The one guy you have to talk about when discussing this team is phenom Mike Trout. The 23-year-old has already established himself as one of the best players in baseball. This season, he's hitting .289 with 35 home runs and 110 RBI. Trout also leads the league with a 7.9 WAR rating, 0.7 points above anyone else.

Having the best player in the league is huge when it comes to the playoffs. Pitching is generally very good in October, so teams rely on their best hitters even more.

Speaking of pitching, the Angels are pretty good there, too. In spite of losing guys like Matt Shoemaker and Garrett Richards, the staff hasn't lost a beat. Jered Weaver is still a legitimate ace and will be leaned on heavily in the postseason. Shoemaker also hopes to make his return by then.

Another reason the Angels should be the favorite is their home record. They're an MLB-best 52-29 at Angel Stadium in 2014, and this will be critical come next week. As the top team in the AL, the pennant will go through L.A.

National League

Currently, the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants will qualify in the National League. Even though the NL playoffs should be very competitive, the Dodgers are the team to beat.

Like Trout for the Angels, the one player who drives the Dodgers is pitcher Clayton Kershaw. The pitcher is almost a lock for the Cy Young Award, and his stellar play even has him in the MVP conversation.

Pitching is the biggest key in the MLB playoffs, and we've seen this time and time again. Having someone as dominant as Kershaw is huge in a series where the pitcher could potentially start three games.

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press/Associated Press

Kershaw has had one of the best pitching performances in recent history. He's 20-3 with a 1.80 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 228 strikeouts. He also leads all pitchers with a 7.3 WAR. If the Dodgers make it to the World Series, he will be a huge reason why.

Kershaw will have help in the pitching rotation as well. Zack Greinke is a stud himself with a 2.74 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. These two, along with Hyun-Jin Ryu and Dan Haren, create a tough rotation to beat.

The lineup isn't too shabby, either. The conglomerate of Yasiel Puig, Dee Gordon, Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez poses a very formidable obstacle for even the best pitchers in baseball. These guys should provide enough pop to get the Dodgers to where they want to be.

The Dodgers rank second in the NL in runs and batting average while posting the best OBP at .331. When they get on base, they like to run, too. The team is behind only Kansas City in stolen bases with 134.

Although it won't be as easy as the Angels' path, the Dodgers are good enough to make it back to the World Series in 2014. They will ride the best player in baseball and meet their cross-town rival in the Fall Classic.

Advanced stats courtesy of ESPN.com.