2011 MLB Playoffs: Evaluating Philadelphia and the NL Playoff Contenders

The playoffs are almost upon us, and it has come to the point where the strengths and weaknesses of each contending team are apparent. Being aware of these strength and weaknesses can help us see which teams will succeed in the playoffs and which ones will falter.

The World Series is definitely not decided by the regular season, but trends during the regular season can affect how a team performs during the playoffs and how far they can go.

Predicting and declaring any team to win the World Series before it even begins is naive, but weighing the chances of each team can be helpful and much more reasoned. Not all teams drastically change during the playoffs.

These NL playoff contenders all have their strengths and weaknesses, and here are the grades of the different facets of those teams. 

Arizona Diamondbacks

Record: 72-59 Standing: 1st place in NL West (3.0 game lead over San Francisco)

The Diamondbacks this year have shown signs of being a strong playoff caliber team and like the rest of the contenders have the ability to go all the way.

However, they have been inconsistent with their pitching and their offense depends on power, which against the pitching in the playoffs can become rare and hard to come by. 

Position Players:

Arizona does have the 5th best scoring offense in the NL, which shows that their offense could pick up the slack of the pitching if it does falter.

Looking deeper though shows that they cannot get hits consistently, with only .246 BA which is 11th in the league. 

This shows that home runs drive the offense, as shown by their 143 dingers. Also, the offense greatly relies on Justin Upton, who is having an MVP caliber year. Other than him, there are no players that have a batting average over 280 with more than 10 home runs.

The one great element of their offense that will help them in the playoffs is their speed. They are third in the league in SB, with 102. If they can get on base, then they can put pressure on the pitcher and they can get into scoring position in the middle of an at bat.

While offense is the primary focus of the starting position players, defense is a very important facet of a playoff team. Here we come to a strength of the ball club. The Diamondbacks have the fourth best fielding percentage in the NL, which can be crucial in the playoffs (ask the Braves).

Grade: B-

Pitchers:

The Snakes from the desert have made quite a turnaround from last year in the pitching department. Last year their starters were mediocre and their bullpen was atrocious. This year though their starters have moderately improved and their bullpen has greatly improved. 

Their starters have a 4.11 ERA, down from 4.39 last year. Their bullpen has a 3.69, which compared from their 5.74 ERA last year is a godsend. Although both their starter's and their reliever's ERA are 10th in the league, they have made vast progress towards a dominant pitching staff.

They have great young pitchers like Ian Kennedy, Josh Collmenter, Daniel Hudson, and David Hernandez, though which could be a weakness seeing that most of their pitchers have little playoff experience. 

When compared to the rest of the contenders though their pitching staff does not look as intimidating. For the Diamondbacks their staff is just what they needed, but in the playoffs it could be their downfall.

Grade: C

Clutch Factor:

Pinch Hitting BA: .213 (7th in NL) OPS in innings 7+: .742 (1st in NL)

ERA in innings 7+: 3.81 (9th in NL) BA with RISP: .250 (9th in NL)

Save conversion percentage: 79.00% (2nd in NL)

Grade: B 

Atlanta Braves

Record: 79-53 Standing: 1st place in the NL Wild Card (9.5 games over San Francisco)

The Atlanta Braves had a poor start to the season and at the beginning of May things were looking bleak.

Since then though the Braves have propelled themselves to the top on the Wild Card race and within six games of the Phillies in the NL East.

They have great pitching, especially at the back of the bullpen. However, they have consistency issues which could haunt them in the playoffs.

Position Players:

The Braves have on paper a potent lineup. They have players like Brian McCann, Chipper Jones, Dan Uggla, Freddie Freeman, Martin Prado, and Michael Bourne. Games though are not played on paper and the offense for the most part has not lived up to some expectations. They have the 8th most runs in the NL and the 10th best batting average at .247.

Like the Diamondbacks, the Braves rely on home runs to charge their offense. In fact, they are the best in the NL at hitting home runs, with 149 tater for the season. This power makes up for their poor base stealing skills, which in the NL is only the 14th best.

This though has been somewhat remedied by the addition of Michael Bourne and Jose Constanza, but even with them the Braves are not the most consistent base stealing team around.

One apparent strength of the position players has been their defense. They have the 4th best fielding percentage in the NL, which hopefully can play a positive role in the Braves' postseason. The Braves in the playoffs should not always count on their offense to win them games, but it is competent enough for their pitching staff to achieve great feats (ask the Giants).

Grade: C+

Pitching: 

Here we come to the key ingredient to any playoff run: pitching. The Braves definitely have it. With starters like Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens, and Brandon Beachy the Braves have the 4th best starter ERA in the NL.

If the Braves starter leaves with a lead, then their dominant bullpen is there to finish the rest of the game. Their bullpen has a Major's leading bullpen ERA of 2.85, and all their 7th, 8th, and 9th inning pitchers have ERAs under two.

Pitching is very important for any team in the playoffs, especially for a five or seven game series. Any team that faces the Braves' staff has a tough challenge to deal with. The pitching is definitely the strength of this team.

Grade: A-

Clutch Rating:

Pinch Hitting BA: .198 (12th in NL) OPS in innings 7+: .689 (8th in NL)

ERA in innings 7+: 2.97 (1st in NL) BA with RISP: .261 (7th in NL)

Save conversion percentage: 71.00% (6th in NL)

Grade: B- 

 

Milwaukee Brewers

Record: 78-54 Standing: 1st in the NL Central (9.5 games ahead of St. Louis)

As of late, the Milwaukee Brewers are the hottest team in baseball.

They have been consistently winning ball games for the past few months and hold the best record at home this season.

They have an intimidating offense that can score runs in bunches. Their pitching at points has been suspect but has been competent enough for the Brewers to be in commanding lead in their division.

Position Players:

In my opinion the Brewers have the best lineup duo in all of baseball in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. These two have combined for 53 HRs and 185 RBIs, amazing stats for two players on any team. They have been frontrunners for an offense that has scored the 4th most runs in the NL and has the 3rd best BA at .263. It also has much power, with a .417 slugging percentage.

This offense has a great balance of power and consistency, something that can come in handy during the playoffs. They can both knock in multiple runs in one at bat and simply get on base so that there is an opportunity to knock some in. However, their offensive weakness is speed, or the lack thereof. They have the 11th least amount of stolen bases in the NL, which could hurt the Brew Crew at certain times during the postseason.

One other glaring weakness of the position players is their mediocre defense. They are 9th in the league in fielding percentage with a .983%, much worse than their playoff rivals. Defense is important in the playoffs, so having a good fielding team is almost crucial.

Grade: B

Pitching: 

With their new acquisitions of Shaun Marcum, Francisco Rodriguez, and Zack Greinke, the Brewers have improved their pitching staff. They have the potential to be a great staff, but so far through the season the overall performance of the pitchers has been okay, but not great. The starters have an ERA of 3.72, which is a respectable 7th in the NL.

For their bullpen, they have a great set up man, closer combo in John Axford and Francisco Rodriguez. However, the rest of the bullpen is somewhat suspect. In fact, their bullpen has the 6th worst bullpen in the NL with an ERA of 3.70 which is below average in the league. Could their bullpen be the Brewer's downfall? This pitching staff, though good lately, has too many questions surrounding it to be an elite playoff staff.

Grade: C+

Clutch Rating:

Pinch Hitting BA: .214 (6th in NL) OPS in innings 7+: .693 (7th in NL)

ERA in innings 7+: 3.83 (10th in NL) BA with RISP: .268 (2nd in NL)

Save\ conversion percentage: 67.00% (9th in NL)

Grade: C+ 

Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 83-45 Standing: 1st place in NL East (6.0 games ahead of Atlanta)

Dominating. That is what the Phillies have been all season.

For one of the first times in a long time, the Phillies' pitching has been scarier than their usually potent offense.

With Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and rookie Vance Worley all anchoring their lights out pitching staff, they have not needed their offense to be the best in the league to have the best record in the MLB.

Can the Phillies sustain their play into the playoffs?

Position Players:

The Phillies used their offense to power their way to victory during their streak of four straight division titles. Now their offense has let up a little. They do not lead any offensive category and they are not using any particular means to score runs.

They just score enough runs to win. That objective is exactly what is needed for the playoffs, but with a batting average of .254 (8th in the NL) and a slugging % of .400 (7th in the NL) it may be difficult to score enough runs. 

This team has the third best offense in terms of runs of all of the contenders and is 6th in the league overall in runs scored. They don't need to score six runs each night to win because their pitching is so good, but they do need to have the ability to do so.

I believe this offense is capable of more than it has shown this year, and once Jimmy Rollins is healthy again it may reach new heights, especially with his speed. This season the Phillies are 9th in the league with their 84 stolen bases, which needs some but only moderate improvement. For now, it is still an offense that demands respect from any pitching staff.

The greatest strength of the Phillies' position players is its ability to field. The team is first in the NL in fielding percentage. This asset along with great pitching could just put the Phillies on top in the playoffs and possibly the World Series. 

Grade: B+

Pitching: 

Now we come to the Phillies' pitching staff. There are many words to describe the big four of the rotation, such as beatly, filthy, nasty, and awe-inspiring. It doesn't matter which offense this staff faces; they all are mowed down on a regular basis.

Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt along with the rest of the starters have combined for an ERA of 2.92, easily the best in the NL. The Phillies almost don't require a bullpen seeing as the starters go very deep into games and lead the NL in complete games.

Even if the bullpen is used it does its job well. It has an ERA of 3.49, 6th in the NL. The Phillies pitching is downright unhittable and is unquestionably the best staff going into the playoffs.

Grade: A+

Clutch Factor:

Pinch Hitting BA: .256 (3rd in NL) OPS in innings 7+: .711 (6th in NL)

ERA in innings 7+: 3.10 (3rd in NL) BA with RISP: .266 (4th in NL)

Save conversion percentage: 86.00% (1st in NL)

Grade: A 

San Francisco

Record: 69-62 Standing: 2nd in the NL West (3.0 games back of the Diamondbacks)

The Giants have caught the injury bug. It seems like almost half of their starters are on or have been on the DL this season.

As a result, their record and their offense have taken a big hit. They lost their lead in the division and they have lost many of their star players. However, if some of those players can return, then the Giants could sneak into the playoffs and be a serious player in the postseason.

Position Players: 

At this point in the season the Giants have the absolute worst offense in the league. They cannot score runs, they cannot get on base, and they cannot swipe a base. Their batting average, OBP, and OPS are all at the bottom of the stat sheets in the NL, leading to their lack of runs. They have only scored 447 runs in 131 games, they have a team BA of .240, an OBP of .301, and an OPS of .660.

Since most of the players on the DL for the Giants are position players, only their offense has really collapsed. Without the Giant's pitching, they would probably be at the bottom of the NL West and possibly the entire NL. Luckily for them, they don't need a strong offense for them to win games.

However, if it came down to the wire and they needed to manufacture runs or prevent mistakes, they might fail. They are 13th in the league in stolen bases, showing that they do not run well and have little speed. They also have the 12th worst fielding percentage at .982. The Giants position players cannot in any way be relied on in the playoffs.

Grade: D-

Pitching:

The Giants would not be in this position if it were not for their spectacular pitching squad. Without pitchers like Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and Brian Wilson the Giants would almost certainly doomed. With them though they have the league's second best starter ERA at 3.29 and the second best bullpen ERA at 2.88.

With this staff sometimes only one or two runs are required to win games. As shown by their winning record, the Giants know how to utilize their pitching even with their dreadful offense to win games.

Even though Brian Wilson has been shaky and now is on the DL, he does have a bunch of saves and is still intimidating to face in the 9th inning. The Giants pitching is what has saved the team as a whole in 2011.

Grade: A

Clutch Factor:

Pinch Hitting BA: .202 (11th in NL) OPS in innings 7+: .660 (15th in NL)

ERA in innings 7+: 3.26 (4th in NL) BA with RISP: .219 (16th in NL)

Saves conversion percentage: 78.00% (3rd in NL)

Grade: C-