The injury plagued St. Louis Cardinals were coasting through the better part of the regular season before spotting the Pirates in their rearview mirror. The 2013 National League Champions held on to clinch the Central Division and will look to repeat this October. Baseball Factory alumni include AJ Pierzynski and Peter Bourjos, who will play vital utility roles for the Cardinals this postseason.

The power hitting Los Angeles Dodgers were locked in a heated race with the San Francisco Giants before pulling away late to take the NL West crown. Baseball Factory alumnus and Cy Young award winner Zack Greinke helps to lead a spectacular starting rotation. Greinke posted an impressive 2.74 ERA with 16 wins during the regular season. Fellow Factory alumni AJ Ellis, JP Howell and Chris Perez will look to contribute as well this postseason.

The San Francisco Giants head into the postseason with high hopes. Baseball Factory alumnus Brandon Belt is back in the line up from an injury-plagued season and poised to get hot in October. Additionally, shortstop Brandon Crawford has put together a solid season anchoring the Giants’ infield and is ready for another playoff run in only his fourth MLB season.

The Washington Nationals didn’t even break a sweat this regular season, winning the NL East by a convincing 16.5 games. Baseball Factory alumnus Bryce Harper is the face of this young, erratic Nationals team. Despite having a disappointing regular season and missing substantial time due to injury, Harper has the potential to get hot at a moment’s notice. Fellow alumni Ryan Zimmerman, Scott Hairston and Denard Span will also look to make their mark in October. During the regular season Span posted his best numbers thus far as a big leaguer, batting over .300 as well as ranking second on the team in runs scored and leading the team in stolen bases. Look for the Nationals to make a strong bid for the National League pennant.

After a memorable 2013 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates are optimistic they can make a run deep into the postseason. Former Baseball Factory athletes Josh Harrison, Gaby Sanchez and Andrew Lambo have played important roles throughout the season. Harrison has been one of the Pirates most valuable players, chasing a batting title with a .319 batting average, 75 runs scored and 17 stolen bases in his breakout season. Sanchez received more than 250 at bats at 1B/C and is expected to see some time this postseason.