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2016 American League Championship Series Preview

The American League Division Series featured two sweeps, with the favorite in each series being dispatched rather quickly. Now we get to see the two best teams in terms of run prevention in the AL face off against each other (the Toronto Blue Jays at 4.11 runs per game and Cleveland Indians at 4.20) in what looks to be a coin flip of a series. Baseball Factory and Team One alumni will be front and center in this matchup, from the middle of each team’s order, to the Indians dominant bullpen. Here are some key factors that will play a large role in the series.

Cleveland’s dominant bullpen:

Well, this is an obvious one as the Indians paid a heavy price to go get one of the best lefty relievers in baseball in Andrew Miller, who can throw multiple innings and be dominant in them. Coupled with criminally underrated Cody Allen, the back end of Cleveland’s bullpen should be enough to scare anyone. Adding Bryan Shaw and Baseball Factory’s own Dan Otero (a member of our exclusive program), makes this bullpen downright unfair. Terry Francona isn’t afraid to use them at any spot, which takes plenty of heat off of the starting staff.

Toronto’s Pop:

The Blue Jays lineup is simply chalked full of guys who can hit the ball 500 feet. From established superstars such as Edwin Encarnacion, 1999 Team One National alum, Jose Bautista and 1997 Team One National standout, Troy Tulowitzki and last year’s MVP, Baseball Factory’s 2004 Pre-Season All-American, Josh Donaldson, to lesser known threats such as Kevin Pillar, or Melvin Upton, a Baseball Factory 2001 Pre-Season All-American, the Blue Jays have the potential to score a handful of runs in the blink of an eye. The leader behind the plate, catcher Russell Martin only had one hit in the ALDS against the Texas Rangers, albeit a big one. If he can get it going, the Blue Jays lineup is not only powerful, but incredibly deep.

Wealth of Starting Pitching:

Wouldn’t it be different if Cleveland had a healthy Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar? The latter may be able to come back and pitch out of the bullpen, but for now, the Indians will have to rely on the best starter in the series, Corey Kluber, to go deep in Game 1 and Game 5 (if they get there) to save stress on the dominant bullpen.

Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin will have to be on their A-game, because they will be facing a group of four Toronto pitchers who have been dominant at times. J.A. Happ has been one of the best pitchers in the AL this year, and will have to keep it going in the ALCS to outweigh the disadvantage in the bullpen. The Jays will follow with Marco Estrada, Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez. If the Blue Jays can eek out a victory in Game 1 against Kluber, they are set up nicely in their rotation to advance.

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