With the conclusion of the 2022 MLB World Series, we baseball fans have the opportunity to look back at a season that, at times, has been wildly surprising. From the Cleveland Guardians winning the AL Central to the Philadelphia Phillies coming two wins away from a World Series victory, there’s certainly lots for baseball fans to digest. 

The Regular Season

While the regular season went largely as we expected, there were certainly some surprises and some disappointments. Firstly, it’s safe to say that the Cleveland Guardians were probably the biggest surprise of the regular season. Going into it, any expert would’ve predicted that either the Chicago White Sox or Minnesota Twins would win the AL Central. However, not only did the Guardians win the division, but they did so convincingly by 11.0 games. On top of expectedly stellar seasons from José Ramirez and Shane Bieber, the Guardians’ offense saw a surprising surge from the more unlikely bats of Amed Rosario, Oscar Gonzales, and Andres Gimenez. Not to mention, the arms of relievers such as Cal Quantrill, James Karinchak, and Emmanuel Clase elevated the Cleveland bullpen to one of the league’s best. 

Looking over to two other AL teams, the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners were also very pleasant surprises. As for Seattle, they were expected to contend for the playoffs, so their jump into the postseason is not shocking. Still, the stellar play of rookie Julio Rodriguez was certainly a surprise and so was the convincing fashion in which Seattle made the playoffs. If Seattle continues to capitalize off of its positive momentum in the coming seasons, the Mariners are primed to become a perennial postseason participant. Heading to Baltimore, the Orioles’ playoff push was one that put a smile on every baseball fan’s face. Thought to be one of the league’s worst teams coming into the season, no one expected the Orioles to come as close to the playoffs as they did. With the emergence of young players like Adley Rutchsman and Gunnar Henderson alongside reliable veteran play, the Orioles came only 3.0 games within a playoff appearance. Like Seattle, Baltimore seems like they will only grow from here. 

The Playoffs & World Series

If there’s something that this year’s postseason has taught us it’s this—the Houston Astros are the team to beat and will continue to be the team to beat for the upcoming years in the MLB. Although the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed arguably more impressive than Houston in the regular season, the Astros’ playoff dominance has more than solidified their place at the top of the MLB. Nevertheless, despite the victory of the Houston juggernaut, the postseason also brought us a plethora of exciting upsets. Most notably, no rational baseball fan would have predicted the Philadelphia Phillies to come within two wins of a World Series championship at the beginning of the postseason.

However, the Phillies are a prime example of how, when it comes to the playoffs, it doesn’t matter which team was the best during the regular season. Rather, the postseason favors teams that are hot at the right time. After all, how else could we explain an NLCS between the Phillies and Padres rather than one between the Dodgers and Braves?

Nevertheless, with the Houston Astros seeming unstoppable, their largely young, homegrown core certainly leaves Yankee fans such as myself worried.

Still, in a wild season where the Phillies almost won it all, anything can happen.