And so it is down to 10. Also, 250. Ten, as in the number of teams left alive as we enter the 2014 MLB postseason. And 250, as in the number of players (give or take) who will step onto the October stage.
Two of those teams and a handful of those players will meet in the World Series in less than a month. Either the American League or National League will prove its supremacy.
Until then, it's fun to ask: Who has the most star power? Of the five NL and five AL squads that will tussle for the Commissioner's Trophy, who boasts the brightest wattage, the highest skill level, the most intriguing matchups?
Let's take a look. We'll begin by creating a starting lineup and pitching rotation comprised of each league's top players (leaving out the DH). To qualify, a player must have made the bulk of his starts at the position in question.
We'll then analyze which talent-laden group owns the edge and which matchups will be the most enjoyable to watch.
Seems like an entertaining enough diversion while we wait for the games to start for real, right?
The Lineups
American League
1B Miguel Cabrera, DET (honorable mention: Albert Pujols, LAA)
2B Ian Kinsler, DET (Howie Kendrick, LAA)
3B Josh Donaldson, OAK (David Freese, LAA)
SS Alcides Escobar, KC (J.J. Hardy, BAL)
LF Alex Gordon, KC (J.D. Martinez, DET)
CF Mike Trout, LAA (Adam Jones, BAL)
RF Torii Hunter, DET ( Kole Calhoun, LAA)
C Salvador Perez, KC (Derek Norris, OAK)
Pitching rotation: Jon Lester, OAK; Max Scherzer, DET; James Shields, KC; David Price, DET; Sonny Gray, OAK
National League
1B Adrian Gonzalez, LAD (honorable mention: Adam LaRoche, WSH)
2B Neil Walker, PIT (Dee Gordon, LAD)
3B Josh Harrison, PIT (Anthony Rendon, WSH)
SS Ian Desmond, WSH (Hanley Ramirez, LAD)
LF Starling Marte, PIT (Matt Holliday, STL)
CF Andrew McCutchen, PIT (Denard Span, WSH)
RF Yasiel Puig, LAD (Hunter Pence, SF)
C Buster Posey, SF (Russell Martin, PIT)
Pitching rotation: Clayton Kershaw, LAD; Adam Wainwright, STL; Jordan Zimmerman, WSH; Doug Fister, WSH; Madison Bumgarner, SF
Who's Got the Edge?
There are superstars in both groups, no question. Trout, Cabrera, McCutchen, Puig—these are some of the biggest household names in baseball, familiar to the casual fan or the person on the street. They're the players and personalities who will draw attention no matter what.
What about statistically? Wins Above Replacement, or WAR, is an imperfect measure of a player's value, but as a quick and easy metric, it'll do.
Of the players listed above, Trout leads the way with an 7.8 WAR, per FanGraphs. McCutchen is second at 6.8. The only others on the list to crack the top ten among MLB position players are Donaldson (6.4), Gordon (6.6) and Rendon (6.6).
But, again, WAR isn't the final word. Look at those lineups, position by position. The AL probably has the edge at a few spots, but they're all close. Even in center field, where you'd think Trout would be a shoo-in, the NL counters with its own five-tool stud in McCutchen.
The NL, meanwhile, owns a clear advantage in right field (Puig over Hunter) and catcher (Posey over Perez).
Then there are the arms. Good as the AL's hurlers are—and they're plenty good—we'll take Kershaw and Wainwright over Lester and Scherzer.
The back end of the NL's rotation is also ridiculously loaded. Zimmerman, fresh off his season-ending no-hitter, is backed by his teammate Fister, who may have had an even better year, and Bumgarner, the San Francisco Giants' tough-as-nails lefty.
It's close, but we're giving this to the NL on both skill and star power.
The Marquee Matchups
Let's start with the NLDS showdown between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 1 of that series will feature what MLB.com's Stephen Pianovich correctly called, "One of the best playoff pitching matchups you could possibly imagine."
Kershaw was unquestionably the most dominant pitcher in baseball this season, finishing with a 1.77 ERA and striking out 239 in 198.1 innings.
Wainwright, though, has the October pedigree. While Kershaw has struggled at times in the playoffs, posting a 4.23 ERA in nine appearances, Wainwright's postseason line is sterling: 2.53 ERA, 0.990 WHIP, 67.2 IP, 76 SO.
And the Cy Young-caliber foils could meet twice if the series goes deep.
Over in the AL, maybe the most intriguing early matchup is the AL Wild Card Game. That pits Jon Lester, another postseason-tested ace, against the Kansas City Royals, the least postseason-tested team in baseball.
Lester owns a 2.11 ERA in 13 playoff appearances, which is exactly 13 more playoff appearances than the Royals have made since 1985. Kansas City may be a Cinderella story, but its unhappy ending could come quickly at the hands of Oakland's hired gun.
"That’s what we got him for," A's manager Bob Melvin told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. "That’s why the rotation was set up the way it was. That’s why you have a guy like that. When he takes the mound, the team’s going to feel awfully good about their chances."
Looking forward, if the A's do get past K.C., they'd meet the division-rival Los Angeles Angels, the club they grappled with in the AL West for much of the season before the Halos pulled away.
And speaking of California rivalries, the 2014 playoffs might give us the first-ever (ever!) postseason clash between the Dodgers and Giants.
For this matchup to occur, the Giants will need to get past the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card Game and then defeat the loaded Nationals in the NLDS. The Dodgers would have to dispatch St. Louis.
If it happens, though, oh boy.
It's impossible to overstate how big that series would be for those old rivals, who have followed each other across a continent and traded blows for more than a century. Imagine popping the cork off a 125-year-old bottle of champagne, and you've got some idea.
So we'll give a slight edge to the NL in the matchup department, too, even if some of these scenarios never play out.
Mostly, this has all the makings of a star-studded, action-packed postseason. Bring it on.
All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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