The Definitive Latino Preview to the 2019 Postseason

By Miguel Martinez

The playoffs are finally here! Ten teams are left standing, and two of them will be on vacation by the time the four Division Series start. Every team has Latinos who contribute over the course of the season, but this is when they really start to shine.

Allow us to get you up to speed. Whether your team is sitting at home or you just want to know what to watch for, here’s a helpful Latino’s guide on who root for in the 2019 MLB playoffs.

Who’s In

National League

• Dodgers
• Braves
• Cardinals
• Nationals
• Brewers

American League

• Astros
• Yankees
• Twins
• Athletics
• Rays

Stars To Follow

Who doesn’t like watching the stars take the field? Just as always, there’s no shortage of star power in October but this year we’ll be reintroduced to some faces who haven’t reached this stage in years, as well as some stars playing in October for the first time.

It’ll be hard to not have “El Mago” Javy Báez nor “Mr. Smile” Francisco Lindor entertaining us this time around, but I doubt many will be complaining once the games start.

The Cardinals haven’t been to the playoffs since 2015 when they lost to the Cubs in the NLDS. It’ll be a great moment to see Yadier Molina back behind the plate this late in the season but teammate Marcell Ozuna might be happier to be playing in October as it’ll be his first time in the playoffs. Carlos Martínez was still a starter the last time he pitched in the playoffs, but he’s no stranger to relief appearances in October. This time he’s got closer duty. He’s been great in that role for St. Louis this year. Look for Tsunami to make waves for the Cardinals.

Brewers catcher Yasmani Grandal hasn’t had the best performances in the postseason for the Dodgers in past years. This year might change the narrative for the All-Star catcher if the Brewers can make a deep run. They’ve been playing better than ever since the injury to Christian Yelich. He left the Dodgers for the Brewers after a tough NLCS in 2018. He and the Brewers probably can’t wait for a potential rematch.

The Astros might be favorites because of their trade deadline deals but their move to call up Yordan Álvarez could end up being the move that tipped the scales in their favor. The rookie designated hitter has been on fire. The only thing that could slow him down is the season ending. Opposing teams have had a hard enough time with the Astros lineup before Alvarez came around. Good luck, AL.

The Yankees were always expected to be as good as they are but injuries throughout the season make their 2019 performance that much more impressive. The return of ace Luis Severino could be the boost that the Yankees need to get back to the World Series for the first time in a decade.

Las Patrias, the homelands

There are close to 100 Latinos who could be on playoff rosters this year. It might be a little hard to keep track of all of them but luckily we’ve made it a little easier for you.

The Astros, Twins, Yankees, and Nationals stand out as heavily-Latino squads this October. The usual homelands are well-represented but smaller countries that we aren’t used to seeing players come from have a few that are sure to make their countries proud this month.

Here’s the breakdown of Latino nationalities present in this year’s playoffs:

Dominican Republic

If you want to root for the Dominicans, nearly every team has someone to follow. The Yankees and Nationals have plenty of guys to watch, some of whom are the best in the game like Juan Soto and Gary Sánchez. The Twins’ Bomba Squad also has some Dominican representatives who will surely continue their MLB-leading home run power. Expect to see some bat flips and energy from these peloteros. Unless the Braves win it all, Dominicans are guaranteed to celebrate a championship for one of their own this year.

Astros: Framber Valdez

Athletics: Ramon Laureano

Brewers: Freddy Peralta

Cardinals: Carlos Martínez, Yairo Muñoz, Marcell Ozuna

Dodgers: Pedro Baez, Yimi García, Kristopher Negron (part Dominican)

Nationals: Juan Soto, Victor Robles, Fernando Rodney, Wander Suero, Wilmer Difo

Rays: Diego Castillo, Willy Adames

Twins: Nelson Cruz, Jorge Polanco, Miguel Sanó

Yankees: Luis Severino, Gary Sánchez, Edwin Encarnación, Zack Britton (part Dominican)

Puerto Rico

La Isla Bonita might not have as many players in the playoffs compared to the Dominican Republic but the quality of talent makes up for the difference in quantity. The Astros and Twins are your best bet to watch as many Puerto Ricans as possible advance deep into October. Just don’t forget that Yadi is back in the playoffs, too. Intangibles matter a lot more in the playoffs and Molina has the strongest set by far; Those World Series rings don’t lie.

Astros: Martín Maldonado, Carlos Correa, George Springer (part Puerto Rican)

Brewers: Alex Claudio

Cardinals: Yadier Molina

Dodgers: Enrique “Kiké” Hernández, Kristopher Negron (part Puerto Rican)

Rays: Emilio Pagan (part Puerto Rican)

Twins: Eddie Rosario, José Berríos

Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton (part Puerto Rican)

Cuba

The Astros are far and away the best team to root for if you want to see the most playing time for Cubans. The hot bat, rookie sensation Yordan Álvarez should be enough to sway you to root for the Astros but Yuli Gurriel is another compelling follow as he has had quite a good season as a 35-year-old. Aroldis Chapman has a chance to win another World Series but likely won’t have to sacrifice his arm to do it this time. It gets colder in October but Chapman will supply the heat.

Astros: Yordan Álvarez, Aledmys Díaz, Yuli Gurriel

Braves: Adeiny Hechavarria

Brewers: Yasmani Grandal, Gio González

Nationals: Roenis Elias

Rays: Guillermo Heredia

Yankees: Aroldis Chapman, Nestor Cortes Jr.

Venezuela

With 28 Venezuelans likely to be on a playoff roster, it might be hard to pick one team above the rest to root for. The Twins have the most Venezuelanos of any team with Marwin González providing World Series experience. The Nationals’ Venezolanos have longevity in the majors with Sanchez, Parra, and Cabrera. Ronald Acuña Jr might be the single best player in the playoffs this year, which is always worth a follow. The Astros have the former MVP José Altuve and a few other key contributors. It’ll be hard to pick any one team but that’s a good problem to have if you’re a fan of Venezuelan peloteros. Unless the Dodgers finally win a title, Venezuela’s guaranteed to celebrate a championship.

Astros: José Altuve, Hector Rondon, Robinson Chirinos, Abraham Toro (part Venezuelan)

Athletics: Yusmeiro Petit, Franklin Barreto

Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr, Ender Inciarte, Rafael Ortega, Francisco Cervelli

Brewers: Junior Guerra, Orlando Arcia, Manny Piña, Hernán Pérez

Cardinals: José Martínez

Nationals: Anibal Sanchez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Gerardo Parra

Rays: Yonny Chirinos, Jesús Aguilar, Avisaíl García

Twins: Willians Astudillo, Ehire Adrianza, Luis Arraez, Marwin González, Martín Pérez, Ronald Torreyes

Yankees: Gleyber Torres, Thairo Estrada

Mexico

If there’s one word that can summarize the Mexican talent in this year’s playoffs it would have to be “relief.”

Most Mexicans you’ll see this October will be relief pitchers, and good ones at that. Bullpens can make or break a playoff series but hopefully these guys come up big for their teams. Slugger Anthony Rendon could earn himself a boost in his free agent contract with a big showing in the NL Wild Card Game and beyond. Alex Verdugo might not be ready for the NLDS but the Dodgers look to make a deep run, which would allow the “Chingon” to join the team at some point in the postseason.

Astros: Roberto Osuna, José Urquidy, Aaron Sanchez

Athletics: Joakim Soria, Khris Davis (part Mexican)

Cardinals: Giovanny Gallegos

Dodgers: Julio Urias, Alex Verdugo

Nationals: Javy Guerra, Anthony Rendon

Twins: Sergio Romo

Yankees: Luis Cessa

Curacao

It’s a smaller brotherhood than other countries but Curacao has great talent to keep up with. Could Kenley Jansen and the Dodgers finally win a World Series this year? Chances are good that the closer could be on the mound for the last out of the long-awaited title. Ozzie Albies and the Braves might be the biggest threat to the Dodgers making their third straight Fall Classic appearance. Whoever the last Curacaoan standing is would stand to have bragging rights for the next year.

Athletics: Jurickson Profar

Braves: Ozzie Albies

Dodgers: Kenley Jansen

Twins: Jonathan Schoop

Yankees: Didi Gregorius (by way of Netherlands)

Colombia

There’s nothing that would make a Colombian happier than a Braves vs. Yankees World Series.

Braves: Julio Teheran

Yankees: Gio Urshela

Panama

Astros: George Springer (part Panamanian)

Braves: Johan Camargo

Haiti

Braves: Touki Toussaint

Peru

Athletics: Jesus Luzardo

Nicaragua

Yankees: Jonathan Loaisiga

Brazil

Nationals: Yan Gomes

We’re not here to predict winners or speculate on series to series matchups. That’s for you to banter about with us on social media. We just want to make it easy to follow your fellow countrymen at a time when the spotlight is on them the most. At the end of the day, we’re all Latinos enjoying the game we love because of the stories that play out on the field.

The heavy favorites are the teams with the triple digit wins. The Dodgers, Astros, and Yankees all have at least 100 wins but we know that the playoffs have a way of being unkind to even the best teams. Who cares about the regular season in October?

It’s time for playoff beisbol!

Featured Image: Houston Astros Instagram