How Biogenesis Will Affect the Playoff Races

With Monday’s punishments announced for the players involved in Anthony Bosch’s biogenesis clinic, 2013’s playoff races may be slightly altered. Although most of the players connected to biogenesis are less than role players, some teams will be tasked to endure the season’s final two months without impact players and All-Stars who were an integral part of their first half lineups.

Two teams whose quest for October will lack 2013 All-Stars are the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers. The Tigers lost their shortstop, Jhonny Peralta, while Texas will move forward without their main catalyst, right fielder Nelson Cruz.

In the Rangers’ first season without Josh Hamilton and Michael Young, one of their offense’s few reliable assets was Cruz. Understandably, Cruz was having his best statistical season prior to his suspension. Through 108 games, Cruz was on pace for career highs in homeruns and qualifying batting average.

Cruz led the Rangers in homeruns with 27, RBI with 76, and walks with 35. Aging third baseman Adrian Beltre will be the Rangers’ main offensive force for the remainder of the season. Beltre leads every major offensive category that Cruz didn’t.

Two players who the Rangers will need to perform for hopes at keeping up with the surging Athletics are catcher A.J. Pierzynski and second baseman Ian Kinsler. Both players have missed over 20 games already and will need to stay in the lineup and perform like their old selves for Texas to have a chance at getting back to fall baseball.

Unlike the Rangers, Detroit probably will not even feel or notice Peralta’s absence despite his All-Star season with a .305 average. Detroit still has the reigning Triple Crown winner, Miguel Cabrera, along with his counterpart, Prince Fielder.

Thus far in 2013, Cabrera is posting a legitimate bid for a repeat at the Triple Crown with a league leading .359 average and 105 RBI along with a second best 33 homeruns. Fielder has provided an additional 80 RBI and 17 homeruns.

Like Cruz, Peralta was also having one of his best seasons. Peralta’s .305 average was a career high and was on pace for his most homeruns since 2008. Despite this revival to his eleven year career, Peralta is a minor subtraction from an already very deep and experienced lineup loaded with Cabrera and Fielder as well as seasoned veterans Torii Hunter and Victor Martinez.

The Tigers had prepared for Peralta’s suspension when they addressed his potential vacancy at the Trade Deadlne. Detroit acquired Jose Iglesias from the Red Sox in a three team trade with the White Sox that saw the departures of Avisail Garcia and Brayan Villareal.

Iglesias is a defensive minded shortstop, but showed signs of strong offensive production earlier this season.

Even if Peralta’s absence downgraded the offense, the Tigers’ starting rotations is still one of the league’s most talented staffs with the 17-1 Max Scherzer, 10-5 Doug Fister, and perennial Cy Young candidate 12-8 Justin Verlander.

The Tigers have the pitching and enough offense to make the playoffs and hold off the threatening Indians without Peralta. In Arlington, the outcome does look as promising. Texas will fatally miss Cruz’s power in their efforts to stop the Athletics if other players fail to stay productive and on the field.

By suspending the players involved with biogenesis, baseball hoped to retain the integrity of the game and keep an untainted playoff race. These suspensions have altered the playoff race and punished more than just the players, but also their teams. Seeing the way their teams needed them, after failing to make the playoffs, could be the best punishment of all for the players and perhaps an added incentive in the future to stay clean.