MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 29

I'm on vacation again, this time in Texas to visit my wife's family and introduce Matthew to everyone down there, but the MLB Tournament of Champions must roll on, considering that we're into the final week of play!

Over the weekend two more spots were claimed in the Elimination Round, with three more division titles having been won. The West Divisions in both leagues as well as all four Wild Cards are still up for grabs as we wait to see who will join the 2016 Cubs, 1995 Braves, 1995 Indians, and 2004 Red Sox. The sidebar of the main website contains the division standings, but if you're on a mobile version of the site or want more detail, full standings can be seen here.

I would expect to see a few clinching games during this round of the tournament, which features three divisional matchups. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play some baseball!

MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 28

We're through 90 percent of the MLB Tournament of Champions as we conclude our second to last weekend of the regular season.

30 teams entered at the beginning of April with dreams of their representative of their respective franchises being crowned the Champion of Champions. At this stage, 27 teams still have a mathematical shot at a postseason berth, but many of these teams have already been bounced from their respective division races and are on the brink of wild card elimination. You can view the full standings here.

This round will see four divisional matchups, but fortunately at this point we're done with both doubleheaders and wraparound weekend series. There are a handful of clinching scenarios: every division except the NL West can be locked up this weekend, and the 1975 Reds and 2011 Rangers can pick up a postseason berth without clinching a division.

All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's punch some tickets.

MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 27

Hope you had a great Fourth of July! We're down to the final two weeks now of the MLB Tournament of Champions, and the Elimination Round picture is starting to take shape.

Over the weekend, the 1995 Cleveland Indians and their fearsome lineup clinched the AL Central title, becoming the first team to punch their ticket to the next round. The 2016 Chicago Cubs also clinched a playoff berth over the wraparound weekend. We also saw three teams see their dreams at postseason play end in the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2005 Chicago White Sox, and 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. They will spend the next two weeks just playing out the string. Meanwhile, if you want to look at the full standings to see where we're at with everything, you can view those here.

We have just one divisional matchup in this round, and as far as I can tell, only one team has any clinching scenarios, and that's the 2016 Cubs, who can possibly lock up the division as well as the best record in the National League, which would mean the path to the Championship of Champions would run through Wrigley Field.

All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to the action.

MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 26

We've made it to July, and we're down to the home stretch of the MLB Tournament of Champions!

So far, only one team has been eliminated from any race, with the 2005 White Sox mathematically eliminated from the AL Central. They're still technically in the running for a wild card, but that dream could also come to an end this weekend. A handful of other teams also find themselves on the verge of playoff elimination this weekend as well. On the other side, the 1995 Indians could lock up the AL Central with success against the White Sox while the Royals struggle. You can take a full look at the standings, including wild cards, here.

Speaking of White Sox-Indians, they make up the final doubleheader of the tournament. Over in the National League, this week presents the final set of wraparound series, which is why this post is coming out on a Monday. This weekend, we have a total of seven divisional matchups including those mentioned above.

All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Time to play some baseball.

MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 25

With vacations and holidays out of the way, at least for now, we're back onto the regular release schedule for the MLB Tournament of Champions as we're down to the final three weeks of the regular season.

We still have our split of divisions where the races are tight as well as a few where it's all but decided. No teams are to the point of being able to clinch quite yet, but by this weekend someone may punch their ticket to the elimination round. You can view the full standings, including Wild Cards, here. Division standings are also updated on the sidebar of the main site (unfortunately it's not available on mobile sites).

There are only two doubleheaders left on the schedule, one in each league, with the National League getting its final one done in this round. That doubleheader is part of one of five divisional series matchups taking place in this round.

All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to the action!

COAS Picks the 2017 MLB All Stars

I'm taking a brief break from the MLB Tournament of Champions to bring you a tradition that I've undertaken the last few years: voting for the MLB All Star Game.

We're finally back to the All Star Game being just an exhibition that doesn't determine home field advantage in the World Series, so all is right with the game again. Unfortunately, the daily voting limit remains in place and I'm unable to get all of my votes in because I wait until the end of the voting window, I won't be able to max them out.

Like I said last year, as much as I'd like to vote spam for the Cubs, I can't do it. I want to vote the deserving players into the game, and that's what my goal with this is.

MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 24

I delayed this posting by a day and a few hours due to travel back from North Dakota, but even with family vacations in the mix, the MLB Tournament of Champions must roll on!

We're getting down towards the end here, and the 2016 Cubs were the first team to lock up a winning record in the tournament after finishing off a sweep of the Dodgers on Wednesday. Seven other teams have at least 40 wins and will join the Cubs in that winning record club shortly.

A few of our divisions are runaways (looking at you, AL Central), while we have three division races separated by three games or less. The wild card races are also great, with the first team out in each league trailing by just half a game. You can view the full standings here, or the divisional standings on the sidebar of the full site.

This round, we have three divisional matchups, including a renewal of the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry that I'm still cursing Cardinal Devil Magic over from their first meeting in the tournament. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play some baseball!