At last! The month of October has arrived, and the 2010 regular season has come to an exciting end. Baseball fans have had a chance to recharge as the spotlight shifts to the final eight teams battling for an opportunity to compete in the World Series. Baseball Factory is pleased to announce that Baseball Factory and Team One alumni represent all eight of Major League Baseball’s 2010 postseason teams. All in all, there are 40 alumni looking to bring home the Commissioner’s Trophy in 2010.

The 2010 postseason kicks off on October 6th with an American League match-up between the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays return to the postseason for the second time in team history in an attempt to avenge their 2008 World Series loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Former Baseball Factory Pre-Season All-American standout B.J. Upton stole 42 bases this season, helping the Rays score 802 runs (third-best in the majors). Upton will lead the Rays against a Rangers team that spent most of its season atop the American League West Division. Although the Ranger’s were hit hard when Josh Hamilton was plagued with a rib injury in September, he returned to the lineup at the end of the month and will be on the Ranger’s postseason roster. Hamilton is a former Team One participant and led the American League with a .359 batting average during the 2010 season.

In a repeat of last year’s American League Division Series, the American League Wild Card Champion New York Yankees will square off against the American League Central Champion Minnesota Twins. The Yankee’s star-studded lineup has raised fan expectations and former Team One alumni, CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, are in the midst of All-Star seasons. Sabathia collected 21 wins on the season, including a postseason-clinching victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on September 28th. Teixeira adds some fire power to the Yankees lineup with a slugging percentage of .481 and 33 home runs. Both players have postseason experience and lead the Yankees into their 15th postseason appearance in 16 years. Although the Twins cannot match the postseason experience of the Yankees, the team is filled with young and versatile players. The loss of Justin Morneau to a concussion mid-season provided an opportunity for outfielder Delmon Young, a former Baseball Factory Pre-Season All-America participant, to step up. Young had a career year with a slugging percentage of .495, 21 home runs, and only 81 strikeouts.

In the National League, the Cincinnati Reds look to end Philadelphia’s hopes of returning to its third straight World Series. The Phillies are heavy favorites going into the National League Division Series. Roy Halladay, a former Team One player, leads one of the most feared starting pitching rotations in Major League Baseball. Halladay had 21 wins and a 2.44 ERA in 2010, giving the Phillies a new weapon in the playoffs this year. Appearing in his first postseason game, Halladay will have to hold off another former Team One player, Jay Bruce of the Cincinnati Reds. Bruce hit a walkoff home run to clinch the division title over Houston, leading the Reds to their first playoff birth in 15 years.

The Atlanta Braves, National League Wildcard Champions, will go head to head against the San Francisco Giants, winners of the National League West Division. Atlanta reached the playoffs with a consistent lineup and pitching staff. They are led by five-time All-Star catcher Brian McCann, a former Team One player looking to provide the Braves with a quality performance this postseason. The Giants enter the playoffs for the first time since 2003 backed by former Team One player, Pat Burrell. Burrell had two and three-run homeruns against the Rockies and the Diamondbacks in late September to keep the Giants ahead of the Padres going into the last weekend of the season. Since he was acquired from the Rays in June, Burrell has hit 18 homeruns with a slugging percentage of .509.

Look for Baseball Factory and Team One alumni to be significant contributors to all eight postseason teams in 2010. We wish them all the best of luck!

After a breathtaking month of postseason baseball the Fall Classic is finally here. In a dramatic turn of events, a pair of underdogs in the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants will battle in the 2010 World Series. In the face of a probable rematch of the 2009 Yankees/Phillies World Series, the Rangers and Giants had other plans.

In the American League Championship Series, the Texas Rangers simply overmatched the goliath Yankees to advance to their first ever World Series. Leading the charge against the experienced Yankees pitching staff and taking home the ALCS MVP award was Baseball Factory alum Josh Hamilton. In his biggest return to New York since having “Ham-il-ton!” chanted at the 2008 Home Run Derby, the Rangers slugger pleased Yankee fans a little less this time around. After struggling in the Division Series versus the Rays, Hamilton hit .350 against New York with four home runs, seven RBI, and a robust 1.000 slugging percentage in only six games.

In the National League Championship Series, the San Francisco Giants continued to accomplish the seemingly impossible, defeating the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies in six games. As it did all season, the Giants pitching staff dominated, led by two-time defending NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. It was their offense, however, that would be the difference maker in the series. Baseball Factory alum Cody Ross, not to be outdone by his counterpart, Hamilton, brought home the NLCS MVP. In six games, Ross hit an amazing .350, launching three home runs of his own with five RBI and .950 slugging percentage.

A complete list of Baseball Factory and Team One Alumni in the postseason:

American League

B.J. Upton – Baseball Factory Pre-Season All-American and Team One East – Rays
Rocco Baldelli – Team One East – Rays
James Shields – Team One National – Rays
Sean Rodriguez – Team One South – Rays
Kelly Shoppach – Team One Midwest – Rays
Jake McGee – Team One West – Rays
J.P. Howell – Team One National and West – Rays
Wade Davis – Team One National and South – Rays

Jose Morales – Team One Florida – Twins
Michael Cuddyer – Team One National and East – Twins
Denard Span – Team One East – Twins
Brian Duensing – Baseball Factory Events – Twins
Delmon Young – Baseball Factory Pre-Season All-American – Twins
Drew Butera – Team One Florida Tryouts – Twins
J.J. Hardy – Team One National – Twins
Orlando Hudson – Team One National – Twins
Danny Valencia – Team One South – Twins

Ian Kinsler – Team One West – Rangers
Josh Hamilton – Team One National – Rangers
Jeff Franceour – Team One East – Rangers
Derek Holland – Baseball Factory Exclusive Program – Rangers

Mark Teixeira – Team One National – Yankees
David Robertson – Team One South – Yankees
CC Sabathia – Team One National – Yankees
Austin Kearns – Team One National – Yankees
Andrew Brackman – Team One National and North – Yankees
Colin Curtis – Team One National and West – Yankees

National League

Roy Halladay – Team One National – Phillies
Jayson Werth  – Baseball Factory Lessons Instructor – Phillies

Laynce Nix – Team One West – Reds
Jay Bruce – Team One National – Reds
Mike Leake – Team One West – Reds

Pat Burrell – Team One National – Giants
Cody Ross – Team One National – Giants

Brian McCann – Team One National – Braves
Lee Hyde – Team One South – Braves
Jonny Venters – Team One South – Braves
David Ross – Team One National – Braves
Rick Ankiel – Team One National – Braves
Nate McLouth – Team One Midwest – Braves