Now that the preliminary rounds are over and we’re down to the Very Good teams, it’s time to choose sides. Serious baseball fans – even those whose teams have already fallen by the wayside – have picked the teams they’ll be rooting for over the rest of the way.

For the rest of you, here’s a quick guide to help you decide. Naturally, it will be biased towards my own preferences. If that’s an issue for you, let me know in the comments.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

The Blue Jays are the only Canadian team in MLB. If you think the World Series should be more than just teams from the US, you’ll root for them. They also haven’t been to the WS in over three decades. Being stuck in the same division with two perennial powerhouses will have that effect.

The Mariners are the only team in MLB that has yet to make it to the World Series. They also have a star player whose nickname is “Big Dumper”.

The Tigers in recent decades have been one of those teams that’s been good more often than bad, but they just haven’t been able to get it together enough for sustained excellence. This year looks very promising as a start to the reversal of that.

The Yankees are probably the most hated team in MLB. It’s largely due to their fans. They haven’t had a losing season since the Blue Jays were in the World Series; most of their fans act as if the purpose of the regular season is simply to determine who they’ll face in the playoffs. They’ll also brag about how many World Championships their team has won – ignoring the fact that they’ve only won one this century, while teams like the Giants, Cardinals, and (their hated rivals) Red Sox have multiple trophies.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Despite not having a superstar player, the Brewers have been the best team in MLB for most of the season. And they are from the smallest “market”. They’ve also haven’t been to the World Series in over 40 years.

The Cubs are one of those teams that are hard to hate. They’ve never been truly dominant, have had a lot of hard luck seasons when they have been good but not good enough, and don’t have the arrogant fan base that some other teams have.

The Dodgers can rightfully call themselves a “dynasty” at present. They have a great organization that knows what it’s doing, and the resulting load of talent.

Thanks to their star player, Bryce Harper, the Phillies have cultivated a “punk” attitude. A confident “in your face” swagger that just manages to avoid being offensive. They’re in the middle of their own dynasty; if only the Dodgers weren’t always in their way….

So….

If you want to see a rematch of last year’s World Series, or (like Fox Sports and MLB itself) care about ratings, you’ll root for the Yankees and Dodgers.

If you want to see the underdogs in all of this, or people playing baseball outdoors in the north in late October, you’ll root for the Cubs and Tigers.

If you want to see the teams with the best regular season records, you want the Blue Jays and Brewers.

If you want to see someone end a serious “drought” no matter who wins (and if you remember the Seattle Pilots), you’ll want to root for the Mariners and Brewers.