The best thing about October, right behind the leaves changing color and Halloween is October baseball. From the first day of the month down to the last, the best 12 teams in Major League Baseball will duke it out, culminating in the historic, best-of-seven World Series.
Sorry Bay Area sports fans, this hasn’t been our year. But chin up, with a Matt Chapman extension and finally getting rid of President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi and promoting Buster Posey to the role, next year is our year. And Athletic’s fans, I’m sorry. Nothing I say can make it better. Just grab some tissues.
This cycle of predictions is a bit different. For one, this issue will only be in your hands a few days before the World Series. But I guarantee every last line of these predictions was written in September, meaning there will be plenty of embarrassing picks to laugh at by the time this issue reaches you.
But second, Neel Sharma, one of last year’s Sports Editors, already took a crack at baseball predictions, giving his Spring Training predictions in April. A lot has changed since then, though, and some of his picks didn’t even reach the playoffs (looking at you Texas Rangers). So this is a fresh look at the postseason.
The first matchup in the American League is a brilliant one, with the Detroit Tigers taking on the Houston Astros. This is one of the strongest matchups in all of the playoffs. Whichever team wins this series will advance past the Cleveland Guardians and reach the ALCS. In my mind, that team is going to be the Astros.
In fairness, the Tigers have made an impressive showing. After trading Jack Flaherty in August, they had just a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs. However, they’ve been on fire since, winning everything in their path. In addition, they have Tarik Skubal, who I believe to be the best pitcher in the AL. And he has the stats to back it up, winning the AL Pitching Triple Crown, being the Cy Young favorite and being the WAR leader for pitchers in the MLB.
However, Skubal can’t pitch every inning. Tigers Manager AJ Hinch made it clear that Skubal would start game one, but no other starters have been confirmed, and Hinch would have to deal with “pitching chaos.” The Tigers will win game one, but the Astros will come back to win the series. With unbelievable pitching depth through stars like Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown and Yusei Kikuchi, their bullpen is solid.
There are some worries about the Astros’ offense with Yordan Alvarez’s injury, but he was cleared to return just in time for the playoffs, and with Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman behind him, their offense should be able to finish the job and take the Astros to the ALCS. Yes, the Guardians may have one of the better bullpens in the major league, but their inconsistency among starters will shine through in a five game series against the Astros.
Next, the Kansas City Royals take on the Baltimore Orioles for the privilege of advancing to face the number one seed, the New York Yankees. Call it the battle of the shortstops, because Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. are two of the finer shortstops in the AL, but the Orioles have been struggling as of late.
Beyond Anthony Santander, who turned on the jets, the rest of the team has been sluggish since July. They have strong starters, but a weak bullpen. If the batters can slug their way through pitching challenges, there’s a chance, but I see the Royals as the stronger team. They have been inconsistent in past months, but in the past two weeks they showed their desire to win, with their relievers having a combined 1.52 ERA.
Though, beyond Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, their offense hasn’t been inspiring enough. Yes, they will go past the Orioles, but they will be clobbered by the Yankees. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. That’s all it takes. Judge sported an OPS of 1.159 in the regular season, mashing 58 homers, with Juan Soto teetering just under that 1.000 OPS mark and 41 homers of his own. Yes, a team is more than just two players, but with a solid pitching lineup which includes Luke Weaver and Tim Hill, the Yankees are an easy shout.
The seven game ALCS between (hopefully) the Astros and the Yankees is going to be a good one, but I see the Yankees making the World Series because of their all-around strength.
Now, looking towards the National League, the first match is already a solid one, with the second New York team, the Mets, taking on the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mets will receive hype, partly thanks to a thrilling win in the first game of a doubleheader against the Braves that secured October baseball for them.
But, I think the Brewers are the better team. They don’t have as much hype, but they are solid. With Jackson Chourio, Willy Adames and William Contreras being offensive stars in the making, bringing in runs and stealing bases left and right, the offense will do alright. TheBrewer bullpen is also strong, with a season-long bullpen ERA of 3.11, the best in the NL. Devin Williams is an extremely underrated closer as well.
And the Mets are going to do what the Mets do best –– as shown by them nearly choking a 3-run lead against the Braves –– they’re going to amaze and frustrate in random intervals. Literally every Met can bat when they’re on, headlined by Francisco Lindor. Additionally with strong starters, they certainly have a chance, but an inconsistent bullpen may lead to troubles for the defense. I wouldn’t be surprised if they go through, but in my mind the Brewers will win.
Not that it matters, because the winner faces the Philadelphia Phillies. There’s a reason that three of the four Phillies infielders were All-Stars. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm are some of the best infielder/batter/lethal weapons combos in the game, and adding designated hitter Kyle Schwarber to top it off, the offense is simply unfair.
The pitching lineup is solid at times, with Zach Wheeler, Christopher Sanchez, and many options to close out games. And the Phillies have one of the best atmospheres in all of the MLB at Citizen Bank Park, which makes them maybe the most fully developed team. They will make it to the NLCS.
Looking at the bottom of the bracket, the Padres will destroy the Braves. Just look at their stars, on both offense and in the bullpen. Jason Adam, Bryan Hoeing, Tanner Scott, Jeremiah Estrada, Yuki Matsui and Robert Suarez are just some of the pitchers who make up the deep, talented bullpen. And on offense, Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez and Manny Machado make up a star-studded offensive cast.
The Braves just don’t have the same substance. Chris Sale rivals Tarik Skubal for being the best pitcher in the league, but the Braves left him off their Wild Card squad. Marcel Ozuna is an incredible batter, but with Ronald Acuna’s injury woes, the Braves offense just isn’t deep enough. Spencer Strider was supposed to be a star starter, but that fell through as well. The Braves are a solid team, and they’ve shown their resolve by somehow continuing to win, but I predict that will end with the Padres.
This means the Padres will advance to face the Dodgers, who have the best odds to win the World Series at +350. And maybe it’s my inner Giants fan, or maybe their past postseason legacy stuck in my brain, but I predict they will choke.
Yes, Shohei Ohtani might just be the best baseball player in the whole world, breaking barriers by creating the 50/50 club and leading the Dodgers to the playoffs, and yes, Teoscar Hernandez, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have been impressive, but I predict the Dodgers are going to blow it.
In fairness, their bullpen has been bolstered this year, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Treinen and others being solid, but the Padres have a stronger bullpen, nearly as much talent on offense and more drive. The Dodgers are 5-8 against the Padres this year, and that may just be the X-factor.
So, in my world, the Padres and the Phillies will face off in a hot NLCS, which Philadelphia will win. With an incredible offense, a solid bullpen, the loudest fan base and the most drive, the Phillies will drive to the World Series to face the Yankees. And for the same reason, they will take the World Series. Their strength all the way down the batting order will overpower the Yankees lead-off hitters, but the real battle will be between pitchers. Both teams have solid bullpens, pretty good starters, but nothing more than that, and the Phillies will gain the edge.
Last MLB postseason was forgettable to say the least. But with an unbelievable concentration of star power, from Ohtani’s first postseason, to the Judge and Soto duo, from Francisco Lindor’s power to Skubal’s grace, this postseason is sure to be unforgettable.
