The 2016 MLB regular season is over and 162 games are now in
the books. You did all that for this, the Major League Baseball playoffs and
World Series. Here we go using the predictions and records from my previous
prediction posts! Bolded team denotes the victory in the series!
American League
Cleveland Indians vs.
New York Yankees
I truly believe once everyone is healthy no team is better
suited for a one-game playoff then the New York Yankees. With the big three in
the bullpen and a young ace in Masahiro Tanaka (or Luis Severino) the team just
has to get an early lead and hold it. The offense has shown an ability to be
explosive and while Corey Kluber is great and a former Cy Young award winner he
is no Dallas Keucehl. Maybe it’s the homer in me but I’m going with my Yankees.
Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Toronto Blue Jays monster offense should be better in
2016 with the help of a couple contract seasons for Edwin Encarnacion and Jose
Bautista. The pitching won’t be as good probably without David Price but Price wasn’t
great in the postseason anyway while the team will benefit from a full season
from Marcus Stroman. Meanwhile the Yankees matchup decently against the Royals
but talent wins out more times than not in a long series and it will again with
the Royals taking the next step towards repeating as World Series champions.
Kansas City Royals
vs. Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays may finally be the team of destiny in
2016, they haven’t been for quite some time. It looked like they were headed
home numerous times last season including that crazy game with the Texas
Rangers, probably more commonly known as the “Jose Bautista Bat Flip” game and
the team seemed to play not to lose rather than to win. That can happen
sometimes with a young team or with a team that hasn’t been there before.
They’ve all been there now and shouldn’t have much trouble locking up the
extremely talented, but flawed, Kansas City Royals to reach the World Series
for the first time since Joe Carter’s name was etched in the lineup card.
National League
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
So much for all the parity in major sports and specifically
Major League Baseball huh? These two teams have been all over these predictions
for the last few seasons and have seen each other more than once in the real
games. Clayton Kershaw trembles at the thought of seeing the Cardinals in the
postseason, St. Louis is his postseason monkey and will remain his postseason
monkey at least through 2016. Carlos Martinez vs. Clayton Kershaw should be a
good pitching matchup to watch though.
Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals
San Francisco Giants
vs. New York Mets
Spoiler alert, no one in the National League is touching the
Chicago Cubs this season. Not in the postseason either. No one. Cubs win, it
may take six or seven but the Cubs still win. That team has too much talent to
stay down for long. Meanwhile in the New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants
series it’s going to come down to pitching like it always does in the
postseason. Both teams have it but the Mets have a slight advantage in the
offensive category while I’m not entirely sold on either bullpen, especially
the Giants pen. Another series that may go six or maybe even seven games and
another trip to the NLCS for the Metropolitans. I can hear Twitter now. Joy.
Apparently San Francisco forgot this was an even year.
Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets
In the NLCS we have a repeat of the 2015 NLCS and much of
the same factors play into this series like they do in the ALCS. The Toronto
Blue Jays played not to lose at times last season and lost and the Cubs
seemingly lost because of inexperience, youth and a few bad breaks against a
good, red-hot team. The Cubs won’t let the bright lights and all the cameras
and millions of eyes get to them this time though. The Cubs are a team of
destiny this season in my eyes and they should make short work of the Mets who
are without more than a few key pieces from their 2015 World Series run. Cubs
in five.
World Series 2016: Chicago Cubs vs. Toronto Blue Jays
World Series 2016 between the Chicago Cubs and the Toronto
Blue Jays. What year is it again? That joke really isn’t relevant though is it?
It’s been how long since the Cubs won a World Series? While there will be talks
of billy goat’s and curses the Cubs and their front office, led by a man who
knows a thing or two about curses and their destruction, won’t hear a single
one of them. Winning tends to do that to a team and winning the Cubs will do.
The Blue Jays will put up a heck of a fight and those four games in this seven
game series inside Chicago’s Wrigley Field should be fun to watch with these
two offensive attacks but the Cubs and their deep pitching should win out in
seven closing the door on a historic and one of the best World Series battles
in the history of the game. I can’t wait to watch it. Cubs win!
I must say you do have a homer mentality, Daniel...
ReplyDeleteI see no reason to doubt your 1st round pick of New York coming up big in a one game playoff.
I wonder about us playing KC in the 2nd round, we have had very mixed results over the years against them and even though they have a load of talent. The thing is, we don't really know what sort of talent we will have at the time of the playoffs, do we?
We have a lot of IF's and injuries waiting to happen. WE don't know if Headley will come down with the Yeeps again, we don't know if Castro is going to be a very good player or just good. What about Hicks, can he finally play up to his great expectations. Can Beltran, Tex, and A-Rod have very good years and be even more productive than last year? What will we get from Sanchez? Will Brett and Ells wear out over the year and go into the dumpster in the last 1/4?
Question being; Can we beat KC? Why not, we do have a team as do they, every team gets hot or cold in the playoffs...why can't it be us that gets hot?
Of course we don't Mr. Reed, that's half of what makes these things fun. Especially when you look back at it in October and November.
DeleteAnd to answer your question, sure we can beat KC. During the regular season we have had great success against KC all things considered. Anyone can beat anyone in the postseason, that's part of what makes baseball so good. At least that's my opinion.
The best team doesn't always necessarily win, it's the hottest teams. All the teams in the playoffs are talented. It always comes down to who is hot, who wants it more and they sprinkle in a little luck just because.
Tell me about it...
DeleteI remember the year 1960 just before I went overseas!
Bill Mazeroski hit the game-winning HR in the bottom of the 9th to win the game.
The thing was, the Yankees had much better numbers in that series than the Pirates...they were by far and away the better team and lost!
I damn near killed the Pirate fan yelling about the best team won, he just happened to fall down...that's what all the Yankee fans said!