Way Too Early MLB Postseason Predictions
Today we have our 8th and final post in our series of baseball previews. As all the division previews were rolled out, you saw we gave our record predictions for each team. Today we’re going to wrap up all those previews into a summary of the final standings in baseball this season, and give our postseason predictions.
To start, here is a divisional standings recap:
AL East:
Red Sox 98-64
Blue Jays 89-73
Orioles 87-75
Yankees 85-77
Rays 75-87
NL East:
Nationals 94-68
Mets 90-72
Marlins 78-84
Phillies 77-85
Braves 70-92
AL Central:
Indians 98-64
Tigers 84-78
Royals 76-86
White Sox 64-98
Twins 60-102
NL Central:
Cubs 102-60
Cardinals 88-74
Pirates 85-77
Brewers 66-96
Reds 66-96
AL West:
Mariners 92-70
Astros 88-74
Rangers 85-77
Angels 75-87
A’s 64-98
NL West:
Dodgers 94-68
Giants 88-74
Rockies 76-86
Padres 70-92
Diamondbacks 66-96
With all the records posted, what does this mean for the playoff picture? If the standings fall as predicted, the wild card chase would look like this:
AL Wild Card:
Blue Jays 89-73
Astros 88-74
Orioles 87-75
Rangers 85-77
Yankees 85-77
NL Wild Card:
Mets 90-72
Giants 88-74
Cardinals 88-74
Pirates 85-77
What does a tie in the 2nd wild card in the NL mean? It means the Giants and Cardinals need to play a one game playoff in order to make it to a one game playoff against the Mets. In that matchup, we’re taking MadBum and the Giants to move on to face the Mets, but the Giants go down to the Mets in the real wild card game.
The AL looks like it’s going to be a tight race between five teams, but we have the Blue Jays and Astros squaring off in the wild card game, and we’ll take Dallas Keuchel and the Astros to move on.
Moving on to the matchups once we reach the divisional series:
Indians vs Astros: Indians win 3-1
The Astros are shaping up to be a very strong team, but the Indians are just too good. Houston will keep it interesting, but Cleveland moves on. Don't worry though Houston fans, Houston is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Red Sox vs Mariners: Red Sox win 3-1
The Mariners made big time improvements this offseason, but the Red Sox starting pitching will be the difference in this series. The Mariners won’t be able to simply out-power the Sox, and the Sox move on to face the Indians in the ALCS.
Cubs vs Mets: Cubs win 3-2
The Mets really give the defending champs a run for their money with the incredible pitching staff they have, but the Mets will struggle to score enough runs to come out with the series win.
Nationals vs Dodgers: Dodgers win 3-2
This will be a real powerhouse matchup. The Nats and Dodgers are two of the best teams in all of baseball, and the Dodgers will do just enough to move on for a rematch in the NLCS against the Cubs.
ALCS Indians vs Red Sox: Indians win 4-2
The Indians are coming back with a vengeance this season. They were one run away from the world series last year, and they got even better this offseason. The Red Sox prove to not have enough depth, and the Indians come out on top in 6 games.
NLCS Cubs vs Dodgers: Dodgers win 4-3
The big rematch in the NLCS, the Dodgers get the better of the Cubs this time. Corey Seager continues to follow in Kris Bryant’s footsteps first as NL Rookie of the year, then as NL MVP and on to the world series in year two. The Cubs pitching that was so great last year lets them down some in the rematch, and the Dodgers restocked team knows exactly what they need to do to beat them this time around.
World Series Indians vs Dodgers: Indians win 4-2
Cleveland comes back and wins after coming up just short last season. The big addition of Encarnacion plus a restocked bullpen proves to be too much for the rest of the league to handle. Andrew Miller is a difference maker in October once again, but it is Francisco Lindor who finishes off a dream season as All-Star game MVP, AL MVP, and World Series MVP.
Who is your World Series pick? Can the Cubs repeat? Comment and let us know! Stay tuned for more current sports stories. Don't forget to follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram @beyondthemetrics, and Twitter @byondthemetrics
