October Baseball is Upon Us

It's almost as if that 1 day without Baseball never happened because the 2019 MLB postseason is officially underway with tonight's Wild Card matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Admittedly, I'm settling down to write this post just over an hour after the NL 1-game playoff commenced, but I completed my postseason bracket yesterday morning once the field was determined and I had time to think.

Since the Red Sox and Cubs, much to my despair, each failed to make the postseason, I can be more unbiased with my playoff predictions than I have in 5 years.

I'm not necessarily rooting for any team, though I'd like to see Tampa Bay and Minnesota succeed. Rather, I just want to watch some entertaining Baseball games.

This year, 4 100-win teams (Yankees, Twins, Astros, and Dodgers) will be playing Baseball in October, the most in a single season that I can remember. My bracket isn't exactly full of risks, but I'm fairly confident that the postseason could play out just as I predicted.

NL Wild Card

The Nationals are trailing 3-1 at the moment, but I foresee a comeback at the hands of phenoms Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon. Their willingness to use Stephen Strausburg and Patrick Corbin out of the bullpen to get the job done is going to pay off in the end.

AL Wild Card
Despite having home-field advantage, Oakland's starting pitching is what killed them in the Wild Card game last year against the Yankees. Sean Manaea is taking the mound tomorrow, but injuries significantly limited his innings pitched in 2019. I expect Charlie Morton to lead the Rays to victory.

NLDS

The Cardinals haven't been to the postseason since 2015 where they lost in the NLDS to the up and coming Chicago Cubs. They're facing an Atlanta Braves team that's returning to the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season, meaning Acuña and Albies are prepared to make it farther than the 1st round this year.

The Nationals, on the other hand, simply won't be able to dethrone the defending NL champs who won 106 games in 2019. Unlike the Cardinals vs Braves series, I don't foresee Nationals vs Dodgers being a close call.

Braves over Cardinals in 4
Dodgers over Nationals in 3

ALDS

In the 2017 AL Wild Card game, the Yankees crushed the Twins 8-4, highlighting that, although talented, that Minnesota squad lacked the experience necessary to make it far in the postseason. 2 years and a ton of home runs later, I still don't believe the Twins have what it takes to achieve success in October.

The Astros, on the other hand, won't have a problem with whichever team makes it out of the AL Wild Card game. They know Oakland better than any team in baseball, and while I believe the Rays will make it to the ALDS, their roster doesn't have the depth that the Astros' does.

Yankees over Twins in 4

Astros over Rays in 4

NLCS

The Dodgers have won the NL pennant each of the last 2 seasons before going on to lose in the World Series to 2 very talented clubs ('17 Astros and '18 Red Sox). Despite their Fall Classic track record, the Dodgers haven't had much trouble making it to the World Series. They beat Atlanta in the NLDS last year, so they should do the same in the NLCS in 2019.

Dodgers over Braves in 4

ALCS

For the last 2 seasons, the Astros have been one of the most feared teams in the game, showcased by their 2017 World Series Championship. Though their 2018 season was cut short when they lost in the ALCS 4-1 to the Red Sox, that team was incredibly special, and they've only improved in the following year.

Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Gerrit Cole, and Justin Verlander have seen tremendous success throughout the 2019 season. As a whole, this lineup is stacked. They'll face some challenges getting past New York, but Houston will pull it off when all is said and done.

Astros over Yankees in 6

World Series

In my eyes, the 2019 World Series is going to be a rematch of 2017, but the outcome is going to, nonetheless, stay the same. This Astros team is far too talented not to win the Fall Classic once again in 2019. Alvarez makes a huge difference on offense while Cole and Verlander are the top 2 AL Cy Young award candidates.

Moreover, Altuve, Springer, Correa, and Bregman have all done this before, but it'll be the 25-year old 3rd baseman who takes home the hardware by winning the World Series MVP.

Astros over Dodgers in 6.