New Month: More Posts (Starting With Topps Heritage)

Last month, I managed just 6 blog posts. I took breaks from posting that equaled that amount of time on 2 separate occasions. Even with the shift that's occurred in the number of posts I've put out over the past few months, 6 is an all-time low for me.

In some ways, however, the breaks provided some insight as well as some downtime to figure out what I can do to ensure a better quantity and quality of material in March and beyond.

I fully intend on using the new month to get back on track toward a more regular schedule. I don't want to set anything in stone, but I'm looking to post roughly 20 times over the next 31 days. Hopefully, this will help cancel out the 6-post month of February.

Now, let's break away from talking about my blogging habits and get to today's post itself.

One of my favorite products, Topps Heritage, was released on Wednesday. It's always been a tradition of mine to rip a Heritage hobby box each year, something that's dated back to 2016. In the years that I didn't open a box, chances are I bought the base set at the card show.

The odds of pulling certain inserts as well as chrome cards and variations have decreased almost annually, but Heritage is still one of the most enjoyable products to break. After all, Topps does a magnificent job recreating their vintage sets, and, unfortunately, we're not going to have them for too much longer.

Pretty soon, Heritage will venture into products from the late 70s and early 80s, sets that still have something to offer, but let's face it: nothing can beat the sheer caliber of cards from the 1950s, 60s, and early 70s.

I have the standard 1-pack preview lined up for today, but my next post will be focused on the hobby box as a whole.

#329 2019 World Series Game #3

One thing I noticed right off the bat is the sheer number of Houston Astros cards that have flooded this product. Maybe I've become more observant given the scandal that appears ready to plague their entire 2020 season, but it seemed like every pack presented a new Houston card.

Making up a large portion of the cards is the playoff highlights from last year's ALCS and World Series. In fact, my first card from the product commemorates game 3 of the 2019 World Series in which the Astros beat the Nationals 4-1 in Washington thanks to a strong performance from Zack Greinke.

#273 Gregory Polanco

Before writing this post, I didn't even realize that Gregory Polanco missed most of the 2019 season with a shoulder injury, though I guess this sort of thing will go unnoticed by someone who pays more attention to the affairs of the American League than the National League.

Now that McCutchen, Cole, and Marte have left Pittsburgh, Polanco could be recognized as the face of the franchise along with Bryan Reynolds who had a terrific rookie season in 2019. Entering his age-29 season, Polanco seems destined, in my eyes, for a bounce-back season.

#194 Craig Kimbrel

I was going to use this card to address how well Topps recreated the 1971 design, but I pulled a card of Craig Kimbrel, one of my "super collections," so I feel obligated to talk about that instead.

If I remember correctly, I pulled a Craig Kimbrel base card in my first pack of 2020 Topps Series 1 as well, a type of momentum I'd love to carry with me throughout the year. If I can land Kimbrel's base card in the first pack of everything I open, I won't have to hunt them down each time I go to the show.

#72 NL Strikeout Leaders

With 2 of their pitchers making the top 3 in league strikeouts in 2019, not to mention the fact that Patrick Corbin finished 4th, 5 behind Scherzer, it's no wonder the Washington Nationals won the 2019 World Series.

This impressive feat just proves once again how vital pitching is to winning championships. As dynamic as their lineup was last season, the Nationals likely wouldn't have even made the Wild Card game if their pitching had been average. Strasburg, Scherzer, Corbin, and Anibal Sanchez are the reasons for this success.

#BF-2 Baseball Flashbacks Bert Blyleven

All the Heritage inserts have become much harder to pull over the last few years, but there was a time, if I remember correctly, when flashbacks inserts, both Baseball, and news, became twice as rare over 1 year.

As tough as the odds might be, Topps embodied both the era and the specific year with the Baseball flashbacks design. I particularly love the rainbow letters at the top of the card and the teal banner at the bottom.

#12 20 Gigantic Seasons Candlestick Park

20 Gigantic Seasons is an insert set unique to 2020 Heritage that honors Willie Mays' time with the New York and San Francisco Giants with each card representing a year in his career.

The one above, for instance, recognizes his contributions to their come-from-behind victory over the Dodgers to capture the 1962 NL pennant. There won't be anything like this in next year's Heritage, so this insert set might be one for me to complete.

#313 Thairo Estrada

I don't know much about Thairo Estrada, so I'll take this opportunity to talk about Topps' efforts in recreating the 1971 Topps set for 2020 Heritage.

I'm not an expert on the specific color combinations of the product, but at a surface level, it seems like Topps did everything they needed to, down to spelling the player's name in all lowercase letters.

Additionally, most of the photos (Estrada's not really included) resemble the types of shots used in the set 49 years ago.

#378 Tyler Chatwood

Now, this is the kind of photo you could expect to see on an original 1971 Topps card, not necessarily including the smile. There was also a wide range of unique, oddball photographs in '71 Topps as well as iconic cards like that of Thurmon Munson.

#117 Marcus Stroman

Though he put up better numbers with the Toronto Blue Jays as opposed to the New York Mets in 209, Stroman will be an integral part of their future.

They essentially replaced Zack Wheeler with Stroman, so it'll be interesting to see who performs better throughout the 2020 season, especially given that the 2 pitchers are division rivals.

I know that this post was on the simple side, but I wanted something like that as I ease back into posting regularly. I really regret only putting out 6 posts in February, and I'm hoping that March will be a month of new material and way more posts than what I did in February.

World Series Champions*

When I celebrated the Boston Red Sox's World Series victory back in October of 2018, I never, not for one second, imagined that such a shameful scandal would emerge years later, leading some fans to ask for an asterisk to be placed next to their Fall Classic win and more so that of the Houston Astros from 2017.

That's because, over the last 2 days, the MLB has been rocked with news from both organizations. The punishments that commissioner Rob Manfred levied on the Astros yesterday for their role in the sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 World Series were swift and severe.

Just a couple of hours ago, anticipating that the league's actions against manager Alex Cora would be drastic (he played a vital role in the Astros' scandal; it's unclear in regards to Boston as the investigation has yet to be completed), the Boston Red Sox fired Cora, a year and a few months after culminating a historic season with a decisive World Series victory.

I bought the Topps Now card above the following day, October 29th, without any hesitation. After all, this was a monumental day; it's not often that your favorite team wins it all.

I can't comment all too much on the Boston Red Sox scandal, as the league has yet to determine the significance of the sign stealing. It's evident, however, that between the respective World Champions in 2017 and 2018, there's one common component, and that's Alex Cora.

Yesterday afternoon, the news began pouring in that the league had issued its punishment(s) to the Houston Astros, and to say the least, they were not lenient.

1. Manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were each suspended for the entire 2020 season without pay.

2. Houston lost its 2020 and 20201 first and second-round draft picks.

3. The organization was fined $5 million.

Soon after the parameters of their punishment were reported, the Astros announced that both Hinch and Luhnow were to be dismissed. The move makes sense, considering that neither was going to be paid during the 2020 season, and both of their legacies have been tarnished by this scandal.

Immediately after the firings of Hinch and Luhnow, all eyes were on the Boston Red Sox in regards to Alex Cora. The 2-time World Series Champion, even after his firing, is facing a historic punishment for his role.

Some reports insisted that the Red Sox were going to wait until their investigation was complete before making a decision on Cora's future. Then, this happened. 

At this point, there's not a whole lot I can say. Defending the Red Sox is pointless and stubborn, but I also can't make any bold statements before the MLB terminates the investigation and releases some sort of report.

That said, as much as Cora accomplished during his short tenure in Boston, the Red Sox made the right decision. Unless the findings in the Red Sox's role are substantial, Cora will likely face the brunt of the punishment, for he played a larger role in the Houston scandal than Hinch or Luhnow, and he seemed to have brought that same energy to Boston.

Only time will tell what will really happen, but it's, nonetheless, a sad day for any sport when asterisks need to be placed next to championship victories.

Par For the Course

2019 is the 3rd year of Topps' revived Gallery product and to be honest, the cards and caliber of the set are starting to become par for the course, and I mean that in the best way possible.

The same can definitely be said in regards to the Topps Stadium Club revival; the first few years (2014-2016) were revolutionary, for the photography was at a level unparalleled by any other Baseball card product.

Meanwhile, no set comes close to matching the gorgeous art that makes up the 200-card Topps Gallery set. It's just that there's only so much you can do with a release that places more emphasis on the pictures than the design.

While the base designs have become slightly repetitive, the breathtaking artwork more than makes up for it. This Walmart-exclusive is one of the most enjoyable products to open year after year, and the price point is quite reasonable as well.

I've mentioned in the past that there's no Walmart within 10 miles of my house, but that hasn't stopped me from acquiring Gallery in the past. When I found myself within proximity to a store today, I decided to take the chance and stop by.

Luckily for me, it paid off, and I grabbed 2 Gallery blasters: 1 for today and one for later on, either tomorrow or Monday.

Pack #1 (Exclusive Artist Proof parallels)

#102 Mike Yastrzemski

It's odd for me to type the last name "Yastrzemski" without the name of a certain Red Sox legend in front of it, but his grandson, Mike, has proven himself to be one of the top rookies of 2019. His 21 homers and 55 RBI in just 371 at-bats highlights his potential.

Aside from the gold foil stamp in the bottom right-hand corner of the card, I don't think there's anything that differentiates the artist proof parallels from the base cards. If Topps was looking for bonus cards to include in the blasters, something a little less ordinary would've been nice.

#6 Shane Bieber

#109 Shaun Anderson

#98 Vladimir Guerrero Jr

The artist proof parallels do little to wow me, but at least I ended up with one of the better names on the checklist. Vladimir Guerrero Jr may not have lived up to the hype in his rookie season, but that's usually challenging to do.

He still put up very respectable numbers during his age-20 season, and when there's a new class of rookies to take the pressure off his shoulders in 2020, he'll have a stellar sophomore season.

Pack #2

#137 Jose Ramirez

#54 Pedro Avila

Each year, there's a handful of different artists that work on the Gallery base cards, and I always find one whose work appeals to me the most. This time around, that artist is Kevin Graham who painted Vlady Jr and the Pedro Avila card above.

Graham's work is very realistic in that the drawings look like they could just as easily be photographs with an added filter. The more real the players appear, in my opinion, the better.

#HT-32 Gallery Heritage Paul Goldschmidt

Each year, Gallery Heritage pairs a vintage Topps design with beautifully-done drawings to create one, cohesive insert set that never fails to impress me. This year's design, the 1965 Topps set, isn't one that I'd expect to see. That said, the '65 design ranks as one of my top-10 favorites Flagship sets.

Just looking at this one card makes me wish that Gallery Heritage was its own product, for I'd love to see what Topps' artists can do if given a larger checklist for this brilliant set. Whatever set Heritage is replicating in any given year, have Gallery do the same.

Or, better yet, have them start from the very beginning, pairing iconic designs with brilliant artwork.

#69 Corey Kluber

Pack #3

#148 Rafael Devers

If I remember correctly, Gallery didn't feature any landscape-style cards in either of the past 2 releases, so I find it interesting that Topps is starting to include them in the 3rd year of the brand's revival.

Adding landscape-style cards to the Gallery set gives this product yet another unique element and one that I hope is somewhat common throughout the entire checklist.

#35 Mitch Keller

#MA-AA Master & Apprentice Hank Aaron & Ronald Acuna Jr

There are a couple of insert sets common to each year of Gallery, but there are also 1-2 inserts that are unique to any given year. In the case of 2019, those cards are the Master & Apprentice inserts, a set that seems to feature 2 superstar players from the same team, one past and the other present.

If Hank Aaron was compared to Ronald Acuna Jr in an insert set like Topps Heritage Then & Now, I'd be a little upset, for I don't feel that the 2 are equitable (yet). However, the name of Master and Apprentice suggests that Aaron has something to teach Acuna, a more accurate comparison if you ask me.

#40 Josh Naylor

Pack #4

#92 Willson Contreras

There are landscape cards, and there are action shots of catchers in their gear behind the plate. Then, some cards combine these 2 factors and add spectacular artwork to the mix.

The result? One of my favorite base cards of the entire blaster box and one that could, potentially, rank among my favorites from the entire set. That's how much I love Willson Contreras' base card.

#HT-27 Gallery Heritage Blue Parallel Manny Machado

The odds of pulling one of these Gallery Heritage blue parallels are pretty tough (1:411 packs), so I was super stoked to land one of these gorgeous cards, even though I'm not the biggest Machado fan.

The card, like everything else in this set, is stunning, and I like the way the blue border pairs with the color of Machado's cap. It's also fairly low-numbered (#10/99), so there's definitely something to be said about that.

#13 Brendan Rogers

#43 John Lester

Pack #5

#136 Freddie Freeman

#25 Shohei Ohtani

I'll use Shohei Ohtani's card, the front of which is at the top of this post, to showcase the card backs from 2019 Gallery. As is the case with previous sets, each month of the player's previous season is broken down on the back of the card.

In Ohtani's case, Topps showcases only his batting statistics, so while Ohtani excelled in April and August, he struggled in July.

#79 Kyle Freeland

#125 Garrett Hampson

Pack #6

#129 Jose Altuve

I've been keeping up with the latest information and rumors surrounding the Houston Astros' 2017 cheating scandal, but I don't have a clue what MLB is going to do in response to this rule-breaking.

I've heard there are talks about banning Houston from the 2020 playoffs, but I believe that would just give them an incentive to throw their games and get a high draft pick in 2021.

Whatever ends up happening, however, I don't think it'll be pretty.

#71 Jose Berrios

#109 Autograph Orange Parallel Shaun Anderson

An autograph numbered out of 25 copies (#2/25) is not something you see every day, let alone out of retail, so I'm extremely happy with how this blaster box has gone so far. First, the Machado insert parallel, now a numbered rookie autograph.

I'll be honest, I'd never heard of Shaun Anderson until I pulled his artist proof parallel card, but given that the odds of an autograph orange parallel are 1 in every 1,000+ packs, I can't be disappointed whatsoever.

I also learned, via the back of the card, that he was the Red Sox's 3rd round draft pick back in 2016 before being traded for Eduardo Nunez the following year.

#4 Lance McCullers Jr

Pack #7

#47 Matt Chapman

The landscape cards from this set, more so than the standard ones, are superb. Enough said.

#34 Daniel Ponce de Leon

#MP-9 Masterpiece Francisco Lindor

There have been a ton of trade rumors circulating in regards to Kris Bryant, Mookie Betts, and Mr. Smile Francisco Lindor, some of the game's biggest stars over the last few seasons.

Personally, I can't picture Lindor anywhere but Cleveland, and I don't think it makes sense for teams to trade away any of the 3 superstars listed above. At least, not until the trade deadline rolls around and they don't feel like a playoff push is a possibility.

#113 Domingo Santana

Pack #8

#116 Yusei Kikuchi

#143 Manny Machado

#200 Johnny Bench SP

One would think that a plain white background would be to simple for a set like Topps Gallery but amidst all the bold colors, it's rather refreshing to see something a little more basic, and this Johnny Bench SP fits the bill.

Plus, the 100th-anniversary patch from 1969 can be seen on Bench's sleeve, so we even know what year this drawing is supposed to emulate. If I could only get one SP from the entire box, I'm glad it's a retired player who I also collect.

#22 Jalen Beeks

That does it for my 2019 Gallery blaster. Overall, I'm ecstatic about how well I did; I walked away with a low-numbered autograph, an insert parallel, a HOFer SP, and a ton of beautiful base cards.

You only get 32 cards for $20, so this set may not be for everyone, but if you appreciate the artwork as much as I do, I'd highly recommend it.

Frankenset Page #69

I plan on getting into the Washington Nationals' historic World Series victory in a blog post later this weekend. For now, however, I'll stick to how impressed I am that in the first year without Bryce Harper, this team made history.

Like I said, there's a lot to get into with the Nationals, and a performance like this is worthy and deserving of its own blog post. Thus, I'll get to them on Saturday or Sunday, and I'll stick to frankenset page #69 today.

Featuring cards #613-621, this page spans 5 decades (the 1970s-2010s) of Baseball history. Without any further adieu, let's begin with #613, a card from earlier this decade.

#613 2011 Topps Dexter Fowler

In hindsight, perhaps giving Dexter Fowler a 5-year $83 million deal wasn't the brightest move that the St. Louis Cardinals could've made following a campaign in which they went 86-76 but missed the playoffs.

Now 33 years old, Fowler's been relegated to a bench role; his 3 seasons in St. Louis thus far have been marred with injuries and an overall decrease in production since making the All-Star team with the Cubs back in 2016.

#614 1990 Fleer Jeff Robinson

Seeing a Tigers logo alone reminds me of how much this team has slipped since the early part of the 2010s when they were one of the most feared teams in the game. Detroit won 90 games 5 years ago in 2014 before losing to the Orioles in the ALDS.

Flashforward to the 2019 MLB season. The Tigers are the worst team in Baseball at 47-114. That's a huge statement, considering that there were 4 teams with 100+ losses this season.

#615 1983 Topps Garry Maddox

For some reason, a ton of Garry Maddox cards come to mind when I think of my favorites from the 80s, and it's not even like he's one of my player collections. First, there's his 1985 Donruss card, now '83 Topps.

Granted, there are a million cards from the '83 set of hitters wearing powder blue uniforms, but there's something about Maddox's that's extra special.

#616 2006 Topps Kenji Johjima

In other news, the Red Sox hired Chaim Bloom, the former Rays senior vice president of baseball operations, to be their new chief Baseball officer, an expansion of the job previously held by Dave Dombrowski.

Bloom will jump directly into a challenging situation with J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts' respective futures in Boston unsure. Dombrowski, on the other hand, likely won't find a job as high up in an organization as president of baseball ops given how he left Boston.

#617 1980 Topps Joaquin Andujar

Long before they moved to the American League and won a World Series, the Houston Astros had some incredibly talented teams towards the end of the 1970s and early 1980s.

Led by guys like Cesar Cedeno, J.R. Richard, and Joaquin Andujar, the teams, in one way or another, are reminiscent of the perennial championship-contending squad of the late 2010s. However, they weren't able to capture the Fall Classic title until many decades later.

#618 1983 Topps LaMarr Hoyt

In last week's frankenset post, I remember mentioning the White Sox uniforms, introduced during the mid-1980s, with "SOX" spelled in large letters on the front of the jersey.

More so than most MLB teams, the White Sox have had a surplus of different uniforms, so I never know what to expect when I stumble upon one of their cards from the 70s or 80s. Along with the red stripes, I'd rank this uniform as one of my favorites in the team's history.

#619 2008 Topps Heritage Blake DeWitt

Though Topps Heritage, for me, isn't as impressive or desirable as it once was, the on-point recreations of iconic Flagship designs have remained impressive, from 2001 all the way to 2019.

The 2008 Heritage design paid homage to the 1959 Topps set, one of my top 15 favorites of all-time. It was refreshing to see Topps utilize the design once again in 2019 Topps Archives with new names and better photography.

#620 1971 Topps Frank Howard

It's very fitting that, following the Nationals' World Series win, my frankenset page features a card of Frank Howard, a member of the Washington Senators, the last team to play in the nation's capital before the Expos became the Nats in 2005.

Aside from Walter Johnson, Howard may just be the most recognizable player in Senators' history. He made 4 All-Star game appearances in Washington and finished top 5 in MVP voting twice before the team relocated to Texas.

#621 1988 Donruss Donnie Moore

Last up, an alright card from 1988 Donruss which, given the set design, is as good as you can hope for. I love the Angels uniform above as it reminds me of guys like Rod Carew from the early and mid-1980s.

If only it was accompanied by a better base set design, this card could emerge as one of my favorites of the page.

Top 5 Cards; Alex Bregman

Hopefully, soon after I finish writing this blog post, the 2019 World Series Champions, whether it's the Washington Nationals or Houston Astros, will be crowned.

At the top of the 7th inning, the Astros are leading 2-0 following an RBI single by Carlos Correa and a solo home run by Yuli Gurriel back in the 2nd inning. The highly-anticipated Scherzer vs Greinke pitching matchup has delivered a close game thus far, but there are a million things that could happen over the next few innings.

For instance, as I finished the previous paragraph, Anthony Rendon hit a solo shot for Washington, cutting the lead down to 2-1 with 1 out in the 7th.

Admittedly, my schedule simply hasn't allowed for me to watch much of the Fall Classic whatsoever.

*Update, Howie Kendrick just gave the Nationals a 3-2 lead with a 2-run homer to right field (off the foul pole) off Astros reliever Will Harris. Hopefully, the commercial break allows me to get through this intro without any more action.

Anyways, if Washington holds onto their lead and ends up World Series Champions for the first time in franchise history, I totally envision NL MVP candidate Anthony Rendon taking home the World Series MVP honors.

If Houston rallies and wins it all for the 2nd time in 3 years, AL MVP candidate Alex Bregman will likely win the award.

The respective performances of Rendon and Bregman, arguably the two greatest 3rd baseman at the moment, has made for a thrilling postseason, particularly while they've faced off in the Fall Classic.

One of the newest additions to my player collection list, I've only been collecting cards of Alex Bregman for roughly a month.

The Bregman cards in my collection before I began collecting him make up most of the 21 cards, though I envision coming across more and more at the card show in the future.

Usually, I'd wait until I've been collecting a player for many months or years before formulating a top 5 cards list, but the timing of this post was just too perfect.

#5 2017 Topps Stadium Club

Stadium Club and Archives never fail to produce some incredible cards which is why they appear so frequently on my top 5 cards posts, and the Bregman countdown is no exception. I guess my decision to hunt down new releases back in 2017 paid off because I have my fair share of Bregman rookies, including this action shot from Stadium Club.

2017 was one of the strongest years for the revived photography-centric set. Though the product still has a certain wow factor associated with it, Stadium Club's popularity piqued a few years back.

#4 2017 Topps Archives

The 2nd Alex Bregman rookie to kick off this countdown, Bregman's 2017 Topps Archives card features an action shot that triumphs over the '17 Stadium Club rookie. The timing of the photo seems like something from Stadium Club rather than Archives, but the pairing with the '92 Topps design is a nice one.

The Astros are currently wearing the same orange uniforms that are on Bregman's card above. The Nationals, on the other hand, are in their alternate blues, a jersey that seems to have given them a fair amount of luck thus far.

#3 2019 Topps Stadium Club

Though the 2019 Topps Stadium Club failed to reach the level of previous releases in the revived brand's abbreviated history, there's a large handful of cards that sincerely impressed me.

Throwback uniforms and ballpark shots don't do as much as they used to for me. Rather, I've been looking for Stadium Club cards on the simple side that, simultaneously, incorporate all my favorite aspects of the popular brand. Bregman's 2019 card definitely fits that bill.

#2 2017 Topps

Bregman's been a fairly well thought of player since his MLB debut back in July of 2016, only 1 year after being drafted #2 by Houston in the 2015 MLB Draft.

It wasn't until last season, however, that Bregman morphed into one of the game's brightest stars, and he's continued to improve all throughout the 2019 season, cementing himself as one of the American League's best alongside Mike Trout.

As a result, this 2017 Alex Bregman rookie is probably a lot more desired than it was 2 years ago. The rookie logo and rookie cup combo is something you don't see very often, so that makes for a pretty interesting card.

*During the time in which I wrote about Bregman's 2017 Topps card, the Nationals scored another run, on a Juan Soto RBI single making the game 4-2. They now have runners on the corners*

#1 2019 Topps Archives

As I previously mentioned, Topps Archives and Stadium Club are essential to almost all of my top 5 cards post recipients, particularly modern players. The products, drastically different in concepts, provide my 2 favorite things to see on a Baseball card; a retro design and/or fabulous photography.

Stadium Club can't use a vintage design, but Archives often has fabulous photography, and Bregman's 2019 Topps Archives card is no exception. The diving grab that he appears to be making in the photo above, in one way or another, resembles something out of the original 1993 Topps set.

Now, with the game heading to the bottom of the 8th, I'm going to take some time to read over this post. After I'm done, I'll (hopefully) watch a World Series Champion be crowned.

By the way, I'm rooting for Washington.

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.