Way-Too-Early-Playoff-Predix
As season 7 draws closer and closer to a close I decided to make playoff predictions. How these will work is ill take whatever the standings are now and use those for the playoff teams. With that here goes nothing.
AL:
#4 Prince Edward Island Mussels @ #1 Chicago Cyclones
Why PEI will win?
PEI is one of the more well-balanced teams in SBa. The pitching staff is highlighted by a strong duo of Kevin Gausman (6-4, 3.50 ERA) and Frankie Montas (6-4, 4.21 ERA) which also includes the 3 headed monsters in the bullpen (Liam Hendricks 11SVs, Blake Treinen 1.82 ERA .84 WHIP, and Rowan Wick 2.05 ERA). On the offensive side of the ball, they carry big name players such as Tatis, Yordan, Realmuto, and Alonso. All it takes is this team to get hot around playoff time and we could see a serious run for the Mussels.
Why CHC will win?
The Cyclones were buyers at the deadline and picked up their big playoff arm in Zach Wheeler. The top 4 of the rotation can rival some of the best in SBa. The bullpen not as deep as the rotation still highlights some shutdown arms like Louis Head (2.43 ERA), Clay Holmes (2.70 ERA), and Trevor Richards (2.79 ERA). The real highlight of this team is the offense which is 3rd in team OPS this season. The big 4 of O’Neill, Siri, Vlad, and Olson will have to continue to produce in order for this team to win.
Prediction- CHC in 5
This series will come down to how well the 3 and 4 starters of PEI perform (Nola and Wood/Anderson) against the CHC 3 and 4 Starters (Urias and Manoah).
#3 Tokyo Kaiju @ #2 Nashville Gators
Why TK will win?
The Kaiju once again find themselves in the playoffs for the 6th straight season (or every season since joining the league). This is a TK built differently than years past. The SP isn’t as strong as years past but still has some great arms in Adam Wainwright (4.07 ERA Cy Young Contender S6) and Chris Bassitt (4.00 ERA 1.19 WHIP) but has upgraded its pen massively ( David Bender 21SV, Joe Barlow 1.90 ERA, and Art Warren 3.10 ERA). The offense is as scary as ever with arguably one of the best overall lineups in SBa. Id be willing to bet that Rafeal Devers steps up big in the playoffs after a so-so regular season thus far (.772 OPS compared to 1.024 S6)
Why NSH will win?
Similar to the Kaiju, Reed sees his team in the playoffs once again backed by some serious star power in the lineup. The trade deadline saw a huge acquisition of Buster Posey to help build on top of the best offense in the league. The team relies heavily on a deep bullpen instead of a usual 5-man rotation which helps with getting platoon guys out. Look for MVP Candidate Byron Buxton ( .339/.382/.688) and the terrifying MI of Semien (23HRs, .949 OPS) and Brandon Crawford ( .870 OPS, .968 Fielding %) to lead the way for the Gators
Prediction- NSH in 4
Either way this series ends up going I’m expecting it to be high scoring ever game. With the NSH lineup being more complete 1-9, ill give NSH the edge here.
NL:
#4 Milwaukee Bovines @ #1 West Virginia Black Bears
Why MKE will win?
It’s not hard seeing the recipe to Basebally and MKE’s success. The pitching staff on paper is the best in all SBa. Highlighted by Cy Young front runner Jacob Degrom (1.22 ERA .61 WHIP!!) and not the Brewer SP you’d think would have the best season but Freddy Peralta (2.43 1.02 WHIP) has been phenomenal. While the offense isn’t anything to rave about, they have some notable great performances from Willy Adames (24 HRs .940 OPS) and Max Muncy (.894 OPS 45 RBIs). The defense is once again the strongest part of this team with a team fielding percentage of .928 (only 21 X-hits!!). If this team is to go on another long postseason run they will need a healthy Degrom and some of the other bats to step up (Gallo, Randy, and DJ come to mind)
Why WV will win?
Cal a 1 seed!?! I’ve never seen this story before… Jokes aside Cal once again finds himself in the playoffs looking for his 3rd ring. The rotation is lead by a great season from Gerrit Cole (9-2 2.77 ERA) and another dazzling season from Tanner Houck (4-3 2.79 ERA), with other notable names like Max Fried and Kyle Gibson. While the bullpen is nothing to rave about there is a couple arms like Ryan Tepera (2.36 ERA 14SVs) and Tyler Duffey (2.00 ERA) they will help hold down the late innings for WV. As we expect from an WV team the offense is once again in the convo for best in the league. Trea Turner took a big step forward this year (.361/.414/.540) and Mr. 3-4 himself Jorge Polanco has enjoyed a power surge as of late (26 HRs which is tied for 2nd in HRs).
Prediction- MKE in 5
This will be the closest series in the playoffs with the Cows continuing their recent post-season dominance over the Black Bears.
#3 Denver Zypher @ #2 Vatican Angels
Why DEN will win?
The reigning champs find themselves back in the playoffs with a lot of new faces added to the team. The rotation is still headlined by Max Scherzer (3.73 ERA .95 WHIP) and Trevor Bauer (3.59 ERA .95 WHIP). Another busy trade market for DEN saw them bring in ace Ranger Suarez (5-5 2.10 ERA) and Drew Rasmussen (4-2 3.04) to help round out the rotation. A slightly downgraded pen this year still highlights some big names like fan favorite Richard Rodriguez (3.65 ERA in 39 appearances) and recently acquired shut down lefty Richard Bleier (3.51 ERA). The offense is led by a breakout campaign from Cedric Mullins (1.006 OPS) and hitting machine CJ Cron (.400 OBP and a 1.042 OPS) which has been lethal all year for the Zypher. The key to DEN success will be all on how the offense produces even in a pitcher friendly park like the Vatican.
Why VA will win?
The Angels got off to a blistering start to the season and were powered by the pitching. Picking up Joe Ryan in the offseason has proven to be a fantastic move as he has a sizzling 1.13 ERA and .60!!! WHIP. AS A TEAM the Angels ERA is at 3.41 which is far ahead of the 2ndplace team. Sewald (2.96 ERA), Wells (2.67 ERA), and Castillo (2.73 ERA) round out a fantastic bullpen for the Angels. While the offense will never hurt you with the long ball, the Angels are one of the few small ball teams left in SBa and rely on high AVG and OBP (examples being Santigo Espinal .341 AVG and Michael Brantley .401 OBP) to put runs on the board. This team’s pitching is good enough to make a serious run at the title.
Prediction- VA in 4
First round scariest continue to haunt DEN as VA cruises to the NLCS. Ryans ability to win in homer heavy parks will determine the swing of this series.
ALCS:
#2 Nashville Gators @ #1 Chicago Cyclones
Prediction- NSH in 5
This NSH offense is STACKED top to bottom with some of the best bats filling out almost every position of the field. As long as Reed can avoid another slaughtering of injuries in the postseason, this team is well on its way to their 2nd championship appearance.
NLCS:
#4 Milwaukee Bovines @ #2 Vatican Angels
Prediction- VA in 6
While both teams are built very similarly with stacked pitching staffs. I think I like VA’s offense a lot more and will end up being the difference to send the Cows packing.
World Series:
#2 Vatican Angels @ #2 Nashville Gators
Prediction- NSH in 7
In what turns out to be a SBa instant classic series, the top offense and pitching teams clash in a back in forth series. Game comes down to the wire in B9 with the GW run on second and Ohtani rips a pitch out to center field where Kevin Kiermaier makes th- OH WAIT HE BOTCHES IT THAT’S GOING TO ALLOW THE RUN TO SCORE AND THE GATORS TAKE HOME THE TROPHEY.
Tanks for reading and please feel free to roast.