Sideline Report: Another Blue October
October 6, 2015
The 2015 MLB playoffs are going to be unreal. The eight teams in the postseason all have the necessary talent to go the distance. But only one can come home with the ultimate prize: a World Series trophy.
So, after some deep thought, I’m going to make a prediction for who I think will be in the World Series and who’s going to win the title. This prediction is probably going to be incorrect, but, to keep things interesting, I’ll try my hand at some prognostication.
The 2015 World Series is going to be…. The Toronto Blue Jays vs. the New York Mets with the Mets winning the series in seven games. (Wow, that’s a weird sentence to type.)
I know, I know, people around these parts are going to be upset with this prediction. There’s definitely a lack of a certain team from Kansas City. I do think the Royals will have a great postseason, but it just might not be their year — refer to my earlier post.
Anyway, these two teams definitely have the pitching and hitting to make it to the very end. The Blue Jays, for example, have MVP candidate third baseman Josh Donaldson, as well as sluggers Jose Bautista in left field, Troy Tulowitski at shortsop and Edwin Encarnacionat first base. But their pitching is the real story, with their starting pitching consisting of ace David Price (2.45 ERA), Marco Estrada (3.13 ERA), Marcus Stroman (1.67 ERA, 4 starts) and R.A. Dickey (3.91 ERA). This team is stacked with talent that I believe will essentially overpower teams to advance. I definitely see the Blue Jays going far.
But there’s a team in the National League that I think will actually win it all. The Mets just seem to be a team that is getting hot at the right time. They are young, sure, but their talent is off the charts. Their three hotshot, young pitchers — Matt Harvey (2.71 ERA), Jacob DeGrom (2.54 ERA) and Noah Syndergaard (3.24 ERA) — have looked exceptional this year, even with Harvey having a few rough starts. But with such a promising season, I see this rotation dominating opposing hitters.
The team is led in hitting by center fielder Yoenis Cespedes, second baseman Daniel Murphy and first baseman Lucas Duda. They’re an average hitting team, but I think they can handle the pressure. They lack playoff experience, but, as long as you can make the necessary hits to win, that’s all you need in the playoffs. If the Mets can get timely hitting, they can make their way through the NL playoffs behind their stellar pitching.
This Mets remind me a lot of the 2014 Royals, with a better starting rotation instead of the dominant bullpen. This team just has the feel of an underdog that no team sees coming. They aren’t going to blow you away with statistics, but will prove their worth on the field, even when they look outmatched. Because of these intangibles, I think they can take the crown.
But, like I said earlier, this prediction could be way off. For all I know, the Mets will get swept by the Dodgers in the NLDS. What I do know, however, is that these playoffs are going to be some great TV to watch.