Today, I give my MLB playoff predictions for who will win the AL bracket, the NL Bracket, and finally the World Series. With less than a week left in the Major League Baseball season, the teams that will be participating are all but decided. Only one division remains to be decided, and one NL Wild Card spot, so I will essentially be giving my predictions for those as well.
It has been an amazing season of baseball and a very historical September for both leagues, so the playoffs this year with the new format are shaping up to be one for the ages. Will the Atlanta Braves repeat as World Series champions? Will the Los Angeles Dodgers win their second title in three years? Will the Houston Astros win their first title since 2017? Or will we get a champion that hasn’t won a title in the past decade? Time will tell, but today I give you my MLB playoff predictions.
MLB Playoff Predictions
AL Bracket
It has been a wild ride for the American League to say the least. The New York Yankees came out of the gate hot and took a commanding lead over the rest of baseball before coming back down to earth and coasting their way to the AL East title. The Cleveland Guardians shocked the baseball world by running away with a division crown they were not even supposed to be competing for with their youthful roster and old-school style of play. The Houston Astros dominated the AL West as they have done perennially for the better part of a decade now and have yet another division title to show for it.
The Toronto Blue Jays rode a career year from Bo Bichette to the first WC spot while the Seattle Mariners will be making their first playoff appearance since 2001, ending the longest playoff drought in baseball. Bringing up the rear will be the perennially pesky playoff participant Tampa Bay Rays. Three AL East teams are in the playoffs and one, the Baltimore Orioles, missing by the skin of their teeth.
The American League side of the playoffs will be much more one-sided than the National League. One team has stood above the rest for the majority of the season and has it all. A potent offense, superb starting pitching, and a bullpen that can stand up next to any other team’s with their head held high. They have made it easy to determine who will represent the AL in the World Series for these MLB playoff predictions.
AL Prediction: Houston Astros
NL Bracket
The NL has been much more competitive with the NL East and NL West each sporting three playoff contenders, while the NL Central has been all but decided for over a month now. The Los Angeles Dodgers will be looking to win their second title in four years after finishing the season with the best record in baseball. They will have a tough go of it if they match up with the defending champion Atlanta Braves who will cement their NL East title in the closing moments of the regular season. The St Louis Cardinals will be no slouch either, as they have the newest member of the 700-club in Albert Pujols, and my pick for the NL MVP award.
The New York Mets made a valiant effort for the NL East crown but fell short of the much superior team. The San Diego Padres have had a roller coaster ride of a season, but with their potent lineup and the top of their rotation, they are not a team you should be sleeping on. And finally, the Milwaukee Brewers. Taking the last Wild Card spot after yet another late-season collapse from the Philadelphia Phillies, you can definitely expect the Brewers to have a quick exit from October.
The NL is filled with juggernauts. It has had much more parity than the AL, and the playoffs will play out as such. One team will rise from the ashes and take the crown as the best team in the NL. And they will do it on the backs of their young phenoms on offense, and their outstanding pitching staff. They will also have a better regular season record than they did last year when they won the World Series. They made the NL bracket easier for these MLB playoff predictions.
NL Prediciton: Atlanta Braves
World Series Prediction
After a thrilling World Series last year, these two teams will look to put on a show yet again. They are the two most well-rounded teams in baseball from top to bottom, and it will be an evenly matched series that will go down to the wire. Expect this series to be even more entertaining than it was last year, and a different outcome to boot.
World Series prediction: Astros in 7
These have been my official MLB playoff predictions. It has been a great season of baseball and the playoffs look to keep that going deep into October. Thank you for joining us on this ride and continue to join us through the off-season to stay up to date on free agency news, trades, and predictions for the 2023 season!
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