At the time of this post (September 24), the postseason hasn’t even started.
So why am I making this now?
I really don’t know. I could wait another week, and I will be making another article when the postseason starts and the bracket becomes official, with my predictions. But this article will remain, so we can compare my bracket now with the actual postseason bracket, just to see how it differs.
But even though the postseason hasn’t started yet, and there isn’t a bracket yet, most of it is pretty predictable. We can pretty much predict the American League setup, as all three divisions have already been clinched. The one factor in the American League that has yet to be decided is which team will host the Wild Card game, but I predict that to be the Yankees.
The National League is about half undecided. The NL East is now owned by the Braves, who clinched on September 22. Meanwhile, with the Cubs at 91–64, it’s safe to assume that they’ll end up clinching their division, and the NL’s best record, but like Yogi Berra once said, ‘it ain’t over ‘till it’s over’.
That being said, I have assumed that the Cubs will take the NL Central and the league’s best record, which leaves the Brewers and Cardinals for the NL Wild Card. The winner of the Wild Card, which I have predicted to be the Cardinals, will end up playing the Cubs. The NL West is a close race, but I have unfortunately predicted that the Dodgers will win it in the end, eliminating the Rockies.
The AL is a fairly similar picture than last postseason. Replace the Twins with the A’s, and you have last year’s Wild Card picture. Also, assuming that the Yankees win the Wild Card game, as I’ve predicted, swap two teams from the ALDS, and boom, there’s the 2017 ALDS. Specifically, put the Indians and Red Sox (or Yankees and Astros) in different brackets, and there’s the 2017 ALDS.
So, on to the actual predictions.
Remember, these are my predictions on September 24, a whole week before the postseason even starts. So when it starts, I’ll make an updated article with my updated predictions, and leave this one so we can compare.
Starting with the AL, the Yankees will retain home field advantage and play the Wild Card game at Yankee Stadium, against the A’s. It won’t be an easy fight, but I predict the Yankees will end up victorious, and send the A’s home.
The Yankees will then move on to play the Red Sox, where they will lose the ALDS (which is a best-of-five) in four games. In the other bracket, the Astros will defeat the Indians in four or five games.
In the NL, the Cardinals will play the Wild Card game at the Brewers’ home, Miller Park, and win the game. They will then advance to face the Cubs in the NLDS and lose in four games. In the other bracket, the Dodgers will either be swept by the Braves, or lose in four games.
Now for the Championship Series. In the ALCS, the Red Sox will defeat the Astros in six or seven games to advance to the World Series. The NLCS will be quite similar, with the Cubs defeating the Braves in six games.
Thus, I predict the World Series matchup to be the Cubs and Red Sox, the battle of the two oldest ballparks. This would be a very interesting matchup, but in the end, I shamefully predict that the Red Sox will pull off the series win, and win the World Series in five or six games.
So, those are my predictions, based on various simulations and interpretations. If you disagree with my predictions, it’s fine, since everyone has a different opinion. Note that there was absolutely no bias involved in making the bracket or my predictions, I’m just a realist.
However, my predictions could be completely wrong in the end. We’ll just have to see. That’s why I’m keeping this article up, and not updating it. Rather, I’ll make a series of articles throughout the postseason, updating my bracket and predictions, until it’s all over. So as always, stay epic.
Chris is a writer and publisher who travels America, and loves doing it. He also loves pizza, video games, and sports, and can tell you a thing or two about each. Follow him on Medium to be informed of new articles.
