The MLB Postseason is upon us, and although the Cleveland Indians didn’t make it, we’re still in for an exciting playoffs. The Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros are all back in the playoffs along with some of the usual suspects, the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals.
So here are my 2015 MLB Playoff Predictions:
NL
While the St. Louis Cardinals had the best record in the MLB, they’ll probably be the underdog against either the Pittsburgh Pirates or Chicago Cubs. I like the Cubs, with Jake Arrieta (2.35 FIP) on the hill to come out of the NL Wild Card game. And then against the Cardinals, I like the Cubs to pull the upset as well, the Cardinals lineup just doesn’t scare anyone and while their pitching is deep, the Cubs rotation is better.
On the other side of the bracket, the New York Mets are floundering, but in a series that should be dominated by pitching – Kershaw, Greinke, deGrom, Harvey and Syndergaard – the Mets have a deeper rotation than the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a better bullpen.
In the NLDS, the Cubs eke this one out over the Mets, as their lineup proves more potent than New York’s and the Cubs advance to the World Series for the first time since 1945.
AL
Unlike last year, the Kansas City Royals don’t have the starting pitching to sustain a long postseason run, as Johnny Cueto (4.06 FIP) and Yordano Ventura (3.57 FIP), haven’t been great. So I expect the winner of the AL Wild Card game, to take the Royals in the ALDS.
In the playoffs for the first time since 2005, the Houston Astros are young, but talented and with probable AL Cy Young Dallas Keuchel on the hill, should get by the New York Yankees, even as Keuchel struggles on the road.
On the other side of the AL, pitching three lefties against the Toronto Blue Jays, is not a good idea for the Texas Rangers, as the Blue Jays have a 124 wRC+ vs. lefties. With the best pitcher in the series in David Price (2.78 FIP), the Blue Jays move onto the ALDS, where the Astros inability to win on the road comes back to bite them, advancing the Jays to the World Series.
World Series
In a matchup we all predicted at the start of the year, the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs face off in a series to remember. The Cubs have the better rotation (3.26 FIP vs. 4.28 FIP), while the Blue Jays have a better lineup (117 wRC+ vs. 96 wRC+), but both teams stack up pretty well. In the end, with home field advantage in the World Series and an incredibly potent lineup, it’s the Blue Jays that take home the title.
Award Predictions:
World Series MVP: David Price, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
AL MVP: Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
NL MVP: Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals
AL Cy Young: Dallas Keuchel, SP, Houston Astros
NL Cy Young: Jake Arrieta, SP, Chicago Cubs
AL Rookie of the Year: Francisco Lindor, SS, Cleveland Indians
NL Rookie of the Year: Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs
AL Manager of the Year: A.J. Hinch, Houston Astros
NL Manager of the Year: Terry Collins, New York Mets
Ross' Rants 
Cubs at the World Series ? I would love to see the matchup against the Jays, that’s for sure.
Arrieta over Greinke, or even Kershaw, with his 300 strikeouts? At least tell me that decision was hard for you.
It was tough, but I think Arrieta has the momentum. Similar ERA to Greinke and better FIP