Fore The Record Predicts The 2020 MLB Postseason
16 teams. 15 series. 1 Pandemic Playoff Champion. Let’s go.
The end of a bizarre regular season marks the beginning of what should be an even more bizarre postseason.
Baseball saw two significant COVID-19 outbreaks, tons of seven-inning doubleheaders and far too many runners on second base in extra innings.
Thankfully, we won’t see any of the latter two. Hopefully, we’ll get none of the former, either.
As baseball embarks on its largest playoff bracket ever, it should be known that I, like many baseball fans and writers, absolutely hate this expanded system (I’d use other words but, um, I shouldn’t). But we’re stuck with it, for this year at best, and for many more at worst.
There are so many games, so many series, so many teams that it would be foolish — and exhausting — to thoroughly break down each one. So we’ll go round by round and quickly chat about each series in a few sentences. These playoffs will be such a dice roll that even the smartest baseball minds would struggle to perfectly predict how this postseason might play out.
16 teams vying for 13 wins to raise the Commissioner’s Trophy at Globe Life Field at the end of October. Here we go.
Wild Card
Tampa Bay Rays def. Toronto Blue Jays
I have to imagine that there will be at least a couple upsets in the first round — a shame, sure, because the division winners certainly don’t deserve this, but very much a likelihood. I don’t think it will be the Rays. They’re built to win these games.
Oakland Athletics def. Chicago White Sox
Perhaps the toughest choice of the Wild Card round. The White Sox nearly won the AL Central, and now find themselves as the 7-seed. Chicago stumbled to the finish line, and I like the A’s depth to help get them their first playoff series win since 2006.
Minnesota Twins def. Houston Astros
Speaking of teams getting their first series win in a while, the Twins drew likely the easiest matchup in the American League. The Astros, beleaguered by injuries and the inability to know what pitch is coming next, are not nearly at full strength entering October. Of course, teams can get hot at the right time, and really anything can happen in such a small sample size, but Minnesota’s lineup should get them past Houston.
New York Yankees def. Cleveland Indians
If you’re going to flip a coin for any of these series, let it be this one. We’ll go with the Yankees here, only because I thought they were the best team in baseball entering the season. Cleveland has the upper hand on the pitching, but if New York’s bats get going, watch out.
Los Angeles Dodgers def. Milwaukee Brewers
It would be so 2020 — and so Dodgers — if LA loses this. The Dodgers’ play this season put them on pace to chase the run differential and single-season wins records. Let’s bank on their talent and depth to get them past Milwaukee.
Cincinnati Reds def. Atlanta Braves
A three-game series should favor the team with the stronger starting pitching. I’ll take Sonny Gray, Trevor Bauer and Luis Castillo over almost any other team’s top three. Atlanta will need to get into Cincinnati’s bullpen quickly if they want a shot at winning this series.
Chicago Cubs def. Miami Marlins
If the Cubs draw the Reds or the Cardinals, I think they lose. But they get the Marlins, who have been one of baseball’s best stories in 2020. Unfortunately, I think the clock strikes midnight here.
San Diego Padres def. St. Louis Cardinals
Speaking of good stories, the Padres have arguably been MLB’s most fun team. The fun continues with excellent starting pitching and an explosive offense to carry them past a Cardinals team that can really struggle to put the bat on the ball.
Division Series
Yankees def. Rays
OK, take everything I said about the Rays and forget it. Look, they’re a really talented team with a great pitching staff and a good lineup. The Yankees are just better. Tampa Bay has a slight edge in starting pitching, but New York’s lineup and bullpen are fearsome. Yankees in five.
Twins def. Athletics
Before the season, I expected this to be an ALDS matchup. And here we are! The journey was different, but the result is the same. Before Matt Chapman’s injury, I might’ve gone with Oakland. But this Minnesota team really feels like the one. Twins in five.
Dodgers def. Padres
This could very well be the second most exciting series of the postseason, behind the World Series. Two exceptional teams with talent across the board. We’ll give LA the advantage on playoff experience, but the Padres are knocking on the door in the NL West. Their time is nearly here. Dodgers in five.
Reds def. Cubs
Look, I was bullish on Cincinnati entering the season, and while they struggled out of the gate, they are red-hot entering October. I think they ride their elite starting pitching to the NLCS. Reds in four.
Championship Series
Yankees def. Twins
The Minnesota nightmare continues. The Yankees are just too good. Other than the Dodgers, New York features possibly the deepest lineup in MLB. And they have their ace in Gerrit Cole. I just don’t think the Twins have the depth to hang with the Yankees for seven games. Yankees in six.
Dodgers def. Reds
Call me a homer all you want, but if it’s not this team, it might never happen. The Reds will pose a massive threat, especially from their starters, but Cincinnati’s offense just hasn’t produced as well as many thought it would. Perhaps, given that they’ve won back-to-back series, the offense has awakened. But LA’s depth is unmatched. Dodgers in six.
World Series
Dodgers def. Yankees
In a playoff format designed to create nightmare World Series ratings scenarios, FOX and MLB hit the jackpot. And while I called the Yankees the best team in baseball at the beginning of the year, the Dodgers proved they are the team to beat. And honestly, their biggest hurdle was the Wild Card series. LA is built to win these series with their endless talent. A pandemic nearly cost the Dodgers their dream season. Barring catastrophe, it won’t. Dodgers in seven.
