Welcome postseason baseball, where October brings out the best, and sometimes worst, of teams. Throughout the entire season season we've watched the highs and lows of many ball clubs, some highs were stretched too high, and some lows really sunk the ship. But alas, here we are, with the wild card rounds complete. The Giants trumped the Mets in a 3-0 shutout in which Madison Bumgarner couldn't cool down if he wanted to, and the Blue Jays courted the O's into the eleventh until finally Encarnacion blooped a 3-run walk off homer in said inning. Now we've got some spicy match-ups for the ALDS and NLDS. In the NLDS, the Giants are facing a deep Cubs roster that has the ability to crush anyone in their path when they're on their game. The Nationals take on the Dodgers, which may very well be taken all the way to game 5. In the ALDS, the Blue Jays and Rangers are swinging at each other, and the Red Sox and Indians are taking it to the house. As an update, the Indians are already up on the Red Sox one game to none, while the Blue Jays demolished the Rangers in game one by a score of 10-1. This article is not going to go into the ins-and-outs of the entire playoff push; instead I will simply be giving my prediction of a World Series match up and, following that, my prediction for the World Series winner.
2016 World Series match up: Cubs v. Indians
The pick of the Cubs is essentially self explanatory: Chicago carries arguably the deepest roster in the game of baseball, with such stars emerging as Willson Contreras and Javier Baez. The pitching rotation is also undoubtedly strong, with the only glaring weakness in Jake Arrieta, who has been on and off his game for the second half of the season. The Indians are the surprise team of the year, in my opinion. At one point, they went on a 14-game winning streak, just plowing through their opponents like they were a block of snow. Do I think their pitching staff is as strong as Chicago's? Not at all, but they're versatile and dangerous nonetheless. What the Indians do that many teams don't (especially the Cubs) is that they take advantage of mistakes made by the opposition.
2016 World Series Prediction: Cubs over Indians 4-2
As good and miraculous as the Indians have been this year, I can't deny the magic the Cubs have ridden the season with. Their depth is just too scary, and as a team, they know how to bounce back from mistakes. With Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester holding the two lowest ERA's in the game, Arrieta's violent command (when he's on his game), and Lackey's impeccable post-season resume, I don't see the Indians overcoming the strength of that pitching staff, let alone the power in the bats such as Rizzo and Bryant. And let's not forget the bullpen overhaul that Chicago made at the trade deadline, acquiring Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees. This will play an immense part of their victory, or loss for that matter. However, I suspect the only mistakes made by Chicago will be in their only two losses (as predicted), with bounce back games that will take them over the top. To Cubs fans, 1908 never seemed so far, nor has it ever seemed so close. Cubs in 6.
