Breaking Down B/R MLB Community's World Series Predictions and Winner
Welcome to the Bleacher Report MLB community article.
For this week's topic, we asked app users to give us their predictions for who will face off in the World Series and which team will walk away with the title.
At the time that voting took place Tuesday, 14 teams were mathematically in the running for a postseason spot, and from that group only the Oakland Athletics failed to receive a vote, so there was a wide range of opinions.
Ahead we'll reveal the results from the 134 votes cast and give our thoughts on how things played out.
Voting Results: AL Pennant Winner
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Favorite: Tampa Bay Rays (37 votes)
The Rays deserve to be the American League favorites as the reigning pennant winners who have the best record in the league. That said, I'm still surprised to see the oft-overlooked small-market club get the respect it deserves from the public.
Now if only all of the people who voted for them lived in Tampa Bay and showed up to their games.
With a 3.72 team ERA (fifth in MLB) and 5.3 runs per game (second in MLB), the Rays might be the most balanced we've seen them in recent years.
Runner-Up: New York Yankees (34 votes)
It's easy to call Yankees fans homers. It's also easy to get behind the idea that this team can go on a run.
The Yankees have won seven in a row entering play Wednesday and had a 13-game winning streak last month, so they've proved capable of rattling off victories. Their 44-24 record since the All-Star break is just a half-game behind the Rays for best in the AL, and once Jonathan Loaisiga returns from a shoulder injury, the pitching staff will be at full strength.
Getting past Tampa Bay might be their toughest test. The Rays lead the season series 9-7 with a convincing plus-38 run differential, and the two teams are on a collision course for the ALDS. First things first, they'll square off three more times to wrap up the regular season.
The Rest: Chicago White Sox (22 votes), Houston Astros (21 votes), Toronto Blue Jays (10 votes), Boston Red Sox (6 votes), Seattle Mariners (4 votes)
Can the White Sox flip the switch after coasting to an AL Central title? They are as healthy as they've been all year, but it's been a while since they've played a meaningful game.
The Astros will be serenaded with boos wherever they go, but this is an experienced, well-balanced group capable of relishing the role of villain and shaking up the postseason picture.
The biggest surprise for me is the Red Sox receiving just six votes. That's a big, loud fanbase in Boston, so maybe that's a good indication that getting swept by the Yankees last weekend has snuffed out any postseason expectations.
Voting Results: NL Pennant Winner
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Favorite: Los Angeles Dodgers (45 votes)
This is essentially the same team that won the World Series last year, only with NL Cy Young front-runner Max Scherzer and NL batting average leader Trea Turner added to the mix.
Surviving a red-hot St. Louis Cardinals team in the NL Wild Card Game will be a tall order if they can't find a way to overtake the San Francisco Giants for the NL West title. The Cardinals' likely starter, Adam Wainwright, has a 2.50 ERA in 15 starts since the All-Star break, and he tossed 8.1 strong innings against the Dodgers on Sept. 8.
The Dodgers went 9-10 against the rival Giants with a plus-two run differential during the regular season. That would make for an epic NLDS if they can get there.
Runner-Up: San Francisco Giants (32 votes)
With 103 wins, a better-than-expected offensive attack that's been bolstered by Kris Bryant, baseball's best bullpen (3.06 ERA) and a rock-solid trio atop the starting rotation in Kevin Gausman, Logan Webb and Anthony DeSclafani, the Giants are the real deal.
Losing team home run leader Brandon Belt (29 HRs) to a fractured thumb is a big blow, and closer Jake McGee is also sidelined with a strained oblique, but this team has not stopped winning, posting a 46-22 record since the All-Star break and a 19-6 mark in September.
The Rest: Milwaukee Brewers (31 votes), St. Louis Cardinals (18 votes), Atlanta Braves (6 votes), Philadelphia Phillies (2 votes)
The Brewers have the type of pitching staff you can ride to a World Series title. I've compared them to the 2005 Chicago White Sox multiple times this year, and they're capable of that type of October dominance if everything is clicking.
Momentum can't be overlooked heading into October, and no team is hotter than the St. Louis Cardinals. Lurking in the shadows as an afterthought all season and then sprinting to the finish line and rolling to a World Series title just feels like a real Cardinals thing to do, doesn't it?
A tip of the cap to those two Phillies fans who are still holding out hope that they'll overtake Atlanta in the NL East and go on an October run.
Voting Results: Most Common World Series Matchup
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Favorite: New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (19 votes)
This is MLB's dream matchup.
Two of the country's biggest markets squaring off on the biggest stage would be a huge boon for ratings, and with no shortage of star power on the field, this would be a terrific showcase for the sport.
Of the 19 people who picked this matchup, 11 took the Yankees to win, despite the Dodgers' advantage in team ERA (2.96 to 3.70), starters' ERA (2.87 to 3.83), bullpen ERA (3.13 to 3.58), team OPS (.749 to .734), runs scored (785 to 694), run differential (+248 to +49)...pretty much everything.
But hey, anything can happen in October, and the Yankees are hot.
Runner-Up: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Milwaukee Brewers (10 votes)
Two small-market teams searching for their first World Series title would be the antithesis of the heavyweight Yankees vs. Dodgers clash.
It would be a matchup of two of the most overpowering pitching staffs in baseball, as both teams rank in the top seven in the majors in team ERA, strikeouts and batting average against. The Brewers have a three-headed monster atop the rotation in Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta, while the Rays continue to utilize every arm on their staff to get the most out of their young arms.
Willy Adames would be a major storyline here after Tampa Bay traded him to Milwaukee in May, and runs would likely be few and far between.
Other Matchups with More Than Five Votes: HOU vs. LAD (9 votes), CWS vs. MIL (8 votes), TB vs. SF (8 votes), TB vs. STL (8 votes), NYY vs. SF (8 votes), HOU vs. SF (7 votes), TB vs. LAD (7 votes)
An Astros vs. Dodgers rematch would be wild, as there's no shortage of bad blood between those two teams stemming from the sign-stealing scandal.
I'm a bit surprised the Chicago White Sox vs. Milwaukee Brewers matchup was such a popular choice. Should we call that the No-Coast Bias pick?
The last time we saw a World Series rematch was 1978 when the Yankees beat the Dodgers for the second year in a row, so the Rays vs. Dodgers matchup would be something we haven't seen in more than 40 years.
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Voting Results: World Series Winner
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Favorite: Los Angeles Dodgers (24 votes)
The Dodgers were the overwhelming favorites to repeat as World Series champions when the season began, and even though they are ticketed for the NL Wild Card Game, they remain the top pick among B/R readers.
It's not hard to see why.
A postseason rotation of Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias will be awfully tough, and the lineup is full of stars with significant postseason experience.
The road ahead is a tough one, but they're well suited to traverse it.
Runner-Up: New York Yankees (23 votes)
It's interesting that the Rays received the most votes to win the AL pennant, yet it's the Yankees who led all AL teams with 23 people picking them to win the World Series.
A whopping 67.6 percent of people who picked the Yankees to win the pennant also picked them to win the World Series. Compare that to just 40.5 percent of people who picked the Rays as pennant winners and World Series champs.
The Yankees' popularity is undeniable, and they're playing some terrific baseball, so seeing them rack up the votes wasn't the least bit surprising.
The Rest: Milwaukee Brewers (17 votes), Tampa Bay Rays (15 votes), San Francisco Giants (15 votes), Chicago White Sox (10 votes), St. Louis Cardinals (10 votes), Houston Astros (6 votes), Atlanta Braves (5 votes), Boston Red Sox (3 votes), Toronto Blue Jays (3 votes), Seattle Mariners (2 votes), Philadelphia Phillies (1 vote)
Only six votes for the Astros? That sticks out, though whether it's a case of their being overlooked or simply disliked enough to pick against is open for debate.
Aside from that, things line up here about how I expected them to.
My Pick
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My Pick: Milwaukee Brewers over Tampa Bay Rays
Shoutout to the 10 other people who made this prediction.
I'm not sure that the Milwaukee Brewers are the best team in the National League, but they have the best road to the World Series.
While one NLDS matchup will feature some combination of the hottest team in baseball (the Cardinals) and the only two clubs with 100 wins (the Giants and Dodgers), the Brewers will have home-field advantage against an NL East winner that won't sniff 90 victories.
The Braves caught fire in August to seize control of the division race, but they have leveled off in September and simply don't have the horses to match up with Milwaukee's rotation. A smoother ride to the NLCS should mean a fresher squad in that best-of-seven series, and I'm buying that Burnes, Woodruff and Peralta can lead the way.
It will be the Astros vs. the Rays in a rematch of last year's ALCS that went seven games, and with a more potent offensive attack and a stable of young power arms, the Rays will do a great job of keeping their opponent uncomfortable and not allowing them to settle into the flow of the game.
I'll take those Brewers starters and a stacked bullpen—that should still be a strength even without Devin Williams—leading Milwaukee to its first World Series title.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, and accurate through Tuesday's games.
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