Get Ready for Ty's 3rd Annual MLB Playoff Preview

Check out Ty's preseason preview here.

Two quick things before I get to my MLB playoff preview. First, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" came back last night and it is as wonderful as it has always been. The show is pure genius, and it was like they never left. Larry David is a god damn genius and everyone needs to watch the show. It is glorious.

Second, what happened in Las Vegas last night is pure tragedy. We are in very dark times as a country right now, and just when you do not think it can get any worse, something like last night happens. This is scary and just awful, awful news. America is not the safe place I knew as a child. I should never be scared to go to a concert, but last night will forever have me looking over my shoulder at any live event. What a horrible tragedy.

Now, to lighten things up a bit, I am going to do my MLB playoff preview. First off, I have only been to one Cardinals game this year, and other than that, I have watched next to no baseball this year. Football is back. The NBA preseason is going on, so why on Earth would I watch baseball. But, I do enjoy the playoffs, even though I will enjoy them a bit less this year since the Cards didn't make it. Also, I have not read RD's preview yet, but that is on purpose. I want to write mine, then see how close we get to each other's picks. Anyway, lets get to it.

I'm going to focus on the American League first. In the Wild Card game we have the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins. Man do I want to pick the Twins. That would be amazing. What holds me back from picking them is the fact that they lost 100 games a year ago, and they barely squeaked into the playoffs this year. The Yankees were pretty decent all year. Their pitching is subpar, but they can hit. In a one game matchup I just see the Yankees being able to score 6 or 7 runs and win a high scoring game. Something like 7-5 or 6-3. I'll be pulling for Minnesota, but I think the Yankees will win this first game.

A Yankees win would make the divisional matchups Yankees-Indians and Red Sox-Astros. The Red Sox may have think they dodged a bullet because you know Terry Francona probably would have swept them out of the first round again, but the Astros have been one of the best teams in baseball all year. They can hit, play defense, and since acquiring Justin Verlander, they have some solid pitching. The Red Sox have a great lineup capable of putting up numbers. What should scare Red Sox fans is their pitching. On paper they look dominate. But, David Price has been either hurt or inconsistent, David Pomeranz cannot go more than 5 innings and Chris Sale, who is supposed to be the surest thing in the AL, has been getting shelled lately. I like the Astros to win this series in 5 games. I think the fact that they can throw Dallas Kuechel and Justin Verlander out there for at least three games gives them the edge. They also have some great hitters, Jose Altuve to be more specific, and I just think they are a better team.

In the Yankees-Indians matchup, I do not see how the Indians don't sweep them. They are better in every phase of the game. They have better pitching, more timely hitting, better fielders and much better coaching. They may have peaked too soon some will say, but they will be sweeping the Yankees out in this round.

So, the ALCS will be Houston and Cleveland. Houston matches up better than the Yankees do, but I still like the Indians. Again, they are playing excellent baseball right now, they have a great lineup, great pitching and the best coach in the AL. This series will go a bit longer, I'm thinking 6 games, but I like the Indians to return to the World Series.

On to the National League. The Wild Card game again has me wanting to pick one team, but thinking the other will win. I'd love to see the Rockies make a long playoff run, but the Diamondbacks have better pitching and Paul Goldschimdt and one of the Upton brothers. That is more than enough for them to win. The game will be fun, but I see the Diamondbacks pulling away late in the game.

So, that gives us the divisional matchups of Dodgers-Diamondbacks and Cubs-Nationals. The Dodgers-Diamondbacks is going to be a hard fought, five game series. These teams matchup very well against one another. I know that the Dodgers have over 100 wins, but unlike the Indians, they have been in the tank for a couple months now. And, they have not been the best playoff team in the past few years. They still have Clayotn Kershaw and a great lineup and Yu Darvish, but they always seem to choke in critical moments. I expected this Diamondbacks team last year, but they are good this year. Their problem, they really only have Zack Greinke as a top notch starting pitcher. He can go, max, 2 games as a starter. They need more than that. Again, this will be a rough 5 game series, but I think the Dodgers, despite their recent playoff stumbles, move to the NLCS.

The Cubs-Nationals matchup may be the best of the entire playoffs. I love this matchup. These are 2 of the best young teams in baseball. The Cubs are also peaking at the exact right time, and they are the defending champs. When I watched them clinch the other night I kept saying to anyone around me, don't sleep on this team returning to the World Series. But, the Nationals may be the only team they did not want to face in the NLDS. They can match their pitching, and for me personally, especially with a fully healthy Bryce Harper, they have a much better lineup. I know the Nationals are a team that has never really won anything, but I feel like the time is now. This series is going to be amazing, and I think the Nationals will win it in walk off fashion in game 5.

So, that gives us the Dodgers and Nationals for the NLCS. This is so much easier for me to pick than the other series. The Nationals should cruise by the Dodgers. The Dodgers are swooning, the Nationals have their best player back, and they are a better team. They should, and will, win this series in no less than 5 games.

That means we have a Nationals-Indians World Series. I believe this was my preseason pick. And just like my preseason pick, I'm going with the Indians (ed note: Ty actually picked the Nationals. We'll let him slide). They are on fire right now. They were there, and should have won, last year. They are a better overall team. They will frustrate and small ball the hell out of the Nationals. The World Series is right there for them to snatch up. It will go either 5 or 6, but it will not be the epic that last year's World Series was. The Indians are so good, and just like the Cubs ended their title drought last year, the Indians will do the same this year. I like Cleveland in 6 games.

There you have it, my 2017 MLB preview. I have to go see what RD picked now, and for all my NBA fans out there, my NBA countdown starts tomorrow. I just wanted to get a little baseball in right before the playoffs start. Lets get ready to see how this all shakes out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He had convinced the head editor that the Nationals were going to win it all. Then Ty pulls the rug out and switches to the Indians. Damn you Ty. Damn you to hell.

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