MLB Postseason 2021 predictions: Who wins the World Series and who disappoints?
By Josh Hill
Our panel of baseball experts, gurus, and insiders deliver their 100 percent certified correct predictions for the MLB Postseason.
It’s finally here: October baseball.
After 162 games, and somehow not a single more before the two Wild Card games, the MLB Postseason has arrived. Jeff Passan poignantly pointed out that last year’s playoffs were nice but this October is going to remind us what baseball this time of year is all about.
The two Wild Card games have already delivered on the goods, which means we’re already playing with house money before the bulk of the bracket even gets underway.
In the American League, the upstart Chicago White Sox are looking to take the next step toward announcing their arrival as a contender. They’ll meet the Houston Astros and all the trash can banging baggage they drag with them to the ALDS. The Boston Red Sox demolished their rivals in New York to emerge from the Wild Card, but they have a date with perhaps the best team in the American League: The Tampa Bay Rays.
As intense as things look to be on the AL side of things, it pales in comparison to the sledgehammer wielding forces in the National League. Both the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers have known for a while now that they’d meet in the NLDS, and both teams could be argued as being favorites in any other year. But this year’s best postseason series will occur when the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants collide. Just a single game separated the two in the NL West, with the Giants winning 107-games and the Dodgers clocking in at 106 wins.
Combined the Dodgers and Giants run laps around the rest of the league with 213 wins between them both, and their collision in the postseason will merely be for the right to play in the NLCS. That’s how stacked the National League is this October,
With all that being said, FanSided’s panel of baseball experts, gurus, and insiders locked in what they all think will happen once the postseason drama beings to play out.
Note: Some of these picks came in before the Wild Card games, so poor Kurt is already working with the equivalent of a busted bracket. Also it’s totally up in the air whether or not Thomas put Aaron Boone down before the AL Wild Card or if he’s still so enraged that over the fact that he had to watch Boone manage the Yankees all year that he wanted to get in one final shot.
World Series Winner: Houston Astros
Postseason MVP: Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
Team That Will Lay A Dud: Chicago White Sox
Manager or Player Who Can’t Afford To Lose: Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays
Biggest Surprise: LaMonte Wade, San Francisco Giants
Kurt Mensching, MLB Director
World Series Winner: St. Louis Cardinals
Postseason MVP: Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals
Team That Will Lay A Dud: Tampa Bay Rays
Manager or Player Who Can’t Afford To Lose: Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers
Biggest Surprise: World Series will be played entirely in the Midwest
Thomas Carannante, Yanks Go Yard
World Series Winner: Milwaukee Brewers
Postseason MVP: Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
Team That Will Lay A Dud: Los Angeles Dodgers
Manager or Player Who Can’t Afford To Lose: Aaron Boone, New York Yankees
Biggest Surprise: The Milwaukee Brewers!
Gabrielle Starr, That Ball’s Outta Here
World Series Winner: San Francisco Giants
Postseason MVP: Mike Yastrzemski, San Francisco Giants
Team That Will Lay A Dud: Los Angeles Dodgers
Manager or Player Who Can’t Afford To Lose: Tony La Russa, Chicago White Sox
Biggest Surprise: Boston Red Sox
World Series Winner: San Francisco Giants
I’ve flipped between SF and the Dodgers, but LA is without Clayton Kershaw and Max Muncy. Yes, the Giants are without Brandon Belt, but their No. 20-25 players on the roster are as good as any in baseball. Besides, who am I to bet against Gabe Kapler and Farhan Zaidi when they turned what should have been a rebuilding team into a 107-game winner?
Postseason MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr. Wait, Bryce Harper. Wait, Juan Soto. Oh yeah, none of them are in the postseason. Give me Trea Turner.
Team That Will Lay A Dud: Chicago White Sox
Manager or Player Who Can’t Afford To Lose: Aaron Boone, New York Yankees
Biggest Surprise: The Braves upset the Brewers in the NLDS.
Mark Powell, FanSided.com Senior Editor
World Series Winner: Tampa Bay Rays, because picking the same team as A-Rod always goes well.
Postseason MVP: Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays
Team That Will Lay A Dud: San Francisco Giants. Facing the Dodgers in the NLDS is such a tough draw for a 107-win team.
Manager or Player Who Can’t Afford To Lose: It was Aaron Boone, but that happened. I’ll go Carlos Correa, if only to cement his free agent value.
Biggest Surprise: If the Giants losing in the NLDS wasn’t enough of a ‘surprise’, I’ll say the White Sox make the Astros sweat.
Josh Hill, FanSided.com Editorial Director
World Series Winner: Chicago White Sox
Postseason MVP: Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
Team That Will Lay A Dud: Atlanta Braves
Manager or Player Who Can’t Afford To Lose: Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays
Biggest Surprise: We’re all going to collectively remember that we love Kris Bryant, and he’s going to boost his free agent stock just in time for Hot Stove SZN.