5 reasons to believe the Blue Jays can shock the world and dethrone the Dodgers

This World Series matchup is awesome. Not only is there a ton of star power that's set to be put on display on both sides, but with the Toronto Blue Jays set to face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the list of revenge narratives feels endless. Not only should this be an entertaining series, but I also don't think it's a slam dunk that the Dodgers will repeat.

I know, I know, the Dodgers sleepwalked to the World Series, winning nine of their 10 games from the Wild Card round through the NLCS to get here. But the Blue Jays are here for a reason; they're a really good team that should not be disrespected.

Even though I do think the Dodgers will eventually get the best of them in six or seven games to go back-to-back, there are several reasons to believe the Blue Jays can shock the world and win it all.

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5) Jeff Hoffman has been lights out late in games

The Blue Jays signed Jeff Hoffman to be a lights-out closer for them. He was anything but lights-out in the regular season, struggling mightily with walks and especially home runs, but the postseason has been a different story.

Hoffman has allowed just one run on three hits with two walks and 12 strikeouts across six appearances and 7.1 innings of work. He struck out the side in Game 7 of the ALCS in a one-run game to send Toronto to the World Series. Talk about thriving under pressure.

Getting and holding a lead for the first seven or eight innings before Hoffman would enter a game can be challenging against the Dodgers, but if the Jays are able to do so — and there are reasons to believe they can — the way Hoffman is pitching right now, he can save a game against any team.

4) Blue Jays hitters never strike out

When you put the ball into play, good things tend to happen sometimes. No team will ever hit 1.000, but the odds of getting a hit are infinitely greater if contact is made than if it is not. Good things have been happening for the Jays this postseason, largely because they've been able to make contact better than anybody. Eight of their position players have had at least 35 at-bats this postseason, and here's a look at their strikeout numbers.

Not only does Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have double the amount of walks as strikeouts, but he has double the home runs as strikeouts this postseason. Many of these Blue Jays have walked nearly as many times as they've struck out. Sure, luck has to do with Ernie Clement hitting .429 this postseason, but he's also struck out twice in 42 postseason at-bats. Again, putting the ball into play means good things will happen.

Here's a crazy stat for you. The Jays have played the third-most postseason games (11). They're tied for first in home runs (20) and are seventh in strikeouts (64). They've essentially hit a home run for every three strikeouts. Do you know how absurd that is? In comparison, the Dodgers have played 10 games, have hit 13 postseason home runs and have struck out 93 times, the second most in the Majors this October.

They've played essentially the same number of games, yet Toronto has out-homered them by a substantial margin, and struck out far less. This Jays team is really, really good.

3) Blue Jays lineup depth is extraordinary

All eyes will be on the likes of George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and rightfully so, but it takes more than one player to win a baseball game, particularly in the postseason. I mean, Shohei Ohtani had a ridiculous Game 4 of the NLCS, but he was completely invisible in the first three games of that series and really most of the postseason as a whole prior to that game. Yet the Dodgers found ways to win because the guys around Ohtani stepped up.

The Jays are built around the likes of Guerrero and Springer, but they're playing in the World Series because of their lineup depth. Look at what the bottom of their order was able to do in the ALCS compared to the Mariners.

The Blue Jays won this series in seven games, and won the seventh game by one run. Addison Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the No. 7 and 8 hitters for the Blue Jays, got on base to begin the bottom of the seventh inning ahead of Springer, who hit the memorable go-ahead three-run homer. If it wasn't for those guys, the Jays probably wouldn't have won that game. If it weren't for Andres Gimenez's heroics in Seattle, who knows what would've happened in Games 3 and 4?

If the bottom of this order (which should only get deeper with Bo Bichette's looming return off the IL) continues to thrive, why can't the Jays simply outscore the Dodgers? After all, they've scored 25 more runs than Los Angeles in just one more game this postseason.

2) Dodgers bullpen is very beatable

I don't think Toronto's bullpen outside of Hoffman is very good, but I can argue that the Dodgers' bullpen is even worse. Roki Sasaki has been a revelation as their postseason closer, but can that continue into the World Series against this dominant Toronto offense? Can he pitch the five or six times he might be needed to win this series without running out of gas?

He's a clear X-Factor, and I think it's fair to ask who else is going to step up. Dave Roberts' go-to arms this postseason have been Sasaki, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia, all of whom have seven appearances. Sasaki has been spotless, but Treinen and Vesia have combined to allow five runs on eight hits with five walks in 8.1 innings. Anthony Banda and Emmet Sheehan are the only other relievers with even three appearances, and Sheehan has struggled when called upon in all three of his outings.

The bullpen was the Achilles heel for the Dodgers in the regular season, and the only reason it hasn't impacted them in the playoffs is that they haven't really been needed to pitch. Despite playing in the third-most games in these playoffs, Dodgers relievers rank sixth among all postseason teams with 27.2 innings pitched. That's an average of 2.7 relief innings per game.

Chances are, against this tough Blue Jays lineup, they'll have to pitch more. Sasaki has earned everyone's trust, but getting him the ball with a lead could be a challenge with this bullpen.

1) Blue Jays have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer

The Dodgers have their share of superstars, but the same can be said about the Blue Jays. Bichette is expected to return from injury, and both Guerrero Jr. and Springer exist.

Guerrero hadn't made his mark in the postseason prior to this year, but boy, has he announced himself in a big way this October. He's slashing .442/.510/.930 with six home runs and 13 RBI, and I'd honestly say he's done all that while hitting into a bit of bad luck. He's had one of the best postseasons in recent memory, and has given no reason to believe he's slowing down at the plate anytime soon.

Springer might be playing at less than 100 percent, but that clearly didn't matter in Game 7 when he drilled the series-clinching three-run homer. Springer isn't hitting for a very high average in these playoffs, but he has a .929 OPS and has hit four home runs. Dodgers fans know better than anyone that Springer is one of the greatest postseason performers ever, so why can't he have a huge World Series?

If this dynamic duo continues to perform at a superstar level, the Blue Jays will be really hard to contain.