Here’s Who’s (Maybe) Going To Win the 2022 World Series
The expanded playoff format might have put an end to Game 163 tiebreakers, but this postseason still promises to deliver some great matchups, featuring division rivals, electric starters, fearsome bats, and multiple teams that finally put an end to long playoff droughts. And though the field boasts four 100-plus-win clubs that seem poised for deep runs, a lot can happen in a short series. That makes it difficult to predict how October will unfold, but 30 of our writers from FanGraphs and RotoGraphs did their best.
Below are our predictions by league and round, as well as each writer’s full forecast (those tables are sortable). Happy playoffs!
American League
Wild Card Series
Blue Jays vs. Mariners Wild Card Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | 19 |
| Seattle Mariners | 11 |
Guardians vs. Rays Wild Card Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians | 19 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 11 |
Division Series
Astros vs. Blue Jays/Mariners Wild Card Winner Division Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 24 |
| Seattle Mariners | 3 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 3 |
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Yankees vs. Guardians/Rays Wild Card Winner Division Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 23 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 6 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 1 |
Championship Series
American League Championship Series Matchups
| Matchup | Votes |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees | 19 |
| Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Guardians | 5 |
| New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays | 2 |
| New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners | 2 |
| Seattle Mariners vs. Tampa Bay Rays | 1 |
| Cleveland Guardians vs. Toronto Blue Jays | 1 |
American League Championship Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 20 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 3 |
| New York Yankees | 3 |
| Seattle Mariners | 3 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 1 |
National League
Wild Card Series
Mets vs. Padres Wild Card Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| New York Mets | 24 |
| San Diego Padres | 6 |
Cardinals vs. Phillies Wild Card Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | 20 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 10 |
Division Series
Dodgers vs. Mets/Padres Wild Card Winner Division Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 21 |
| New York Mets | 9 |
Braves vs. Cardinals/Phillies Wild Card Winner Division Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 27 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 1 |
Championship Series
National League Championship Series Matchups
| Matchup | Votes |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves | 20 |
| Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets | 7 |
| St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Mets | 1 |
| New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies | 1 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies | 1 |
National League Championship Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 13 |
| Atlanta Braves | 10 |
| New York Mets | 7 |
World Series
World Series Matchups
| Matchup | Votes |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | 7 |
| Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves | 7 |
| Houston Astros vs. New York Mets | 6 |
| New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | 2 |
| Cleveland Guardians vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | 2 |
| Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | 1 |
| Seattle Mariners vs. New York Mets | 1 |
| Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | 1 |
| Seattle Mariners vs. Atlanta Braves | 1 |
| New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves | 1 |
| Cleveland Guardians vs. Atlanta Braves | 1 |
World Series Champion
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 12 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 6 |
| New York Mets | 5 |
| Atlanta Braves | 2 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 2 |
| New York Yankees | 2 |
| Seattle Mariners | 1 |
Writer Predictions
2022 FanGraphs Staff Playoff Predictions: AL
| Writer | CLE/TBR WC | TOR/SEA WC | NYY/WC DS | HOU/WC DS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Chamberlain | CLE | TOR | CLE | HOU |
| Alex Eisert | TBR | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Alex Sonty | CLE | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Ariel Cohen | TBR | SEA | NYY | HOU |
| Ben Clemens | TBR | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Chad Young | CLE | SEA | NYY | HOU |
| Chris Gilligan | CLE | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Dan Szymborski | TBR | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| David Laurila | CLE | SEA | CLE | HOU |
| Davy Andrews | CLE | TOR | CLE | TOR |
| Dylan Higgins | TBR | SEA | TBR | SEA |
| Eric Longenhagen | CLE | TOR | CLE | HOU |
| Esteban Rivera | CLE | TOR | NYY | TOR |
| Jake Mailhot | CLE | SEA | NYY | SEA |
| Jason Martinez | CLE | SEA | NYY | SEA |
| Jay Jaffe | CLE | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Jeff Zimmerman | TBR | SEA | NYY | HOU |
| Jon Becker | CLE | SEA | NYY | HOU |
| Jon Tayler | CLE | SEA | CLE | HOU |
| Justin Choi | TBR | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Justin Mason | CLE | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Kyle Kishimoto | TBR | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Leo Morgenstern | TBR | TOR | NYY | TOR |
| Lucas Kelly | CLE | SEA | NYY | HOU |
| Meg Rowley | CLE | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Michael Baumann | TBR | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Mike Podhorzer | TBR | TOR | NYY | HOU |
| Nicklaus Gaut | CLE | SEA | NYY | HOU |
| Paul Sporer | CLE | TOR | CLE | HOU |
| Tess Taruskin | CLE | TOR | NYY | HOU |
2022 FanGraphs Staff Playoff Predictions: NL
| Writer | STL/PHI WC | NYM/SDP WC | ATL/WC DS | LAD/WC DS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Chamberlain | PHI | SDP | ATL | LAD |
| Alex Eisert | PHI | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Alex Sonty | STL | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Ariel Cohen | PHI | NYM | ATL | NYM |
| Ben Clemens | PHI | NYM | PHI | NYM |
| Chad Young | PHI | SDP | ATL | LAD |
| Chris Gilligan | PHI | SDP | ATL | LAD |
| Dan Szymborski | PHI | NYM | ATL | NYM |
| David Laurila | STL | SDP | ATL | LAD |
| Davy Andrews | PHI | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Dylan Higgins | PHI | SDP | ATL | LAD |
| Eric Longenhagen | PHI | SDP | ATL | LAD |
| Esteban Rivera | STL | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Jake Mailhot | PHI | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Jason Martinez | PHI | NYM | ATL | NYM |
| Jay Jaffe | STL | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Jeff Zimmerman | PHI | NYM | PHI | LAD |
| Jon Becker | PHI | NYM | ATL | NYM |
| Jon Tayler | PHI | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Justin Choi | PHI | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Justin Mason | STL | NYM | STL | NYM |
| Kyle Kishimoto | PHI | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Leo Morgenstern | PHI | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Lucas Kelly | STL | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Meg Rowley | STL | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Michael Baumann | PHI | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Mike Podhorzer | STL | NYM | ATL | LAD |
| Nicklaus Gaut | PHI | NYM | ATL | NYM |
| Paul Sporer | STL | NYM | ATL | NYM |
| Tess Taruskin | STL | NYM | ATL | NYM |
2022 FanGraphs Staff Playoff Predictions: CS and World Series
| Writer | ALCS | NLCS | WS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Chamberlain | CLE | LAD | CLE |
| Alex Eisert | NYY | LAD | NYY |
| Alex Sonty | HOU | ATL | HOU |
| Ariel Cohen | HOU | NYM | NYM |
| Ben Clemens | HOU | NYM | NYM |
| Chad Young | HOU | LAD | LAD |
| Chris Gilligan | HOU | ATL | HOU |
| Dan Szymborski | HOU | NYM | NYM |
| David Laurila | HOU | LAD | HOU |
| Davy Andrews | CLE | LAD | CLE |
| Dylan Higgins | SEA | LAD | SEA |
| Eric Longenhagen | CLE | ATL | ATL |
| Esteban Rivera | NYY | ATL | NYY |
| Jake Mailhot | SEA | ATL | ATL |
| Jason Martinez | SEA | NYM | NYM |
| Jay Jaffe | HOU | LAD | LAD |
| Jeff Zimmerman | HOU | LAD | HOU |
| Jon Becker | HOU | NYM | HOU |
| Jon Tayler | HOU | ATL | HOU |
| Justin Choi | HOU | LAD | HOU |
| Justin Mason | HOU | NYM | NYM |
| Kyle Kishimoto | HOU | LAD | LAD |
| Leo Morgenstern | TOR | LAD | LAD |
| Lucas Kelly | NYY | LAD | LAD |
| Meg Rowley | HOU | ATL | HOU |
| Michael Baumann | HOU | ATL | HOU |
| Mike Podhorzer | HOU | LAD | LAD |
| Nicklaus Gaut | HOU | ATL | HOU |
| Paul Sporer | HOU | NYM | HOU |
| Tess Taruskin | HOU | ATL | HOU |
Meg is the editor-in-chief of FanGraphs and the co-host of Effectively Wild. Prior to joining FanGraphs, her work appeared at Baseball Prospectus, Lookout Landing, and Just A Bit Outside. You can follow her on Bluesky @megrowler.fangraphs.com.
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