Here’s Who’s (Maybe) Going To Win the 2023 World Series
After a thrilling final week of the season that saw the AL West decided on the last day and the race for a Wild Card spot come down to the wire in both leagues, the postseason is here. The field features returning powerhouses, upstart challengers, and a healthy dose of “Dancing On My Own.” And though the playoff bracket boasts three 100-plus-win clubs that could be poised for deep runs, a lot can happen in a short series. That makes it difficult to predict how October will unfold, but 27 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). You can find our playoff odds here and the ZiPS postseason game-by-game odds here. Happy playoffs!
American League
Wild Card Series
Blue Jays vs. Twins Wild Card Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Minnesota Twins | 18 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 9 |
Rangers vs. Rays Wild Card Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays | 21 |
| Texas Rangers | 6 |
Division Series
Astros vs. Blue Jays/Twins WC Winner Division Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 15 |
| Minnesota Twins | 11 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 1 |
Orioles vs. Rangers/Rays WC Winner Division Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 18 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 7 |
| Texas Rangers | 2 |
League Championship Series
American League Championship Series Matchups
| Matchup | Votes |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros vs. Baltimore Orioles | 10 |
| Minnesota Twins vs. Baltimore Orioles | 7 |
| Tampa Bay Rays vs. Minnesota Twins | 4 |
| Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros | 3 |
| Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros | 2 |
| Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles | 1 |
American League Championship Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 7 |
| Houston Astros | 7 |
| Minnesota Twins | 5 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 5 |
| Texas Rangers | 2 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 1 |
National League
Wild Card Series
Diamondbacks vs. Brewers Wild Card Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Milwaukee Brewers | 19 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 8 |
Marlins vs. Phillies Wild Card Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | 22 |
| Miami Marlins | 5 |
Division Series
Dodgers vs. D-backs/Brewers WC Winner Division Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 23 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 4 |
Braves vs. Marlins/Phillies WC Winner Division Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 23 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 4 |
League Championship Series
National League Championship Series Matchups
| Matchup | Votes |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves | 19 |
| Milwaukee Brewers vs. Atlanta Braves | 4 |
| Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | 4 |
National League Championship Series
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 17 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 4 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 3 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 3 |
World Series
World Series Matchups
| Matchup | Votes |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves | 6 |
| Baltimore Orioles vs. Atlanta Braves | 5 |
| Tampa Bay Rays vs. Atlanta Braves | 3 |
| Minnesota Twins vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | 3 |
| Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves | 1 |
| Texas Rangers vs. Philadelphia Phillies | 1 |
| Texas Rangers vs. Atlanta Braves | 1 |
| Tampa Bay Rays vs. Philadelphia Phillies | 1 |
| Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers | 1 |
| Minnesota Twins vs. Milwaukee Brewers | 1 |
| Minnesota Twins vs. Atlanta Braves | 1 |
| Houston Astros vs. Milwaukee Brewers | 1 |
| Baltimore Orioles vs. Philadelphia Phillies | 1 |
| Baltimore Orioles vs. Milwaukee Brewers | 1 |
World Series Champion
| Winner | Votes |
|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 11 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 4 |
| Minnesota Twins | 3 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 2 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 2 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 2 |
| Houston Astros | 1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 1 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 1 |
Writer Predictions
American League Wild Card and Division Series Predictions
| Writer | TOR/MIN WC | TEX/TBR WC | HOU/WC DS | BAL/WC DS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Chamberlain | MIN | TBR | MIN | TBR |
| Alex Eisert | MIN | TBR | MIN | BAL |
| Ariel Cohen | MIN | TBR | MIN | BAL |
| Ben Clemens | MIN | TBR | MIN | BAL |
| Chad Young | MIN | TBR | HOU | BAL |
| Chris Gilligan | MIN | TBR | MIN | BAL |
| Dan Szymborski | TOR | TBR | HOU | BAL |
| David Laurila | MIN | TBR | MIN | BAL |
| Davy Andrews | MIN | TBR | MIN | TBR |
| Eric Longenhagen | MIN | TBR | HOU | TBR |
| Esteban Rivera | MIN | TEX | HOU | TEX |
| Jake Mailhot | MIN | TBR | MIN | TBR |
| Jason Martinez | TOR | TBR | TOR | BAL |
| Jay Jaffe | TOR | TBR | HOU | BAL |
| Jeff Zimmerman | MIN | TEX | MIN | BAL |
| Jon Becker | MIN | TBR | MIN | BAL |
| Jon Tayler | MIN | TEX | HOU | BAL |
| Justin Mason | TOR | TEX | HOU | TEX |
| Kiri Oler | TOR | TBR | HOU | BAL |
| Kyle Kishimoto | MIN | TBR | HOU | TBR |
| Leo Morgenstern | TOR | TBR | HOU | TBR |
| Lucas Kelly | TOR | TBR | HOU | BAL |
| Meg Rowley | MIN | TBR | HOU | BAL |
| Michael Baumann | TOR | TEX | HOU | BAL |
| Nicklaus Gaut | TOR | TBR | HOU | BAL |
| Paul Sporer | MIN | TBR | MIN | TBR |
| Tess Taruskin | MIN | TEX | HOU | BAL |
National League Wild Card and Division Series Predictions
| Writer | ARI/MIL WC | PHI/MIA WC | LAD/WC DS | ATL/WC DS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Chamberlain | MIL | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Alex Eisert | MIL | PHI | MIL | ATL |
| Ariel Cohen | MIL | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Ben Clemens | MIL | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Chad Young | MIL | PHI | MIL | ATL |
| Chris Gilligan | ARI | PHI | LAD | PHI |
| Dan Szymborski | MIL | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| David Laurila | ARI | MIA | LAD | ATL |
| Davy Andrews | ARI | PHI | LAD | PHI |
| Eric Longenhagen | ARI | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Esteban Rivera | MIL | PHI | LAD | PHI |
| Jake Mailhot | MIL | PHI | LAD | PHI |
| Jason Martinez | MIL | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Jay Jaffe | MIL | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Jeff Zimmerman | MIL | PHI | MIL | ATL |
| Jon Becker | MIL | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Jon Tayler | MIL | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Justin Mason | ARI | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Kiri Oler | MIL | MIA | LAD | ATL |
| Kyle Kishimoto | MIL | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Leo Morgenstern | ARI | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Lucas Kelly | MIL | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Meg Rowley | ARI | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Michael Baumann | ARI | PHI | LAD | ATL |
| Nicklaus Gaut | MIL | MIA | LAD | ATL |
| Paul Sporer | MIL | MIA | LAD | ATL |
| Tess Taruskin | MIL | MIA | MIL | ATL |
League Championship Series and World Series
| Writer | ALCS | NLCS | World Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Chamberlain | TBR | ATL | ATL |
| Alex Eisert | BAL | ATL | ATL |
| Ariel Cohen | BAL | ATL | ATL |
| Ben Clemens | MIN | LAD | LAD |
| Chad Young | HOU | MIL | MIL |
| Chris Gilligan | BAL | PHI | BAL |
| Dan Szymborski | HOU | ATL | ATL |
| David Laurila | MIN | LAD | LAD |
| Davy Andrews | TBR | LAD | TBR |
| Eric Longenhagen | HOU | ATL | HOU |
| Esteban Rivera | TEX | PHI | PHI |
| Jake Mailhot | TBR | PHI | PHI |
| Jason Martinez | TOR | ATL | TOR |
| Jay Jaffe | HOU | ATL | ATL |
| Jeff Zimmerman | MIN | MIL | MIN |
| Jon Becker | MIN | ATL | MIN |
| Jon Tayler | BAL | ATL | BAL |
| Justin Mason | TEX | ATL | ATL |
| Kiri Oler | BAL | ATL | ATL |
| Kyle Kishimoto | TBR | ATL | TBR |
| Leo Morgenstern | TBR | ATL | ATL |
| Lucas Kelly | BAL | ATL | BAL |
| Meg Rowley | HOU | ATL | ATL |
| Michael Baumann | HOU | ATL | ATL |
| Nicklaus Gaut | HOU | ATL | ATL |
| Paul Sporer | MIN | LAD | MIN |
| Tess Taruskin | BAL | MIL | BAL |
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.
MLB’s dream World Series:
Rangers or Astros vs. Dodgers or Phillies
Low payroll rocks Series:
Orioles/Rays vs. D-Backs/Marlins – any combo of these
Advertisers’ Nightmare Series:
Twins/Rays vs. Brewers/Marlins
Florida Man Series:
Rays vs. Marlins
MAGA Dream Series:
Rangers/Astros vs. Braves
Canadian Delight Series:
Blue Jays vs. Anyone
Southwest Special:
Texas/Houston vs. D-Backs
East Coast Special:
Orioles vs. Phillies
Bandwagon Fan Special:
Astros vs. Dodgers/Braves
I’ll throw in a subcategory of “Let’s Remember Some World Series” Rematches:
1965 (Dodgers/Twins)1966 (Dodgers/Orioles)1983 (Orioles/Phillies)1991 (Twins/Braves)2008 (Phillies/Rays)2020 (Dodgers/Rays)2021 (Braves/Astros)2022 (Astros/Phillies)
Dodgers/Astros 2017, Trash Can Revenge
Jays and Braves (1992) and Phillies (1993)
The 2008 series is absolutely one in need of a redo. That was an awful WS what with the lousy weather and lousy play.
Going for 1st WS Title:
Brewers vs. Rangers/Rays/Blue Jays
Joe Carter does not approve of this message.
Mitch Williams does
Maybe “3” in Canada converts to “1” in imperial units. I’ll never understand the metric system
Not counting the incorrect inclusion of the Blue Jays, at least the Rangers are still in the running for their first championship despite the Brewers and Rays both getting knocked out in the first round.
Just remember to play No Doubles (or Triples) Defense properly this time when you’re one out away from clinching the World Series.
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