Here’s Who Is Going to Win the World Series (Maybe)

by
October 1, 2019

Forcing baseball writers to make predictions isn’t particularly nice. People tend to remember the bad picks more than the good ones, and a lot of flukiness can reveal itself in a short stretch of games. Still, I’m a scamp, so I asked my colleagues for their postseason winners. Thirty-two writers from across our family of blogs answered the call. Many of them proved to be Astros and Dodgers believers but some went in less well-worn directions. Below are the results by league and round, as well as each writer’s complete forecast. Happy playoffs!

National League

Wild Card and Divisional Series

National League Wild Card
Winner Votes
Nationals 21
Brewers 11

Braves vs. Cardinals Division Series
Winner Votes
Braves 23
Cardinals 9

Dodgers vs. Wild Card Winner Division Series
Winner Votes
Dodgers 21
Nationals 10
Brewers 1

Championship Series

NL Championship Series Matchups
Matchup Votes
Dodgers vs. Braves 17
Braves vs. Nationals 6
Dodgers vs. Cardinals 4
Cardinals vs. Nationals 4
Cardinals vs. Brewers 1

NL Championship Series Winner
Winner Votes
Dodgers 19
Nationals 7
Braves 4
Cardinals 2

American League

Wild Card and Divisional Series

American League Wild Card
Winner Votes
Rays 20
Athletics 12

Yankees vs. Twins Division Series
Winner Votes
Yankees 21
Twins 11

Astros vs. Wild Card Winner Division Series
Winner Votes
Astros 30
Athletics 1
Rays 1

Championship Series

AL Championship Series Matchups
Matchup Votes
Astros vs. Yankees 20
Astros vs. Twins 10
Yankees vs. Athletics 1
Twins vs. Rays 1

AL Championship Series Winner
Winner Votes
Astros 26
Yankees 5
Rays 1

World Series

World Series Matchups
Matchup Votes
Astros vs. Dodgers 16
Astros vs. Nationals 7
Dodgers vs. Yankees 3
Astros vs. Braves 2
Yankees vs. Cardinals 1
Astros vs. Cardinals 1
Yankees vs. Braves 1
Braves vs. Rays 1

World Series Champion
Winner Votes
Astros 15
Dodgers 8
Nationals 4
Yankees 3
Cardinals 1
Braves 1

Full Writer Predictions

FanGraphs 2019 Staff Playoff Predictions
Writer NL WC AL WC ATL/STL DS LAD/WC DS NYY/MIN DS HOU/WC DS NLCS ALCS World Series
Tony Wolfe MIL TBR ATL LAD NYY HOU ATL HOU HOU
Justin Mason WSN OAK ATL WSN NYY HOU ATL HOU HOU
Dylan Higgins MIL TBR ATL LAD MIN HOU LAD HOU HOU
Shelly Verougstraete MIL OAK ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU HOU
Jake Mailhot MIL OAK ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU HOU
Josh Herzenberg WSN OAK ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU HOU
Dan Szymborski WSN TBR ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU HOU
Benjamin Pasinkoff WSN TBR ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU HOU
Shane Tourtellotte MIL OAK ATL LAD MIN HOU LAD HOU LAD
Birchwood Brothers WSN TBR ATL LAD MIN HOU LAD HOU LAD
Kiley McDaniel MIL TBR ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU LAD
Brendan Gawlowski MIL TBR ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU LAD
Ben Kaspick WSN TBR ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU LAD
Rachael McDaniel WSN TBR ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU LAD
David Laurila WSN TBR ATL WSN MIN HOU WSN HOU HOU
Nick Dika WSN TBR ATL WSN NYY HOU WSN HOU HOU
Devan Fink WSN OAK ATL WSN NYY HOU WSN HOU WSN
Brad Johnson WSN OAK ATL WSN MIN HOU WSN HOU WSN
Paul Sporer WSN TBR ATL WSN MIN TBR ATL TBR ATL
Brice Russ WSN TBR ATL LAD NYY HOU ATL NYY NYY
Dustin Nosler WSN OAK ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD NYY LAD
Nick Pollack WSN OAK ATL LAD NYY HOU LAD NYY NYY
Rian Watt MIL OAK ATL LAD NYY OAK LAD NYY NYY
Eric Longenhagen WSN TBR STL WSN MIN HOU STL HOU HOU
Craig Edwards WSN TBR STL LAD MIN HOU LAD HOU HOU
Jay Jaffe MIL OAK STL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU HOU
Jeff Zimmerman WSN TBR STL LAD NYY HOU LAD HOU HOU
Justin Klugh MIL TBR STL LAD MIN HOU LAD HOU LAD
Meg Rowley WSN TBR STL WSN MIN HOU WSN HOU HOU
Ben Clemens WSN TBR STL WSN MIN HOU WSN HOU WSN
Jason Martinez WSN TBR STL WSN NYY HOU WSN HOU WSN
Audrey Stark MIL OAK STL MIL NYY HOU STL NYY STL

We hoped you liked reading Here’s Who Is Going to Win the World Series (Maybe) by Meg Rowley!

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Meg is the managing editor of FanGraphs, the host of FanGraphs Audio, and the co-co-host of Effectively Wild. Her work has previously appeared at Baseball Prospectus, Lookout Landing, and Just A Bit Outside.

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kidrobot
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kidrobot
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

I did MLB.com’s bracket and came out with the exact same as Nick Dika. It’s a shame I’m ineligible as a non-US resident. Nick, if you’re happy to sign up and take part, I’ll gladly accept half the winnings.

Vote Up5Vote Down 
4 months ago
London Yank
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London Yank
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

Non-US residents are ineligible?! I think I’ve got the same bracket as Nick Pollack, and that’s clearly the winner. I offer 50% of the $250k prize to anyone who will let me use their New York state address (since I registered as a New Yorker) when I win.

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4 months ago
kidrobot
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kidrobot
You can flag a comment by clicking its flag icon. Website admin will know that you reported it. Admins may or may not choose to remove the comment or block the author. And please don't worry, your report will be anonymous.

I believe you have to be a resident in the US or Canada-except-Quebec. Same for Beat the Streak.

Vote Up0Vote Down 
4 months ago