2020 MLB Postseason

When the 2020 season schedule was finally announced and along with it an expansion to 16 of 30 teams advancing to the playoffs, I remember my immediate reaction was that it was likely a sub-.500 team would make the postseason this year.  Sure enough, the Astros and Brewers both made the field of 16 with 29-31 records, and in this oddest of years they will always be remembered as the worst teams to make the playoffs of all-time.  That being said, it is 2020 and anything can happen.  Even a team like the Brewers - who had one of their 5 worst offensive seasons in club history, did not have a winning record for one day all season, and who has one healthy competent starter remaining - has a chance to win in a 3-game Wild Card series.  It will basically be Brandon Woodruff and Devon Williams against one of the greatest teams ever assembled starting on Wednesday night, when they fly to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers.

It also seems only fitting that in a year where almost nothing is predictable, that I had my most successful year of preseason playoff picks by guessing 14 of the 16 teams correctly.

PLAYOFFS START 9/29/2020

NL Wild Card Round:

#8 Brewers v. #1 Dodgers

#7 Reds v. #2 Braves

#6 Marlins v. #3 Cubs

#5 Cardinals v. #4 Padres

AL Wild Card Round:

#8 Blue Jays v. #1 Rays

#7 White Sox v. #2 Athletics

#6 Astros v. # 3 Twins

#5 Yankees v. #4 Indians

World Series Prediction:  Twins defeat Padres in 7

Rooting for:  Twins v. Brewers

Preseason Predictions:

#1 Dodgers

#2 Braves

#3 Cubs

#4 Mets

#5 Reds

#6 Padres

#7 Nationals

#8 Brewers

#1 Yankees

#2 Twins

#3 Athletics

#4 Rays

#5 White Sox

#6 Astros

#7 Indians

#8 Blue Jays

Dodgers over Athletics

Usually this is one of my final posts of the year in which I also report how many total ballgames Erik and I attended.  Sadly, that number is a big fat zero for both of us this year.  We are both really hoping that fans are allowed into stadiums next year, and particularly that we can make it to Texas next year to see the new Rangers park.  But we are now 6 months into this pandemic with things seemingly getting worse and not better, so who knows where our country will be next April.  In fact, even as I write this, I learned today that my daughter may have been exposed to Covid and we will all have to get tested.  There are still things more important than baseball, but if this weird season has taught me anything, it's that I needed the distraction far more than I realized.