MLB Playoff Predictions

It's fairly obvious that the Boston Red Sox wil not be participating in this year's Fall Classic, however this should still an exciting with the loaded teams like the A's, Dodgers, Angels, and Tigers. The A's went all in this year trading away their top prospect Addison Russell and clean-up hitter Yoenis Cespedes for aces Jon Lester and Jeff Samardzija.

AL East: Baltimore Orioles (2 Seed)

The Orioles are an offensively gifted team that has yet to fully peak. 2013 Home Run Champion, Chris Davis, only has 26 HR and is hitting .196 and has been suspended for 25 games because of Adderall use. Nelson Cruz is leading the MLB with 39 HR and has 103 RBI. Adam Jones is a talented hitter and fielder, he has 25 HR and is hitting .288 and slugging .318. The Orioles have had a lot of diversity this year but have just ran away with the division.

AL Central: Detroit Tigers (3 Seed)

The Tigers have arguably the best pitching staff in the league with the last three AL Cy Young winners. Justin Verlander has been shaky this year but they acquired David Price from the Rays on the Deadline. With Max Scherzer, David Price, Justin Verlander, and Rick Porcello, the Tigers have one of the better Playoff Pitching Staffs in recent memory. They also have one of the best hitters in the game with Miguel Cabrera. Victor Martinez is having an almost historical year he has 31 HR with only 40 K, if he finishes with more home runs than strikeouts he will only be the 22nd player to accomplish that feat (that may sound like a lot but if you think of how many people have in the MLB, it's not).

AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1 Seed)

The Angels are in 1st place in not only the West but in the AL and in the entire MLB. The A's offense hasn't been the same since they traded away their best hitter, Yoenis Cespedes. The Angels basically have no competition in the West because of this. They have a potent offense, with Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Erik Aybar, and Josh Hamilton. They had an up and coming ace, Garrett Richards (who obviously will miss the playoffs with an awful leg injury, tearing his patellar tendon), a steady starter, CJ Wilson, and ace of the staff Jered Weaver. They also have a break out star in Matt Shoemaker.

AL Wild Cards: Oakland Athletics & Seattle Mariners

The Athletics although not winning their division will remain a very good record that will easily get them into the Wild Card Game. They still have a decent offense with Cespedes is gone. They have All-Stars Josh Donaldson, Derek Norris, and Brandon Moss on the offensive side and Scott Kazmir, Sean Doolittle, and newly aquired Jon Lester on their pitching staff.

The Mariners may be a surprise but they have maybe the best RHP in the game, Felix Hernandez. They also have the extremely consistant Hisashi Iwokuma. Their offense is also very underrated with All-Stars Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager, Cano doesn't just provide offense but also veteran leadership and knows about how to get to the playoffs and win.

NL East: Washington Nationals (3 Seed)

The NL East has been fairly mediocre this year and the Nationals are the only that have been above average. They have a tremendous pitching staff, with guys by the likes of Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister, Gio Gonzalez, and Jordan Zimmerman. Their bullpen is also exceptional with Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, Rafeal Soriano. They have one of the better hitting shortstops in the league, Ian Desmond, and a very good hitting utility man Anthony Rendon.

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals (2 Seed)

The past couple years the Cardinals have played in one of the tougher divisions in baseball, but yet still found a way to win the division. Their offense has been a little lackluster this year, however, one of their players always steps up in crunch-time. hey have a ton of promise on offense with Matt Adams, Matt Carpenter, Oscar Taveras, Matt Holiday, Kolten Wong, and Yadier Molina when he returns. They have one of the better pitching rotations in the NL with Adam Wainwright, John Lackey, Justin Masterson, 2013 playoff breakout Michael Wacha has returned, and they useful Carlos Martinez, who can also be a set-up man when All-Star Pat Neshek isn't available.

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers (1 Seed)

The Dodgers are one of the most gifted hitting and pitching team in the MLB. They have a jam packed outfields, with Carl Crawford, Andre Either, Matt Kemp, Scott Van Slyke and Yasiel Puig. Not only that but a pretty good infield, including Juan Uribe, Hanley Ramirez, speedster Dee Gordan, AJ Ellis, and Adrian Gonzalez. Their pitching staff is arguably the best in the MLB, with guys by the names of Hyun-jin Ryu, Dan Haren, Zach Greinke, a decent 5th starter in Roberto Hernandez and reigning Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw. No to mention the teriffic bullpen, with 4 guys with experience as closers, Brian Wilson, Chris Perez, Brandon League and current closer Kenley Jansen.

NL Wild Cards: Pittsbugh Pirates & San Francisco Giants

For the longest time it looked like 3 teams from the Central would make the playoffs, however the Brewers have gone downhill fast. The Pirates have a very strong offense with surprise All-Star Josh Harrison, Pedro Alverez, young Gregory Polanco, and reigning MVP Andrew McCutchen. They have a decent pitching rotation, including Jeff Locke, Francisco Liriano, Vance Worley, Edison Volquez, and Garrett Cole.

The Giants have been battling with the Dodgers in the West for a long time. Their record should definetely push them into a Wild Card spot. Their roster is pretty strong with Pablo Sandoval, Michael Morse, Brandon Belt, Angel Pagan, Buster Posey and Hunter Pence. They have a nice rotation with Yusmeiro Petit, Tim Hudson, Ryan Vogelsong, Jean Machi, and Madison Bumgarner.

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS:

Wild Card Games: Seattle Mariners @ Oakland A's & San Francisco Giants @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Results: Mariners win with a dominent outing from Felix Hernandez.
Giants win with a strong outing from Madison Bumgarner.

American League Divisional Series: LA Angels of Anaheim v. Seattle Mariners
Detroit Tigers v. Baltimore Orioles
Results: Angels win in 4 games (3-1). Orioles win in 5 games (3-2).

National League Divisional Series: Los Angeles Dodgers v. San Francisco Giants
St. Louis Cardinals v. Washington Nationals
Results: Dodgers win in 3 games (3-0). Nationals win in 5 games (3-2).

American League Championship Series: LA Angels of Anaheim v. Baltimore Orioles
Results: Angels win in 6 games (4-2).

National League Championship Series: LA Dodgers v. Washington Nationals

Results: Dodgers win in 5 games (4-1)

World Series: Los Angels Angels of Anaheim v. Los Angeles Dodgers

Game 1: Clayton Kershaw v. Jered Weaver Dodgers win 2-0.

Game 2: Zack Greinke v. CJ Wilson Angels win 6-1.

Game 3: Hyun-jin Ryu v. Matt Shoemaker Angels win 3-0.

Game 4: Dan Haren v. Hector Santiago

Angels win 2-1.

Game 5: Clayton Kershaw v. Jered Weaver Dodgers win 4-1.

Game 6: Zack Greinke v. Matt Shoemaker

Angels win 4-3.