As we all know, this is the best time of the year for baseball fans. I love this time of year. Honestly, this year I didn’t watch much baseball during the regular season. But that all changes when October comes around. After spending time watching the first couple rounds of the playoffs, I still have a hard time deciding who I’m picking to win the series. As I’m writing this I’m not sure who I’ll pick, so let’s just talk through it.
Let’s start with the Mets. These Mets are living up to the old nickname because they truly are “amazing!” They have played very well and have the line-up and pitching staff to prove it. They have some veteran guys who really know how to play the game. First off, who doesn’t respect the game of David Wright? This guy has been a gold glover and an all-star. This guy knows how to play the game the right way. Obviously he hasn’t played many games this year, but just having a guy like that on the field is going to give his team a sense of calm every inning. Another guy they have that you can’t ignore is Curtis Granderson. Didn’t have a great average year, but still, he hit 26 home runs and had 70 RBI’s for a guy who seemed to fall fast and hard out of the limelight he once had. This guy has been around and has been in the playoff picture before. He not only is a great player, but is another field general for the Mets.
We all know that you can’t forget about the pitching staff these guys have. Harvey, Syndergaard, DeGrom…some real good young guys for the Mets. And the nice thing about some young guys on the mound is that they sometimes don’t realize the weight of the situation they are in. Some young guys will be crushed under the weight of pitching in the World Series, while others are just too young and too pumped up to be crushed by the weight. I think that we will see the pitching staff of the Mets stand pretty tall on that mound, and they should!
Ok, now for the Royals. I’m not going to talk about their line-up, and I’m not going to mention that this is the 2nd year in a row they have made it to the world series. What I am going to talk about is the bullpen. The Royals bullpen is what I’m banking this whole series on. Wade Davis is a savage. He hasn’t been the closer for long, but this guy can pitch. He was a starter for years, and now has made a very smooth transition into the role of closer. He is the guy who will save this series, literally, for the Royals. He is who I’m watching. I assume he will come in during the 8th inning on multiple games. 6-out saves will be a common thing in this series, I’m telling you.
So after working my way, shortly, through these two teams – I pick the Royals to win the series in 6 games. I think NY will take game 1, where 2, 3, and 4 will go to the Royals. Game 5 I’m taking NY again, but then the Royals will take it all in game 6.
It’s a blue October! Go Royals!