By: Kelly Byrnes
ALCS: New York Yankees (91-71) at Houston Astros (101-61)
I had the Astros advancing to the ALCS but had the Yanks losing to Cleveland. This is the first ever appearance for the Astros in the ALCS. Game 1 pitching matchup is Keuchel vs Tanaka and I give the edge to the Astros. The Yankees once again will need to ride their bullpen to have a shot at upsetting another 100 win team. Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez will need to have a better CS then their DS. The Astros are well rested and will be looking to knock out the Yankees once again from the playoffs (Astros knocked out the Yankees in the 2015 Wild Card game) and I believe they will do it in 6 games.
ALCS: Carlos Correa
NLCS: Chicago Cubs (92-70) at Los Angeles Dodgers (104-58)
I had both teams advancing to the NLCS, mostly because I wanted to see a rematch of last year’s NLCS. Last year the Cubbies won in six games. This year the script is flipped though. The Dodgers have home field advantage and will be able to have their rotation set. The Cubs used all hands-on deck to beat the Nationals and I’m not sure who will start Game 1. My guess is John Lackey. The Dodgers offense was clicking against the D-Backs and will need that to continue against the Cubs. The Cubs are in the NLCS for the 3rd straight year and their biggest question mark this time around is their rotation. As I said in my NLDS prediction, the Dodgers have their eye on the World Series and anything less would be a disappointment.
NLCS MVP: ?