Knowing the predictability of sports, the World Series champion will probably be someone completely unexpected.  The addition of the second wild card a few years ago has made even tougher to pick the playoff teams now that more teams have a shot of making later in the season.  As we have seen, however, from the last several World Series champions (Giants 2010, 2012, 2014; Cardinals 2011; Red Sox 2013; Royals 2015), pitching is the main component of most world champion teams and the key to victory in the postseason.

This season should be no exception, as the trend of dominant pitching staffs carrying their teams through the regular season and into October will most likely continue.  In the National League, there is really no debate as to who are the two best teams heading into Opening Day.  The Cubs and the Mets stand head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.  The Cubs are the clear favorite to win the World Series for most pundits at this point, as they have arguably both the best lineup and the best pitching staff in all of Major League Baseball. I am picking the Mets, however, to win the National League pennant and the World Series because I don’t believe the Cubs to be a Cinderella story again.  Instead, they will be the heavy favorites to win it all.  Those lofty expectations may have an adverse effect on what is still a very young team.  In addition, many of the Cubs key players are entering their sophomore year, and may be at risk for a sophomore slump, which seems to be quite common in baseball.  The Mets will beat the Cubs in the NLCS for the second straight year because they have the edge in starting pitching.  The young trio of Matt Harvey, Jacob DeGrom, and Noah Syndergaard is downright nasty.  They all throw in the upper 90s and were virtually unhittable in last season’s National League playoffs.  In addition, I give the bullpen edge to the Mets, who are led in that department by Jeurys Familia, who was lights-out in last year’s playoff run.

In the American League, I debated long and hard on my choice to win the pennant.  The Astros, Blue Jays, and Royals all have a legitimate chance to make the World Series.  The Blue Jays are a very good team and should continue to perform  at a high level.  Their offense is dynamite, but as I previously stated, offense has not won championships recently. The Blue Jays’ starting rotation and bullpen are good but not great, and their defense can be suspect at times.  This is where I give the advantage to the Astros and the Royals, who both have phenomenal pitching and defense, and who have a young group of core players who are not as likely to be injury-prone throughout the season.  I am picking the Astros to win the pennant because they still have room for improvement, even after last season’s surprising playoff run.  In addition, I give them the edge in pitching over the Royals.

Thus my World Series prediction is a matchup between the Mets and Astros. The Mets will triumph this time around due to the experience they gained last year, and their trio of young starting pitchers who will only perform better in 2016.