Which team will win the World Series?
With the MLB playoffs quickly approaching, the Daily Iowan sports staff took a shot at predicting who would be the last team standing in November.
Texas Rangers
After clinching the AL West, the Texas Rangers look as if they could be the team to win it all this postseason.
To start things off, the Rangers have two of the top pitchers in the league, Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels. Both have the potential to turn into prime aces for the Rangers this postseason. With Hamels’ experience on the mound and Darvish back from Tommy John surgery, the rotation has never looked so good.
Yes, the Rangers are a young team, but they have a lot of experience. Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus were a part of the 2011 team that nearly won it all. Beltre has been dominant at the plate and at third, and Andrus has been as solid as he’s ever been.
Carlos Gomez is another essential part of the Texas Rangers lineup. Besides his strength and agility on defense, he has not let down offensively. His first time at the plate for the Rangers he homered, if that means anything.
Jeff Banister has proved to be one of the best mangers in the American League. He won Manager of the Year last season and is in the running for it this season. He has old-school coaching features but also respects the stats and analytical side of baseball. Keeping the team focused on one game at a time has kept it in the race for the division and now the race for the pennant.
This year the motto for the team is #Nevereverquit. The Rangers will focus on ending the regular season with one of the best records in the American League and work toward home-field advantage.
All I know is that this is not the same team that entered the postseason in 2011; the Rangers are better, and that will show come October.
— Jess Westendorf
Chicago Cubs
Let me hear you, Chicago-West.
But really, the Cubs look like the team to beat. How do we even start to unpack all of the talent manager Joe Maddon has to play with every day?
Let’s start with the lineup, because the Cubs are so relentless. Kris Bryant is going to win his first of at least five MVP awards this season, and Anthony Rizzo will also finish in the top-five of the voting. Opposing pitching staffs during the postseason, have fun pitching around one of them to get to the other.
The pitching staff (in its entirety, now) looks like it will make windy November nights in Chicago even colder for other teams with how good they have been. I’m not sure if Kyle Hendricks will win the Cy Young, and I’m not sure if Jon Lester will, but I know one of them will.
The defense has also been ridiculously good this year, headed by Addison Russell and Javier Baez. Well, and Jason Heyward. And Rizzo. And Ben Zobrist has been pretty good, too. OK, the whole team is really good, and it’s really fun to watch, and I have butterflies in my stomach.
But seriously — there aren’t any holes in the lineup, the starting staff goes at least four deep, and I haven’t even mentioned Aroldis Chapman or Jake Arrieta. The Cubs’ World Series victory will be one for the … century.
— Blake Dowson