After a thrilling final week of the season that saw the AL West decided on the last day and the race for a Wild Card spot come down to the wire in both leagues, the postseason is here. The field features returning powerhouses, upstart challengers, and a healthy dose of “Dancing On My Own.” And though the playoff bracket boasts three 100-plus-win clubs that could be poised for deep runs, a lot can happen in a short series. That makes it difficult to predict how October will unfold, but 27 of our writers from FanGraphs and RotoGraphs did their best.
Below are our predictions by league and round, as well as each writer’s full forecast (those tables are sortable). You can find our playoff odds here and the ZiPS postseason game-by-game odds here. Happy playoffs!
American League
Wild Card Series
Blue Jays vs. Twins Wild Card Series
Winner
Votes
Minnesota Twins
18
Toronto Blue Jays
9
Rangers vs. Rays Wild Card Series
Winner
Votes
Tampa Bay Rays
21
Texas Rangers
6
Division Series
Astros vs. Blue Jays/Twins WC Winner Division Series
Winner
Votes
Houston Astros
15
Minnesota Twins
11
Toronto Blue Jays
1
Orioles vs. Rangers/Rays WC Winner Division Series
Winner
Votes
Baltimore Orioles
18
Tampa Bay Rays
7
Texas Rangers
2
League Championship Series
American League Championship Series Matchups
Matchup
Votes
Houston Astros vs. Baltimore Orioles
10
Minnesota Twins vs. Baltimore Orioles
7
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Minnesota Twins
4
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Houston Astros
3
Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros
2
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles
1
American League Championship Series
Winner
Votes
Baltimore Orioles
7
Houston Astros
7
Minnesota Twins
5
Tampa Bay Rays
5
Texas Rangers
2
Toronto Blue Jays
1
National League
Wild Card Series
Diamondbacks vs. Brewers Wild Card Series
Winner
Votes
Milwaukee Brewers
19
Arizona Diamondbacks
8
Marlins vs. Phillies Wild Card Series
Winner
Votes
Philadelphia Phillies
22
Miami Marlins
5
Division Series
Dodgers vs. D-backs/Brewers WC Winner Division Series
Winner
Votes
Los Angeles Dodgers
23
Milwaukee Brewers
4
Braves vs. Marlins/Phillies WC Winner Division Series
Winner
Votes
Atlanta Braves
23
Philadelphia Phillies
4
League Championship Series
National League Championship Series Matchups
Matchup
Votes
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves
19
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Atlanta Braves
4
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
4
National League Championship Series
Winner
Votes
Atlanta Braves
17
Los Angeles Dodgers
4
Milwaukee Brewers
3
Philadelphia Phillies
3
World Series
World Series Matchups
Matchup
Votes
Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves
6
Baltimore Orioles vs. Atlanta Braves
5
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Atlanta Braves
3
Minnesota Twins vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
3
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves
1
Texas Rangers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
1
Texas Rangers vs. Atlanta Braves
1
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Philadelphia Phillies
1
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
1
Minnesota Twins vs. Milwaukee Brewers
1
Minnesota Twins vs. Atlanta Braves
1
Houston Astros vs. Milwaukee Brewers
1
Baltimore Orioles vs. Philadelphia Phillies
1
Baltimore Orioles vs. Milwaukee Brewers
1
World Series Champion
Winner
Votes
Atlanta Braves
11
Baltimore Orioles
4
Minnesota Twins
3
Los Angeles Dodgers
2
Philadelphia Phillies
2
Tampa Bay Rays
2
Houston Astros
1
Milwaukee Brewers
1
Toronto Blue Jays
1
Writer Predictions
American League Wild Card and Division Series Predictions
Writer
TOR/MIN WC
TEX/TBR WC
HOU/WC DS
BAL/WC DS
Alex Chamberlain
MIN
TBR
MIN
TBR
Alex Eisert
MIN
TBR
MIN
BAL
Ariel Cohen
MIN
TBR
MIN
BAL
Ben Clemens
MIN
TBR
MIN
BAL
Chad Young
MIN
TBR
HOU
BAL
Chris Gilligan
MIN
TBR
MIN
BAL
Dan Szymborski
TOR
TBR
HOU
BAL
David Laurila
MIN
TBR
MIN
BAL
Davy Andrews
MIN
TBR
MIN
TBR
Eric Longenhagen
MIN
TBR
HOU
TBR
Esteban Rivera
MIN
TEX
HOU
TEX
Jake Mailhot
MIN
TBR
MIN
TBR
Jason Martinez
TOR
TBR
TOR
BAL
Jay Jaffe
TOR
TBR
HOU
BAL
Jeff Zimmerman
MIN
TEX
MIN
BAL
Jon Becker
MIN
TBR
MIN
BAL
Jon Tayler
MIN
TEX
HOU
BAL
Justin Mason
TOR
TEX
HOU
TEX
Kiri Oler
TOR
TBR
HOU
BAL
Kyle Kishimoto
MIN
TBR
HOU
TBR
Leo Morgenstern
TOR
TBR
HOU
TBR
Lucas Kelly
TOR
TBR
HOU
BAL
Meg Rowley
MIN
TBR
HOU
BAL
Michael Baumann
TOR
TEX
HOU
BAL
Nicklaus Gaut
TOR
TBR
HOU
BAL
Paul Sporer
MIN
TBR
MIN
TBR
Tess Taruskin
MIN
TEX
HOU
BAL
National League Wild Card and Division Series Predictions
Writer
ARI/MIL WC
PHI/MIA WC
LAD/WC DS
ATL/WC DS
Alex Chamberlain
MIL
PHI
LAD
ATL
Alex Eisert
MIL
PHI
MIL
ATL
Ariel Cohen
MIL
PHI
LAD
ATL
Ben Clemens
MIL
PHI
LAD
ATL
Chad Young
MIL
PHI
MIL
ATL
Chris Gilligan
ARI
PHI
LAD
PHI
Dan Szymborski
MIL
PHI
LAD
ATL
David Laurila
ARI
MIA
LAD
ATL
Davy Andrews
ARI
PHI
LAD
PHI
Eric Longenhagen
ARI
PHI
LAD
ATL
Esteban Rivera
MIL
PHI
LAD
PHI
Jake Mailhot
MIL
PHI
LAD
PHI
Jason Martinez
MIL
PHI
LAD
ATL
Jay Jaffe
MIL
PHI
LAD
ATL
Jeff Zimmerman
MIL
PHI
MIL
ATL
Jon Becker
MIL
PHI
LAD
ATL
Jon Tayler
MIL
PHI
LAD
ATL
Justin Mason
ARI
PHI
LAD
ATL
Kiri Oler
MIL
MIA
LAD
ATL
Kyle Kishimoto
MIL
PHI
LAD
ATL
Leo Morgenstern
ARI
PHI
LAD
ATL
Lucas Kelly
MIL
PHI
LAD
ATL
Meg Rowley
ARI
PHI
LAD
ATL
Michael Baumann
ARI
PHI
LAD
ATL
Nicklaus Gaut
MIL
MIA
LAD
ATL
Paul Sporer
MIL
MIA
LAD
ATL
Tess Taruskin
MIL
MIA
MIL
ATL
League Championship Series and World Series
Writer
ALCS
NLCS
World Series
Alex Chamberlain
TBR
ATL
ATL
Alex Eisert
BAL
ATL
ATL
Ariel Cohen
BAL
ATL
ATL
Ben Clemens
MIN
LAD
LAD
Chad Young
HOU
MIL
MIL
Chris Gilligan
BAL
PHI
BAL
Dan Szymborski
HOU
ATL
ATL
David Laurila
MIN
LAD
LAD
Davy Andrews
TBR
LAD
TBR
Eric Longenhagen
HOU
ATL
HOU
Esteban Rivera
TEX
PHI
PHI
Jake Mailhot
TBR
PHI
PHI
Jason Martinez
TOR
ATL
TOR
Jay Jaffe
HOU
ATL
ATL
Jeff Zimmerman
MIN
MIL
MIN
Jon Becker
MIN
ATL
MIN
Jon Tayler
BAL
ATL
BAL
Justin Mason
TEX
ATL
ATL
Kiri Oler
BAL
ATL
ATL
Kyle Kishimoto
TBR
ATL
TBR
Leo Morgenstern
TBR
ATL
ATL
Lucas Kelly
BAL
ATL
BAL
Meg Rowley
HOU
ATL
ATL
Michael Baumann
HOU
ATL
ATL
Nicklaus Gaut
HOU
ATL
ATL
Paul Sporer
MIN
LAD
MIN
Tess Taruskin
BAL
MIL
BAL