The Flyby: Hello, October!

This past week, I asked everyone to discuss who they were rooting for in the playoffs. We didn’t exactly get that, but we did get some predictions, so that’s good enough. In addition, we cover all FanPosts in this series now, and as always like to see what you think, whether it is related to the prompt or not.

Post-Season Predictions - GOAT91

What they said: They get the first round mostly right, except for flipping the winner of Cubs/Marlins and Reds/Braves... and also seem to have the right idea, picking the Rays over the Yankees. The rest remains to be seen. They have the ALCS as Rays/A’s and the NLCS as Cubs/Dodgers. Rays get the Cubs in the World Series, and the Rays win.

I won’t go in depth on what my predictions were since it is well beyond time for prediction, but in a our OTM fantasy group, we ran our own mini competition on who we felt would win what matchups in the playoffs. At present, I’m tied for the lead in that competition and have a decent chance of winning outright, as I was the only one to pick the Rays to win the World Series in that group. That all changes if the Dodgers win the World Series instead, and they are looking mighty unbeatable so far through this run.

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

I think the greatest thing about these playoffs is that it hasn’t felt unfair, which was a bit of a concern given this year’s format. Every matchup has seemingly been fairly level where it’s expected to be level, and the ones that haven’t felt level (Cubs/Marlins and Astros/Athletics) are usually because the perceived underdog was not given enough credit. In short, it feels like the better teams are winning, and really that’s all we can hope for in the playoffs.

If I were to be so bold about what I predict the rest of the way, I expect that whoever the Dodgers face in the World Series — because they look unbeatable right now, and I would probably bet the farm on them making it again — will have their work cut out for them. The Dodgers look more complete than ever, and it doesn’t even have to do with Mookie Betts, so much as their infusion of youth in their bullpen, with Dustin May and Brusdar Graterol both regularly putting big-time stuff on display. The other night, even with Joe Kelly closing out the game, it felt foregone that the Dodgers were winning that game the moment Cody Bellinger robbed Fernando Tatis Jr. of a home run.

The only question is if we have to watch the revenge match of cheaters vs not cheaters, or if we have to watch a divisional rival go to war with the Dodgers. It’s sad to say, but I’m non-ironically rooting for the Rays at this point. They deserve it.

That was it for even tangentially related prompts.

A Chaim Bloom Retrospective - shiacchia: A popular topic after the Sox season ended has been how Bloom has done in his first year in Boston. This poster graded every move, and sums up their feelings about Bloom’s first year in Boston.

New Manager Needed - KD17: Talk of fandom aside, this poster talks about their ideal choice for the next manager of the Boston Red Sox, and here’s a spoiler: it isn’t Alex Cora. If the Red Sox hire Cora back, this poster threatens to turn in their fan card.

Devers to DH - KD17: A poster did double duty this week. They talk about Devers’s poor play at third base defensively, and speculate that the best solution is to place him squarely at DH. You might ask “What about J.D. Martinez?”. The answer is simple, you just trade him.

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Resetting the 40 Man Roster - shiacchia: Another poster doing double duty! This poster brings up the upcoming 40-man roster glut. Factoring in space for Rule 5 players who need to be added like Jay Groome and Bryan Mata, they try to identify which players are expendable, and which ones aren’t.

Boston’s Search For A Manager - Jack Hunden: Jack here suggests an unconventional choice as the next manager of the Boston Red Sox. Look, it’s not Alex Cora, in case you were looking for an Alex Cora post.

That’s all for this week. Until next time, happy FanPosting!