It all starts tonight, the most wonderful time of the year with no apologies to Christmas. Baseball Playoff time of course! Even though I don’t have a team in the race this year, that can actually be better for my overall stress and health level.

Without further ado, let’s see how I do. I haven’t looked at Giuseppe’s predictions yet myself so we will see who ends up doing better.

AL Wild Card: I’m going with the Twins here just because I like the idea of this team being able to finally break their now 12 game playoff losing streak. Aaron Judge had more strikeouts than home runs let’s not forget – and in a one game playoff that matters. I also think the veteran guile of Ervin Santana who has been everything and more the Twins wanted will pay off against the youth of Luis Severino. Severino has not started a playoff game at any level and is the youngest starting pitcher for Yankees in a playoff game since a guy named Andy Pettitte in 1995.

NL Wild Card: Arizona wins this one. They are playing at home, JD Martinez had an amazing second half and Paul Goldschmidt and AJ Pollock finally get their chance on the playoff stage.

AL Division Series 1: Boston v Houston. I’m sticking with pre-season pick here with Houston advancing, and they did nothing during the season to make me change my pick except add Justin Verlander, and I talked about how much I love that move here. I also hold true to my pick that Carlos Beltran will be a factor somehow in a big moment like he always seems to be.

AL Division Series 2: WC v Indians. Doesn’t matter who is playing them, it will be the Indians.

NL Division Series 1: Cubs v Nationals. Tough one here, but I’m going to hold to the Cubs like I did back in March. They may not have had a great a season, but they have a lot of the same personnel.

NL Division Series 2: Dodgers v Wild Card. So about those pre-season picks where I failed to pick the top team in MLB. My anti-Dodgers bias holds the same here and I’m going for the Diamondbacks to beat LA with former Dodger Zack Greinke matching up with the GOAT Clayton Kershaw in an epic game and maybe the first time two starting pitchers go into the 10th in some time.

AL Championship Series: The Astros manage to fend off the Indians and advance to the World Series.

NL Championship Series: The Cubs beat the Diamondbacks even though the Dbacks try wearing the 2001 Championship jerseys in 3 of the 7 games to try and bring back that mojo.

World Series: Astros beat the Cubs for their first ever World Series.