2022 World Series early predictions

Story posted October 6, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by CommRadio Sports Staff

To some, October is the most exciting time of the year. Not because of Halloween or fall weather, but because of the drama and thrilling emotions of the MLB Playoffs.

We have seen Wild Card teams who could barely make it to the postseason win the World Series, to No. 1 seeds being kicked out in the divisional series.

With some unfamiliar faces making appearances in the postseason, it’ll be interesting to see who will heat up at the right time and who will succumb to a shocking defeat.

Here are our 2022 World Series Predictions:

Connor Fenix: Atlanta Braves

Since trading Freddie Freeman to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the offseason, the Atlanta Braves haven’t skipped a beat.

It may have taken 161 games, but the Braves, who were trailing the Mets in the NL East for 175 consecutive days, have been crowned division champions for the fifth-straight season.

Matt Olson has been a golden acquisition, as the first-baseman belted 33 home runs and collected over 100 RBIs in his first season in Atlanta.

It’s worth noting that the Braves did not have Ronald Acuna Jr. for plenty of the 2021 season, but they still managed to win the World Series. Acuna is the heartbeat of this talented roster, and with him being healthy, the Braves are a force in the postseason.

With an ominous offense and a top-tier pitching staff, the Braves utilized a hot second half of the season to erase the division deficit and propel themselves to the top of the NL East yet again.

Atlanta has secured a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed, and they await the winner of the Phillies-Cardinals Wild Card series in St. Louis.

The Braves have all the tools necessary to repeat, and with a lot of momentum heading into the postseason, they will make a dominant run as back-to-back World Series champions.

Nolan Wick: Los Angeles Dodgers

I usually don’t make the “easy” pick when writing these articles, but the Dodgers seem to be better positioned to win the World Series than anyone else.

Despite playing in a tough NL West, Los Angeles won more games than any other team, which gives it home field advantage through October.

The starting lineup is practically an All-Star team with plenty of elite talent; including Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Freddie Freeman; you name it.

Additionally, Los Angeles has a loaded pitching staff. Guys such as Tony Gonsolin, who you have probably never heard of before, are tearing the league up.

I predict the Dodgers to defeat the Houston Astros in a rematch of the 2017 World Series. The series will go to seven games like it did last time, except this time, the Dodgers will win it all and get their long-awaited revenge on the team that cheated its way to the 2017 crown. 

Jakob Schnur: New York Yankees

The National League seems to be a three-headed monster, with the Dodgers, Braves and Mets being the most likely teams to represent their league in the World Series but the American League is wide open, with every team seemingly standing a chance to go all the way.

The Astros are the favorites, while teams like the Blue Jays and Guardians have been playing at a high level as of late.

However, while the Yankees seem to be turning into Major League Baseball’s version of the Dallas Cowboys, this could finally be their year.

This era of Yankees baseball began in 2017 when Aaron Judge burst onto the scene and led the Bronx bombers to the American League Championship Series or ALCS. Now, with Judge in his contract year en route to receiving his first MVP award, it would be almost too perfect for the chase for 28 to end this year.

New York’s season started on a historic pace, as they looked like one of the best teams in the history of the sport before hitting a snag around the middle of July.

As of late, they have rebounded from this disappointing stretch and look like the Yankees that we were accustomed to seeing in the Spring, and while pitching is still a question mark for the fifth straight season, this roster top to bottom is undoubtedly capable of bringing a World Series Championship back to the Big Apple for the first time since 2009.

Matt Cabram: Houston Astros

While the National League may have a gauntlet of teams in their respective bracket, the American League still has two top forces that the National League winner will have to keep notice of. One out of the two that should be on everyone’s radar is the Houston Astros.

Although the playoffs are a different ball game, and there’s a lot of pressure being the one seed, there are plenty of reasons why Houston is the favorite and could come out of these playoffs on top.

Once again, the Astros have had an unreal year coming out of the AL West on top after a slow April start. It’s their fifth division title in six years.

What has kept Houston consistent throughout the season and most recent years is the Astros’ depth in their lineup. Key players like Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, Alex Bregman and slugger Yordan Alvarez had a monster year, batting .306 and mashing 37 home runs.

Houston also went out and traded for valuable pieces to add to the depth at the trade deadline in Trey Mancini, who had a hot start to the year in Baltimore and Christian Vasquez. The team also traded for veteran bullpen arm Will Smith from Atlanta.

The pitching rotation is also a huge piece to Houston’s success, with great seasons from Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Christian Javier and Justin Verlander. Verlander, at 39 years old, had another Cy Young performance year going 18-4, having a 1.75 ERA and 185 strikeouts.

Connor Fenix is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cjf5726@psu.edu.

Nolan Wick is a second-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email nhw5046@psu.edu.

Jakob Schnur is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jks6463@psu.edu.

Matt Cabram is a third-year majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email
mwc5817@psu.edu.