MLB: 2017 Playoff Predictions Using MLB The Show
By Jason Reed
What Happened in the Playoffs:
The way the playoffs happened during this simulation was pretty interesting honestly. Let us start with the Wild Card games, which certainly shocked me. Both away teams pulled through victorious in the Wild Card. The Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers 3-1, led by a gem thrown by Zack Greinke. Greinke threw 7 innings with only one run allowed and 11 strike outs. The Angels defeated the Tigers 4-0, where Trout drove in all four runs on three hits and Garrett Richards threw a complete game shut out.
Then, the division round occurred. Both Wild Card teams got eliminated in the divisional round, which was what I expected. The Angels lost to the Cleveland Indians three games to one, where each game the Indians won they scored five or more. As for the Diamondbacks, they got bested by the Nationals in five games. None of these games were close, as they all were decided by four or more runs. The Cubs lost in five games to the Giants, where the Giants’ wins were decided by a combined 13 runs. The Astros then defeated the Red Sox in five games, so three of the four divisional rounds went the full five games.
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In the championship series the Giants took on the Nationals, and the Astros took on the Indians. Both series were once again competitive, as they both went to seven games. The Giants came back from a 3-0 deficit to take it to Game 7, where they were finally bested by Stephen Strasburg, getting shut out. The Astros were up 3-2 against the Indians heading into Cleveland, where the Indians took both games by one run.
Then there was the World Series, with the Indians matched up against the Washington Nationals. Surprisingly, this series was the least competitive of all. After losing Game 1, the Nationals won four straight to become World Series champions. That’s right, MLB The Show predicted the Washington Nationals to win it all next season.
Award Winners:
As for award winners, there was some good winners for the top rewards. Anthony Rizzo won the National League MVP with a .309 batting average, 36 home runs, and 129 runs batted in. According to the game, this accounted for a 6.42 WAR. Mookie Betts took home the AL honor, racking up a .305 average with 44 home runs, 118 runs batted in, and a 6.22 WAR.
Mike Fiers won the AL Cy Young, which was super surprising. He tallied up a 20-6 record, 3.29 ERA, 220 strike outs, but only a 4.25 WAR. Far less surprising, Clayton Kershaw took home the NL Cy Young. With 17 wins, 260 strike outs, and a 2.29 ERA, Kershaw was able to rack up a 6.12 WAR.
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Then, when it was all said and done, Ryan Zimmerman of all people won the postseason and World Series MVP. Over the postseason Zimmerman batted .381 with six home runs and 16 runs batted in. In the World Series alone Zimmerman batted .400 with two home runs and four runs batted in, so I guess it was justified.