MLB experts are disrespecting Toronto Blue Jays in World Series predictions
The Toronto Blue Jays will face the LA Dodgers in the World Series, but they aren’t the favourites to win, according to most experts.
Despite the Jays being the higher-seeded team and holding home-field advantage in the World Series, the popular belief among experts is that the team is in over its head. The Dodgers are being hailed as this generation’s “evil empire,” as they boast the MLB’s most expensive roster and include several of the game’s brightest stars.
There is no doubt that the Jays will be in tough to prevent the LA Dodgers from repeating as World Series champions, but it isn’t impossible. Sure, the Dodgers have an amazing pitching staff, but the Blue Jays have been shredding the MLB’s finest starters all season long.
Toronto has a deadly lineup that is among the best at both putting the ball in play and avoiding strikeouts. It has the potential to be much closer than a lot of experts around the league are making it out to be.
Here is a glance at how the experts are sizing up the matchup:
The Athletic doubts the Blue Jays
The Athletic has overwhelmingly predicted the Jays to lose this series. We saw them overwhelmingly pick the New York Yankees in the ALDS, but they then narrowly favoured Toronto in the ALCS.
Out of the 15 experts polled, a total of 10 chose the Dodgers to repeat as champions. That left just five picking the Jays, which included:
- Jen McCaffrey
- Tyler Kepner
- Steve Berman
- Melissa Lockard
- Johnny Flores Jr.
Those five pointed to the Jays’ ability to crack good starting pitching through their contact and lineup depth as key reasons why they could beat the Dodgers. Those who chose the Dodgers rested on the fact that Toronto can’t match up against the Dodgers’ star power.
CBS Sports picks the Dodgers over Jays
It was the same story for CBS Sports when it came to predictions, with just one of five experts choosing the Blue Jays to win it all.
That one Toronto believer was Mike Axisa, who chose the Blue Jays to win the World Series in a dramatic seven-game series. The other four experts on the panel didn’t exactly count out the Jays, with all of them choosing the Dodgers to take it in either six or seven games.
Just about everyone gave the Blue Jays a fighting chance to upset the favoured Dodgers but once again pointed to L.A. peaking at the right time and having the power to overcome Toronto’s pesky bats.
Fox Sports gives Jays no chance
Unlike the previous two outlets, nobody chose the Blue Jays at Fox Sports. Instead, it was a clean sweep of the Dodgers, with both Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar picking L.A. to make easy work of Toronto.
Both of their predictions had the Blue Jays losing in five games. Reasons ranged from the Dodgers looking unstoppable after sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers in the ALCS to some distrust in the Blue Jays’ right-handed pitching staff to handle the LA Dodgers lineup.
They seemed pretty confident that the Jays are likely to get just a single win in the upcoming World Series.
Yahoo! Sports believes in Blue Jays
There is one outlet that is high on the Blue Jays heading into the World Series, and that is Yahoo! Sports.
It was a two-person panel of Jake Mintz and Russell Dorsey, both of whom picked the Blue Jays to win their first title since 1993. They don’t think it will be easy, however, as they both had Toronto winning it all in a gruelling seven-game series.
They pointed to the vibes around the Jays being at an all-time high and that they present a difficult test for the Dodgers’ pitching staff. They don’t count out the Dodgers by any means, but Toronto having home-field advantage is also mentioned as a point in favour of the Blue Jays.
If these predictions come true, it would set the stage for the Jays to win the World Series in Toronto.