MLB Postseason Previews 2025: The ALCS
- Om Brown
- Oct 12
- 5 min read
It’s finally here! The best month for sports. We are a month into the NFL season, the NBA is in its preseason, and the NHL is officially underway. However, the greatest postseason out of any professional league is the MLB Postseason, and I will be there every step of the way with you, previewing each round, giving my honest thoughts on all the matchups, as well as my predictions. October baseball has no equal!
Each round, I will recap what happened in the previous one, as well as keep track of my official predictions that I had. For matchups themselves, I will have an outlook for each team, an X-Factor, projected pitching matchups, as well as who I think will win the series.
Without further ado, let’s jump into what will be a great LCS this postseason!
Division Series Predictions Record: 4-0 (SEA, TOR, MIL, LAD - Correct)
Total Predictions Record: 7-1
ALDS Recap:
Seattle Mariners Beat Seattle Mariners - 3-2:
The Mariners might be the most complete team in the AL. Their pitching staff was unreal in the ALDS, holding the Tigers to 3, 2, 4, and 2 runs in 4/5 contests. The M’s hitting wasn’t great, but they scored runs when they needed to. C Cal Raleigh hit .381 to go with an OBP of .480 against Detroit. Game 5 went 15 innings and saw Tigers ace LHP Tarik Skubal go 6 innings of 13 punchout ball (including a postseason record 7 straight) and allowing only one run. However, in the end, 2B Jorge Polanco of Seattle drove in the winning run, sending the Mariners to their first ALCS since 2001.
Toronto Blue Jays Beat New York Yankees - 3-1:
The Jays outscored the Yankees 34-19 in the LDS. Their offense was led by 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr who hit .529 with 3 homers and 9 RBI. Rookie righty Trey Yesavage threw 5.1 innings of hitless ball with 11 strikeouts (a team record) in Game 2. Toronto totally outplayed New York and proved why they won the division and earned the top seed in the AL.
ALCS Preview:
Last Postseason Meeting: 2022 AL WC Series (SEA won 2-0)
Seattle’s Outlook: The Mariners have great pitching, which was showcased vs. the Tigers, as they shut them down for most of the series. However, the Blue Jays are the hottest lineup in October and won’t be easy to take down. Their bats will have to be better than they were against Detroit. Of course, it will be an easier job when they don’t have to face Skubal, but the Jays still have some good arms. OF Julio Rodriguez (.174 AVG in ALDS) and 3B Eugenio Suarez (.095 AVG in ALDS) need to pick it up to take the pressure off of C Cal Raleigh (1.051 OPS in ALDS). The rotation could get a big boost if RHP Bryan Woo (2.94 ERA in the regular season) returns from his pectoral injury. It is still unknown if he will be on the ALCS roster. While the Seattle pitching has to be on point, I think the series will come down to their hitting. The big bats of J-Rod and Suarez need to come alive in the ALCS, otherwise the Mariners will fall short once again.
Team X-Factor: 1B Josh Naylor (.295 AVG, 20 HR, 92 RBI)
Naylor is a smart player who is a pest at the plate. He has a knack of continuing to foul off pitches at the plate and work great at-bats, which drive the pitcher’s pitch count up, something that is very important in the playoffs. Despite being just 5’10” and weighing 235lbs, he was 30-32 on stolen bases this season. If he can get on base, he will drive Toronto’s pitchers crazy.
Toronto’s Outlook: The Blue Jays need to keep their offensive onslaught up. The fact that they thrashed the Yanks without SS Bo Bichette (.311 AVG), was very impressive to me. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr (3 HR in the ALDS) mashed the New York staff, as did 3B Ernie Clement (.643 AVG). Their bats will be a big part of the series; however, Toronto needs to have better performances from their pitching staff. RHP Kevin Gausman (5.2 innings of 1 run ball) and RHP Trey Yesavage (5.1 shutout innings) were superb in the first two contests. RHP Shane Bieber worked just 2.2 innings in his Game 3 start. He will need to be better in a longer series, as manager John Schneider doesn’t have a reliable 4th starter. Instead of having RHP Chris Bassitt throw in the ALDS, the Blue Jays went with a bullpen game in Game 4. Bassitt and his 3.96 regular season ERA were kept off the roster to continue rehabbing a back injury. There is a possibility that he returns against the Tigers. Schneider will have to have starters go deep in the first trio of matchups to not gas his bullpen.
Team X-Factor: RHP Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57 ERA, 7 GS)
Like I said before, Bieber will need to pitch deeper into games than he did in New York in Game 3. He has looked very sharp since coming back from Tommy John surgery this summer. Bieber looks to pitch like his regular season self in the Jays first trip to the ALCS since 2016.
Probable Pitching Matchups:
Game 1 - RHP Bryce Miller (SEA) vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (TOR)
Game 2 - RHP Luis Castillo (SEA) vs. RHP Trey Yesavage (TOR)
Game 3 - RHP Logan Gilbert (SEA) vs. RHP Shane Bieber (TOR)
Game 4 - RHP George Kirby (SEA) vs. RHP Chris Bassitt (TOR)
Game 5 (if necessary) - RHP Bryce Miller (SEA) vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (TOR)
Game 6 (if necessary) - RHP Luis Castillo (SEA) vs. RHP Trey Yesavage (TOR)
Game 7 (if necessary) - RHP Logan Gilbert (SEA) vs. RHP Shane Bieber (TOR)
Series Prediction: Blue Jays win 4-3
The Mariners are probably the better team on paper, especially when it comes to pitching. However, the Blue Jays were the best team in the AL for basically the whole season. Even without Bichette, who was an elite table-setter for the middle of the order, they trounced the Yankees. If their bats continue to hit like that, no team in the league can stop them.
ALCS MVP: 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr
Vladdy is the engine of the Blue Jays offense. When he is on time and clicking, there are few batters better than him. He looked like he was on time against the Yankees, and if Toronto is to advance to the World Series like I believe they will, Vladito will have a huge role in that.
Final Thoughts:
I have a feeling that this will be one of the most entertaining ALCS’ in a while. Both teams are hungry for a title, and neither squad has seen much postseason success in the 21st century. The Rogers Center in Toronto and T-Mobile Park in Seattle will be rocking all series long, and while I am not a fan of either squad, I hope this one goes to 7 games, just so that we can see the best from each team. Make sure to check out my separate preview of the NLCS as well, and don’t forget to tune in again once the World Series comes around!
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