If there is something that poker players are wont to do, it is a wager on sports. Baseball is one of those activities that will spark the betting interests of some poker players, and the season is slightly more than a week away for Major League Baseball. Although we haven’t seen any action yet, we’re dusting off the Poker News Daily Crystal Ball and making some predictions on the 2025 World Series in our MLB preview!
You have already learned who we predicted from the National League and the American League, but now we’re going to predict who will be there at the end come late October this year. Six teams from each league make their League Championship Series, with the top two seeds earning a first-round bye. The bottom four teams – the division champion with the worst record, alongside the three Wild Cards – then battle it out in a three-game series, with the series winners moving on to take on the #1 and #2 seeds.
Now that you’ve got the rules, it is time to make the predictions. We will start with the National League in our MLB preview because it is the easiest to predict!
National League Seedings
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West Champion)
2. Philadelphia Phillies (NL East Champion)
3. Milwaukee Brewers (NL Central Champion)
4. New York Mets (First Wild Card)
5. Arizona Diamondbacks (Second Wild Card)
6. San Francisco Giants (Third Wild Card)
In the three-game Wild Card Series matchups, I think the Brewers are going to be able to outlast the Giants to move on – may take all three games to do it, but they will. I see an upset with the Diamondbacks topping the Mets, however – the Mets just do not have the pitching for a short-series victory, and I see the ‘Backs taking the two games in NYC to knock Soto and Company out of the playoffs.
That will send the Brewers against the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks against the Phillies, and I do not see anything that will change my thoughts on the top two seeds outlasting their lesser competition. The crème of the National League are the Dodgers and the Phillies and, even though I would love to see a new champion, the Dodgers are just too strong and the Phillies do not have the arms or the bats to compete. Crown the Los Angeles Dodgers champions as they head to the World Series.
American League Seedings
1. Seattle Mariners (AL West Champion)
2. Baltimore Orioles (AL East Champion)
3. Detroit Tigers (AL Central Champion)
4. Kansas City Royals (First Wild Card)
5. Cleveland Guardians (Second Wild Card)
6. Boston Red Sox (Third Wild Card)
Remember, the Wild Card Series is the three-game best of, and the priority is put on pitching because of the short set. That’s why I see an upset here, with the Red Sox taking down the Tigers with their duo of Walker Buehler (over from the defending champion Dodgers) and Garrett Crochet. I also see a minor upset in the Guardians topping the Royals, also because of the pitching edge.
That sends the Red Sox against the Mariners and the Guardians battling the Orioles. The Orioles should make quick work of the Guardians, whereas the Mariners/Red Sox will be a seven-game barnburner – give the edge to the home field and the Mariners. The Orioles will be the team that takes the AL pennant, once again in another seven-game battle, to earn the right to go up against the defending champion.
2025 World Series
The drive to repeat as a champion is a strong one and the Dodgers just added to the lineup that literally crushed the souls of the New York Yankees in 2024. The Orioles are just a couple of pieces away from being equal to the Dodgers – a quality front-line starter and a power bat – and I don’t think they are going to fare any better than the Yanks did in 2024. Thus, for 2025 in our MLB preview…all hail your (soon-to-be) two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers!
That’s the way Crystal Ball sees it. Do you have a different outcome?
