Fortunately, the World Series will end no later than Nov. 2, so there will be no overlap between baseball and the day America is either made “great” again or we find out what happens when a candidate refuses to concede.
Let’s focus on the baseball and leave the politics — or whatever it is those two have been doing for the past year — out of this discussion.
Chicago. Cleveland. These are words that baseball fans associate not only with losing, but with absolute, devastating, perpetual disappointment. In Chicago, while the Cubs’ crosstown rival, the White Sox, did win a World Series as recently as 2005, even they had suffered from an 88-year championship drought.
As for Cleveland, the Indians’ drought has significantly contributed to the overall misery of the city’s sports fans, misery that finally ended earlier this year, thanks to LeBron and the Cavaliers.
The years 1908 and 1948 are well known as they are the years when the Cubs and the Indians last won a championship, respectively. And while it is exciting that one team will finally overcome its struggles, it will be equally heartbreaking that the other will fall short of its ultimate goal yet again.
Let’s take a look at which team will be popping the champagne after the final out this MLB season. The Cubs and Indians are similar in many respects. They are both complete and experienced teams, with great depth in all areas of the game. At a glance, they are both seemingly flawless. The coaching, the hitting, the fielding, the base running, the starting pitching and the bullpens are all top notch.
These two teams are blessed with two of the best coaches in baseball: Joe Maddon and Terry Francona. Both were chosen by their respective organizations not only to make important, strategic decisions during games, but also to motivate their players and to establish a healthy clubhouse culture. Maddon and Francona have been very successful during their short tenures and have proven so during this postseason.
Maddon kept the Cubs calm and collected in the NLCS, even when they trailed the Dodgers two games to one. They overcame their brief slump with flying colors, the highlight being their game-six victory over Clayton Kershaw.
Meanwhile, Francona has led the Indians to a 7-1 record in the playoffs, after many wrote off “the Tribe” when they lost two of their key starting pitchers — Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar — to injuries late in the season. Francona has been absolutely brilliant with the use of his bullpen, especially with the masterful Andrew Miller.
In both clubhouses, the team chemistry is vibrant and palpable. Such chemistry can be attributed to the two managers who have given both the players and the fans of these long-struggling teams a reason to believe. Maddon and Francona are the best of the best, and it will be fascinating to watch the two try to out-coach each other during the World Series.
Both teams also have a strong veteran presence to balance out their rosters. Many of the veterans have World Series experience and interestingly, mostly with the Red Sox.
The former World Series champions from their time in Boston include John Lackey, Jon Lester and David Ross for the Cubs and Andrew Miller, Mike Napoli and Coco Crisp for the Indians. And of course, this does not even include Cubs President Theo Epstein or Terry Francona.
The Red Sox overcame their own championship demons and have been arguably the best team in baseball in the 21st century. All of these former members of the Red Sox organization have already made major contributions to their current franchises and will undoubtedly play major roles in determining this year’s champion.
The average team would be satisfied with one or two ace-level starting pitchers, but the Cubs and Indians basically have them filling their entire rotations. In Chicago, Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester had the top two ERAs in baseball this season, Jake Arrieta followed up his 2015 Cy Young campaign with a strong 2016 season, and John Lackey is a proven veteran with extensive postseason experience.
While the Indians did lose Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco to injuries, they still have 2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, as well as Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin. In addition, Ryan Merritt pitched exceptionally in Cleveland’s ALCS-clinching game against Toronto. There is also a chance that Salazar returns for this series, which would further solidify Cleveland’s rotation.
Both of these rotations will play key roles in the series, but their most important responsibilities might be getting the ball to the relievers.
Over the past several years, bullpens have played an increasingly important role in determining the World Series champion. If the earlier rounds of this year’s postseason are any indication, this World Series will not be any different.
Both lineups are solid from top to bottom. In Chicago, key hitters include MVP candidates Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, postseason breakout star Javy Báez and 2015 World Series champion Ben Zobrist. Dexter Fowler and Addison Russell also figure to play key roles at the plate.
In Cleveland, young phenom Francisco Lindor and veteran Mike Napoli look to continue leading the way as they have thus far during the postseason. Lindor has consistently come through in clutch moments throughout the postseason, while Napoli has been less consistent, but provided timely hitting during the ALCS. Also, look for the American League’s steals leader, Rajai Davis, to play a significant role on the base paths.
At this point, it is pretty clear that this series will essentially be a toss-up between two teams that are built for postseason baseball and have proven so in their earlier series. Having said that, when all is said and done, I predict that the Cubs will be crowned the 2016 World Series champions.
The Indian’s faults lie first with Andrew Miller, who has been out of this world in the postseason thus far, but I worry that the Indians may end up relying on him too much and that any sort of setback he faces would bring monumental consequences.
Plus, the Cubs faced a similarly dominant pitcher in the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw; They made it clear that they wanted that challenge, and they conquered him in their biggest game of the season.
Second, I feel that Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward will come up clutch for the Cubs. Every year, the World Series has unexpected heroes, and these two are in prime position to assume that role.
Schwarber will return from an injury that forced him to miss essentially the entire season, while Heyward has been the one Cub who has slumped through the postseason.
The only potential breakout player that I could see for the Indians is Danny Salazar, if he can pitch, but it is unlikely that he would see significant playing time even if he does manage to make an appearance.
Aroldis Chapman also looked good in limited action against Cleveland this year, and the Cubs have several more players with World Series experience than their counterparts.
Most importantly, with their high excitement and passionate celebrations after the NLCS, it looks as if the Cubs, their fans and the city of Chicago are ready to put the curse behind them once and for all. That seemingly impossible mission will finally be completed within the next seven games.
Prediction: Cubs win in game seven.
