Last December I Predicted the Astros Would Win the 2017 World Series…

Astros win the World Series!!! …oh, just like I predicted back in December of 2016. George Springer, fellow UConn Husky, wins World Series MVP. Alex Bregman – one of my favorite rising stars in the league – puts on a stellar defensive performance, and was the Game 5 walk-off hero. Everything has fallen so perfectly into place, it’s a beautiful moment to be me. I am basking in the glory of my elite sports predictive prowess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3MbMa8u1C8

On a more serious note, I was pulling for the Astros so much throughout the year I sometimes had to remind myself that I am a Red Sox fan. During the ALDS Series, I was certainly crushed when the Sox got knocked out, but if there is any consolation for my 2017 baseball season, it is that the best, most talented, and most exciting team won the World Series. The Houston Astros are a very likeable team, and not just because of the way they hit the ball. They have a ton of grit – almost every game in this series was a dogfight. This can be attributed to the perfect balance of leadership and talent that gels this team together. Guys like Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, and Justin Verlander bring that veteran presence that makes sure the emotions don’t get the best of the young guys. At the same time, it can’t be overlooked that those young guys – like Correa, Bregman, and McCullers – played a critical role in this championship run. Jose Altuve and World Series MVP George Springer are the heart and soul of this team, and their performances are what people expected from two superstar players in their prime. Teams with the chemistry, leadership, and talent that the 2017 Astros have usually put together something special. In recent memory, look at the 2016 Cubs, 2015 Royals, or the 2013 Red Sox. These are teams that have random baseball fans throughout the country rooting for them, like I did for the Astros this year.

People will be talking about this series for a long time. As a whole, it may even have topped last year’s matchup between the Cubs and Indians. Game 7, I will admit, left me a little disappointed. Joe Buck’s call of the last out was nowhere near the iconic finish to last year’s World Series finale. But the complete seven game series demonstrates what baseball is all about – unpredictable, entertaining, dramatic, emotional, and a unique finish to each game. There was a little bit of everything, and the TV ratings reflect that. It has left me hungry for more baseball.

Back to that incredible prediction by me. There are “expert” MLB analysts making a whole lot more money than I am, but they do not have my foresight. And about that Sports Illustrated writer who allegedly predicted the Astros winning this year back in 2014… he got very lucky. That was a shot in the dark prediction that can’t be credited to his actual baseball intelligence. I – on the other hand – made an educated, bold, statement at the beginning of the season and have stuck by it ever since. There are few things more satisfying in the world than that.

My 2018 World Series prediction is coming soon.

Written by Matt Loehle