The 2013 MLB postseason is here. Locally, the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals both missed the playoffs despite high expectations going into the year.  With the end of the year right around the corner, let’s take a look at the upcoming awards and playoff series.

The NL Cy Young Award, given to the best pitcher in each league every year, is hardly a contest. Clayton Kershaw of the LA Dodgers is as sure-fire a winner as MLB will ever have. Kershaw led the NL in ERA and strikeouts, while also finishing second in innings pitched and tying for third in wins with 16. The AL Cy Young is also not much of a contest. Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer led the AL in wins with 21, finished second in strikeouts and third for ERA. He led Detroit to the playoffs and became the ace of their rotation.

The NL MVP award is up for grabs. All of the candidates, center fielder Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, catcher Yadier Molina of the Cardinals, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks, and even second baseman Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals, have strong resumes. Goldschmidt led the NL in both home runs and RBIs, but is watching the postseason from his couch. Voters typically do not vote for players whose team did not make the playoffs. Molina and McCutchen are both more valuable defensively than Carpenter, so they edge him out of the race as well. I give McCutchen the nod over Molina because of his better power numbers and better base running.

The American League MVP is a three-horse race between Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera, and LA Angels outfielder Mike Trout. Davis, despite leading the league in RBIs and home runs, could not lead his team to the playoffs, so he is out. Trout’s team also did not make the playoffs.  Cabrera nearly repeated his triple crown run from last year so he edges out Trout for this year’s MVP.

The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is under way, and the St. Louis Cardinals, who beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in five games, play the red-hot Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the Atlanta Braves in four games. The Dodgers, because of pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, appear to have the slight pitching edge going into the series. The Cardinals rotation, led by Adam Wainwright and Shelby Miller, is nothing to scoff at either.  The Cardinals win the series in 6 games because of their better lineup and the Dodgers’ postseason inexperience.

The American League Championship Series (ALCS) will be the Red Sox over the Tigers in 6 games. Boston has the edge in the lineup, and the bullpen. Their starting rotation is strong too.

The World Series winner will be the Cardinals. St. Louis has had the strongest lineup in baseball all year.  It will be a rematch of the 2004 series, but this time it will be different as St. Louis will take it over Boston in 7 games.