2020 MLB World Series Preview

The 2020 World Series is set as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays will square off in Arlington for the Championship Crown in a Texas-sized showdown.

The Los Angeles Dodgers thanks to terrific hitting and timely pitching overcame a 3-1 deficit to down the Atlanta Braves in seven games while the underdog Rays ousted the hot-hitting Houston Astros in six tight games.

Now the Dodgers find themselves in familiar territory playing in their third World Series in the last four seasons while the Rays are playing in just their second Championship in franchise history, with the first being 12 long years ago. Now to the good stuff.

Here is my x-factor both hitting and pitching for each team as well as my prediction.

LA Dodgers X-Factor (Hitting/Pitching):

Hitting: Corey Seager was white-hot capturing the NLCS MVP hitting five home runs and 11 RBI’s in seven games but I’m going to go with Will Smith. The 25-year-old has been a baby-faced assassin for Tinseltown batting in seven RBIs and a homer through seven games and LA will need his consistency both behind the plate and with the bat to compete each game against a stacked pitching staff of the Rays.

Pitching: This one’s a no-brainer: it starts and ends with Walker Buehler. The 26-year-old has been battling hand issues all postseason but that hasn’t deterred his performance, winning three of his four starts, striking out 29 batters with just a 1.89 ERA. Dave Robert’s squad has plenty of arms in the bullpen to go around but Buehler will have to be a horse in two to three of his likely appearances in this World Championship.

Tampa Bay Rays X-Factor:

Hitting: THe most dangerous thing about Kevin Cash’s squad is their best player could be any player on any given night but their most consistent has no doubt been Randy Arozerana. The 25-year-old rookie has been simply magnificent batting in four home runs and six RBI’s on a .321 average while being the youngest player to ever capture the ALCS MVP award. Arozarena will face his toughest challenge battling the arms of Kershaw, Buehler, Urias, Treinen and Jensen but if anyone is up for the challenge, it's the man they call the booty-scoot boogeyman.

Pitching: Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are straight studs for the Rays but Tampa wouldn’t be where they are without the arm of Charlie Morton. “Big Game Charlie,” as the Rays have so doned him has been nearly unhittable giving up just one run in three of his starts, striking out 17 batters and surrendering a mere 0.57 ERA. The veteran righty is also clutch being 4-0 in winner-take-all-games with a 0.46 ERA so when the tough gets going (and it surely will facing batters like Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Will Smith and Kyle Seager), Morton will be more than up for the challenge being a perfect arm for Kevin Cash’s balanced system.

I’m hoping, praying, wishing this is a seven game series but I have the Dodgersin six thanks to clutch performances by Smith, Seager, Buehler, Jensen and Betts to win Los Angeles’s first title since 1988.