2022 World Series: Astros or Phillies? Who will be MVP? Predictions, inside intel and odds

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The World Series will take place in Houston in 2022.

Baseball fans had to go without playoffs for four days because of the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies. The wait is done.

The World Series Game 1 is scheduled to start at 8:03 pm. On Friday night at Minute Maid Park, we asked our MLB experts to make their picks for who will win the series, how many games it will take and who will be the most valuable player.

Jump to: Astros and the Philadelphias.

Houston Astros

The odds of winning are - 190.

The Astros have a chance to become the first team to sweep the playoffs in the wild-card era. The Astros would go down as an all-time great team and a modern-day dynasty if they were to become the first to do so. A World Series title is enough to solidify a spot in the Hall of Fame for manager Dusty Baker.

There are three reasons Houston can win the game.

1. The Astros' relief corps was the best in the majors during the regular season, and they've been even better in the playoffs. There are as many as five lights-out arms in Baker's possession. This type of depth cannot be matched by the Phillies.

2. At some point, one would think that the Philadelphia's defense will cost them a game. The Astros, who had the second-most outs above average in the sport this year, are far superior to the Philadelphia team.

3. This is the fourth World Series appearance in six years for the Astros, they have a perfect mix of veterans performing at an elite level, and young players coming into their own. This is a time when the Astros will distance themselves from scandal.

Houston is as close to a perfect team as you'll find in MLB right now, so the only thing you can point to is the lack of a platoon-dominant lefty.

The Astros have right-handed pitchers who excel in those situations, so painting this as a weakness might be a stretch, and veteran lefty Will Smith could always be used in a special role.

Jeff Passan is an intel man.

• The similarities are that Jose Altuve has popped out to an infielder in six of 35 at-bats this season. Five of the six have come on fast pitches, all at 95.2 mph or harder, and five have been high, near the top of the strike zone. Half of them came with two strikes and Altuve protected. One scout said he would throw everything high. Show him he can hit it.

The Astros won the American League title for the second year in a row. They traveled back to the World Series.

What it's like to watch someone.

Is the Astros inevitable?

There is a return to dominance by Verlander.

• When he was told that he might not have the best pitcher on his team, he insisted that it was better. Maybe he has a point. During the regular season, the batting average on the pitch was.181. He throws the pitch 60 percent of the time, the fifth-highest rate among those with at least 1,000 strikeouts. In the 16 at-bats that have ended on a Javier pitch, hitters are hitting.157 against it.

• The Astros need to be aggressive. The team is hitting.273/.338/.517 against the pitchers. It's.184/.240/.333 on the various types of pitches. The Astros' pitchers have an assortment of off-speed stuff. Their softer stuff made hitters look silly to the tune of a.169/.226/. 250 slash line.

Philadelphia Phillies

The odds are +170.

This would be the most surprising World Series title run of the entire wild-card era because of the loaded National League. It's a chance forHarper to finish off one of the best individual playoffs of all time. A World Series title with a third different team could cement Dave Dombrowski's status as just the sixth general manager to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

There are three reasons the team can win.

1. The team's offense is at its best right now. Over the course of the regular season, their batting average is up thanks to beating the playoffs. The Astros can't outslug thePhillies if the regular season is thrown out.

2. They don't think that's a coincidence that the team is perfect at home in the playoffs. The Astros have dealt with hostile crowds in the past, but this is not about them. It made a difference.

3. The Astros have not been tested in a similar way by the Phils. Philadelphia isn't afraid of anyone, so the Astros will find out if they take any part of the game lightly. Philadelphia might be a No. 6 seed on paper, but it's not on the field at the moment.

There's no one who can match Houston's depth of pitchers, but Philadelphia's weakness in this area could make it vulnerable. The Astros have a great option for a Game 4 starter, while the Phils don't have one.

If Yordan Alvarez comes up in a late-and-close situation with runners on base, there isn't a particularly attractive option in the relief corps to use.

Jeff Passan is an intel man.

• Since coming back from his broken thumb, evaluators say he has shown a vulnerability in his delivery: middle and high pitches on the inner third of the plate. Robert said to not give him a heater on the outer half. With how teams are pitching him, it's clear that he could be a weakness. The only issue is that pitchers haven't hit their locations, and the only thing that challenges him inside is the pounding of his pitches.

They are going to the World Series. Their journey to the Fall Classic was covered by us.

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