http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/10/06/toronto-blue-jays-playoffs-sports-illustrated-cover?xid=si_social
With the MLB playoffs set to begin on Tuesday, this week’s Sports Illustrated cover features Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, pitcher David Price, catcher Russell Martin, rightfielder Jose Bautista, third baseman Josh Donaldson and manager John Gibbons.
In SI's MLB playoff preview issue, Tom Verducci writes about the end of Toronto’s 22-year playoff drought. The Blue Jays are playoff-bound for the first time since winning the 1993 World Series—when they also appeared on the cover of SI—after earning a postseason berth by overtaking the New York Yankees for this year's AL East crown.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2015/story/_/page/playoffs15_WSwinner/my-prediction-win-world-series
So I polled 20 baseball executives and asked them which teams they thought would get to the World Series -- and which team they thought would win it. You should know that six of those execs work for teams currently in the playoffs. So I let them answer a slightly different set of questions. I asked them to pick the World Series rep from the other league. And I asked them which team they feared most in their league.
Here is how they voted:
American League favorite (or most feared team):
Blue Jays, 18*
Royals, 1
Yankees, 1 (Survey conducted before Yankees lost CC Sabathia)
National League favorite (or most feared team):
Dodgers, 6
Cardinals, 6
Cubs, 2
Mets, 2
Pirates, 2
"Winner of the wild-card game," 1
Abstained from making NL pick, 1
World Series winner:
Blue Jays, 11
Royals, 1
Cubs, 1
Pirates, 1