Everywhere you look in this World Series matchup, there are stars. While some fans might jeer at the Yankees and Dodgers being the last two teams standing, MLB could not have asked for a more star-studded showdown between cornerstone franchises heavily-linked by history.
We have the two biggest stars in all of baseball with Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, both of whom are expected to win MVP Awards in their respective leagues. We’ll see one of the best pitchers of this generation in Gerrit Cole. There’s Juan Soto, who could be looking at a free agent contract north of $600 million this winter. The matchup also features former MVP Award winners Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Giancarlo Stanton, among a host of other big-name players. A competitive series will likely be the determining factor in terms of television ratings, but on paper, it looks like we’re in for a ton of fun.
With the Fall Classic getting underway on Friday night in Los Angeles, we gathered the Rotoworld Baseball crew to offer their predictions and insight for how the World Series will play out.
2024 World Series Predictions
D.J. Short (@djshort)
World Series winner: Yankees in six games (MVP – Juan Soto)
The Dodgers advanced to the World Series despite a shaky and thin starting rotation, but how much longer will they be able to pull it off? Gerrit Cole has a chance to set the tone for the series in Game 1. The Yankees’ lineup is certainly capable of going to toe-to-toe with the potent Dodgers’ offense, especially with Giancarlo Stanton in a groove at the plate, so they look like the more complete team from here.
Eric Samulski (@SamskiNYC)
World Series winner: Dodgers in six games (MVP – Mookie Betts)
I believe the Dodgers offense is better than the Yankees’. The Dodgers have a higher OPS, ISO, and wRC+ this postseason and have put up 6.4 runs per game to the Yankees’ 4.7 runs per game. I don’t think the Dodgers’ pitching is healthy enough to shut down the Yankees, but I think their offense is healthy enough to outscore them.
Dave Shovein (@DaveShovein)
World Series winner: Dodgers in five games (MVP – Shohei Ohtani)
I think that the Dodgers offense is simply too deep and too talented for the Yankees’ rotation to handle. Shohei Ohtani has waited his entire life to perform on the game’s biggest stage and he is about to put on a show. I also like the depth of the Dodgers’ bullpen much more and expect them to go to it early and often to cover for their lack of elite starting pitching.
Christopher Crawford (@Crawford_MILB)
World Series winner: Dodgers in seven games (MVP – Teoscar Hernandez)
This is the most excited I’ve been for a World Series in quite some time, and while it’s tempting to go with the team that has the better starting pitching options, the Los Angeles lineup is just too good to bet against right now.
Matthew Pouliot (@matthewpouliot)
World Series winner: Yankees in six games (MVP – Juan Soto)
That Jack Flaherty didn’t look like himself last time out adds to the concern about the Dodgers’ pitching here. The Yankees’ pitchers are all healthy at the right time, and I imagine they’ll build some early leads in the series.
Jorge Montanez (@Roto_Nino)
World Series winner: Yankees in seven games (MVP – Aaron Judge)
This is set up to be one of the most thrilling World Series matchups in recent memory. You can’t count either team out of any game, so I think this is going the distance. But it’s the Yankees starting pitching I give the edge to and why I think they ultimately prevail.
George Bissell (@GeorgeBissell)
World Series winner: Dodgers in five games (MVP – Shohei Ohtani)
The glaring concern for the Yankees is that they simply won’t have enough offensive firepower beyond Juan Soto and Aaron Judge (and a reenergized Giancarlo Stanton) to keep up with Los Angeles’ extremely deep lineup, especially if this series devolves into a high-scoring shootout. The Dodgers have shown that they can cobble things together from a pitching standpoint to survive an extended series, but their offense might do enough damage that this Fall Classic is wrapped up relatively quickly.
James Schiano (@James_Schiano)
World Series winner: Yankees in five games (MVP – Juan Soto)
There’s something eerily Celtics-ish about this Yankees core: a remarkably easy road to the championship for a core that’s dead set on their first ring. Also, all three of the Dodgers’ starting pitchers have been inconsistent and their regularly scheduled bullpen games will prove to be taxing on the entire staff.
Nick Shlain (@electricsnuff)
World Series winner: Yankees in seven games (MVP – Aaron Judge)
The Dodgers’ lack of pitching depth finally catches up with them, Aaron Judge wakes up at the plate. Yankees outlast the Dodgers in seven games.
So, the final tally here is five for the Yankees and four for the Dodgers. That’s as close as it gets. If that’s a sign of things to come, we’re in for a classic series.
Read the full article here
