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2024 World Series Preview

Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images

The World Series makes TV ratings and ad marketers salivate at the idea. The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers go toe-to-toe on the biggest stage in baseball, the World Series. The stakes heighten the star power on both sides, leading to star matchups and dreams that will glue fans to watch. On one side, the 98–64 Dodgers, headlined by Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, headline the spotlight. Other Dodgers, such as Jack Flaherty, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, and Will Smith, are great players looking to continue their careers. For the 94–68 Yankees, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gerrit Cole headline the Bronx Bombers going into the Fall Classic. Other Yankees, such as Alex Verdugo, Carlos Rodon, and Jazz Chisholm Jr, look to do their part. The World Series will create fireworks, and the preview will only cause more tension.

The Path to the World Series

New York Yankees

The Yankees earned their way into the postseason by achieving the number one seed in the American League. At 94 wins, the Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians by two games for the top spot. With the bye, they looked at a matchup between the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals. The Royals were the underdog, going into Baltimore in a best-of-three series. However, the Royals stunned the Orioles, sweeping the O’s in two games to go to the ALCS.

ALDS

The Yankees picked up Game One in a tightly contested matchup where Alex Verdugo played hero. In Game Two, the Royals stunned the Bronx Bombers, evening the series at one game a piece. Up against the Royals in Kauffman Stadium, the Yankees needed to win a game to send this series back to New York. However, they picked up both wins, winning Game Three from a magical Giancarlo Stanton game. In Game Four, the same great pitching from The Pinstripes clinched the best-of-five series.

ALCS

The best-of-seven series went down to the top two seeds in the American League. The Guardians earned a trip to play the Yankees and looked to return to the World Series for the first time since 2016. The Yankees won Games One and Two by a margin of three runs, doing the job at Yankee Stadium. In Game Three, the Yankees held a 5–3 lead with two outs in the ninth, but Jhonkensy Noel launched a two-run blast to tie the game at five. Later, David Fry banged a two-run bomb in the tenth to give the Guardians a much-needed victory. The detrimental slip-up did not deter the Aaron Boone-led team, as they closed Game Four and Game Five with magical home runs to punch their ticket to the World Series.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers concluded the regular season with a major league-leading 98 wins. They earned the top spot in the National League, earning a bye with the Philadelphia Phillies. Going into the postseason, their stars shined, and their pitching staff had some questions to answer but still had the names they needed to create success. The San Diego Padres beat the Atlanta Braves, sweeping them quickly to set up a rivalry division series.

NLDS

The Padres and Dodgers set up a 2022 NLDS rematch, where the Padres knocked off the Blue Crew in four games. It was a high-scoring affair in Game One, led by Shohei Ohtani’s three-run mash, giving the Dodgers a big victory. In Game Two, the Padres stars went high, with six home runs, including two from Fernando Tatis Jr. After the Padres won Game Three, the Dodgers were on the brink of elimination for two games. In Games Four and Five, the Dodgers blanked the Padres, allowing zero runs while notching ten total runs. They set up a date with another team from New York.

NLCS

After their tough NLDS, the Dodgers faced the New York Mets in a best-of-seven series. It was all Dodgers Game One with a victory headlined by a shutout, but the Mets responded with a big win after a grand slam by Mark Vientos. In Games Three and Four, the Dodgers steamrolled the Yankees, and the pitching allowed two runs in two games. In Game Five, the Mets rolled with 12 runs to stop their elimination at Citi Field. However, the Dodgers closed business quickly in Game Six with a 10-5 victory. The NLCS victory headlined the Dodgers’ dominant off-season into success.

Position-By-Position, Who Has the Edge?

The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers created their off-season to add big names, more importantly, the Dodgers. With Yamamoto, Soto, and Ohtani, the spending from both teams through signing or trade created the “World Series or bust” mentality. Both sides have their reward down the path, glistening with the chance to hear their names as “World Series Champions in 2024.” For these stars and teams, what side is better position-by-position? Well, we break it down.

Catcher: Austin Wells (NYY) vs Will Smith (LAD)

Although Austin Wells is great behind the dish, the batters’ box has yet to be too kind to the Yankees catcher. In the postseason, Wells is batting .091 (3-for-33) and slammed one home run all postseason. Dodgers catcher Will Smith has experience throughout the postseason. Although Smith is struggling this postseason, hitting .158 (6-for-38), he picked it up near the end of the series against the Mets and had a better overall hitting season than Wells. With the postseason experience and regular season advantage, the nod goes to Smith.

Edge: Dodgers

First Base: Freddie Freeman (NYY) vs Anthony Rizzo (LAD)

Freeman enters the game with a bad ankle. Rizzo comes in with two fractured fingers. The injured first baseman causes a rift in the mind of who can be better. When Rizzo played five in the ALCS, he posted a 6-for-14 day. For Freeman, he’s 7-for-32 in the postseason and 3-for-18 in the NLCS. A question for Freeman will still be his availability, playing four out of six games in the postseason. In both games Freeman sat, lefties pitched for the Mets. Will Freeman play after some days of rest, or will Muncy slide to first base again? For this reason, Freddie may be the better overall player, but the best ability is availability.

Edge: Yankees

Second Base: Gleyber Torres (NYY) vs Gavin Lux/Chris Taylor (LAD)

Gleyber Torres‘ second-half stretch is one of the foremost magical reasons the Yankees are in the World Series. Torres is hitting .297 (11-for-37) this postseason, and his OBP of .400 is precisely the reason. The Dodgers platoon Lux and Taylor. Lux is .208 this postseason, while Taylor is batting .250. However, Gleyber’s ability to be available daily, lead, and get on base for Soto and Judge earned him the nod for this position.

Edge: Yankees

Third Base: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY) vs Max Muncy (LAD)

It’s an interesting dynamic for both sides. Muncy can slide to first base if Freeman is not ready to go but can play the hot corner for all games. Chisholm, the mid-season acquisition for the Bronx Bombers, slid to third base this season. However, this postseason has been the tale of two players. Muncy broke a postseason record-streak of reaching safely. Jazz Chisholm struggled, hitting .147 (5-for-34). With Muncy having a .468 OBP and Chisholm’s struggles this October, it’s the “Funky Muncy” who earns the nod, but sometimes Jazz can spurt to be the best player on the field.

Edge: Dodgers

Shortstop: Anthony Volpe (NYY) vs  Tommy Edman (LAD)

Kudos to Anthony Volpe, who has an 11% chase rate this postseason and is the best on the Yankees. Soto sits second at 225, showing that Volpe’s eye is top-notch, and with a 90% contact rate, he’s done the job. Volpe is also .310 (9-for-29) this postseason and doing well at short. Tommy Edman won NLCS MVP, going .407 (11-for-27) with 11 RBI. The 2021 Gold Glover can play center field and is now filling in at shortstop for the boys in blue. With Edman’s recent NLCS performance, the nod will go to the Dodgers shortstop, but don’t be surprised if Volpe creates noise.

Edge: Dodgers

Left Field: Alex Verdugo (NYY) vs Teoscar Hernandez (LAD)

The NLDS of Teoscar Hernandez is the reason the Dodgers can have some leverage for their postseason run. He hit .333 (6-for-18) and delivered seven RBI and two home runs. Hernandez hit .091 (2-for-22) in the NLCS and seemed ice cold. Verdugo delivered a good ALDS moment, hitting the Game One winning RBI and a great catch. However, he hit .214 (3-for-14), and in the ALCS posted a .176 (3-for-17) average. Teoscar takes the nod for his ability to send the ball deep, and his postseason is already filled with moments of leverage.

Edge: Dodgers

Center Field: Aaron Judge (NYY) vs Andy Pages/Enrique Hernandez (LAD)

Kiké Hernandez, in the postseason, becomes a different animal. After launching the home run that decided Game Five of the NLDS, he batted .292 (7-for-24) in the NLCS. Pages had a two-home-run game at Citi Field in Game Five and hit .235 (4-for-17) in the series—two great options for the Dodgers in centerfield. The Yankees have the captain, Aaron Judge. Although Judge is batting .161 (5-for-31) this postseason, his two home runs and one against Emmanuel Clase in Game Three defined clutch. His OBP of .317 is acceptable; this is the presumptive 2024 AL MVP. With the short porch, World Series, good history against the Dodgers, and a 1.511 OPS against the West Coast powerhouse, it’s still an easy nod to the captain.

Edge: Yankees

Right Field: Juan Soto (NYY) vs Mookie Betts (LAD)

It’s the best matchup position-wise, from a regular-season standpoint. During a contract year, Juan Soto played terrifically and continued to do so in the postseason. Soto hit .333 (11-for-33), and an OBP of .459 is fantastic. He’s killed it, and his clutch moment in Game Five, a three-run blast to centerfield to send the Yankees to the World Series while slamming his chest, could be the best moment of his career since the World Series home runs he launched with the Washington Nationals. Mookie Betts struggled at the start of the postseason but picked it up late in the NLDS and NLCS. An average of .346 (9-for-26), nine RBI, and two home runs is the Mookie Betts everyone knew could flourish. His ability with his glove, too, creates a high value, and his 4.88% cWPA (Championship Win Probability Added Offensively) is fantastic to see him produce. However, Soto added 11.28 cWPA and launched three home runs in the ALCS. Soto’s postseason is spectacular, and he gets the nod in right field.

Edge: Yankees

Designated Hitter: Giancarlo Stanton (NYY) vs Shohei Ohtani (LAD)

Giancarlo Stanton is a man built purely for the postseason. Stanton’s clutch home runs between ALDS Game Three and Games Three and Four of the ALCS continue to be the Stanton show in October. In the 2024 postseason, Stanton is hitting .294 (10-for-34), .385 OBP, 11 RBI, and five home runs. The ALCS MVP is playing the best stretch of baseball in some time. On the other side is the presumptive 2024 NL MVP. A 50-50 season, Ohtani’s continued his fantastic season to the postseason. Ohtani is batting .286 (12-for-42) with ten RBI and three home runs. His .434 OBP allows his leadoff hitting to have Betts hit with him on base at a high clip. Stanton is having a fantastic postseason, but Ohtani is the best player on the planet. The nod will go to the presumptive NL MVP.

Edge: Dodgers

Starting Pitching: (NYY) vs (LAD)

The Dodgers have a rotation of Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Walker Buehler while substituting a bullpen game for rest. The Yankees rotation includes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil. The top end for both sides is excellent. Flaherty, Yamamoto, Cole and Rodon can create hitless innings and quickly work their way to scoreless appearances. However, the thin group also sometimes needs to go deeper into games. Flaherty had a good appearance but struggled in his other two appearances against the Dodgers and Mets. Yamamoto shut the lights out in Game Five but only went five innings and struggled in Game One in the NLDS. Flaherty’s postseason ERA of 7.04, Yamamoto’s of 5.11 and Buehler’s of 6.00 are concerning for a rotation of three.

Meanwhile, the Yankees’ rotation consists of four starters. Cole (3.31), Rodon (4.40), Schmidt (3.86) and Gil (4.50) all have an ERA under five and can go deeper into games. Schmidt and Gil have struggled a little over this postseason, and Cole and Rodon are a one-two punch that can cause problems. If Cole goes lights out, it’s seemingly a long night for hitters—a nod to the Yankees.

Edge: Yankees

Relief Pitching: (NYY) vs (LAD)

These bullpen units are used often, and the arms could start depleting in the World Series. However, both bullpens in October have looked great. Blake Treinen is dealing for the Dodgers. Luke Weaver is enjoying a revitalization for the Yankees and is working a miraculous postseason, minus the one mistake made in Game Three of the ALCS. A great nod to both bullpens; it could be hard to create runs.

In the postseason, the Yankees bullpen totaled a 2.56 ERA across 38.2 innings. They held opponents to only three home runs and an OPS of .609. The Dodgers bullpen is totaling a 2.94 ERA across 49 innings. In terms of opponents, the Dodgers have faced the red-hot Mets and Padres, while the Yankees have faced the Royals and Guardians, whose success is backed by great pitching performances. The Dodgers bullpen also can start games and create chaos. The Dodgers’ top six relievers (Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Anthony Banda, Daniel Hudson, Michael Kopech, and Alex Vesia) are flexing a 0.84 ERA and .450 opponent OPS in the 2024 postseason. This pitching staff also tied for the most scoreless innings in postseason history. The nod will go to the West Coast bullpen here.

Edge: Dodgers

How Each Team Can Win

Yankees

The top of the Yankees lineup is their pinnacle. Judge, Torres, Soto, Stanton. Of those four, they account for 30 out of 39 RBI this postseason for the Yankees. If Gleyber can continue his .400 OBP, creating RBI chances for Soto, Judge, and Stanton, it could be a shootout with the Dodgers. With an on-fire offense, keeping the bats hot is essential, especially over an extended break. If Rizzo continues his ALCS performance, maybe Chisholm will shake off the cobwebs. The Yankees’ lineup can bang home runs over the short porch.

However, a shootout with the Dodgers could be the most brutal way for the Yankees to win this series. If they can continue the stretch of getting to Dodgers pitchers early and working the bullpen thin this postseason, the bullpen games for the Dodgers can see arms that haven’t seen much playing time this postseason come through the order. The Yankees bullpen rejuvenation of Luke Weaver, Clay Holmes, and Tommy Kahnle could continue their masterful run. Aaron Boone managed matchups well against the Guardians, but it could be more challenging to find with this deeper Dodgers lineup. Boone can isolate good matchups and escape pressure from the top side, which could be a Yankees delight. If Cole, Rodon, Schmidt and Gil give their hitters a better chance of keeping the Dodgers players at bay, it could be the Yankees lifting their first World Series since 2009.

Dodgers

The Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Max Muncy. These players cause havoc and can start to find their stride, causing a long series for the Bronx Bombers. However, the Dodgers always have one unexpected player to create an impact. NLCS, Tommy Edman. NLDS, Kiké Hernandez had his moments, and Teoscar Hernandez played well. Suppose the Dodgers have Gavin Lux or Chris Taylor moments appear. In that case, another unusual suspect creating postseason magic is what they need their bottom lineup to do to stop Aaron Boone’s matchup tactics.

With their starting staff having many injuries, the starting corps is under pressure. If they can find their stride in the World Series, it will be a straightforward run-through for the Dodgers. A dominant start from one of their starters would give the Dodgers a much better chance than the opposite side, and the lineup is still smashing the baseball. The team has shown on the big stage that the bullpen can help ease the pressure. If the Yankees lose the bullpen matchup, momentum can swing significantly.

Prediction

Throughout all the hype, talk and glimmer, all that matters is which team can perform in the biggest stage of it all. Going back and forth between New York and Los Angeles will be a haul for both teams. The Yankees have dealt with pitching staff connoisseurs throughout this postseason, while the Dodgers have faced hot bats. Which team can overcome the opposite is the question that determines the postseason. It is hard to believe that both bullpens can continue their dominance, but that is where this series can change upside down.

Both top-heavy lineups and the deeper bullpen decide a close series. The Dodgers have the bullpen to outstretch the Yankees, and their top six guys have created problems for the hot lineups. The Dodgers have lifted their first World Series since 2020, while the Yankees have gone home with their heads down. After an impressive NLCS, Betts will continue to carry the momentum and silence the postseason hecklers.

Dodgers in 6, WS MVP: Mookie Betts

Staff Predictions

Evan Thompson: Dodgers in 5, WS MVP: Will Smith

Nate Miller: Yankees in 6, WS MVP: Aaron Judge

Fabian Garcia: Dodgers in 6, WS MVP: Shohei Ohtani

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Brooks Thomason

As a up and coming writer, Brooks has been born and raised as an Atlanta Braves fan. Going through the years of Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and Brian McCann as a kid, to Freddie Freeman, and Acuña, Brooks has seen Braves stars come and go. However, his fandom always remains with Braves Country.

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