The MLB 2024 season has just kicked off, so here are some MVP favorites and early predictions on who will win the 2024 World Series.
After an electric end to the 2023 season, the Texas Rangers took home their third world championship. Nobody expected the Rangers to win after losing two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob Degrom after injuring his elbow on his fifth pitch of the season.
Everyone counted the Rangers out after losing Degrom, but they pushed through all of the top teams in the National League and would win one of the most impressive World Series titles in the past 25 years.
Although the Rangers won the World Series in the 2023 season, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, they are not the upcoming favorites to win this season.
The favorites for the World Series are the Los Angeles Dodgers at +330, the Atlanta Braves at +470, and the New York Yankees at +800.
The Dodgers easily have one of the best starting rotations in the league after picking up two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and Japanese rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto. In addition to having some of the best starting pitchers in the MLB, they have three MVP winners in their starting lineup.
On paper, the Dodgers should win the World Series. Even though they may have one of the most talented teams in recent years, they always seem to come up short.
If there was one team that could be a dark horse to win the World Series in the 2024 season, it would be the New York Yankees.
Although the Yankees had a tough 2023 season, barely exceeding a .500 record, they have started the 2024 season with a 10-3 record.
After picking up key free agency signings in the off-season, such as veteran starting pitcher Marcus Stroman and right-fielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, the Yankees have had a great start to the 2024 season.
“I think the way we ended last season sharpened us into coming to spring training with more team and individual pride and doing all we can to make sure last year does not happen again,” said head coach Aaron Boone via Yes Network.
Even though we are very early in the season, the Yankees have been playing at the top of their game. It would not be surprising to see them holding the World Series trophy this October.
The 2024 MLB MVP race is going to be one of the most compelling races we have seen in recent years.
Last year, the MVPs for the American League and the National League were Shohei Ohtani, a two-way player for the Los Angeles Angels, and Ronald Acuna Jr, an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves.
Ohtani and Acuna Jr. both had historic seasons. Ohtani was the first two-way player to hit over .300 batting average and have over 150 strikeouts in a single season. Acuna Jr. was the first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases.
Although these superstars are having fantastic starts to their 2024 season, they are not the favorites to win this year.
In the American League, Juan Soto, outfielder for the New York Yankees, is expected to win after starting the season with a .348 BA and notching over 10 RBIs in the first 12 games. Soto is one of the best young hitters in the MLB and was the youngest player to reach 500 walks in MLB history.
He continues to improve every season. It is just a matter of time before the 26-year-old takes home his first MVP.
For the National League MVP, the favorite is a veteran outfielder on the LA Dodgers, Mookie Betts. Betts is already a one-time MVP and has been on fire for the first 14 games of his 2024. He is currently hitting .392, tied for third in the MLB with five home runs, and is second in the MLB for his OPS (slugging percentage and on-base percentage).
Although Betts is almost 32, he is nowhere near the decline of his career.
It would not be surprising to see Betts win another MVP and finally get the Dodgers over the hump to win the World Series in 2024.
Even though the 2024 MLB season has just begun, the road to the World Series and the race to be named MVP will be exhilarating.
