Spring as a season is undeniably the best, like the San Francisco Giants’s postseason record over the last two decades. Nothing beats the amazing weather, vibrant flowers and, of course, the start of the Major League Baseball season. Every baseball enthusiast knows that spring training is crucial to establish a trustworthy core for teams to rely on during the season. But what few people understand is the power of the way-too-early prediction. Based on what I have seen so far in spring training, prospect rankings and rosters, these are my predictions for the 2024 MLB season.
In order to fairly assess teams’ performance, I will look at the two best teams in each division.
Starting off in the East, let’s go to the two best teams in the National League east division –– the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves. Not only did both of these teams have strong postseason performances in the past three years with the Braves winning the 2021 World Series and Phillies being in the 2022 World Series, but they also have future Hall of Famers riddled through their rosters, like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Ronald Acuña Jr..
On the Phillies, Turner and Harper represent some of the best players in the MLB, while on the Braves, Ronald Acuña Jr. is arguably the best active player in baseball. In the American League East, the two main contenders are the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees. Though the Yankees are easy to count out, they made waves this offseason and have added Juan Soto to their already-stacked roster. Though their pitching was questionable last year, they added Marcus Stroman who can transform their team into a real threat with a more complete pitcher rotation.
The Orioles on the other hand, are dependent on Adley Rutschman, Austin Hays and Gunnar Henderson. Not to mention, they got Corbin Burnes, winning pitcher of the Cy Young Award in the offseason. Additionally, they have an amazing young core and have the best rated prospect in baseball –– Jackson Holiday. He could serve as another source of star power for this Orioles roster.
Meanwhile, in the Central divisions, the competition is relatively low as compared to the rest of the league. In the National League Central, I believe the Cubs and Brewers will be the two main contenders. Though the Reds could potentially have a playoff season, they lack the star power these other teams have.
The Cubs have a stellar defense with key fielders like Dansby Swanson, Cody Belinger and Mike Tauchman. Additionally, Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga will be great starting pitchers for this season. On the Brewers, Christian Yelich will be their main piece offensively. However with the addition of Rhys Hoskins and Sal Frelicks last year, they could be a deadly team this season. Additionally, they have Jackson Chourio, who is one of the best prospects in the league. In the AL central, the main contenders are the Twins and Guardians. The Twins have a decent pitching core led by Pablo Lopez and have core offensive producers in Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton. For the Guardians, they have elite hitters in Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor, and have a well rounded team overall.
But in the West, the story becomes complicated. While the San Francisco Giants repeated another mediocre offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers put together one of the most stacked rosters of all time. Regardless of the Dodgers’s success in the offseason, they are still mere contenders for the World Series. Why? Because the MLB Postseason has so much unpredictability, it’s unfair to say one team will most likely win the world series.
However, the Dodgers are currently predicted to be the best team in baseball this year. In the NL west, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks will be the best two teams. The Dodgers have stars in Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow. Equally as strong, the DiamondBacks have great pitching in Zack Gallen and have a solid offensive core in Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Corbin Carrol, Christian Walker and Ketel Marte –– not to mention, Merril Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez will be elite for their pitching side behind Gallen.
In the AL West, the two best teams are going to be the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros. Though I want to put faith into the Mariners, I strictly believe that the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros both represent some of the most elite teams in the 2020’s. Also, the Astros are not quite done despite losing Dusty Baker to the Giants. They still have Justin Verlander, Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker to push them into the playoffs.
Additionally, how could I count out the Rangers? They not only won the World Series last year, but also have an elite lineup with Cory Seager, Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien. Their pitching rotation is even more impressive with Nathan Eovaldi, Max Scherzer, Jacob DeGrom and Andrew Heaney as their top four starters.
But to go to the World Series I choose the Atlanta Braves from the NL and the Texas Rangers from the AL. To win the world series, I believe that the Braves will win their second world series title in the past four years.
