Brightcast Media
The 2024 MLB season is here. In this gallery, we will predict all six division winners — plus the six teams that will earn Wild Card berths. Additionally, we give our picks for all the major award winners from MVP to Cy Young to Rookie of the Year. Ultimately, we will make our World Series pick and unveil our postseason bracket. Who do you think is the team to beat in 2024?
American League West — Seattle Mariners
Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
The AL West will boil down to a three-team race. Mike Trout’s Angels will hover around .500 while the A’s will finish with one of the worst records in the league. That leaves us with Texas, Houston, and Seattle. In a bit of a surprise, the Mariners will take the division over the defending champion Rangers and perennial AL juggernaut Astros. Seattle’s pitching should be among the best in the league boasting three starters — Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert — who could all potentially contend for a Cy Young. The offense also got a boost this offseason with the addition of switch-hitting infielder Jorge Polanco. The Mariners finished just two games back of the division lead last year, and leap back into the postseason in ’24.
American League Central — Minnesota Twins
The race for the AL Central should be a bit more interesting in ’24. Detroit and Kansas City are two teams filled with young talent on the rise. The Guardians should be more competitive barring some injury luck. The White Sox are unlikely to make much noise, though have plenty of talent in their own right. Minnesota is the safest pick, and for good reason. Their pitching staff is solid from top-to-bottom, and there aren’t any glaring holes in their lineup. Plus, the Twins have always dealt with rotten injury luck and still found ways to stay competitive. Imagine what they can accomplish if everybody stays healthy.
American League East — New York Yankees
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
All eyes are on the Orioles following the move to add Corbin Burnes. The former Cy Young winner joins a team that won 101 games last year and has more young talent than just about any team in the league. Adding to the intrigue is the potential of eventually seeing No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday get called up. However, we wouldn’t crown Baltimore just yet. The Yankees loom with two MVP candidates plus the reigning AL Cy Young winner. After a down 2023 mired by injuries, New York takes the AL East in an electrifying race.
National League West — Los Angeles Dodgers
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
This pick shouldn’t come as a surprise. Despite being swept out of the playoffs in the NLDS last season, the Dodgers are the prohibitive favorite to win the National League West. Los Angeles has won the division 10-of-11 years and has topped 100 wins five times since 2017 — not including the Covid season. The additions of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow add to a stacked roster that already featured Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.
National League Central — Chicago Cubs
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
The National League Central is one of the tougher divisions to determine. St. Louis was awful last year but figures to bounce back. Milwaukee lost its manager (Craig Counsell) to the Cubs and traded its ace (Corbin Burnes) to Baltimore but still figures to compete for the crown. Cincinnati is arguably the most exciting team in the division. As for the Cubs, they added the game’s best manager, retained Cody Bellinger, and signed Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga to bolster the rotation. A year after falling just short of the postseason, Chicago wins the NL Central.
National League East — Atlanta Braves
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
This division will likely come down to two teams — Atlanta and Philadelphia. Washington is a few years away from competing with the top dogs, the Mets are clearly behind the two contenders, and Miami cannot be expected to replicate its success from last year. Ultimately, Atlanta’s firepower in both its lineup and rotation will propel the team to its seventh NL East title in a row. Led by MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson, the Braves feature the league’s deepest lineup. The staff is led by two Cy Young contenders — Max Fried and Spencer Strider — and was bolstered in the offseason with the acquisition of former Cy Young winner Chris Sale.
American League Wild Card — Rangers, Astros, Orioles
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
The AL West is extremely top-heavy, and we see it having three playoff teams this year. The Rangers will be among the leaders in runs scored. When you have guys like Nathaniel Lowe, Evan Carter, and Leody Tavares making the 7-8-9 spots, you know you’re going to have an elite offense. Their lineup is an absolute pain for any pitcher to face. Houston’s lineup isn’t quite as scary from top-to-bottom, but you can’t argue with the results over the years. And, their pitching should be among the league’s best. The last spot goes to the Orioles who are likely to take a step-back from their 101-win season a year ago, but will still do enough to lock in a Wild Card spot.
National League Wild Card — Phillies, Diamondbacks, Reds
USA TODAY Sports
Two of last year’s Wild Card teams will return to the postseason in 2024. The reigning National League pennant winner, Arizona, will claim the second WC position just behind the Phillies — the team Arizona defeated in the NLCS. Despite finishing with the third-best record in the NL, Philadelphia will once again settle for the No. 4 seed. Finally, the Cincinnati Reds will round out the field as the No. 6 seed. Cincinnati has a ton of young talent on its roster and it will push the Cubs to the end of the season for the NL Central title.
American League Pennant — Yankees
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
It’s starting to feel like ’09 all over again. That year was the last time the Yankees won the American League pennant. New York has done everything it possibly can to prep for a deep postseason run. New York added depth to its pitching staff, including the addition of All-Star Marcus Stroman. Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo are both solid defenders who will add some balance to the lineup. And, of course, Juan Soto is set to mash in Yankee Stadium. With Soto and Aaron Judge clobbering baseballs, New York defeats Seattle — just like they did in 2000 and 2001.
National League Pennant — Dodgers
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Dodgers and the Braves have been the two top teams in the National League for quite some time. The two powerhouses have met in the NLCS twice (2020, 2021), but both have come up short in the postseason the past two years. This year, they will not be denied. Los Angeles and Atlanta will once again meet in the NLCS following 100-win seasons. A grueling seven-game series will come down to the wire, with the Dodgers ultimately prevailing at home.
American League Rookie of the Year — Junior Caminero
Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Texas’ Wyatt Langford opens as an early favorite to take home the AL Rookie of the Year. The 22-year-old outfielder is set to make Texas’ Opening Day roster and should find a sizable amount of playing time at the DH spot. However, Tampa Bay has a phenom to look out for as well. 20-year-old Junior Caminero appears ready to make an impact in the Major Leagues. The Dominican infielder has looked impressive throughout Spring Training, showcasing a ton of power in his bat. If he’s able to get called up sooner rather than later, we would not be surprised to see Caminero hit close to 30 HR in the season.
National League Rookie of the Year — Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Chris Coduto/Getty Images
Apologies to Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio — Yoshinobu Yamamoto will win the National League Rookie of the Year. Before signing the largest contract for a pitcher in baseball history, Yamamoto dominated Nippon Professional Baseball. In Japan, Yamamoto won three MVPs and three Sawamura Awards (the Cy Young equivalent). Amazingly, the ace held a 1.82 ERA and struck out over 900 batters while with the Orix Buffaloes. It may take him some time to adjust to MLB, but Yamamoto is a generational talent.
American League Manager of the Year — Matt Quatraro
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Manager of the Year is an award that typically favors overachievers. Well, there’s nowhere to go but up for the Kansas City Royals. KC finished last in the AL Central last season with just 56 wins. However, there’s reason to be optimistic with this team moving forward. They have a legitimate star in place with Bobby Witt Jr. and have surrounded him with a ton of power in that lineup. If they can get contributions from a few young arms, the Royals could sneakily finish around .500.
National League Manager of the Year — David Bell
USA TODAY Sports
Entering his sixth season as Cincinnati’s manager, David Bell is the pick to win National League Manager of the Year. As we discussed earlier, the Reds will find their way into the postseason. It would mark the second time under Bell that the Reds reached the playoffs (2020) but would be the first return to playoff baseball in a 162-game season since 2013.
Home Run Leader — Aaron Judge (NYY)
If Aaron Judge is healthy, no player in the league can keep up with his power pace. Judge smashed 37 HR in just 106 games last year. He’ll only need around 130 appearances to break the half-century mark. Mashers like Matt Olson, Pete Alonso, and Shohei Ohtani could give him a run. But, nobody hits the ball harder and more consistently than Judge. He won’t need to match his 62 HR total from two years ago to lead the league in 2024.
American League Cy Young — Corbin Burnes
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
The Orioles added an absolute flamethrower to their rotation. In one of the bigger moves of the offseason, Baltimore cashed in some of their trade chips to acquire former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes. The 29-year-old righty is set to be an immediate difference-maker. Burnes’ ERA was a bit high last year due to an increase in walk rate. However, he led the league in WHIP and is just a year removed from leading the league in strikeouts. He’ll almost certainly break his career-high of 12 wins with a stacked Baltimore team.
National League Cy Young — Logan Webb
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Even with Corbin Burnes now in the American League, the National League Cy Young race is stacked. Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Zack Wheeler, Zac Gallen, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are just a few aces that we could see winning the award. However, we are predicting San Francisco’s Logan Webb will take home the hardware. In 2023, Webb led baseball with 216.0 IP and paced the NL in SO/W (6.26) and BB9 (1.3). His elite control makes him one of the game’s top pitchers. Last year’s Cy Young runner-up will not be denied in 2024.
American League MVP — Julio Rodríguez
Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
With Shohei Ohtani gone, the AL MVP race is once again wide open. There are a handful of names who could challenge for the American League crown. New York’s Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are among the best hitters in the league. Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. could become just the sixth player to post a 40/40 season. Texas’ Marcus Semien has finished in the top-3 in MVP on three occasions, and don’t count out Corey Seager if he can stay healthy for the entire year. And, would we honestly be all that surprised if Mike Trout puts up a monster year? Among several worthy options, we’ll go with Seattle’s young center fielder. Rodríguez will likely be the best player on one of the better teams in the league. He’s another 40/40 threat and finished fourth in voting last year despite the Mariners missing the postseason.
National League MVP — Mookie Betts
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The odds of the National League MVP being won by either a Brave or Dodger are rather high. The two teams combined to field the top-4 finishers in 2023 — Ronald Acuña Jr., Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Matt Olson. All four players will likely contend for the award again in ’24. Shohei Ohtani, last year’s unanimous AL MVP, figures to be in the mix, as well. Ultimately, Betts will prevail. Last year’s runner-up will benefit from hitting in front of Ohtani (and Freeman). His gaudy numbers from last year — .307 BA with 39 HR and 107 RBI — could see an uptick.
World Series Champion — Los Angeles Dodgers
Brightcast Media
One of baseball’s most storied rivalries will add another chapter in 2024. For the first time since 1981, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will meet in the World Series. The historic franchises have met in the Fall Classic 11 times, with New York holding an 8-3 advantage. In the 12th showdown, the Dodgers will outlast the Bronx Bombers in a six-game classic. Freddie Freeman will capture the World Series MVP and forever etch his name in Dodgers lore.
