The World Series matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees feels destined to be a classic, and the experts are split on who they think will take home the Commissioner’s Trophy.
As it does every season, MLB.com gathered around 50 experts to predict the length of the best-of-seven series, the MVP and, of course, the champion. The survey resulted in a razor-thin margin.
Thankfully for Dodgers fans, the site’s experts narrowly decided that the Boys in Blue would win their eighth World Series title. MLB.com said 27 of its 50 experts decided on L.A. as the eventual champions, leaving the other 23 predicting that New York would take the crown.
The media and pundits all agree that the Yankees have a clear and decisive advantage when it comes to starting pitching. However, the Dodgers have the bullpen and the firepower on offense behind the bats of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to counter the heat on the mound.
“The Dodgers’ bullpen will compensate for the rotation’s shortcomings, all while Ohtani leads an offensive onslaught that will be too much for the Yankees to overcome,” wrote Ben Hill, senior reporter, MiLB.
Those who ultimately sided with the Bronx Bombers attributed the starting pitching advantage. Former Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole will get the ball in Game 1 for the Yankees, and it’s likely that Carlos Rodon will pitch in Game 2.
The thought process behind a Yankees prediction goes by the logic that, with that advantage, N.Y. will be able to get early leads in the series, forcing the Dodgers to play catch-up.
“The Dodgers’ offense can score runs in bunches, as we saw in the NLCS when they averaged over seven per game,” wrote David Venn, Spanish-language senior national reporter for MLB.com. “But Dave Roberts had to painstakingly manage a tired bullpen to defeat the Mets and now, against a Yankees club with so many weapons, I don’t think Los Angeles will have enough run prevention versus New York.”
While predictions on the ultimate winner of the series were split, thoughts on the length of the series were not. Of the 50 voters, 28 thought the series would end in six games, with 15 choosing the Dodgers and 13 siding with the Yankees.
As for MVP, Yankees outfielder Juan Soto, who will celebrate his 26th birthday by playing in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, was the popular choice with 13 votes. For the Dodgers, how could anyone other than Shohei Ohtani be the pick? The experts chose him as the most likely Dodger to win MVP with 11 votes, with Mookie Betts not far behind at seven.
