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World Series Prediction/Preview: Yankees vs Dodgers

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This is the matchup baseball fans have been waiting for. The two most storied franchises in Major League Baseball will square off in the ultimate Fall Classic for the first time since 1981. We’ve got the Bronx Bombers from the East Coast in the New York Yankees, and the Boys in Blue out West in the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the Dodgers’ ties to Brooklyn, and the past history between these two ballclubs, this figures to be the most highly anticipated World Series in decades. This will be the 12th time these two have squared off in the Fall Classic. This piece will break down each club position by position. At the end, I’ll give a prediction as to which team will become the eventual 2024 World Series Champion.

DH: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Giancarlo Stanton (New York Yankees)

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Stanton deserves his flowers for a monster ALCS — and for that matter, the playoffs in general. He leads the Yankees in HRs (5), RBIs (11), slugging (.794), OPS (1.179), and total bases (27). The native of Southern California will get to come back home and perform in front of family and friends, having grown up only a stone’s throw from Dodger Stadium. He’s seeing the ball exceptionally well, and having Stanton locked in truly makes the Yankees even scarier. For as good as Stanton has been, he’s not Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani got off to a slow start versus the Padres before bouncing back nicely versus the Mets. Aside from the homers, Ohtani has gotten on base over 43 percent of the time. His ability to put pressure on the opposition is real, and by proxy, his prolific nature with runners in scoring position is something we’ve really never seen before. For as well as Stanton is playing, the edge here goes to LA.

Edge: Dodgers

C: Will Smith (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Austin Wells (New York Yankees)

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The Dodgers have a significant edge here. Smith is one of the best catchers in baseball. His framing during this postseason has been exceptional. Members of LA’s pitching staff have specifically mentioned Smith deserving a ton of credit for their success. Smith hit a couple of big home runs throughout the first two rounds — including a moonshot off Mets reliever Phil Maton. After a slow start at the plate, it appears as if he’s starting to get hot at the right time. As for Wells, he has three hits in 33 at-bats during postseason play. More alarming is his inability to put the ball in play. He’s struck out 15 times over this stretch and has a meager .348 OPS.

Edge: Dodgers

1B: Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Anthony Rizzo (New York Yankees)

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This one becomes complicated based on Freeman’s injury. He’s been dealing with a badly sprained ankle throughout postseason play. The Dodgers have been resting him versus lefties whenever possible — trying to minimize the pain he’s playing through. Rizzo came back with six hits in his first 14 at-bats during postseason play. If he’s hitting the ball that well moving forward, the length in New York’s lineup suddenly gets a whole lot better. With Rizzo’s postseason experience, coupled with Freeman’s injury, we’ll call this one a push.

Edge: Even

2B: Gavin Lux (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Gleyber Torres (New York Yankees)

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Lux has been dealing with a hip issue. Much like Freeman, he will sit whenever a lefty is on the bump. When healthy, Lux is a spray hitter with good speed and an improved glove. Torres might not be as athletic, though he’s got some thunder in his bat. He’s hitting .297 in postseason play with an impressive .832 OPS. At this stage, the Yankees need him to produce to help the big three of Juan Soto-Aaron Judge-Giancarlo Stanton.

Edge: Yankees

SS: Tommy Edman (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Anthony Volpe (New York Yankees)

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Volpe has been very good for the Yankees throughout postseason play. He’s hitting .310 with a phenomenal .459 OBP and has only six strikeouts in 29 at-bats. There’s a case to be made that he’s the unsung hero of this ballclub thus far. However, on the other side is Tommy Edman — the man who came out of nowhere to win the NLCS MVP Award. Edman hit .407 versus the Mets in the NLCS — accruing a whopping 11 RBIs in six games. In the postseason as a whole, he’s leading the Dodgers with a .341 average. He’s a switch-hitter, can play both in the infield and the outfield, and he’s a total grinder at the plate (only six strikeouts in 44 at-bats). Throw in the fact that he’s got base-stealing ability, and there’s a reason Dave Roberts slots him all over the batting order.

Edge: Dodgers

3B: Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (New York Yankees)

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Chisholm gave New York a real jolt at the trade deadline. He went through a stretch where he was mashing the ball. His natural talent seemed to play up even further in a far better lineup than the one he was a part of in Miami. The postseason has been a different story. Chisholm is hitting only .147 with an OBP of .216. He’s struck out nearly a third of his at-bats and truly does look lost at the plate. As for Muncy, he’s the type of hitter opposing managers dread. He’s got immense patience at the plate. He won’t hit for a ton of average, and he does tend to strike out a lot. With that said, he’s seeing the ball very well right now — evidenced by a stretch where he set a record by getting on base 12 straight times versus the Mets. With a ridiculous .468 OBP/1.014 OPS combination, not to mention tied for second on the team with three postseason HRs, Muncy is a sneaky-big part of the Dodgers’ success thus far in postseason play.

Edge: Dodgers

RF: Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Juan Soto (New York Yankees)

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This one really is a toss-up. Soto had the unforgettable at-bat in Game 5 which led the Yankees to clinch a spot in the World Series. He’s a phenomenal talent, and most likely will cash in with a contract north of $500 million this offseason. As a lefty batting in front of Judge, he gives the lineup some much-needed balance. Betts has been on fire since the latter stages of the Padres series. He leads the Dodgers in homers during postseason play and has the look of someone locked in. These are two of the most talented players on the planet regardless of position. As such, let’s call it a tie.

Edge: Even

CF: Enrique Hernandez/Andy Pages (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)

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Hernandez has been Mr. October throughout his career. While essentially a borderline starter during the regular season throughout his career, Hernandez transforms into a true force during the playoffs. We’ve seen him come up with countless clutch hits for the Dodgers time and time again. The same has remained true in this postseason (see the HR versus Yu Darvish in Game 5 of the NLDS). Andy Pages usually mans the CF spot when a lefty is on the mound (moving Hernandez to 3B). Pages had a multi-homer game versus the Mets in Game 5. He’s got a rocket for an arm and mashes left-handed pitching. While all of this is well and good, Judge gets the huge edge here. He’s arguably the best hitter in the sport, and as we’ve seen all year, when he goes, the Yankees go.

Edge: Yankees

LF: Teoscar Hernandez (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Alex Verdugo (New York Yankees)

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Hernandez came to Los Angeles on a 1-year deal. His goal was to compete for a World Series title. In the process, Hernandez had one of the best seasons of his career. He hit a career-high 33 HRs in the regular season. Hernandez has proven to consistently get the big hit when required. Nestled in the heart of the Dodgers order, he appeared to figure some things out in the latter stages of the Mets series after an 0-18 slump earlier on. Verdugo has been plagued by an inconsistent approach at the plate. He’s hitting only .194 thus far in postseason play. Having said that, the ex-Dodger would love nothing more than to spoil the party for his former team. As a plus, Verdugo is excellent at putting the ball in play. He rarely strikes out, and that could be a major benefit when moving runners over for the big boys atop the lineup.

Edge: Dodgers

Bench: Andy Pages, Miguel Rojas, Kevin Kiermeier, Austin Barnes, Chris Taylor (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Jon Berti, Oswaldo Cabrera, Jose Trevino, Jasson Dominguez (New York Yankees)

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This one is a no-brainer. The Dodgers have a far superior bench to that of the Yankees. With the mixing-and-matching LA uses based on the opposing team’s starting pitching, the roster has been built in the way of supreme flexibility and versatility. Assuming Rojas returns from injury, the Dodgers will be getting back their veteran leader who’s not only an exceptional fielder, but also a proven contact hitter. We saw what Pages could do in the NLCS, and Kiermeier is as good a fielding outfielder as you’ll find. Even Taylor has value as an experienced, versatile player.

Edge: Dodgers

Starting Pitching: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler, Landon Knack (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Luis Gil, Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, Carlos Rodon (New York Yankees)

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New York has the clear edge here. Cole is the most established starter of the bunch. Presumably, he could start three games in this series. He’ll be getting to go back home to Southern California where he once starred for UCLA. Rodon is a guy LA is quite familiar with, dating back to his days in the NL. He hasn’t looked overly impressive thus far, allowing more hits than innings pitched in postseason play. Still, he’s got very good stuff. Between Gil, Schmidt, and Nestor Cortes, the Yankees should be able to get enough quality pitching to avoid what happened to the Mets. LA ground the Mets’ pitching staff into sawdust to the point where the collective staff as a whole had nothing left.

Walker Buehler is peaking for the Dodgers at the right time. His stuff looked electric in New York. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jack Flaherty have also looked elite at times. The inconsistency for all three is a sizable worry. The Dodgers would be thrilled if each could give the team five to six innings before passing it onto their bullpen. Yamamoto was dominant the one time he faced New York in the Bronx earlier this year. Can lightning strike twice for the Dodgers?

Edge: Yankees

Bullpen

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Both teams have good pens. Luke Weaver has been a revelation for the Yankees on the back end. Tommy Kahnle has been quite good, and Clay Holmes and Tim Hill seem to be hitting their stride at the right time. The Yankees primarily rely on these four arms. As for the Dodgers, their bullpen is on another level in terms of depth and flexibility. It was constructed in a way where the team could throw two bullpen games in a single seven-game series. Ben Casparius, Alex Vesia, and Evan Phillips have yet to allow a run. Blake Treinen, Anthony Banda, Michael Kopech, and Daniel Hudson all have ERAs under 2.08. There’s even a chance Brusdar ‘Bazooka’ Graterol returns for the World Series. Throwing in the long relief of Brent Honeywell and the veteran experience of Ryan Brasier, this bullpen will be the best New York has faced to date.

Edge: Dodgers

Manager: Dave Roberts (Los Angeles Dodgers) vs. Aaron Boone (New York Yankees)

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Roberts has been here before. He knows what it’s like to manage in the World Series. Not only that, but one can make a case that the managing he’s done this postseason has been among the best of his entire career. Roberts has pushed the right buttons constantly in terms of the pen, and his mixing/matching with the lineups has been superb. For those reasons, he gets the nod over Boone.

Edge: Dodgers

Prediction

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This is what everyone wanted — a dream matchup between the two biggest brands in the sport. It happens to also feature four of the biggest stars in professional baseball. As for the play on the field, the Yankees will ride with depth in the rotation, and star power from Judge and Soto. LA cannot let the complementary pieces beat them. You can only hold Judge and Soto down for so long. Allowing a solo HR is much better than giving up one with multiple guys on base. Can the Dodgers bullpen thrive for another series? Plus, can LA get enough starting pitching to prevent the bullpen from burning out? Will Judge, Stanton, and the rest of the free-swinging members of the lineup lay off the insane spin Phillips and Treinen will give them out of the bullpen? With the way LA is hitting the ball, coupled with home-field advantage, the Dodgers will narrowly beat the Yankees. This will be a series for the ages.

Prediction: Dodgers in 7

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