Yankees versus Dodgers. It is a World Series showdown with all sorts of compelling storylines.
That’s why we asked dozens of MLB.com experts to make their predictions on these Fall Classic topics: Who will win this Series? How many games will be played? Who will hit the most home runs? Who will be named World Series MVP? Here is how they responded.
Who will win the World Series?
The pick: Dodgers (27 of 50 votes, 54%)
The vote on this question was mighty close, to no surprise. The Yankees and Dodgers are stacked with offensive standouts coming off of impressive performances during their respective League Championship Series. New York dispatched Cleveland in five games thanks to clutch homers from Juan Soto and series MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ lineup, spearheaded by Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, powered past the Mets in six games by scoring 46 runs, the most by any team in NLCS history.
We saw these clubs on the same diamond earlier this season; the Dodgers took two out of three in the Bronx back in June. Teoscar Hernández was the star of that weekend, piling up three home runs, six hits and nine RBIs at Yankee Stadium. Yet it’s important to note that Soto didn’t play in that series as he was nursing a sore left forearm.
How many games will it last?
Dodgers in 6 games: 15 votes
Yankees in 6 games: 13 votes
Dodgers in 7 games: 12 votes
Yankees in 7 games: 6 votes
Yankees in 5 games: 3 votes
Yankees in 4 games: 1 vote
Picking a World Series winner here is basically a toss-up. But one thing we can agree on? This Fall Classic is going to last a while. A majority of our voters think it will go six games, and 36% think it will go the distance. If that’s the case, it would be our first World Series to be decided with a Game 7 since 2019.
Senior club reporter John Denton, senior manager of content operations Dan Cichalski, and senior editor of breaking news Jeff Gold were among those who said this World Series will take seven games. Gold even predicted how it will all end: “Dodgers emerge in a tight, high-scoring series with a Gavin Lux walk-off winner in Game 7.”
Who will hit the most home runs?
Juan Soto, Yankees: 10 votes
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: 10 votes
Aaron Judge, Yankees: 8 votes
Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees: 8 votes
Mookie Betts, Dodgers: 5 votes
Max Muncy, Dodgers: 4 votes
Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers: 2 votes
Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees: 1 vote
Will Smith, Dodgers: 1 vote
Alex Verdugo, Yankees: 1 vote
Who will win World Series MVP?
Juan Soto, Yankees: 13 votes
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: 11 votes
Mookie Betts, Dodgers: 7 votes
Aaron Judge, Yankees: 5 votes
Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers: 4 votes
Max Muncy, Dodgers: 3 votes
Gerrit Cole, Yankees: 2 votes
Will Smith, Dodgers: 2 votes
Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees: 1 vote
Alex Verdugo, Yankees: 1 vote
Austin Wells, Yankees: 1 vote
Understandably, the totals here share a lot of similarities. Although this series is highlighted by Judge and Ohtani — a likely MVP versus MVP showdown — Soto is the most popular choice for Fall Classic MVP. Ohtani follows close behind, however. If the Dodgers triumph, he would probably become the first player since Betts in 2018 to win a World Series in an MVP year.
Picking Soto, Ohtani, Judge or Betts for Series MVP makes sense. But we’ve often seen unheralded players excel on baseball’s grandest stage. Some of the more surprising names to win World Series MVP recently include Steve Pearce (2018) and David Freese (2011). Thinking outside the box for an MVP pick can be prudent.
That kind of thinking led social media editorial manager Zac Vierra to choose Verdugo. The Yankees outfielder recorded a .606 OPS during the second half of the regular season and is slashing a meager .194/.286/.258 during the playoffs. But he could be fired up to face the team that drafted him in 2014.
“Verdugo will sneak a pair of homers over the short porch, including a walk-off shot in Game 5, and his comfort hitting at Dodger Stadium will help as he smashes the go-ahead homer in Game 7,” Vierra said. “Is this a wild prediction? Yes! But that is why we love baseball, because in a series packed with superstars, a role player can be a difference-maker on the biggest stage.”
