Every baseball team has played 162 games this season, and the 2024 MLB playoffs are set. Baseball has experienced a new level of parity, as there are no clear-cut favorites. Here are the full predictions for the 2024 postseason.
American League wild card, Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros:
For the first time since 2014, the Detroit Tigers are postseason bound. The Gritty Tigs made one of the more remarkable mid-season turnarounds, as FanGraphs gave the team a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs on Aug. 11. Led by Triple Crown winner and AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal, the Tigers improved by eight wins from 2023 to 2024. Other important contributors include 2024 All-Star Riley Greene and one of the best bullpens in baseball, backed by Tyler Holton, Jason Foley and Will Vest.
The Tigers are led by third-year manager AJ Hinch, who helped lead Houston to two World Series appearances and the 2017 title.
On the other hand, we all know what the Astros bring to the postseason. With 2024’s regular season wrapped up, Houston has won the AL West in seven consecutive full seasons. Some familiar postseason faces include Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Framber Valdez, Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Peña, who have put together productive seasons again. They always seem to have new faces come in and dominate, and Ronel Blanco fits that bill. The third-year pitcher dominated in his first full season of action, leading the starting rotation with a 2.80 ERA.
The Tigers’ season, especially the second half of the 2024 campaign, has been fun to watch, with the team putting together back-to-back 17-win months to surpass the Minnesota Twins for the final wild card spot. Still, playoff experience is vital, and the Astros have arguably the most out of any team.
The obvious playoff experience is showcased in Game 1’s starting pitching matchup. Valdez is slated to start Game 1 and has appeared in 16 postseason games. He has a career 4.24 playoff ERA, with his best outing coming in his first career game. He threw five shutout relief innings in a 4-1 wild card game against the Twins. Skubal will be making his postseason debut and will have the pressure of holding off the experienced Astros roster.
Outcome:
The Astros will defeat the Tigers 2-1.
American League wild card, Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles:
In the team’s six 2024 matchups, Baltimore won four games, including two walk offs in early April. The teams haven’t faced each other since the middle of April, so it’ll be interesting to see the pair face each other after six months of play.
Both teams have little playoff experience over the past decade, but Baltimore gets the edge. The Orioles made their first postseason appearance since 2015 in 2023. The Orioles were swept by the future World Series winners, the Texas Rangers, in three games in the ALDS. Presumptive Game 1 starting pitcher Corbin Burnes is one of the most experienced October players on either team. Burnes has made eight postseason appearances in his career, with his two most recent games in a playoff atmosphere. He has had a mixed bag starting playoff games, with one strong start in 2021 and a disappointing appearance in 2023.
Kansas City is making its first postseason appearance since the team won the 2015 World Series.
Burnes is an obvious important piece for Baltimore, while third-year starting pitcher Cole Ragans is vital for Kanas City. His ability to perform well against Baltimore in his first playoff game will be crucial for Kansas City’s success. Two-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman went 1-12 in last season’s ALDS sweep, while shortstop Gunnar Henderson shined in 2023. Both will have to perform admirably to make it past the first round.
Outcome:
The Orioles will defeat the Royals 2-1.
National League wild card, New York Mets at Milwaukee Brewers:
In Milwaukee’s first season under manager Pat Murphy, the Brewers won five of the six matchups against the New York Mets. The two teams most recently met Sept. 27-29, which makes this one of the more intriguing wild card series.
New York has experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in the last week. Hurricane Helene’s torrid rain postponed the final series against division rival Atlanta Braves, which forced the two teams to square off with postseason aspirations on the line. The two teams played a doubleheader Monday, both teams advanced and now the Mets have to travel back to Milwaukee for the wild card.
The scheduling change didn’t allow New York to rest any of its players, which could have a lasting impact on this playoff matchup. Will Milwaukee take advantage of the exhausted Mets, or will New York take Game 1’s highs into Milwaukee and take down the Brewers?
Outcome:
Milwaukee wins the series 2-0.
National League wild card, Atlanta Braves at the San Diego Padres:
Similar to the Mets, the Atlanta Braves played two games on Monday, before having to travel for their wild card matchup with the San Diego Padres. The main difference: The Braves stayed put during the scheduling fiasco.
While Atlanta is the more experienced playoff team, having made its seventh consecutive postseason appearance, San Diego has been one of the hottest teams heading into October action. The Padres finished September with a 16-8 record, including a 7-3 record in the last 10 games. The two teams split the six-game series in 2024.
Atlanta has yet to announce a starting pitcher for Game 1, while six-year pitcher Michael King will take the bump for San Diego Tuesday. King made 30 starts for the Padres in 2024, boasting a 2.95 ERA and 10.4 K/9. Triple Crown winner Chris Sale was supposed to pitch in the doubleheader against the Mets, but was a late scratch. His wild card availability is up in the air and will be crucial for the series.
Outcome:
San Diego wins the series 2-1.
American League Divisional Series, Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees:
The New York Yankees are atop the American League East standings again, as they secured the No. 1 seed in the AL. Despite the success, New York actually lost the season series to division rival Baltimore 8-5.
The Yankees are led by a three-headed monster — AL MVP front-runner Aaron Judge, his just as equally dominant sidekick Juan Soto and 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. Despite his prowess in the regular season, Judge has faltered in the postseason. Judge’s numbers have drastically dipped in the postseason, but he really struggled in 2022, striking out 15 times 36 at-bats. On the other hand, Soto has performed closer to standards in his two playoff appearances. As a 20-year-old, Soto was crucial in the Nationals securing their first World Series in 2019. Cole has been the most consistent player of the three when the lights are shining brightest. His postseason teams — the Pittsburgh Pirates, Astros and Yankees — are 10-7 when he starts on the mound in the playoffs.
Outcome:
The Yankees defeat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2, in one of the best 2024 postseason series.
American League Divisional Series, Houston Astros vs the Cleveland Guardians:
It’s the year 2024, and two of MLB’s most consistent teams of the decade face off. It’s a baseball fan’s dream.
The Cleveland Guardians have made the MLB playoff six times since 2016. Cleveland has remained consistent with its formula: strong pitching. It’s rare to see a relief pitcher rank second in Wins Above Replacement on a playoff contender, but closer Emmanuel Clase has done it. Clase led the AL in saves again, this time with a career-high 47. Not only that, but his 74.1 innings of work were a career-high, and he accumulated a single-season-best 0.61 ERA.
One of the league’s most consistent hitters of the past decade, third baseman José Ramirez nearly put together a 40-home run, 40 double, 40 stolen base season.
The rest of Cleveland’s bullpen dominated, too. The Guardians’ 2.57 bullpen ERA easily led the major leagues. Relief pitchers Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin each appeared in 70+ games and boasted an ERA below two.
First-year manager Stephen Vogt’s path to leading Cleveland back to its first ALCS since 2016 is simple: maneuver around Houston’s offense for the first five innings, and let the bullpen do the rest of the work. I think they get the job done and end Houston’s streak of seven consecutive Championship Series appearances.
Outcome:
Cleveland defeats Houston 3-2.
National League Divisional Series, Milwaukee Brewers vs Philadelphia Phillies:
It’ll only be the second time the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies meet in the postseason. This is one of the more exciting possible matchups for 2024.
The main story line will be how two of the top offenses in baseball will square off with each other.
Philadelphia will trot out familiar postseason faces — Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, among others. Schwarber’s 20 playoff long balls are fourth-most in MLB history, tied with Yankees legend Derek Jeter. Hitting the ball out of the park is what Schwarber does best, and he did it 38 times during the 2024 regular season.
Two-time All-Star catcher William Contreras, outfielder Brice Turang and rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio will be Milwaukee’s main faces in this series. Chourio, who put together an impressive first 148 games of his career, had one of the best rookie campaigns in baseball. He’ll be important if Milwaukee upsets Philadelphia.
The absence of former NL MVP Christian Yelich will be intriguing to watch in the postseason. He last appeared on July 23 and it was announced in mid-August he would undergo season-ending back surgery. Milwaukee finished 35-26 after his injury, but veteran presence is critical in the postseason.
Six-year Phillie Rhys Hoskins’ return to Citizens Bank Park is another story line in this fun postseason matchup. Hoskins hit 148 home runs with Philadelphia from 2017-2022, before a 2023 spring-training ACL tear ended his time with the Phillies.
Philadelphia won the 2024 season series 4-2, and I think they’re victorious in this clash, too.
Outcome:
Philadelphia defeats Milwaukee 3-2.
National League Divisional Series, San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers:
A matchup between the Los Angeles and San Diego Padres in the NLDS would be a dream for MLB. A heated rivalry between two strong NL West opponents to advance to the NLCS.
Los Angeles will now be appearing in its 12th consecutive postseason. The team won the World Series in 2020, but haven’t made it to the NLCS since 2021, where they lost to the Braves. It’s a similar core group of players, except they added the most talented player in baseball history: Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani, who played with the Los Angeles Angels the previous six seasons, will make his playoff debut. Ohtani is one of the best regular-season players in recent history, but the playoffs are a whole different animal. We’ve seen that with the Dodgers in the past, especially in the Dodgers’ 2023 playoff run. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman combined to go 1-21, with two runs scored against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The big three’s ability to perform on the playoff stage will determine how this series goes. Additionally, how will Los Angeles’ starting rotation hold up? Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be the main pieces trying to work around San Diego’s potent lineup. Flaherty had a mainly healthy season, throwing to a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts with the Detroit Tigers and Dodgers. Yamamoto, on the other hand, missed three months of the regular season and returned in mid-September. He’s made four starts for the Dodgers and only made it to the fifth inning once, his last start of the regular season.
San Diego combines a powerful lineup — Fernando Tatis Jr., rookie sensation Jackson Merrill, Manny Machado and Jurickson Profar — with an impressive four-headed starting pitching rotation. Yu Darvish, Dylan Cease, Michael King and Joe Musgrove will be making appearances for San Diego.
I believe the series will go similarly to how it did in 2022: San Diego wins in an upset.
Outcome:
San Diego over Los Angeles 3-1
American League Championship Series, Cleveland Guardians vs New York Yankees:
These two teams are very familiar with each other in October. Now, they’ll play each other with a chance to make it to the World Series on the line. The pair have met three times since 2017, with the Yankees winning all three matchups.
The Yankees’ starting rotation will be the group to keep the closest eye on in this series. Nestor Cortes went down with an injury late into the season, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be good to go in the playoffs. Cole, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil will be critical against the Guardians.
For a long series like the ALCS, more players will have to step up offensively. First baseman Anthony Rizzo is a veteran who has postseason experience with the Chicago Cubs and Yankees. He hit two home runs in the Yankees’ 2022 playoff run, and I think he’ll be important in this series.
It’s the same idea for Cleveland in this series. Get as much out of your starters, before letting a dominant bullpen do the rest. I think they’ll have more trouble doing that in this series.
Outcome:
Yankees defeat the Guardians 4-2
National League Championship Series, San Diego Padres vs Philadelphia Phillies:
I feel like I’m experiencing Déjà vu. These two squared off two years ago with the exact same aspirations on the line: a trip to the World Series.
Philadelphia won the series in five games, with the offense torching San Diego for 10 home runs in the series. I believe a similar outcome will be true, with Schwarber adding on to his postseason home run total, and the other core pieces contributing just as they have in Philadelphia’s recent runs.
Starting pitcher Aaron Nola struggled against San Diego in 2022, allowing six earned runs in his only start, but he’ll have a bounce-back performance, alongside Zack Wheeler continuing his postseason dominance. Wheeler has a 2.08 ERA in 10 career postseason starts.
Outcome:
Philadelphia wins 4-2 in an entertaining series.
World Series, New York Yankees vs Philadelphia Phillies:
It’s finally time for the official World Series prediction. It’ll be the second time these two square off in the Fall Classic in the last 15 years. In fact, 2009 was the last time the Yankees made it to the World Series.
The Yankees and Phillies played each other only three times during the 2024 regular season, and New York won all three. Two of those games were determined by one run.
Both of these rosters have experienced postseason players. Both teams have a strong chance of winning the World Series in 2024.
Similar to my previous predictions, the Phillies’ offensive depth will be too much for the Yankees in this series. The Phillies have made back-to-back deep postseason runs, and they get the job in my 2024 prediction.
But it’ll be close.
Outcome:
Philadelphia Phillies defeat the New York Yankees 4-2
Click here for more MLB content.
Subscribe to Fantom Sports on YouTube!
Follow Fantom Sports on Twitch!