2024 MLB Preview: Predictions, Marquee Matchups, Rookies to Watch, and More

It’s finally here – Baseball is back! Months of winters and jackets have given way to a bright sun and T-shirts. America’s favorite pastime is back and so is the party in every fan’s home. 2024 could prove to be a historical year for MLB in more than one way. This offseason has already shown how ambitious teams are – the LA Dodgers have spent $1 billion while others have also strengthened their squads. So naturally there are a lot of talking points for the upcoming season. 

Will the New York Yankees end their 14-year drought? Will the Dodgers win the World Series after such a high spend? Is there an underdog story brewing in the league? All of these questions will be answered as we dive deep into the stories that 2024 has to offer. So grab on to your sandwiches and drinks, baseball season is about to begin.

How many games will be there in the 2024 MLB season? 

As has been the case for a long time, each team will play 162 games in a season. However, just like in 2023, franchises will play 13 games against their division rivals. This totals 52 inter-divisional games for every team. Other than that each team will play 6 games against 6 opponents and 7 games against 4 teams in the same league. This will total 64 games. 

All of that totals 116 games. The remaining 46 will be interleague games – this will include a 4-game home-and-home series against their designated interleague rival. All of this adds up to 162 games. Now the question comes – with such a vast list of fixtures, what are the matchups to look forward to?

The schedule: Some games and matchups to look out for in the 2024 MLB season

The schedule looks quite exciting this time around. There are multiple matchups between many teams who’ve faced each other in the World Series recently. And then there are some great returns for players and debuts for others to look forward to. This season’s basic theme can be explained in a simple way – Redemption. Teams have a lot of opportunities to achieve that.

The season will begin with the Seoul Series between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres on March 20-21. This will be the first MLB regular season game to be played in South Korea. The rest of the season will start on March 28 and will end on September 29. Here are some great matchups to look forward to.

March 28 –  Houston Astros vs the New York Yankees – The Yankees would be looking to start their season with a bang as they visit their league tormentors the Astros. 

June 7-9 – New York Yankees vs the Los Angeles Dodgers – For the first time since 2016, the Dodgers will be visiting the Yankee Stadium. How will the two highest-spending teams fare against each other?

April 15-17 – Houston Astros vs Atlanta Braves – In a World Series rematch, the Braves will face the Astros on their home turf. Also, Ronald Acuna Jr. could make his debut in Minute Maid Park as well.

June 8-9 – Philadelphia Phillies vs the New York Mets – MLB will return to London as the two NL East rivals will go head to head against each other.

April will also see an ALCS rematch between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros. With their rivalry peaking right now, it sure will be a sight to see them competing against each other. Other than this, April will also see the Kansas City Royals visit the New York Mets in a 2015 World Series rematch. 

However, it’s not just these interesting games that one looks forward to. There are quite a few young prospects that are ready to take the next step this season. It’s these stories that make baseball such an inspiring sport.

Next generations on the field: Top MLB prospects in the fray 

When talking about prospects, it’s quite impossible to do so without mentioning the Baltimore Orioles. Their machine keeps churning out top talents at a rate that is proving to be enviable for the rest of the league.

For the third year in a row, they have a top prospect – this time it’s Jackson Holliday. The slugger’s growth has been nothing short of miraculous. With him yet to be troubled by professional pitching, there’s a chance we might see this amazing talent breakout this season. Apart from him, there’s also 2022’s top prospect Gunnar Henderson who broke out in 2023. Can the 22-year-old improve upon his good 2023?

Then there’s the New York Mets’ Luisangel Acuna – the younger brother of superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. who is looking to make a mark this year. While he may not be as big or powerful as his brother, Luisangel possesses a lot of athleticism and speed. That puts him on the list of players to look out for. 

Then comes Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers who just signed an eight-year- $82 million deal. So there are high expectations from this youngster, who is yet to reach the major leagues. While these stories are great, there’s another plot that is brewing in the league. The classic tale of friends turning into foes.

Read more: Spring Training Is Here: A Look at the Best Stadiums to Witness MLB Season’s Beginning

Rivals to Friends to Rivals: Some uncommon scenes this MLB season

One doesn’t even need to mention two names, everyone already knows them. Still, let’s talk about them – Shohei Ohtani and his former teammate Mike Trout. The two Angels superstars separated this offseason after Ohtani’s historical $700 million deal with the Dodgers. Ever since then, the fans have looked on with thirsty eyes to see how they’ll react to playing against each other. 

The Spring Training gave a glimpse and things looked quite amicable between the two. Trout congratulated Shotime on his marriage and deal while Ohtani hugged his friend the moment he saw him. Then there’s the great Korean friendship that’s about to face the test of major league competition.

The Giants’ Jung-Hoo Lee and his Padres friend Kim Ha-Seong will be for the first standing against each other. The two former teammates are looking forward to the challenge with Jung-Hoo Lee calling Kim Ha-Seong his “spiritual leader.”  

While that covers a part of the storylines, the MLB is filled with other stories. There’s clearly a lot to look forward to this year but now comes the biggest question that everyone’s waiting to get answered – who will win the World Series?

Read more: Big Shoes to Fill: New MLB Managers Take Over Experienced Teams

MLB predictions: Dark horses and the potential champions 

The Dodgers have strengthened, and so have the New York Yankees. The Atlanta Braves are coming off a 104-win season while the Rangers are defending champions. There’s the Phillies who are perennially near the top and then the Baltimore Orioles – the underdogs that have a genuine shot. Clearly, the field is thick and that’s the beauty of baseball – anything can happen at any point. So who has the best chances here? Cue the drumrolls…

The Los Angeles Dodgers – according to SportsLine, since the arrival of Shohei Ohtani, the Blue Crew remains in the driver’s seat. They’re projected to win around 103.5 games while the Braves are expected to win 101.5. As of now, the top 4 look like this –

1 – The Dodgers +320

2 – Braves +450

3 – Astros +700

4 – Yankees +800

While these four are strong contenders, there’s no sure winner. Last season no one expected the Arizona Diamondbacks to reach the Fall Classic but they did. Is there a potential dark horse here? Maybe the 101-game-winning Orioles deserve a shoutout. 

So there it is a part of what baseball is about to offer its fans this season. With many more stories to follow, 2024 is on its way to creating history.

Read more: MLB Spring Training: Dodgers’ Skipper Reveals Crucial Freddie Freeman Role Alongside Shohei Ohtani, Superstar Lineup Takes Shape