It’s time to once again enjoy America’s pastime.
The 2024 MLB season begins on Thursday, with the defending champion Rangers looking to go back-to-back.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers are the +320 favorites to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy at season’s end.
Second are the Braves (+450), followed by the Astros (+700), Yankees (+900), Rangers (+1400) and Orioles (+1400).
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With that, our experts — Chris “The Bear” Fallica, Sam “Sammy P” Panayotovich, Patrick Everson and Jason McIntyre — are here to help bettors looking to make an early wager on a World Series champion.
Let’s dive into their picks for who will win it all.
Chris “The Bear” Fallica
World Series pick: San Francisco Giants (+4500)
After the last couple of seasons, we know one thing for sure about the baseball postseason: It’s ridiculous.
The format makes it likely that the best team over the course of 162 games will not win the World Series. That’s why I’m backing a team which is built for a bunch of short series: the San Francisco Giants.
The lineup isn’t one with a bunch of household names, but we know Farhan Zaidi knows what he’s doing, and a potential rotation of Logan Webb, Blake Snell, Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks is not one you’d want to face in a postseason setting. And then you have to deal with Camilo Doval on the back end.
If you want to eat a short number on the Dodgers or Braves and sit on it for six months, go for it. But the price you’d get around playoff time won’t be that much different. Look for a good number on a team that should reach the playoffs and take a shot.
And my shot will be taken with the Giants.
Sammy P
World Series pick: Seattle Mariners (+2000)
The M’s pieced together a solid 2023 campaign with 88 wins, but it wasn’t enough to earn a postseason berth. Texas (90) and Toronto (89) locked down the final two Wild Card spots, giving Seattle an entire offseason to stew over what could’ve been. I’m a huge fan of superstar and MVP threat Julio Rodriguez, the Castillo-Kirby-Gilbert 1-2-3 pitching punch and a bullpen that posted the fourth-lowest ERA in baseball a season ago.
Oh … and we would avoid the Braves and Dodgers until the Fall Classic. Phew.
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J-Mac
World Series prediction: Dodgers vs. Yankees (+1300)
It’s been my prediction the last three years, but has yet to happen: The Dodgers vs the Yankees.
It’s the best matchup for baseball, a battle of the big spenders on the coasts. I’ll take the Dodgers beating the Braves to get there. The Yankees take down Houston. And in a thrilling 7-game series, the Yankees capture their first World Series crown since 2009.
Patrick Everson
World Series pick: Cincinnati Reds (+5000)
I’m going with a dark horse. Give me the Cincinnati Reds, currently +5000 at The SuperBook here in Las Vegas. Between Matt McLain’s shoulder injury, Noelvi Marte’s suspension and a bevy of very good teams to overcome, it’s not likely that the Reds win it all. But there’s talent there — notably Elly De La Cruz — so here’s hoping for a surprise run.
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