It’s official: The 2024 World Series will be decided between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
The Dodgers last won the world series in 2020 when they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays four games to two, while the Yankees last won the World Series in 2009 when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies four games to two. The Dodgers and Yankees last faced each other in the 1981 World Series, which the Dodgers won in six games.
The Dodgers and Yankees nearly competed in the 2017 World Series, but the Yankees lost the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) to the Houston Astros. The Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs in the 2017 National League Championship Series (NLCS) but lost to the Astros in the World Series.
Jack Lacouture (’25), who is currently completing an independent study on baseball analytics, shared his thoughts on the 2024 World Series. He commented on the “star power” underlying this year’s series, particularly in the matchup between Shohei Ohtani of the LA Dodgers and Aaron Judge of the NY Yankees.
“Aaron Judge has had a great career. He has outperformed almost everybody in the league,” said Lacouture. Referring to Ohtani’s skills as both a pitcher and designated hitter, he said, “Shohei Ohtani deserves a ring for how good he is on both sides of the ball.”
The Sporting News provides Judge and Ohtani’s 2024 hitting statistics. Looking at the basic stats, Judge had a batting average of .322, hit 58 home runs, and tallied 144 runs batted in (RBIs). Ohtani had a batting average of .310, hit 54 home runs, and tallied 130 RBIs.
Lacouture shared his main takeaway from his independent study thus far. “The overall batting statistics are a very poor indicator of player performance. Average does not encapsulate a player’s ability to perform. There’s other batting statistics that are better, such as Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+),” he said.
Considering Lacouture’s advice, in the FanGraphs analysis of both the American League and National League in the 2024 regular season, the Dodgers lead with the highest wRC+ at 118, followed by the Yankees at 117.
At the individual level, FanGraphs lists Judge’s 2024 wRC+ at 218 and Ohtani’s at 181.
When asked which team he thinks has a better shot at securing the 2024 championship, Lacouture said, “The Dodgers will win in four games. That’s my prediction.”
Roberto Rodriguez (’26), a longtime fan of the New York Yankees, is optimistic about his team’s chances. He said, “It’s been 15 years since their last World Series, so I’ve been waiting all my life for this moment.”
Offering his prediction, Rodriguez said that while the Dodgers are historically a very good team, he believes that the Yankees can win in five or six games.
Whether the 2024 World Series is claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers or the New York Yankees, as both Lacouture and Rodriguez note, this matchup ensures that one of baseball’s top stars, Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge, will earn their first World Series ring.
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