MLB Power Rankings: Which Dodgers and Yankees are most likely to win World Series MVP

The 2024 World Series will commence on Friday, Oct. 25 and feature the two No. 1 seeds, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Remember when a certain southeastern contender said you couldn't win after the buy week? New York vs. LA was utterly predictable, but after the strangeness of Arizona-Texas a year ago, there is a certain comfort in returning to a couple juggernauts with sky-high payrolls.

The history is deep and contentious between these two organizations. When you think about baseball in its century-plus totality, two organizations tend to pop up in the mind's eye. The Dodgers and Yankees are the equivalent of nobility in this sport, and this matchup features a lot of the star-power we've come to expect from both of these clubs over the years.

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are expected to win regular season MVP for their respective leagues, becoming the seventh pair of MVPs to wage battle on the World Series stage. But the World Series MVP is a uniquely prestigious award with serious ramifications for all-time great players looking to bolster their resumes. Judge and Ohtani are both Hall of Fame locks, but the winner of this series — and potentially this award — could earn bragging rights for eternity.

Not to spoil it, but how can we not expect Ohtani and Judge to duke it out for World Series MVP? It almost feels fated. There will, however, be plenty of competition. This is a star-studded matchup, and there's always the possibility of a sleeper coming out of left field. Tommy Edman just won NLCS MVP, so you can never really know who might pop in a four-to-seven game span.

Here are the five strongest candidates going in.

Honorable mentions: Giancarlo Stanton, Teoscar Hernandez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy

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5. Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees

It has been a rocky postseason (and season as a whole) for Gerrit Cole, who has battled through injuries and rust to help elevate New York to the World Series stage. There is a nonzero chance that Cole becomes a free agent this winter, although if it's hard to imagine the Yankees letting their beloved ace walk. The pressure is on and Cole has a chance to deliver on baseball's grandest stage.

A six-time All-Star and the 2023 Cy Young winner, Cole has some of the best stuff in the MLB when he's dealing. The Dodgers have been the better pitching team of late, against all odds, but the Yankees are a group with actual rotation depth and ace equity. Cole is the head of the snake. He's bound to make at least a couple starts. If he can keep Los Angeles' high-powered offense in check twice, that is a major accomplishment — and it could prove the difference between a historic Yankees victory or a Dodgers parade.

Mileage varies on the entertainment value of pitching duels, but there's nothing quite like a low-scoring affair in October, when every pitch seems to carry the weight of the world. That is an environment Cole is capable of shining in. I'd like to see it.

4. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Mookie Betts has won two World Series, one in Boston, one in Los Angeles, but he has not brought home the World Series MVP award. That would be a nice feather in his cap, not to mention a third ring. This has not been Betts' most productive campaign, largely for reasons outside his control, but we know how special a talent he is.

The postseason has not always treated Betts kindly individually — he was the butt of countless jokes when LA was ousted in the first round a year ago — but the production was there in the NLCS, including a monster four-hit, four-RBI performance in Game 4 against the Mets. Betts is a proper five-tool player, capable of flashing his leather for clutch plays in the outfield, creating havoc on the base paths, or putting his bat on the ball with tremendous frequency.

Few can blend contact and power more proficiently than Betts when he's raking. The Dodgers are loaded with some of the best hitters in this sport — how is Teoscar Hernandez not even a top-five candidate, y'all? — but Mookie has earned the benefit of the doubt over the years. He's healthy, the Dodgers are red-hot, and the former Red Sox standout should relish the opportunity to embarrass New York in the World Series.

3. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Whaaaaaaaat?

Aaron Judge is the second-best player in this series. Maybe first, depending on your preferences. But we have to take history into account, and Judge has struggled on the postseason stage historically. He's batting .203 in the playoffs for his career, which is not ideal.

He made a few clutch hits in the Cleveland series, including a go-ahead ninth inning bomb in Game 3 that was eventually rendered moot. The hope is that Judge is finally gaining steam at the right time. October baseball is often a funky and unreliable sample size. I don't think anyone would contend that Judge isn't one of the most dominant hitters in the sport.

He's certainly due for an explosion, so don't be shocked if the 32-year-old finally comes through. We just can't put him in the top-two out of precedent.

2. Juan Soto, New York Yankees

If the Yankees emerge victorious, this is how it'll end, right? Juan Soto wins World Series MVP and rides off into the sunset with his new $800 million contract and a Mets jersey in hand. A fitting one-year foray into the Yankees history books that earns Soto enough goodwill to backstab in free agency.

Soto has never shied away from the postseason spotlight. He's one of the most disciplined bats in the MLB and hitting in front of Mr. Judge has its perks. The Dodgers were able to shut out San Diego and the Mets with maddening frequency, but something tells me that won't hold through this series. Soto is going to pop off at least once, as the kids like to say.

At 25 years old, Soto has already been on this stage once. He won with the Nats in 2019, watching Stephen Strasburg take home MVP honors. It's easy to forget how early we are in the arc of Soto's career. He's just getting started and he already has four All-Stars and four Silver Sluggers under his belt.

New York's lineup is better than it gets credit for, but I'd expect Soto to headline a Yankees victory.

1. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

I'm not even sure if the Dodgers are my pick, but come on. This reads like destiny. Shohei Ohtani bolts Los Angeles Angels purgatory for the sunnier side of town, immediately reaches the World Series, and adds this elusive World Series MVP honor to his increasingly robust resume. Ohtani will go down as one of the all-time greats, truly. It's not hard to imagine him raking through a beatable Yankees pitching staff and claiming an extra trophy to coincide with his first ring.

The RISP numbers for Ohtani this postseason have been patently absurd. He is taking advantage of just about every opportunity to put runs on the board.

In addition to his exceedingly live bat, Ohtani is a constant stolen base threat. He puts so much stress on a pitching staff and a defense, that it's easy to overlook the fact that he's not fielding or pitching in this particular series.

Ohtani is the hottest superstar in the postseason and there is an overwhelming sensation of destiny when watching him hit these days. The Dodgers have plenty of shortcomings as a team, but let's not pretend like the Yankees are without holes. This should be a fun, high-scoring series, which plays right into Ohtani's hands.