2024 NL Playoff Predictions
Time for the Senior Circuit. Like my AL Predictions, I'm really hoping these won't come back to ruin my credibility.
After crafting my 2024 American League predictions less than a week ago, I’ve decided what better day to post my National League crystal ball than Opening Day?
With the Major League Baseball season once again on the horizon, I’m ready to push the speculation aside and get this season kicking. Not sure if it was Scott Boras who made this offseason feel like an eternity, but the lockout felt quicker than this. Thank goodness we are back.
Since I’m so accurate at predicting the MLB playoff picture that will come to fruition in October (I went 6-for-12 last year it wasn’t pretty), why not take a stab at the other six clubs that I think will join the boys from the Junior Circuit? I went 8-for-12 with postseason teams in 2022 — hoping for that number again.
Here’s my 2024 National League playoff seeding:
#1 — Atlanta Braves
#2 — Los Angeles Dodgers
#3 — Chicago Cubs
#4 — Philadelphia Phillies
#5 — Arizona Diamondbacks
#6 — Cincinnati Reds
My division winners:
It’s hard to go against a club that signed Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Teoscar Hernandez, with a trade for Tyler Glasnow in one offseason as the number one seed. But I suspect the Braves to be better than the Dodgers regular season-wise.
Atlanta hit 307 home runs last year and had a team SLG% of .501 — insanity. While it’s only natural that a club won’t exactly repeat a team with 39.7 batting fWAR, I think their floor looks to be around 35 fWAR. With players like MVP Ronald Acuña Jr, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Ablies, Sean Murphy, Marcell Ozuna, and Michael Harris II — this lineup is LOADED.
I’m a bit more hesitant on the Dodgers, because of their banged-up pitching staff. Clayton Kershaw won’t be healthy to start the season, and neither will Walker Buehler. If you didn’t know Ohtani went under the knife for Tommy John surgery, you were living under a rock. The club is relying on inexperienced arms like Yamamoto, Miller, and Stone to throw quality innings.
In terms of my division winners, I can sleep well at night confident in the Dodgers and Braves. The Cubs? That’s a different story. I went with pure balance on both sides of the ball and proven Skipper Craig Counsell to lead the way. A coin flip.
Wild Cards:
The Phillies are a pretty obvious choice for a Wild Card. While they’ve trumped division rival Atlanta in the playoffs the past two years and reached a World Series, they aren’t as well built for a full 162 compared to the Braves.
I’m excited to see a full year of first base Bryce Harper, Trea Turner should feel more at home in year two, and Dombrowski locked up their two-headed monster of Wheeler and Nola for the foreseeable future. But in terms of bullpens and roster depth, I can’t turn away from Atlanta. Philadelphia shouldn’t have any worries about living to see October in 2024.
As for Arizona, I applaud their Cinderella-type run to the Fall Classic. While the club came up a few games short, the experience the Dbacks gained should pay dividends.
A core of Corbin Carroll, Christian Walker, Gabe Moreno, Zac Gallen, and Ketel Marte is unlike a rattlesnake, quietly dangerous. Additional pieces of Eduardo Rodriguez, Jordan Montgomery, Eugenio Suarez, and Joc Pederson only make me feel better.
Finally, my final pick to reach the postseason in 2024 is the Reds. While it was fun to try and look into the future of this upcoming season, I did not enjoy the NL Central one bit.
Maybe it’s good for baseball that this division lacks a true juggernaut, maybe I should have gone with the Padres or Giants instead, but Cincinnati is just too fun not to pick. Even with Matt McLain out for some time and a Noelvi Marte poor choice, I still love the young talent this team possesses with Elly De La Cruz, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Andrew Abbott, Spencer Steer, and Will Benson.
Krall adding capable arms in Pagan, Montas, Suter, and Marinez might have just made the difference. Don’t let me down!