World Series Position-by-Position Breakdown: Do Yankees or Dodgers Have the Edge?
The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are set to engage in a clash of titans in the 2024 World Series. It’s the first Fall Classic between No. 1 seeds since 2020, and the first such matchup in a full season since ‘13. It also pits teams with two of MLB’s three highest payrolls against each other, as well as the two presumed MVPs of the regular season in New York’s Aaron Judge and Los Angeles’s Shohei Ohtani.
Smith, an All-Star for the last two seasons, doesn’t get as much attention as he probably should in Los Angeles’s star-studded lineup. The 29-year-old ranks third among catchers in WAR over the last four seasons, behind only J.T. Realmuto and Sean Murphy, and has delivered several clutch postseason hits for the Dodgers over the years. L.A. clearly values him, though, having signed him to a 10-year, $140 million contract in March.
Austin Wells has been a nice rookie success story for the Yankees, providing a league-average bat and earning plaudits for his work behind the plate. He’s already better defensively than Smith, whose fielding metrics took a concerning tumble this year, but Smith’s clear advantage on offense gives him the nod.
World Series Position-by-Position Breakdown: Do Yankees or Dodgers Have the Edge?
Will Laws
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- New York Yankees
The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are set to engage in a clash of titans in the 2024 World Series. It’s the first Fall Classic between No. 1 seeds since 2020, and the first such matchup in a full season since ‘13. It also pits teams with two of MLB’s three highest payrolls against each other, as well as the two presumed MVPs of the regular season in New York’s Aaron Judge and Los Angeles’s Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers are slight favorites at sportsbooks, but if we break down the matchup position by position, would we get the same sense?
Catcher
Will Smith (Dodgers) vs. Austin Wells (Yankees)
Smith, an All-Star for the last two seasons, doesn’t get as much attention as he probably should in Los Angeles’s star-studded lineup. The 29-year-old ranks third among catchers in WAR over the last four seasons, behind only J.T. Realmuto and Sean Murphy, and has delivered several clutch postseason hits for the Dodgers over the years. L.A. clearly values him, though, having signed him to a 10-year, $140 million contract in March.
Austin Wells has been a nice rookie success story for the Yankees, providing a league-average bat and earning plaudits for his work behind the plate. He’s already better defensively than Smith, whose fielding metrics took a concerning tumble this year, but Smith’s clear advantage on offense gives him the nod.
Advantage: Dodgers
First base
Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) vs. Anthony Rizzo (Yankees)
These 35-year-old, sweet-swinging lefties have long been compared since their rookie seasons in 2011. Rizzo got off to a quicker start in the majors as a cornerstone for the Cubs that ended the franchise’s World Series drought in 2016. But Freeman has eclipsed him since winning the 2020 NL MVP while enjoying one of baseball’s most graceful aging curves. Rizzo hasn’t made an All-Star team since 2016—Freeman has six All-Star invites in that span.
