With football season concluding soon and the whispers of spring calling, that means baseball season will be right around the corner. It's now just 50 days away from MLB Opening Day 2024 (as of this writing), and then all will be right with the world again if you're a baseball fan.
If you are one of those baseball fans, you're more than welcoming the days to come and go with what has been a rather dull, dragging offseason that has produced little to no spark since the last pitch of the World Series back in early November. That doesn't mean there haven't been some significant moves made by teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, however. But it was an offseason that was overrun with Shohei Ohtani speculation, which ended in the most anticlimactic fashion, signing with the Dodgers as most expected he would.
Still, there are tons of questions that MLB fans are bound to be asking as MLB Opening Day 2024 gets closer, with trying to predict just how the new season will begin and end. Here are some that came to mind:
1. When will Shohei Ohtani play his first game for the Dodgers?
We might as well start with who has taken over baseball talks over the last two seasons and start with him heading into 2024. After signing his lucrative deal with the Dodgers — even if it is mostly paid after he's no longer playing — the question was when might the two-way player make his first appearance in Dodger blue?
Ohtani is coming off his second UCL surgery in his career, where he will be out as a pitcher in 2024, but he will be back at the plate. If he's anything like Bryce Harper, who was coming off UCL surgery last season, he didn't appear in his first game until May 2. Will Ohtani be the same? Sooner? Later? He say's he will be available by Opening Day. That remains to be seen, however.
2. How many home runs will Shohei Ohtani hit in 2024?
Again, we go back to the first question of just when it is he might be able to step back into the batter's box, which will most likely be his only “position” this season, going as the full-time designated hitter unless the Dodgers deem him healthy enough to go into the outfield this season, which he said he would do.
Going back to Harper as a comparison, the Phillies star hit his first homer in just his fourth game back, but was very sporadic after that, hitting just 21 for the year. Obviously, Ohtani is a different player entirely, but it ultimately depends on his timetable. Playing in 135 games or more the past three seasons, Ohtani has hit 46, 34 and 44 home runs.
3. What team will Cody Bellinger be playing for on MLB Opening Day 2024?
Cody Bellinger had a resurgent year with the Chicago Cubs last season that made him one of the top free agents coming into the offseason. He's still one of the biggest free agents left on the market that has yet to sign anywhere. Will he be back with the Cubs, or is there another suitor that could lure him away?
4. Can the Houston Astros make it to their eighth ALCS?
The Astros have consistently been one of the best teams in baseball for nearly a decade now. They've won two World Series titles since 2017, while playing in four out of the last seven. But they've played in seven consecutive ALCS series, which puts them one away from tying the Atlanta Braves in consecutive LCS appearances.
5. Can the Texas Rangers repeat?
It took them 52 years, but the Rangers finally won a World Series championship in 2023. The Rangers are bringing back a lot of what made them successful last season, such as core players in Corey Seager, Marcus Semien offensively. However, their pitching is a bit suspect with Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Tyler Mahle not coming back until later in the season.
If the Rangers were to repeat, they would not only be the first team since the New York Yankees took three in a row from 1998-2000, it would also be manager Bruce Bochy's first back-to-back titles.
6. Can Jacob deGrom make it through the 2024 season?
Jacob deGrom has been one of the best and most dominating pitchers in league history when he's there. It's just that over the last several seasons he hasn't been there due to being hampered by injuries. He's slated to have a mid-summer return for the Rangers in 2024, according to ESPN. But it's likely the Rangers will play it extremely safe with him.
7. Will the Yankees finally make it back to the World Series in 2024?
The Yankees had one of their more productive offseasons in some time after not doing anything during the trade deadline last year, then missing the playoffs entirely, leaving many in the Bronx heated. The most notable of acquisitions was trading for Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. The Yankees haven't won or played in a World Series since 2009.
8. Can the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the playoffs, or at least make it back to the NLCS?
The Braves came as a bit of a surprise in 2021 when they only won 88 games and won then won their first World Series since 1995. Since then, the team has only become more talented, growing through experience. However, they have fallen to the Phillies in the NLDS the past two seasons. This is way too good of a team not to make it deep in the postseason.
9. How many stolen bases will Corbin Carroll have in 2024?
Ronald Acuna Jr. was last year's MLB stolen base leader with 73, and while that could be the case again this season, Carroll's second full year could be one to watch for. He finished third behind Esteury Ruiz with 54 bags last season, but one can only imagine that number may improve in 2024.
10. How bad will the Oakland Athletics be and what will their average attendance be in 2024?
The A's still have one more season and one more Opening Day remaining at the Oakland Coliseum before they head to Las Vegas (at least they hope). It should be another interesting year for the team that will likely be just as bad if not worse in their final season in Oakland. They won just 50 games and lost 112 last season, which was the worst in baseball. They also had the league's worst attendance for the second year in a row with just over 10,000, per ESPN stats, which still seems generous.
11. Can Ronald Acuna Jr. repeat as NL MVP?
The last time there was a back-to-back MVP winner was Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and 2013, and the last time there was a back-to-back NL MVP winner was Albert Pujols in 2008 and 2009. For Acuna, he now doesn't have to worry about the likes of Juan Soto any longer, since he's in the AL, but he does have to worry about Ohtani, although that will depend upon how many plate appearances he has by season's end.
12. Will the Chicago Cubs take back the NL Central in 2024?
The Cubs made a valiant comeback in the second half last season to almost make the playoffs but were just on the outside. Minus the COVID season, they haven't won the NL Central since 2017, the year after they won the World Series. They took last year's division winner in the Milwaukee Brewers' manager Craig Counsell and made him their own skipper. Add him along with veteran and youthful talent, and the Cubs could retake the division in 2024.
13. How many wins will the Dodgers have in 2024?
The Dodgers finished with 100 wins last season and before that had 111. They're coming into MLB Opening Day 2024 with the highest of expectations. They are built for another 100-plus win season again, barring injuries.
14. If the Dodgers don't win the World Series, will Dave Roberts be fired?
Let's face it, the Dodgers have fallen way short of expectations over the last several years. Sure, they won the World Series back in the shortened COVID season, but that's now looking as a major hiccup for Roberts and the Dodgers as the years go on. With the roster only increasing in talent, including the best player in baseball in Ohtani, it's a World Series win or bust, with Roberts' job likely on the line.
15. Can Ronald Acuna Jr. go 40/40 again?
Acuna became the first player in the history of MLB to hit 40 home runs to go with 40 stolen bases. Acuna has nothing but a World Championship on his mind, attaining about as much individual accolades one can get up to this point. But it wouldn't be shocking to see the Braves' right fielder do this again.
16. What exactly will the New York Mets look like in 2024?
After their purging of high-dollar contract players at the trade deadline last year, the Mets are in the midst of a rebuild it looks like. Most aren't expecting this to be a Mets team to make the postseason this year, and it shows with their Opening Day 2024 ticket prices, that are starting at $21, per sportskeeda.
17. Will the San Diego Padres return to the playoffs?
Along with last year's Mets, the Padres were one of the most disappointing teams in 2023. They had a roster loaded with top talent from the lineup to pitching, yet couldn't even get to the postseason. With the Dodgers only getting stronger, it looks like it will be another vying for a Wild Card spot in 2024.
18. Were the Baltimore Orioles a fluke in 2023?
The Baltimore Orioles and surge of youthful talent took the next step in 2023, making the playoffs and winning the AL East. They're still in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, and the Yankees are looking to take it back.
19. Will the St. Louis Cardinals be as bad as they were in 2023?
Cardinals fans aren't used to seasons like last year's. It was the first time in four years they missed the postseason but it was the worst losing season they've had since 1990 (70-92) where they also finished in last place, as well.
20. Will Yoshinobu Yamamoto be as good as advertised in MLB, playing for the Dodgers?
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was one of the Dodgers' major pickups this offseason, and he will be one that everyone will be asking about come Opening Day 2024. The question will be, will he have close to the success that his new teammate Ohtani has had since coming to MLB from the Japanese leagues? In seven seasons in Japan, Yamamoto had 75 wins and 30 losses for a 1.72 ERA.
Follow Us
Subscribe