Top 20 Players to Watch in the 2024 World Series

A look at 20 very talented players! — Although you never really know who the next hero of the game will be.

Well, after all, the dream of many has come true: we are going to enjoy another classic Dodgers vs Yankees World Series, 43 years later!

I still say it and I really can't believe how long it took for these two great teams to meet again in a Fall Classic. But now it doesn't matter what's left behind. It's time to enjoy what is expected to be an unprecedented World Series in many ways. It will be Aaron Judge vs Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts vs Juan Soto, Gerrit Cole tested once again on baseball's main stage against one of the best lineups in the history of the game.

It's Yankees vs Dodgers, and I can't wait to see who will win this great classic duel. My heart is with the Yankees — although I must admit that my passion for the Yankees of my generation is unmatched — but I think the Dodgers are the favorites. We'll come back here every day with some perspectives.

Now let's enjoy Game 1. In baseball you never know who will be the next hero of the game. But I've picked a ranking of players who could be protagonists in this Fall Classic. I could be or I could not be. Either way, there's a lot of talent here. These are my 20 players to watch:

20. Anthony Volpe, SS — Yankees

Usually, when referring to the impact of this Yankees team, Volpe seems to be even further behind than his spot in the lineup. But if we do a fair analysis, there is no doubt that Volpe has been one of the Yankees' key players. You already know how brilliant he can be defensively, and the great stability he has brought to the New York infield.

Volpe was part of the elite of shortstops in this year's regular season, finishing with the fourth-highest OAA (15) in the league. But now the point here is how Volpe is hitting. His drop to .232 xBA during September was really concerning. So seeing Volpe regain his touch has been great news for the Yankees. From a low spot in New York's lineup, Volpe has slashed .310/.459/.345 (.804 OPS) in 37 plate appearances during this postseason. He also has the fourth-highest contact rate (84%) of the hitters who will be in this World Series, and the lowest swing-at-pitch rate (11.7%), with more walks (8) than strikeouts (6).

I think one of the reasons the Yankees haven't returned Volpe to a higher spot in the lineup is because of the depth they have. Alex Verdugo has gotten his swing back and has the lowest swing-and-miss rate in this postseason. Gleyber Torres has been one of the most consistent leadoffs. But none of them—even none of the hitters who will be in this World Series—have averaged a higher xOBP than Volpe (.507) among hitters who have seen at least 100 pitches.

19. Kiké Hernández, CF-2B-3B — Dodgers

Kiké alone is an incredible comeback story. He was just about not called up to the Dodgers' postseason roster. And then, you know, it's been the same old Kiké, hitting home runs at the key moment. In fact, there are statistics that sometimes give meaning to the baseball stories we see every day. And they do so with impressive credibility. Did you know which Dodgers or Yankees hitter has recorded the most feet on balls in play this postseason? Yes, it's been Kiké! His 181-foot average tops even Aaron Judge (181 ft), Giancarlo Stanton (175 ft) and Shohei Ohtani (158 ft). Surprised?

Kiké is definitely one to watch, as he has 10 postseason home runs in a Dodgers uniform. So in this World Series, Kiké could tie Duke Snider (11) for fourth all-time among Dodgers hitters.

18. Blake Treinen, RHP — Dodgers

Have you seen what Treinen can do? His sweeper looks like a lights-out pitch to hitters. Almost no one has been able to hit it this postseason. So it's a pitch we definitely need to rewatch over and over again. The league went after Treinen's sweeper at 59%. And when hitters did manage to hit it, the exit velocities were ridiculous. I love this fact I researched on Baseball Savant: hitters have had a 63 mph swing at Treinen this postseason. Do you understand why no one can hit it? No one wants to swing into the void.

Hitters all the time try to be prepared to hit Treinen's sweeper. But more often than not they inevitably end up swinging and missing. Look, I'll show you from this angle: Treinen has struck out nine opponents with his sweeper this postseason—50 percent of the batters faced—the same combined number between Sean Manaea (83), Luis Severino (75) and Walker Buehler (27), who threw 185 sweepers.

17. Tommy Kahnle, RHP — Yankees

When you watch Kahnle throw his changeup, I think it's inevitable to wonder if he has one of the best pitches in baseball. Well, honestly, there didn't seem to be a more dominant changeup than Tarik Skubal's this postseason. But then there's Kahnle in a special place. Hitters have gone 2-for-19 this postseason against Kahnle's changeup, with a swing-and-miss rate of 25%. A 25% swing-and-miss rate doesn't really seem like much of a deal, but in Kahnle's case that percentage has a sixth sense: He throws it most of the time. Hitters know he's going to throw it over and over again. And yet, they've gone 2-for-19, with an average exit velocity of just 83 mph.

16. Tommy Edman, SS — Dodgers

When Edman came to the Dodgers, I think we all knew what the St. Louis Cardinals had lost: a slick bat with occasional flashy power, a fast player who can make any hitting piece happen. Then, you know, Edman bombed the Mets and won the NLCS MVP. With almost no introduction, he worked his way into one of the most competitive lineups we've seen in a long time. Edman has hit .341/.333/.477 with 12 RBI in 47 plate appearances this postseason. Only Mark Vientos (14 RBI) has gotten more RBIs than Edman this October. I think he's one of the players who can especially surprise as a star in a star-studded lineup.