MLB Predictions 2024: Yamamoto Clinches Cy Young, Acuna Jr. Repeats MVP Heroics, Juan Soto Rakes and Inks Historic $500M+ Deal

2023 was full of surprises for the baseball world because of the multiple record-breaking and historic incidents. Though the world has moved into a new year, the expectations of seeing a repeat have only increased with the addition of new but also known contenders from the past.

The season was all about Ronald Acuna Jr. as he clinched the MVP, defeating seasoned players in a title battle. Thus, everyone predicts him to shine again at the plate with Juan Soto. If this happens, the new Yankee can move into a high-earning club after his one-year-long deal ends. Also, the upcoming season has been predicted as a breakthrough year for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with a Cy Young Award on the debut. Amazing! But will these all be true?

The 2024 Season to See Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Rise, Ronald Acuna Jr’s Dominance, and Juan Soto Breaking Signing Record

The past is a mirror to the present and a guide for the future. The same is true for the MLB world, where the past does matter in describing the future. This seems to be the case in the new year, with predictions floating in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Juan Soto. But what are the reasons behind these MLB predictions?

As Yamamoto has not played a single game in the league, his record-breaking $325 million deal has a promise with it that he will dismantle the offenses to get his fourth Cy Young award after clinching three (Sawamura Award, Cy Young equivalent) consecutively in Japan. The basis for this prediction here is his pitching record, which stood at 16 wins with an ERA of 1.21 in 164 innings while giving up only two home runs last season. Given that no pitcher in the MLB has managed such a record, the odds favor Yamamoto for a big win.

The same is the story of Acuna, who crafted the 2023 season with perfection. Notably, the star slugger won his MVP award while notching up 41 HRs and 73 steals, creating a new category in the record box. With this, the 26-year-old touched his prime and continued the same form in the Dominican Professional Baseball League, indicating a repeat in the 2024 season.

Soto, who signed for the New York Yankees, is no exception. With him joining a team he always wanted to, the expectations are high. The player should be adding to his OPS 0.930 of the last season. If that happens, the former Padres star is expected to get his best season numbers overshadowing 2021, where he scored 111 runs in 157 hits. This would put him amongst the best in the season and can fetch him a $500 million deal with teams floating to have his signature. But is there something that can go wrong in these MLB Predictions?

MLB Predictions: Everything Fits in if Players Are Best With Their Fitness

Predictions are premature and do depend upon the past a lot. In this case, the present can be a deciding factor that relates to the fitness issues of the players. The last season witnessed this when Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani lost crucial game time due to injuries. Although Ohtani’s first-half performance compensated for that loss, the same was not true with Judge. This hampered his MVP win.

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