Who do players think will win the '24 World Series?

During Spring Training, MLB.com beat writers surveyed their clubhouses, asking players for their opinions on a range of topics. Well over 100 players participated, in exchange for anonymity. In the leadup to Opening Day, MLB.com is publishing a series of stories based on the results of that survey.

Today’s topic: The 2024 World Series champion

“Hope springs eternal” is often heard around this time of year. After all, when each team arrives at camp for Spring Training, anything is possible. Each club’s players certainly dream of winning the World Series in the fall, but which team do they think could win it all (if not their own)?

That’s exactly what we asked players all across the game. Here’s how the voting shook out.

1. Dodgers
The Dodgers edged the Braves among the players surveyed, with those two clubs in a league of their own in the balloting. But the Dodgers are the team cited most as the one players think will win this year’s World Series (if not their own club). And why not? An already stacked roster added Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among others, this offseason. The top three in the lineup -- Mookie Betts, Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, are all MVP Award winners.

One AL reliever summed it up pretty well when he said, “I mean, they were already pretty good ... and they definitely got some guys."

They definitely did. An NL outfielder couldn’t see any way to avoid saying the Dodgers are the team to beat: “I don’t know how you can’t.”

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Said an AL infielder: “They've got all the talent, right?"

They certainly have an abundance of that. But an NL starter, while going with the Dodgers, perhaps inadvertently made a strong point about how things have played out in recent years: “We predict it every year."

Still, it’s tough not to pick a team with such a loaded roster, as noted by an AL starting pitcher.

“They've got to be the leading answer for this, right?” he asked. Right.

2. Braves
The Braves weren’t far behind behind the Dodgers in player voting, which stands to reason when you look at Atlanta's incredibly well-rounded roster.

With reigning National League MVP Ronald Acu?a Jr. and slugging corner infielders Matt Olson and Austin Riley, just to name a few, the offense is poised to be a juggernaut again. And on the mound, Spencer Strider and Max Fried headline a vaunted starting rotation that added Chris Sale, who’s looked good this spring.

“They just have a very talented roster,” said an AL reliever. “Really good starting pitching."

An AL outfielder, like so many of us, remains awestruck with Atlanta’s power at the plate. “You can never count them out with the hitters they have,” he said.

Perhaps an AL reliever put it best: “They could be an absolute problem this year.”

3. Orioles
Take a 101-win team, add a former Cy Young Award winner to the front of the rotation and throw in an exciting No. 1 overall prospect who could very well make the Opening Day roster. What do you get?

According to many players in our survey, you get a 2024 World Series champion.

“That young talent gained valuable experience last year,” said an NL reliever.

Multiple respondents who chose the O's cited the addition of right-hander Corbin Burnes, which many see as the final piece to the World Series puzzle for Baltimore.

"They had a great squad last year and a pretty good pitching staff as it was," said an AL starting pitcher. "Now, they have refined that with the additions they've made. They will be a tough team to beat."

4. Phillies
They were oh-so-close to winning their first World Series title in 14 years when the Astros defeated them in the 2022 Fall Classic. Last year, a promising October run ended one game shy of another NL pennant. Could the Phillies finally go all the way in ’24?

One AL catcher certainly thinks so, reasoning: "They seem to always play well in October."

One reason for that is their home ballpark. As we saw in the 2022 postseason, the Phillies have an incredible advantage when it comes to playing at Citizens Bank Park. That’s one reason some players in our survey went with the Phils.

"I'll go Philly because I think their home-field advantage is huge," an AL outfielder explained. "I played there, and that place is electric."

5. Yankees
The Yanks made some big moves this offseason, none bigger than the acquisition of elite slugger Juan Soto to pair with Aaron Judge in the Bronx Bombers’ lineup.

Injuries, however, continue to wreak havoc -- after much of the starting rotation, as well as Judge and other position players, missed significant time due to various ailments last season, ace Gerrit Cole will miss at least the first month of the regular season with an elbow injury (news that broke after this survey was conducted.)

Still, it’s hard to count out the Yankees, as evidenced by the number of players who chose them as their projected World Series champs.

“They’re just loaded on offense now with the addition of Soto,” said an NL infielder. “They’ll be really tough to beat.”

Also receiving votes: Astros, Blue Jays, Mariners, Rangers, Rays, Reds