World Series 2024: Reviewing Picks from MLB Experts for Final Series on the Bracket

And then there were seven.

The New York Mets were the first team to advance to the League Championship Series on Wednesday with their 4-1 takedown of the Philadelphia Phillies. Soon, they'll be joined by the three teams fortunate enough to escape the series between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

There is still much to be decided in the 2024 MLB playoffs, in other words, but the finish line is undeniably close. Close enough, in fact, for experts across the baseball world to have predicted how things will play out. Let's review some of those picks.

Padres Are the Ringer's Pick

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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 09: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres hits a ground rule double in the third inning during Game Four of the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on October 09, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

After the wild-card round wrapped, five experts over at The Ringer made World Series predictions.

A few have already fallen apart. Zach Kram picked the Phillies to win it all, which obviously can't happen now. And while Isaac Levy-Rubinett might hit on the Yankees winning a ring, it won't be over the Phillies.

Rather incredibly, though, the other three analysts—Bobby Wagner, Ben Lindbergh and Anthony Dabbundo—all came to the same crystal-ball-backed conclusion: The Padres beating the Yankees.

Wagner liked San Diego in five games, while Lindbergh and Dabbundo backed the Friars in six. Dabbundo elaborated on the pick by noting "The Padres offense is finding its form at the right time...and the bullpen is as good as any in the sport."

Busted Brackets Aplenty at CBS

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 09: Francisco Lindor #12 (C) of the New York Mets poses with (L-R) Starling Marte #6, Francisco Alvarez #4 and Luis Severino #40 after hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during Game Four of the Division Series at Citi Field on October 09, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Right before the playoffs started, six analysts at CBS Sports supplied full postseason predictions.

Only two still have their championship standing.

Mike Axisa went with the Padres over the Yankees, citing San Diego's pitching depth and "a sneaky-deep lineup that has power and also had the lowest strikeout rate in baseball." Kate Feldman picked the Mets over the Yankees, noting "the vibes are immaculate" around the Mets.

As for the other experts, three of them—Dayn Perry, Stephen Pianovich and Matt Snyder—had the Phillies winning it all, while the other (RJ Anderson) went with the Astros.

Padres, Yankees and Plenty of Whiffs at ESPN

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NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: Juan Soto #22 and Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrate after clinching the AL East Division at Yankee Stadium on September 26, 2024, in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)

ESPN assembled a pool of 27 experts to make playoff predictions ahead of the postseason opener.

More than a few of them would surely like another crack at this.

No team drew more support than the Phillies, who collected 13 of the 27 votes. Two others had the Orioles, while one had the Astros. There's always next year, folks.

Eleven experts still have a chance to be proved correct, though. Most of them (seven to be exact) will be pulling for the Padres. They were the second most-popular pick, with Alden Gonzalez noting, "Over these past two months, they've played as if they can beat anybody."

Three other experts went with the Yankees, while one (David Schoenfield) picked the Dodgers. For Schoenfield, the reasoning is pretty simple: "They have Shohei Ohtani and nobody else does." It's pretty tough to argue with that.