The phrase "He knows ball," or any of its many positive and negative variations, is one of the in-vogue quips in the online sports world. I'd like to consider myself an above-average ball-knower when it comes to baseball, but the task of projecting which team will win the World Series is a daunting one. Not only has MLB's playoff field grown dreadfully bloated, but the postseason itself is something of a craps shoot. We can lean on measuring if a team's pitching depth and bullpen is up to the task of getting tons of high-leverage outs in October, but sometimes strange things happen. 

Take, for instance, the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks coming within spitting distance of a ring. Picking the Diamondbacks to win the National League pennant before Opening Day would've made you a whole lot of money, but Arizona hardly projected as even a fun sleeper pick. Is another improbable run in store? Or will one of the league's heavyweights simply bulldoze its way to a championship?

Those are questions not even the greatest ball-knower can adequately answer. But we're sure as heck going to try. Below you'll find my picks for both league pennants and the eventual World Series winner, as well as fades for the three categories.

Before you make any bets on who wins the 2024 World Series and pennants, you need to see who SportsLine editor Nick Stellini is backing. Stellini worked as a baseball writer for outlets including Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, Sporting News, The Athletic and NBC Sports before joining SportsLine. He's had his finger on the pulse of the sport for years. 

Now Stellini has shared his 2024 World Series and pennant picks. Be sure to check out his plays before locking in any of your own.

Which teams are the best bets to win the 2024 World Series? And which teams will win the AL and NL pennants? ... Join SportsLine right now to see 2024 World Series futures betting strategy from SportsLine's expert!