Baseball’s Best, Worst and Most Surprising: The 2024 Season in Review

By Eric Gouldsberry, This Great Game—Posted November 3, 2024

Major League Baseball’s 2024 season began with the embarrassment of see-through, sweat-drenched uniforms players rebelled against, pitchers dropping like flies to season-ending injuries, and a scandal involving a gambling-addicted translator poaching his client’s bank account that led to suspicion that the client—megastar Shohei Ohtani—was laying down his own bets. By the time the final out had been made seven months later, we witnessed the A’s final season in Oakland, a bumper crop of rookies named Jackson, historic misery for the Chicago White Sox, Ohtani’s run towards and past 50-50, and a game in which catcher Danny Jansen played for both teams. There was sad news in the loss of Willie Mays, Pete Rose and Orlando Cepeda—but on the brighter side, Angel Hernandez stepped down.

Trends went up, down and nowhere. Batting averages dropped five points to .243, the fifth lowest in modern (post-1900) times, while on-base and slugging percentages fell at similar rates. Strikeout totals continued its recent retreat after years of consistently creeping upward to record levels. Four minutes were lopped off the average time of game, an unexpected result given how players were expected to maximize the various time quotas placed upon them a year before. Just as surprising, the total of number of stolen bases rose only 4%, as teams remained strangely hesitant to take advantage of liberated rules encouraging more thefts. Attendance continued its post-COVID mini-surge, rising a mere percentage point to its highest per-game total since 2017—but still 10% off its 2007 peak.

The 2024 postseason turned out to be the wrong time for this author to post a rant about the proliferation of wild cards. No team reached 100 victories, the differential in wins between the first and sixth playoff seeds in each league was less than 10 games, and for only the fifth time in the 30-year Wild Card Era, the two teams with the majors’ best record made it to the World Series, with old Fall Classic foes in the Dodgers and Yankees—along with their MVP studs in Ohtani and Aaron Judge—facing off once more to determine baseball’s kings for 2024.

Continuing a tradition that began in 2013, what follows is TGG’s review of all 30 MLB teams from this past season, spotlighting the highs and lows, strengths and weaknesses, bests and worsts, and the odd and interesting. Please enjoy and, if you wish, opine.

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies
2024 Record: 95-67 (first)

The Scoop: One of baseball’s more well-rounded, veteran and expensive rosters shot off to a strong start, and it wasn’t just the guys making a zillion dollars; Ranger Suarez was pitching like Pete Alexander while Alec Bohm looked to be on his way to knocking in 150 runs. The spark of Spring lost its flicker in the summer as the Phillies played .500 ball after the All-Star Break—then disappointed in October with a first-series exit—but there was still plenty to look fondly back on, including another can’t-complain campaign from Bryce Harper (.285 batting average, 30 home runs, 87 runs batted in, 42 doubles) and Kyle Schwarber, who set an MLB record with 15 of his 38 homers hit from the leadoff spot in the first inning.

Best of Show: The Phillies got their money’s worth in the first year of a three-year, $126 million deal with Zack Wheeler—who besides a 16-7 record and 2.57 ERA produced a career-low .192 batting average against while pacing the National League with a 0.96 WHIP (walks and hit allowed per inning).

Where Did You Come From: In his fourth year in Philly, Cristopher Sanchez became a thing with an 11-9 record, 3.32 ERA and two complete games; he was particularly good in front of the home fans, authoring a 2.21 ERA (compared to 5.02 on the road). The Phillies were content enough to bless the 27-year-old southpaw with a four-year, $22.5 million extension midway through the season.

Where Did You Go? Taijuan Walker flamed out with a 3-7 record, 7.10 ERA and a demotion to the bullpen where his struggles continued—eliciting some of the year’s loudest boos at Citizens Bank Park.

It’s Interesting to Note: After never enjoying more than one hat trick of home runs in any of their previous 141 seasons, the Phillies were blessed with three of them in 2024—two by Schwarber, a mere four weeks apart late in the summer.

Atlanta Braves
2024 Record: 89-73 (tied for second)

The Scoop: After a 2023 campaign full of remarkable individual achievements, the Braves were all but expected to phone in another NL East title for 2024. Maybe they should have dialed up; it would have been a lot safer. Wave after wave of brutal injuries hit the team; strikeout king Spencer Strider underwent season-ending injury after just two starts, reigning ML MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. was done in late May after tearing an ACL for the second time in three years, and other injuries took away significant chunks of the season from everyday stalwarts Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Michael Harris II. The Braves held firm enough to sneak into October as wild card thanks to a Cy Young-worthy effort from Chris Sale, a prodigious effort from Marcell Ozuna (.302 average, 39 homers, 104 RBIs) and closer Raisel Iglesias, who saved 34 games with a 1.95 ERA—but reality of the year’s frustration hit a coda as the Braves went two-and-out in the first round of the playoffs against San Diego.

Best of Show: After five seasons of looking helplessly out-of-whack through a myriad of injuries worthy of the Operation game board, Sale put himself back together in his first year at Atlanta with arguably his finest season yet—winning the NL triple crown of pitching with an 18-3 record, 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts.

Where Did You Come From: With one Spencer (Strider) out, another came along in 24-year-old rookie Spencer Schwellenbach—called up at the end of May, enduring a tough first month in June, then more than settling down with an 8-7 record, 3.32 ERA and excellent (5.52-1) strikeout-to-walk ratio. From July 6 on, his ERA was 2.54.

Where Did You Go? An All-Star the year before with a 12-4 record and 3.81 ERA, Bryce Elder had an awful follow-up in 2024—going 2-5 in 10 starts with an abysmal 6.52 ERA, leading to a minor-league demotion. Being named to the International League’s All-Star team was probably not the accolade he dreamed of before Opening Day.

It’s Interesting to Note: The Braves ran up a streak of 231 straight home games without being shut out—the third longest such run in MLB history. Then they suffered six shutout losses over their last 27 games at Truist Park.

New York Mets
2024 Record: 89-73 (tied for second)

The Scoop: Circa the beginning of June, all looked lost for the Mets. They were 10 games under .500, in-house bickering seemed to be festering, and reliever Jorge Lopez, displaying an on-field tantrum following an ejection against the Dodgers, told reporters afterward, “I’ve been on the worst team in probably the whole f**king MLB.” “That’s where the Mets are right now,” responded Mets broadcaster Ron Darling, “not a good optic.” Then Grimace came along to save the day; the purple McDonald’s mascot threw out the first pitch at Citi Field, and the Mets suddenly played like World Series contenders, raging through the season’s second half, slipping into the postseason as a wild card and playing the upset victor in the first two rounds before finally hitting a wall against those same Dodgers in the NLCS. That the Mets came two wins short of being the NL’s third straight #6 seed to win the pennant was made possible by an MLB-best 45 comeback wins, a surprisingly good rotation full of guys once thought to be past their prime, and the leadoff spark we’ll next talk about.

Best of Show: Shortstop Francisco Lindor mirrored the Mets’ fortunes to exaggerated effect; he was ice cold in Spring Training and didn’t thaw out until late May with his average still below .200. Once he warmed up, he got hot to the point that some suggested he could be an upset MVP winner over Shohei Ohtani. After finishing the regular season with a .273 average, 33 homers, 91 RBIs, 107 runs and 29 steals, Lindor’s clutch theatrics in the postseason certainly clinched his status as the Mets’ most valuable.

Where Did You Come From: If Pete Alonso is to leave via free agency this winter, third baseman Mark Vientos could be a prime (and worthy) candidate to inherit the team’s slugger role. In his first full season, the 24-year old banged 32 home runs with 85 RBIs over just 124 games.

Where Did You Go? Kodai Senga, one of the few Mets who did anything right in 2023, saw his 2024 debut delayed four months by a shoulder injury—then left what would be his only regular season outing when he sprained his calf, before returning in the postseason for a couple cameo starts.

It’s Interesting to Note: The Mets hit six walk-off home runs to tie the team record shared by the 1962 (40-120) and 1963 (51-111) editions.

Washington Nationals
2024 Record: 71-91 (fourth)

The Scoop: Almost anonymously, the still no-name Nationals quietly meandered through another unremarkable campaign that few failed (or cared) to notice. Slowly rising names continued to outnumber the known names in the clubhouse; you can’t tell these players even with a program. That said, the Nationals were far from a disasterclass, flirting with .500 before fading away and exhibiting fleet feet that took advantage of MLB’s liberating stolen base rules by pilfering 223 bases—the most by any team in 31 years. If the Nationals have a five-year plan in place, a deadline must be looming—and they need to pick up the pace.

Best of Show: Leadoff spark CJ Abrams started strong, wilted in the summer, and achieved a one-way ticket off the roster for the season’s final week-plus when he spent all night—and practically all morning—at a Chicago casino in advance of a day game against the Cubs, ticking off management. But overall, no one in Washington had a bigger impact as Abrams hit 20 homers and stole 31 bases.

Where Did You Come From: James Wood, another gift from the Padres for Juan Soto, has the potential to become the long-overdue Next Big Thing in D.C.—and his half-season debut numbers (.264 average, nine homers, 41 RBIs, 14 steals) reflect that hope.

Where Did You Go? Or, more pointedly in this case, where are you going, Patrick Corbin? The answer is anywhere but Washington, as the veteran pitcher finished off a $140 million contract by giving up more runs than any other pitcher for the third time in four years.

It’s Interesting to Note: Twenty-three Nationals stole at least one base, the most by any MLB ballclub since the 1917 Pittsburgh Pirates.

Miami Marlins
2024 Record: 62-100 (fifth)

The Scoop: Front offices hate to throw in the towel so early in a season, but when you lose your first nine games—eight of them at home—and you’re the Marlins, tearing rosters apart has become something of a tradition. Miami’s list of player transactions read like one of those voluminous ‘terms and conditions’ spiels you quickly push the ‘accept’ button on without reading; before the year was over, an MLB-record 70 different players put on a Marlins jersey. Exiled at some point along the way was perennial batting champ Luis Arraez, switch-hitting slugger Josh Bell, closer Tanner Scott and Jazz Chisholm Jr., the last shred of vibe on an otherwise uninspiring roster. Also M.I.A. from “MIA” was Sandy Alcantara (remember him?), still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and the promising Eury Perez—who underwent the procedure in April. The Marlins were particularly bad against left-handed starters (10-45) and on defense, committing an MLB-high 117 errors. They thus became only the third team to lose 100 games a year after making the postseason. One of the other two: The 1998 Marlins. Tradition.

Best of Show: Jake Burger emerged as the Marlins’ lone legit power threat, bashing 29 homers in 137 games. Surely the Marlins’ marketing department—they do have one, don’t they?—are working on a gut-busting hamburger baring his name to sell at the ballpark.

Where Did You Come From: The early-season trade of Arraez to San Diego made sense once one saw the effectiveness of second-year shortstop Xavier Edwards, who inherited Arraez’s leadoff spot and thrived with a .328 average and 31 steals over just 70 games. Among Edwards’ highlights was the second cycle in Marlins history on July 28, and the franchise’s first-ever three-triple game on September 27.

Where Did You Go? Over 70 Marlins employees were let go at season’s end in what the team described as the beginning of a re-org, not a cost-cutting measure. So they’re to blame for the 100 losses.

It’s Interesting to Note: As long as the games were close, the Marlins were decent; they were 23-20 in one-run games. Otherwise, they were 39-80.

NL Central

Milwaukee Brewers
2024 Record: 93-69 (first)

The Scoop: Until October—when the Brewers lost their sixth straight postseason series for yet another early exit—this was as smooth, steady and successful as a season could be in Cream City. Sweet, too—considering they easily outdistanced regional rival Chicago and their new manager, former Brewers boss Craig Counsell. The Brew Crew comfortably led an otherwise mediocre NL Central essentially from start to finish, never had a losing streak of more than three games, and took their fifth divisional title in 14 years. This, despite the absence of one of their top pitchers (Brandon Woodruff), and extended injuries to Christian Yelich (flashing some of his early-career MVP form) and closer Devin Williams. Balancing out these vacancies was a 32-homer, 112-RBI effort from shortstop Willy Adames, sharp offensive output from catcher Williams Contreras, unexpectedly quick evolutions from outfielder Jackson Chourio and pitcher Tobias Myers, and 217 steals—second most in franchise history.

Best of Show: Contreras emerged as the majors’ best-hitting catcher and a starter in the All-Star Game; he batted .281 with 37 doubles, 23 homers, 92 RBIs and 99 runs scored.

Where Did You Come From: The Brewers saw the future in outfielder Jackson Chourio—who received a juicy eight-year, $82 million contract before his first MLB at-bat—and experienced it earlier than they expected. After a slow start, the 20-year-old Chourio warmed into his everyday role, batting .310 after the All-Star Break; overall, he hit .275 with 21 homers, 79 RBIs and 22 steals. In a space of three days in late June, he became the youngest player since Ken Griffey Jr. (in 1989) to hit an inside-the-park homer, and the youngest to hit a grand slam since 2003.

Where Did You Go? Veteran pitcher Wade Miley was two starts and out, allowing five runs over seven innings before succumbing to the knife and Tommy John surgery.

It’s Interesting to Note: Adames smacked 13 three-run homers, the most since…Ken Griffey Jr., in 1996.

St. Louis Cardinals
2024 Record: 83-79 (tied for second)

The Scoop: Among the four undistinguished teams that made up the rest of the NL Central after Milwaukee, the Cardinals’ experience was probably the most pleasant given that it occurred as a positive rebound from a last-place finish in 2023. Nothing more was achieved as the team lacked a potent offensive force in the lineup—one that included veteran stars Paul Goldschmidt (.245 average, 22 homers, 65 RBIs) and Nolan Arenado (.272, 16, 71) whose curtailing numbers suggested career regressions as they aged into their mid/late-30s. The Redbirds avoided a second straight losing record—something they haven’t suffered since the early 1990s—thanks to the guy we’re going to talk about next.

Best of Show: Closer Ryan Helsley, feeling healthy all year long after missing half of 2023, set a franchise mark with 49 saves—almost half of them (23) done in 1-2-3 fashion.

Where Did You Come From: At age 22, Masyn Wynn was expected to ease into the shortstop role as an understudy to veteran Brandon Crawford. But Crawford quickly disintegrated, and Wynn more than showed he belonged, leading all MLB rookies in runs (85) and all shortstops in defensive runs saved (14).

Where Did You Go? A year ago, rookie Jordan Walker walked a little bit of the walk among the talk that he could be the Cardinals’ next big star—but his sophomore effort was a big-time downer, as he struggled to stay above .200 with little power and a nearly four-month stay at Triple-A Louisville, where he batted a modest .263.

It’s Interesting to Note: Goldschmidt was the oldest Cardinal to lead the team in homers since Roger Connor in 1896.

Chicago Cubs
2024 Record: 83-79 (tied for second)

The Scoop: A record amount of money was piled into the bank account of first-year Cubs manager Craig Counsell to go conjure up the win-with-little magic that made him sought after at rival Milwaukee, but it all it got the Cubs was the exact same bland finish as 2023. It didn’t help Chicago that it suffered through a mid-season funk (15 wins over a 46-game stretch) and, more emblematically, won only five of 13 games against the Brewers. An admirable (but not overpowering) lineup was similarly erratic, with firm consistency only to be found in the rotation.

Best of Show: All the Spring Training buzz regarding overseas pitching talent was centered around the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamato—but meanwhile in Mesa, Shota Imanaga was quietly impressing those more in the know. The 30-year-old lefty surely got everyone’s attention when he posted a 0.84 ERA over his first nine regular season starts—the best such debut by any MLB pitcher, ever—and after a rough mid-year patch regrouped to take part (along with two relievers) in the Cubs’ first no-hitter at Wrigley Field since 1972. At season’s end, Imanaga produced an excellent 15-3 record and 2.91 ERA.

Where Did You Come From: Traded to Chicago from the Dodgers in January, first baseman Michael Busch made an immediate splash by homering in five straight games—tying an MLB rookie mark—before finishing the year with 21, along with 65 RBIs.

Where Did You Go? There’s no doubt that Patrick Wisdom has strong sock in his bat, hammering eight homers in 158 at-bats, but with a low average (.171) and a strikeout every third at-bat, the Joey Gallo impersonation is starting to wear out its welcome in Wrigleyville.

It’s Interesting to Note: The likely departure of pitcher Kyle Hendricks (4-12, 5.92 ERA), would mean that the Cubs would be without active players from their famed 2016 world championship roster.

Cincinnati Reds
2024 Record: 77-85 (fourth)

The Scoop: Expectations were high that the Reds would improve on an 82-80 mark from 2023 as that season’s bumper rookie crop would be counted on to help evolve the team toward the postseason. But beyond flashy shortstop Elly De La Cruz (25 homers, 67 steals) and developing ace Hunter Greene (9-5, 2.75 ERA in 26 starts), the anticipated growth was stunted by injuries, underperformance and roids (Noelvi Marte, banned 80 games); the low-budget front office, letting it all ride on the youth movement while shunning the free-agent market, put the blame on manager David Bell—who was fired with five games to go in the season.

Best of Show: Exciting but still raw, De La Cruz accumulated 100 career steals and extra-base hits each over his first 251 games—the fewest needed by any MLB player in the modern (post-1900) era. His 67 swipes were the most by a Reds player since Eric Davis in 1986, and was the first to lead the majors since Bobby Tolan in 1970. But back to the ‘raw’ part: He set a franchise record with 218 strikeouts, and led all major leaguers with 29 errors.

Where Did You Come From: Even if it was just for a week, Rece Hinds was promoted from the minors in early July and absolutely shined. Six games, 11 hits—including three doubles, a triple and five homers—and 11 RBIs later, Hinds became the first Cincinnati player to win NL Player of the Week honors in his debut week since the award began being given out in 1973. Then, with a finger-snap, he was banished back to the minors; when he returned at the end of August, he was barely allowed off the bench.

Where Did You Go? Christian Encarnacion-Strand was anointed as the heir apparent to Joey Votto at first base—he may yet fulfill that prophecy—but a poor start (.190 average, two home runs in 29 games) was compounded by a broken wrist that ended his season in early May.

It’s Interesting to Note: Only the god-awful White Sox had a worst record in one-run games than the Reds, who were 15-28.

Pittsburgh Pirates
2024 Record: 76-86 (fifth)

The Scoop: Uh oh, here we go again. The Pirates, who hold the continent’s pro sports record with 20 consecutive losing seasons (1993-2012), finished below the .500 mark for the sixth straight year—upholding the mindset that the Bucs, to quote a savaging Athletic article last winter, are “comfortable being mediocre.” Hope for the future in Pittsburgh arrived with the eye-opening debut of top pitching prospect Paul Skenes, but a guy who figures in a fifth of his team’s games can’t carry the load all by himself even if he becomes Walter Johnson reincarnated. Skenes couldn’t cover for one of the league’s worst bullpens (4.49 ERA) which truly collapsed upon itself as the Bucs sniffed the wild card aroma in early August before a 10-game losing streak wiped out any postseason ambitions.

Best of Show: Usually, a hotshot call-up who instantly thrives gets figured out by the opposition as word spreads on how to exploit his weaknesses. But Skenes was different; opposing hitters had no answer in regards to solving him, while he only got better by exploiting their weaknesses. The tall, 22-year-old righty with a 100-MPH heater furnished an 11-3 record, 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 190 strikeouts over 23 starts; never gave up more than three runs except on August 10, when he conceded four to the omnipotent Dodgers; and twice was removed from no-hit outings of six or more innings.

Where Did You Come From: It’s Skenes, of course, but honorable mention goes to rookie rotation mate Jared Jones, whose general numbers (6-8 record, 4.14 ERA) weren’t brilliant by comparison—but his 132 strikeouts over 121.2 innings suggest that, with some evolution, he could become Don Drysdale to Skenes’ Sandy Koufax.

Where Did You Go? A year earlier, closer David Bednar could do no wrong; in 2024, he did little right. He blew seven save opportunities, lost eight games, and suffered a 5.77 ERA as his strikeout/walk ratio was cut nearly in half.

It’s Interesting to Note: Rowdy Tellez was cut by the Pirates six days before the end of the regular season—and four plate appearances short of 425, which would have netted him a $200,000 bonus. Not only are the Pirates comfortable being mediocre, but greedy as well.

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers
2024 Record: 98-64 (first)

The Scoop: Even after pouring in a record $1.25 billion on free agents to enhance an already championship-worthy roster, it was nonetheless remarkable that the Dodgers led the West from start to finish and survived October Madness to win their eighth world title in spite of a pitching rotation absolutely decimated by injury. Seventeen different pitchers started a game, with only two of them (Gavin Stone and Tyler Glasnow) managing to amass more than 100 innings. But Shohei Ohtani, in a season for the ages, buoyed the Dodgers with a remarkable effort that included a team-record 54 homers and 59 steals, guiding an offense that paced the NL in doubles, homers, and OPS. Result: An 11th NL West title in 12 years and, a month later, ownership of Rob Manfred’s piece of metal.

Best of Show: In his first year wearing Dodger Blue, Ohtani proved his record-shattering $700 million contract to be worth every penny. He reached 40-40 (homers/steals) on August 23, and just four weeks later became the first player at 50-50 with a thunderous game at Miami in which he went 6-for-6 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. Without him, the Dodgers don’t win the West—and perhaps don’t even make the playoffs.

Where Did You Come From: Rookie Gavin Stone almost made it through the entire season as the only starter to avoid injury, ultimately succumbing to a shoulder injury in early September that knocked him out for the rest of the year. Until that point, the 26-year-old right-hander shined with an 11-5 record (including one shutout) and 3.53 ERA.

Where Did You Go? A year earlier, outfielder James Outman secured Rookie of the Year votes with an impressive debut; that was all but forgotten in 2024 as he struggled with a .147 average and little power before finding himself at Triple-A Oklahoma City for the bulk of the season.

It’s Interesting to Note: The Dodgers hit four home runs in an inning twice during the season—June 11 against Texas and again exactly three months later against the Cubs. They also cranked out back-to-back-to-back homers three times, tying the 1982 Brewers for the most such instances in one season.

San Diego Padres
2024 Record: 93-69 (second)

The Scoop: In the wake of owner Peter Seidler’s passing, the Padres curtailed spending but were no less aggressive in maintaining a strong roster in a more cost-conscientious manner. Almost all of their moves paid off. The White Sox gifted them Dylan Cease, who five times gave up one or none hits in seven or more innings and threw the Padres’ second-ever no-hitter on July 26; they sent Juan Soto to the Yankees, saving a ton of money but also yielding excellent back-end starter Michael King (13-9 record, 2.95 ERA); from the Marlins, they scooped up Luis Arraez—who won his third batting title in as many years and, in one stretch, went 141 straight plate appearances without striking out. The Padres became baseball’s best second-place team, featuring an offense that led MLB with a .263 batting average while striking out the fewest; they stayed alive in the race to win the West to the season’s very last week and won eight of 13 from the Dodgers, before facing them again in the postseason and losing out in a tight, five-game battle.

Best of Show: Few teams got more bang for their buck than the Padres with Jurickson Profar. The veteran outfielder had his finest year yet with a .280 average, 24 home runs, 85 RBIs and .839 OPS; made the All-Star team for the first time in his 11-year career; and forced the Dodgers’ Will Smith to eat his words when the catcher referred to Profar as “irrelevant” after an early-season confrontation. All of the above, for just a million dollars.

Where Did You Come From: In a banner year for MLB rookies named Jackson (Jackson Chourio, Jackson Holliday), Jackson Merrill emerged as arguably the best of the lot. The 21-year-old center fielder batted .292, smoked 24 homers with 90 RBIs, and stole 16 bases. Five times, he hit a home run in the ninth inning or later that either tied the game, gave the Padres a lead, or ended in walk-off victory.

Where Did You Go? An exceptional rookie reliever in 2023, Tom Cosgrove devolved into a complete mess, getting tagged with a 11.66 ERA over 14.2 innings; hamstring issues did not help.

It’s Interesting to Note: Reliever Jeremiah Estrada struck out an MLB-record 13 straight batters over multiple games in May—then had it broken when he was brought into his next outing and ordered by manager Mike Shildt to intentionally walk the first batter.

Arizona Diamondbacks
2024 Record: 89-73 (third)

The Scoop: The Diamondbacks’ defense of their NL pennant got off to a cold start, not reaching .500 until July 7—then got as hot as the summer heat outside Chase Field with a sizzling offense that 21 times during the year scored 10+ runs and led the majors with 886 tallies and 11 grand slams. The summer surge put the DBacks in a position to grab another low-seed wild card, but they lost five of their last seven games—then watched helplessly as the Braves and Mets grabbed the final two playoff spots splitting a make-up doubleheader to end the regular season. If a culprit was to be found in Arizona’s failure to return to October, it was a pitching staff that placed 27th out of 30 MLB teams with a 4.62 ERA.

Best of Show: In a career that has seen many statistical highs and lows, Ketel Marte hit peak with a .292 batting average, .932 OPS, 36 home runs and 95 RBIs, while landing his second All-Star starting assignment.

Where Did You Come From: Rookie reliever Justin Martinez developed into one of the pitching staff’s few reliable arms, posting a 2.48 ERA—even filling in admirably as the team’s closer (saving eight games) in August while Paul Sewald languished.

Where Did You Go? Pitcher Jordan Montgomery fatally took agent Scott Boras’ advice to hold out as late as possible into Spring Training before getting the best deal possible; the deal ended up being not very good (two years, $47 million), and the results were worse, as his 6.23 ERA revealed a pitcher who had no choice but to be rushed into action. Both the DBacks and Montgomery—who later fired Boras—publicly admitted that the signing was a mistake.

It’s Interesting to Note: The DBacks were involved in 60 blowouts (as defined by baseball-reference.com as games decided by five or more runs), including 10 straight in June to set a modern MLB mark.

San Francisco Giants
2024 Record: 80-82 (fourth)

The Scoop: Once again unable to bring in free agency’s big fish (Shohei Ohtani said no thanks), the Giants were otherwise active in the winter, with some hits (third baseman Matt Chapman), misses (pitcher Robbie Ray and slugger Jorge Soler) somewhere in-between’s (ace Blake Snell, AWOL in the spring and AOK+ in the summer) and TBDs (Korean outfielder import Jung-Hoo Lee). The mixed bag of results failed to shake the Giants’ humdrum standing, as they finished within a few games of the .500 mark for the fourth time in five years. As a restless fan base grew increasingly vocal, the Giants at season’s end booted prime front office mover Farhan Zaidi—replacing him with popular former catcher Buster Posey.

Best of Show: On a rotation that placed dead last in the league in innings, the presence of Logan Webb became more crucial as the modern-era workhorse logged 204.2 innings and led the majors in total pitches (3,202) and strikes (2,117). The output yielded a 13-10 record and 3.47 ERA.

Where Did You Come From: Heliot Ramos and Tyler Fitzgerald evolved as two rare home-grown Giants hitters who, for the moment, met expectations. Ramos became the first right-handed hitter in Oracle Park history to land a home run into McCovey Cove on the fly, while Alexander homered in five straight games to break the Giants’ rookie mark while tying the MLB record also reached by the aforementioned Michael Busch of the Cubs.

Where Did You Go? Camilo Doval certainly has the tools to be an elite closer, but his mentality came into question as he always seemed to get into trouble and often paid dearly for it; it led to a demotion in early August. Along with a subpar 4.88 ERA, Doval’s control issues resulted in 39 walks over 59 innings.

It’s Interesting to Note: The Giants hit nine doubles in a May 18 game—then, seven weeks later, collected 10 in another. Both games represent the two highest such totals for the franchise in games not involving overflow crowds resulting in doubles-friendly ground rules.

Colorado Rockies
2024 Record: 61-101 (fifth)

The Scoop: It didn’t take long for the Rockies, coming off a 103-loss campaign, to get that sinking feeling that things wouldn’t get much better as they gave up a franchise-record 14 runs in the third inning on Opening Day. It was basically the same ‘ol story at Coors Field; the Rockies hit well at home (.267 average, second best in the majors), lousy on the road (MLB-worst .217), won only one game by shutout while every other team had at least six, and was out-talented thanks to a front office paralyzed on acquiring free agents. Result: Another 100-loss season. Yet, manager Bud Black became the team’s all-time winningest manager and was given a one-year extension—perhaps management’s way of saying it’s not his fault the team has been so terrible.

Best of Show: Second-year shortstop Ezequiel Tovar put up solid stats (.269 average, 45 doubles, 26 homers, 78 RBIs) that were not inflated by Coors Field as he hit just well on the road, justifying the Rockies’ seven-year, $63 million investment in him. He does need to work on drawing more walks (23) and reducing the strikeouts (200, 182 of those swinging).

Where Did You Come From: Congrats to rookie reliever Victor Vodnik, who had the lowest ERA (4.28) of 15 Colorado pitchers who accumulated more than 15 innings.

Where Did You Go? Outfielder Nolan Jones looked to be the latest Rockie taking gradual steps towards stardom as Todd Helton, Nolan Arenado and the retiring Charlie Blackmon all did—but his path took an unwanted detour with back and knee injuries, truncating his output to a .227 average and just three homers over 79 games.

It’s Interesting to Note: Despite an MLB-worst 5.41 bullpen ERA, Rockies relievers actually turned in a winning (34-28) record while starters were 27-73.

AL East

New York Yankees
2024 Record: 94-68 (first)

The Scoop: After an excellent 50-22 start, the Yankees all but collapsed in early summer—losing 23 of 33 games and the AL East lead to Baltimore as a stalled offense beyond the white-hot Aaron Judge sank the team. Then things got better; Gerrit Cole, absent for the first three months, returned and eventually calmed down a jittery rotation, flashy Miami star Jazz Chisholm Jr. arrived via trade to provide much needed hitting support (to say nothing of flair), and then of course there was Judge and Juan Soto—a destructive 1-2 force that combined for 99 homers, 253 RBIs and 262 walks. The Yankees overcame the Orioles, took the AL East and the league’s #1 seed on the way to their first pennant in 15 years.

Best of Show: The boos reigned down upon Judge through April as the king-sized slugger slumped out of the gate, before he got hot—real hot—over the next four months, batting a remarkable .369 with 45 homers and 105 RBIs over just 103 games. A career-long 16-game home run drought late in the year kept Judge from breaking his two-year-old AL season record of 62, but still, a near-triple crown effort consisting of a .322 average, 58 homers and 144 RBIs—not to mention MLB bests in walks (133), on-base percentage (.458), slugging (.701) and OPS (1.159)—probably has the Yankee brass happy that they’re only paying him $40 million a year.

Where Did You Come From: With ace Gerrit Cole out for the first three months, Luis Gil—still technically a rookie despite minimal play dating back to 2021—busted out with a remarkable early-season stretch on when he allowed three runs on 15 hits over seven starts consisting of 44.2 innings. He finished with a 15-7 record and 3.50 ERA.

Where Did You Go? The gradual diminishment of veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu reached a state of near-nothingness as the two-time batting champ limped to a .204 average with two homers in 67 games; hip woes were largely to blame.

It’s Interesting to Note: The Yankees were dead last among pinch hitters with a .446 OPS and no home runs.

Baltimore Orioles
2024 Record: 91-71 (second)

The Scoop: Everything was looking up for the Orioles in the spring; they had an exceptional (23-6) camp, bolted out to a strong start once the games counted, rattled opponents with bruising power that included a team-record 60 homers in June, and enjoyed new ownership fronted by David Rubenstein, who relished in showering Camden Yards bleacher fans thrilled to finally think of the Angeloses in the past tense. But then the cracks emerged in the summer, as an injury-depleted rotation, a dropdown in offensive production and a dud-level debut for 20-year-old superstar-maybe-to-be Jackson Holliday cut into the Orioles’ starry-eyed confidence. What was left of the vibe got snuffed out in October as the Orioles again laid a playoff egg, dropping two straight to Kansas City for a quick exit. Now comes an offseason where two of Baltimore’s top contributors—Corbin Burnes (15-9 record, 2.92 ERA) and switch-hitting slugger Anthony Santander (44 homers, 102 RBIs) are due to become free agents; we’re about to find out how willing Rubenstein is to shower these two with his money.

Best of Show: Second-year shortstop Gunnar Henderson mirrored the Orioles’ fast start by being the youngest player (age 22) to hit 10 homers before the end of April. For the year, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year highly improved with a .281 average, 37 homers, 92 RBIs, 118 runs, 21 steals and .893 OPS.

Where Did You Come From: Last seen in the majors in 2017 and since bouncing about Venezuela, Japan and Korea, 35-year-old Albert Suarez became an unexpected pick-me-up to a fractured Baltimore pitching staff, furnishing a 9-7 record and 3.77 ERA over 32 appearances (24 starts).

Where Did You Go? Veteran closer Craig Kimbrel got off to a fine start—as of July 7, he already had 23 saves, a 2.10 ERA and became the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out 1,000 batters in a single inning (the ninth)—but he completely crashed afterward, earning no saves (blowing three other opportunities) and posting a dreadful 12.10 ERA. After being booed off the mound following another wretched outing on September 17, Kimbrel was DFA’d.

It’s Interesting to Note: The Orioles saw the end of a streak in which they went 106 consecutive series without being swept—the second longest such spell in MLB history—and later set another mark by winning (or splitting) 22 straight series against teams within their own division.

Boston Red Sox
2024 Record: 81-81 (third)

The Scoop: It looks like Netflix picked the wrong team to focus on for a season-long doc on the daily life of an MLB team. The Red Sox yawned their way through an average season with a terrible defense, a rotation lacking an ace, more extended off-time for fragile infielder Trevor Story (136 games missed) and an aging closer (Kenley Jansen) who did just well enough not to give the front office second thoughts on having signed him, if even for a year. The challenge for the Red Sox is to recapture some of the luster of triumphant years past—while the challenge for Netflix is to edit together 10 episodes’ worth of interesting material to keep viewers awake.

Best of Show: Center fielder Jarren Duran showed off plenty of statistical chutzpah, becoming the first player since Lou Brock in 1968 to lead the majors in both doubles (48) and triples (14); additionally, he was the only major leaguer with multiple steals of home (two) among his 34 total, and knocked in the game-winning run at the All-Star Game. Duran only missed two games, both in August as part of a team suspension for profanely yelling back at fans within earshot of a broadcast mic.

Where Did You Come From: While Story sat with his latest injury, David Hamilton ran—and ran and ran and ran. The rookie middle infielder racked up 33 stolen bases in 98 games, including four among a franchise-record nine swiped against the Yankees on June 16. He added 47 runs, 17 doubles and eight homers on a .248 batting average.

Where Did You Go? Pitcher Lucas Giolito signed a two-year, $38 million deal with the Red Sox—and shortly into Spring Training tore up his throwing elbow, requiring season-ending surgery.

It’s Interesting to Note: Tyler O’Neill homered in his fifth straight Opening Day game to set an MLB record, while Rafael Devers broke a Red Sox mark by going deep in six straight contests in mid-May.

Tampa Bay Rays
2024 Record: 80-82 (fourth)

The Scoop: The Rays picked a good time to not reach the postseason for the first time in five years, as Hurricane Milton’s shredding up of the Tropicana Field roof would have rendered the team homeless in October. It was a near-even-steven existence for the Rays; they were a .500 team before the All-Star Break, .500 after, .500 against the AL East, and so on. No one player seized the moment; there were no .300 hitters, no 10-game winners and few power numbers to speak of on an offense that averaged a franchise record-low 3.7 runs per game; the only statistical highlight came from shortstop Jose Caballero, who led the AL with 44 steals. That the Rays didn’t collapse after a mini mid-summer fire sale that sent Randy Arozarena, Isaac Parades, Harold Ramirez, Zach Elfin and Aaron Civale all packing was something of a surprise. This time around, it was understandable that so few fans (1.33 million, ahead of only Oakland and Miami) showed up to watch this bore of a ballclub. 

Best of Show: Okay, so Yandy Diaz hit .281 with 31 doubles, 14 homers and 65 RBIs; not awe-inspiring, but was still the best of an otherwise weak lot. Diaz did make news with a 20-game hit streak to set a Tampa Bay record, while tying another with at an eight-game RBI streak.

Where Did You Come From: Brought over in the trade that sent Tyler Glasnow to the Dodgers, pitcher Ryan Pepiot was arguably the Rays’ best rotation guy, going 8-8 with a 3.60 ERA and opposing .212 batting average; he also became the first Rays’ starter to throw an immaculate inning, on September 18 against Boston.

Where Did You Go? Star second baseman Wander Franco remained far, far away from Florida, stuck in his native Dominican Republic as a trial looms over accusations of sexual abuse and human trafficking of a minor.

It’s Interesting to Note: The Rays led the majors with 88 games decided by no more than two runs.

Toronto Blue Jays
2024 Record: 74-88 (fifth)

The Scoop: The Wins Above Replacement for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 6.2—meaning had a replacement player been used instead, the Blue Jays would have finished the year 67.8-94.2. Who knows for sure, but Guerrero’s excellent campaign—.323 batting average, 44 doubles, 30 home runs, 103 RBIs—was deserted by a host of teammates who turned in disappointing seasons. There was a hobbled Bo Bichette, a best-years-behind-him George Springer, an absent comeback bid by Joey Votto (who retired while at Triple-A Buffalo) one win in 21 starts for high-end Cuban catch Yariel Rodriguez, continued shoulder-related misery for one-time ace Alek Manoah, and an 80-game PED suspension for Orelvis Martinez, the organization’s top-hitting prospect. Add to that the majors’ worst sea level-based bullpen (4.82 ERA, ahead only of Colorado) and you get Toronto’s worst record since 2019.

Best of Show: Clearly, it’s Guerrero, who led the majors with a post-All-Star Break .376 batting average and a career best-tying 22-game hit streak.

Where Did You Come From: No pitcher came out of nowhere more than Bowden Francis, an unassuming young reliever before the Jays converted him into a starter; just like that, he began channeling Roy Halladay. In one four-game stretch in late August, the 28-year-old right-hander allowed two runs on six hits over 29 innings, and in a space of 19 days took two no-hitters into the ninth inning—giving up home runs to the first batter in each. In nine starts to end the year, Francis was 4-2 with a 1.53 ERA.

Where Did You Go? After three years of solid closing work, Jordan Romano fell apart as an elbow issue got him off to a terrible start (6.59 ERA over 15 games), followed by an early exit to the season as he ultimately underwent arthroscopic surgery.

It’s Interesting to Note: It took the Blue Jays 29 games to score a run in the first inning—the longest drought to start a season since the 1937 Boston Bees (Braves)—and 47 games before someone in the clean-up spot hit a home run.

AL Central

Cleveland Guardians
2024 Record: 92-69 (first)

The Scoop: Filling in the big shoes of Terry Francona, new Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt made a superb first impression as the majors’ youngest team led a resurgent AL Central for nearly the entirety of the season, emerging as the only one of 12 postseason teams with a payroll under $100 million. Fronting the roster was third baseman Jose Ramirez, who came inchingly close to 40-40 history, and closer Emmanuel Clase, who saved a franchise-record 47 games on a miniscule 0.61 ERA. The rest of the Guardians’ bullpen rescued a wobbly rotation wracked by injury, providing the majors’ best relief ERA (2.57) and primed by three previously unproven guys you never heard of—Cade Smith (74 appearances, 1.91 ERA), Hunter Gaddis (78, 1.57) and Tim Herrin (75, 1.92). Dreams of ending Cleveland’s generations-long World Series drought came to an end in the ALCS against the mighty Yankees.

Best of Show: Potent as ever, Ramirez (.279 batting average, 39 home runs, 118 RBIs, 41 steals) entered the final day of the regular season needing a home run to follow Shohei Ohtani as MLB’s second player in 2024 to go 40-40—but the game was rained out, never to be made up.

Where Did You Come From: Nicknamed “Big Christmas” for his bulky frame and holiday-related last name, 22-year-old Jhonkensy Noel showered bleacher fans with gifts in the form of 12 home runs through his first 45 career games before cooling off in September.

Where Did You Go? This was not the walk year Cleveland ace and impending free agent Shane Bieber was hoping for, succumbing to Tommy John surgery after just two starts.

It’s Interesting to Note: To no one’s surprise—given how tough Clase and the rest of the bullpen was—the Guardians were the only major league team not to blow a lead after eight innings.

Kansas City Royals
2024 Record: 86-76 (tied for second)

The Scoop: After suffering 106 losses in 2023, the Royals were undoubtedly expected to improve—but this was ridiculous. Key rotation additions in Seth Lugo (16-9, 3.00 ERA over 206.2 innings) and Michael Wacha (13-8, 3.35), along with further evolution from fireballer Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14 and 223 strikeouts), improved the starter ERA from 27th to second (3.55) in 2024; like the winning K.C. teams of the mid-2010s, the Royals excelled at contact hitting, generating few walks and strikeouts at the plate; and they led all AL teams with a .282 batting average with runners in scoring position. Throw in Bobby Witt Jr.’s sensational numbers (see below) that recalled peak George Brett, and the Royals catapulted in the standings; they surpassed their 2023 win total on July 26, posting their first winning record (and playoff reservation) since winning it all in 2015.

Best of Show: Witt showed that his massive preseason contract extension (11 years, $288 million) may ultimately prove to be undervalued. He led all major leaguers with a .332 batting average and 211 hits, smacked 32 homers with 31 steals to go 30-30 for a second straight season (no other Royal—not even Brett—has done it even once), and became the fourth major leaguer ever to go 30-30 with 10 triples added (he collected 11).

Where Did You Come From: Reliever Lucas Erceg was not expected to be a game-changer for a woebegone Kansas City bullpen when acquired from Oakland at the end of July, but he became more than a competent closer with 11 saves and a 2.88 ERA in 23 games for the Royals.

Where Did You Go? Veteran reliever Will Smith, brought in from the champion Rangers, began the season as closer—but failed miserably with several meltdowns, was quickly demoted from ninth-inning duties, then felled by back spasms in August that ended his year with a 6.53 ERA.

It’s Interesting to Note: The Royals had an extra-base hit in each of their first 72 games, setting an MLB record to start a season.

Detroit Tigers
2024 Record: 86-76 (tied for second)

The Scoop: For nearly three-quarters of the regular season, the Tigers were MLB’s equivalent to Monty Python’s Mr. T. Walters, a totally invisible (read: boring) man. The roster had no pizazz, the offense no punch, and the rotation no pitchers beyond ace Tarik Skubal and #2 Jack Flaherty, with openers used on a frequent basis. In short, people forgot about the Tigers. Even the Tigers looked to give up, trading Flaherty at the deadline to suggest a wave of the white flag. Then, from anonymity came amazement; the Tigers won 31 of their final 44 games, shot past Minnesota (holding the final wild card seed) and burst into its first postseason in 10 years, stunning the Astros and then knocking the Guardians on the ropes in the ALDS before losing the final two games of the series. Much of Detroit’s late-season surge could be attributed to a staff that posted the majors’ best post-All-Star Break ERA at 3.13.

Best of Show: The gradual maturation of Skubal was complete, as the 27-year-old southpaw won the triple crown of pitching with league highs in wins (18, against just four losses), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (an MLB-best 228). No qualifying pitcher had a lower OPS allowed than his .558.

Where Did You Come From: Second baseman Colt Keith was, for now, a poor man’s Jackson Chourio—given a six-year contract worth $28.6 million before a single major league at-bat. The 23-year old held his own playing every day as a rookie, batting .260 with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs.

Where Did You Go? Veteran pitcher Kenta Maeda struggled to start the year with a 7.26 ERA by July 9, leading to a demotion of sorts as the long reliever in manager A.J. Hinch’s scheme to rely on an opener/bullpen strategy.

It’s Interesting to Note: Top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe was baseball’s first Jobe—well, sort of; he made his Detroit debut exactly 50 years to the day Dr. Frank Jobe performed his first groundbreaking ligament replacement procedure on Tommy John.

Minnesota Twins
2024 Record: 82-80 (fourth)

The Scoop: The Tigers’ rapid rise to October was offset by the Twins’ freefall from August, winning just 12 of their final 39 games to abdicate what appeared to be a certain wild card reservation for the postseason. The collapse down the home stretch couldn’t be avoided by a roster of supporting players searching for a star to emerge; fragile studs Byron Buxton and Bryce Lewis once again spent almost as much time on the shelf as they did on the field—missing a combined 134 games—while a young pitching staff held good value but little dominance. The Twins’ disappointing denouement did cloud some of the year’s more positive memories, such as a 12-game win streak that was the majors’ longest, and a 28-game streak with at least one home run—the second longest such streak in MLB history.

Best of Show: Shortstop Carlos Correa was in the midst of his best campaign since his early days with Houston, before suffering a heel injury that knocked him out for the next two months. Overall, he had the best (or most promising) numbers of all Twins players, batting .310 with 14 homers and 54 RBIs over 86 games.

Where Did You Come From: Rookie right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson—whose last names are stitched in more than half a circle around his #78—only won five of his 28 starts, but less deceiving was a decent 4.17 ERA and the fact that the Twins were 17-11 when he started.

Where Did You Go? Reliable bullpen hand Caleb Thielbar, at age 37, looked to start running out of gas with a 5.32 ERA over 59 games; hamstring issues early in the year didn’t help.

It’s Interesting to Note: Third baseman Jose Miranda tied an MLB mark in early July with 12 straight hits.

Chicago White Sox
2024 Record: 41-121 (fifth)

The Scoop: There was a news item this past season in which White Sox games were blacked out…in the team store of their own ballpark. In truth, the Sox were probably doing a favor to their fans fleeing from the team’s historically awful level of play. The Writhe Sox, er, White Sox’ season was one for the ages, and not at all in a good way as the team flooded the record book with new entries of the worst kind. There were the 121 losses, surpassed only by the 20-134 Cleveland Spiders of 1899; an AL record-tying skid of 21 games; additional losing streaks of 12 and 14 defeats, adding up to three losing snaps that matched the total such number over their 123 previous seasons; 16 straight home losses, another team nadir; 20 straight series losses; and 507 runs scored, the lowest by an MLB team in a full season since 1972—the year before the designated hitter began propping up the hitting. The Failed Hose, er, Pale Hose were even dead last in success rate on video review challenges (38%). Chicago GM Chris Getz summed it up all too underwhelmingly by stating, “Obviously there was something that was broken.” On the plus side, the Fried Sox, er, White Sox announced plans for a new ballpark closer to downtown Chicago. But if the team continues to be this abominable, who’s going to show up?

Best of Show: Before he was mercifully dealt to the Cardinals, starting pitcher Erick Fedde lived a Bizarro World-like existence by winning seven of 11 decisions with a 3.11 ERA while the team otherwise lost on an almost daily basis. It was a good return from overseas, where Fedde regrouped with a year in Korea.

Where Did You Come From: Garrett Crochet, a walking injury list through much of his baseball life, developed a superb cutter in camp to complement his 100-MPH fastball, and the White Sox quickly moved him from the bullpen to Opening Day starter. Forget the 6-12 record in the 32 starts to follow; that’s just  reflection of the White Sox blundering about on offense. What should be remembered about Crochet is a solid 3.58 ERA and the fact that no other pitcher in MLB history struck out more batters (209) in fewer innings (146). The Sox limited his innings to protect their investment—or maybe someone else’s, as constant rumor spread that Chicago would give him up for a bounty of prospects.

Where Did You Go? A depreciated Luis Robert Jr. was certainly not the sole reason the White Sox were so lousy—trust us, there was plenty of blame to go around—but the 27-year-old Cuban did no favors with steep drops in batting average (.264 to .224), home runs (38 to 14) and OPS (.857 to .657).

It’s Interesting to Note: On July 10, Michael Kopech—three weeks before being freed to the World Series-bound Dodgers—threw the White Sox’ first immaculate inning since Sloppy Thurston in 1923.

AL West

Houston Astros
2024 Record: 88-73 (first)

The Scoop: The Joe Espada era got off to a rocky start as the rookie manager oversaw a Houston side that won only seven of its first 26 games thanks in large part to a broken-down rotation cluttered with not-ready-for-primetime pitchers. But boosted by the sage of Jose Altuve (.294 average, 20 homers, 20 steals), Yordan Alvarez (.308, 35, 86 RBIs) and ace Framber Valdez (15-7 record, 2.91 ERA)—not to mention some quick advancement by some of those young pitching cadets—the Astros rebounded, reached .500 by their 80th game and first place by their 97th, eventually overcoming Seattle and taking a weakened AL West for the seventh straight time in a full season.

Best of Show: It was the same ol’ Valdez, and that’s a good thing for the Astros; he once again led the majors in ground ball/fly ball ratio (1.56-1) and grounders turned into double plays (32). On August 6 against Texas, Valdez came within one out of his second no-hitter in as many years.

Where Did You Come From: It was an understatement to say that Ronel Blanco was the one untried Astro pitcher who thrived from the start. After throwing 15.2 scoreless innings in Spring Training, Blanco’s first regular season start resulted in a no-hitter, and he took his second start hitless into the sixth inning. Illegal substances within his glove—which one umpire labeled as some of the “stickiest stuff” he had ever found on a pitcher—may have had something to do with that impressive early start, but even after serving a 10-day ban Blanco pitched well and finished with a 13-6 record, 2.80 ERA and an MLB-best .190 on-base percentage allowed.

Where Did You Go? Just four years removed from an AL MVP, Jose Abreu had nothing left in the tank—batting .124 with little power over 113 at-bats before the Astros released him in early June, still owing him over $30 million.

It’s Interesting to Note: Seven times through the season, the Astros held their opponent hitless through the first seven innings.

Seattle Mariners
2024 Record: 85-77 (second)

The Scoop: How strange that the majors’ best pitching staff had to be paired with one of the very worst offenses, but that’s the frustrating plight that doomed the Mariners’ season. While the top-notch pitching was efficient (MLB-low 15.65 pitches per inning) and effective (AL-best 3.49 ERA, MLB-best walks, on-base percentage and WHIP), Seattle hitters were highly undisciplined, striking out more than any other team while their .224 batting average was only ahead of the 121-loss White Sox. In spite of this, they managed to stay atop the AL West by as much as 10 games, hoping none of the other four divisional opponents would get hot; alas for the Mariners, Houston did. Midseason casualties included hitting coach Brant Brown in May, then long-time manager Scott Servais in August when the Mariners dropped into second place. “It’s hard to believe, actually, how quickly it all dissolved for us,” lamented Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto at that point.

Best of Show: Bryce Miller arguably was the best of a fine lot of Seattle starting pitchers, posting a 12-8 record and 2.94 ERA; he had nine starts of six-plus innings without allowing a run, the majors’ highest total.

Where Did You Come From: We say “Bryce Miller arguably” above because Bryan Woo, like Miller in his second year, showed slightly better numbers over less (22) starts with a 9-3 record, 2.89 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. Learning from rotation mate George Kirby, Woo was loathe to walk batters—giving out just 14 passes among 121.1 innings—and no other major leaguer this past season had a higher first-pitch strike rate in more innings than his 72.9%.

Where Did You Go? Given a decent contract by the Mariners after a positive half-season at Texas the year before, Mitch Garver batted an atrocious .172 over 367 at-bats, striking out 133 times.

It’s Interesting to Note: Seattle hitters were plunked 116 times to set an MLB season record.

Texas Rangers
2024 Record: 78-84 (third)

The Scoop: The defending champions suffered through a post-championship hangover, becoming only the 18th team (and first in 11 years) to follow up a World Series triumph with a losing record. The hitting, or a lack thereof, was largely to blame as the entire lineup sank into brownout mode. The OPS (on-base + slugging percentage) readings might as well as read as OOPS (‘out of punch, sorry’) with precipitous drops for slugger Adolis Garcia (down .152 from 2023), catcher Jonah Heim (.153), shortstop Corey Seager (.149) and second baseman Marcus Semien (.127), among others. A patchwork rotation from which no one beyond Nathan Eovaldi won more than six games didn’t help. Perhaps keeping the Rangers’ season from being a total dumpster fire were the next two guys we’ll talk about.

Best of Show: Closer Kirby Yates thrived while all other Texas relievers (a collective 4.78 ERA) floundered, as he saved 33 games, blew only one other opportunity, and posted a 1.17 ERA and .113 opposing batting average. 

Where Did You Come From: Wyatt Langford turned plenty of heads when he tore apart Spring Training opposition, and although he cooled when facing a consistently higher quality of pitching during the regular season, he held his own well enough to earn AL Rookie of the Year votes with a .253 batting average, 16 homers, 74 RBIs and 19 steals. Langford also made news on June 30 by becoming the first Ranger to hit for the cycle in seven years.

Where Did You Go? It might be a little unfair to throw Evan Carter into this pit given his relative scant major league appearance coming into the season, but folks were expecting more from a .188 batting average over 144 at-bats from a guy who last year hit .300 in both late call-up action and the postseason.

It’s Interesting to Note: Texas catchers threw out only 20 of 160 baserunners on stolen base attempts; the 13% success rate was MLB’s lowest.

Oakland A’s
2024 Record: 69-93 (fourth)

The Scoop: It was depressing enough for Oakland fans that the A’s played their final season in the Bay Area, but that dejection was intensified by the team’s solid second half, playing slightly above the .500 mark (39-37) after a 30-56 start as a group of relatively low-paid youngsters began to grow confidence in themselves—just as they boarded the bus to Sacramento for further growth. DH Brent Rooker channeled Reggie Jackson with 39 homers and 112 RBIs, second-year outfielder Lawrence Butler channeled Rickey Henderson with 18 steals (without once getting caught) along with 22 home runs including two hat tricks, and rookie fireballer Mason Miller channeled Dennis Eckersley with effective closing velocity. Oakland’s Auld Lang Syne season drew 922,000 fans—a figure jacked up by 200,000 who showed up for the final six games at the Coliseum, primarily for nostalgic reasons and a chance to roar “Sell the Team” one last time toward ownership.

Best of Show: The 29-year-old Rooker complemented his power numbers with a solid .293 batting average, leading to a .927 OPS that placed sixth in the AL. Question for the Twins, Royals and Padres—all of whom briefly employed Rooker before letting him go: What were you thinking?

Where Did You Come From: Miller led all pitchers with an average fastball velocity of 100.9 MPH; he threw the fastest pitch in All-Star Game history at 103.6, and the fastest (103.8) ever recorded at the Coliseum—on the second-to-last pitch of the A’s final home game.

Where Did You Go? There was the curious case of Esteury Ruiz, last year’s AL leader in steals who was sent to the minors after three games because he wore a wristband supporting a local dive vocally critical of the team’s impending departure—or so we’re told. The speedster’s true foe was a bothersome knee that limited him to 45 games between the A’s and their minor league affiliates.

It’s Interesting to Note: Jenny Canvar was brought in by the A’s to become the first lead female broadcaster for an MLB team.

Los Angeles Angels
2024 Record: 63-99 (fifth)

The Scoop: It’s not a good sign when your manager slams the clubhouse door and holds one of those ‘come to Jesus’ team meetings—after your second game of the season. First-year manager Ron Washington’s wake-up rant didn’t inspire the Angels, who went on to record the worst record in franchise history—but really, what could he do? The Angels lost Shohei Ohtani to free agency and the neighboring Dodgers, made their biggest offseason splash with an overpaid contract to a common reliever (Robert Stephenson) who wound up missing the entire season after blowing his elbow out, and helplessly watched as the maddeningly fragile Mike Trout (133 games missed) and Anthony Rendon (105) yet again dealt with severe injuries. The dull remains of the roster nose-dived for a second straight year, losing 33 of the final 44 games and finishing in last place for the first time since 1999.

Best of Show: Once Trout was shelved (again), early (again), the lone vestige of excitement in the lineup came from 23-year-old shortstop Zach Neto, who collected 23 home runs, 77 RBIs and 30 steals.

Where Did You Come From: Second-year reliever Ben Joyce was made the Angels’ closer after Carlos Estevez’s trade to Philadelphia, and here’s why: On September 3, he threw the fastest recorded strike in the history of the game, at 105.5 MPH. It was his last pitch of the season, as he was sidelined afterward with shoulder inflammation.

Where Did You Go? Say what you want about Rendon’s zero home runs in 57 games and his proclamation that baseball has never been a “top priority” for him, he didn’t have it as bad as Brandon Drury—who went from a .262 average and 26 homers the year before to .169 and four over 97 games in 2024.

It’s Interesting to Note: With no Ohtani or Trout, the Angels were dead last in road attendance, drawing a per-game average of 25,367 away from Anaheim.