2024 Mid-Season Round-UP
No plan of operations reaches with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy [usually misquoted as: No plan survives first contact with the enemy] – German General Helmuth von Moltke
July 17, 2024
The 2024 season has reached its mid-point. Team’s off-season strategies have been tested and found either inspired, neutral, or wanting. Basically, the clubs can be broken down into three separate categories so far: 1) five great teams (#1-5), nineteen contenders and pretenders (#6-24), and six teams without a hope of anything more than just finishing out the season (#25-30). Where are each of the Major League teams in their individual success cycles? These brief following team capsules will try to answer that question.
Individually, the 2024 season seems to heading into the record books as the year of monster seasons from Aaron Judge in the American League and the irrepressible Shohei Ohtani in the National League (with Gunnar Henderson as a welcome party crasher if he can keep up his pace). Of course, injuries could derail Judge’s and/or Ohtani’s historic years but Baseball fans should send up a prayer that both men remain relatively injury free (Judge has already been hit in the hand and Ohtani slightly hurt his leg sliding but neither player has missed significant time.
#1-5: Great Teams of 2024
1. Philadelphia Phillies [NL] 62-34 [.646] pace 104.6-57.4 [After a third of the season (54 games), the Phillies were 38-16 [on a 114 win pace] . At the halfway point (81 games), they were 53-28 [a 106 win pace].
Of all the teams that broke out of the gate like a house on fire in 2024, only the Phillies have been able to maintain a 100+ win pace at the All-Star break, and this despite injuries to line-up mainstays Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and JT Realmuto. Of course, there is good news too. Alec Bohm has matured into a star. Bryce Harper may play close to 150 games this year. Ranger Suarez and Christopher Sanchez have suddenly given the Phillies an incredibly deep starting staff. Kyle Schwarber appears to be in the best shape of his career. The Phillies are peaking and it’s doubtful that their competitive window will be closing any time soon. Go-for broke Dave Drombrowski, the Phillie’s GM, is the perfect fit for this team. The Phillies have to be the odds-on-favorite to win the World Series. Of course, in the current playoff format, the actual odds of that happening are roughly 8.3% [1 of 12 teams in the playoffs] so there’s no reason to begin celebrating yet.
2. Cleveland Guardians [AL] 58-37 [.611] pace 98.9-63.1
Throughout the history of Baseball, many teams have improved their records after a well-regarded long-term manager retired or was fired (almost like the players resented the credit being given to such a manager). I must admit that I believed that the Indians, I mean Guardians, would take a step back once the much beloved Terry Francona left. Instead, the Tribe (I mean Guards) continue to play out of their minds. Is this a one year aberration or the beginning of a new cycle of success? Of course, sometimes its better to be lucky than good. The Guardians fortuitous first lottery pick in 2024 certainly will not hurt. How far away is Travis Bazzana (and why can’t I chose whether that name is cool or ridiculous)? More importantly, can Steven Kwan continue his metamorphism into the late great Tony Gwynn after the former Padre had a conversation with Ted Williams about hitting for power? The Guardians look good for right now and the foreseeable future.
3. Baltimore Orioles [AL] 58-38 [.604] pace 97.9-64.1
Baltimore’s off season strategy was: 1) to let their core continue to mature; 2) acquire an ace to anchor their pitching staff; and 3) add a potential superstar to the roster. The ace, Corbin Burnes, has been everything that was required. The young superstar, Jackson Holliday, was banished back to minors and has been seemingly forgotten. Nevertheless, all eyes are on Gunnar Henderson, who has apparently morphed from a star into a superstar near the caliber of Judge. Despite winning 100 games last season, this Orioles team seems to be just at the beginning of a long success cycle. The team is loaded, the club’s minor leagues are loaded with talent, and the line-up is very very deep. It will take quite a bit of bad luck to take this team back under the 90 win line.
4. New York Yankees [AL] 58-40 [.592] pace 95.6-66.4
The Yankees hit a rough patch before the All-Star break and, predictably, it was their great early 2024 starting pitching that skidded out. But two other huge contributors to the Yank slide were Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo. With a third of the season past, Verdugo looked like quite a savvy pick-up. And Volpe looked like he was going to be a star-caliber or even superstar level player. But neither man has been worth a warm pile of spit since then. Despite this, it is extremely unlikely that the Yankees are going to fold up their tents this year. As long as Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and now Gerrit Cole are healthy, the Evil Empire is back. Unlike some people, I believe that Baseball is better off when the New York Yankees are the overdog.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers [NL] 56-41 [.577] pace 93.5-68.5
The 2024 season has been a long struggle for the LA Dodgers. Injury after injury has crippled the team, particularly the pitching staff. If you could wave a magic wand and make all the Dodger pitchers healthy, this club would have am embarrassment of pitching riches unlike any in baseball history. Sadly, at this point, it doesn’t look like the Dodgers will be able to win one hundred or more games this year (which would give them four straight 100 win seasons, a record). But the signing of Shohei Ohtani last post-season has proven (so far) to be worth every penny. The Dodgers have won at least 91 games in every full season since 2013 and there is no indications that this streak will end any time soon. If they don’t win 100+ games this year, they are a good bet to win 100+ games next year. Like the Yankees, Baseball just seems better off when the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team of Jackie Robinson, are successful.
#6-24: Contenders & Pretenders of 2024
6. Milwaukee Brewers [NL] 55-42 [.567] pace 91.9-70.1
The Brewers continue to walk the tightrope by shedding star players but still continuing to compete. They have been in a “good enough for the playoffs” success cycle for quite some time now. Despite considerable player turnover in recent years, Milwaukee continues to find a path to success. It helps that their one time superstar, Christian Yelich, is having his best season in years. Like most teams that defy gravity, Milwaukee has added some good rookies, Brice Turang and Jackson Churio, while consummating one-sided trades for Willy Adames and William Contreras. The Adames trade (for basically Drew Rasmussen) even fleeced the most respected front office in Baseball (Tampa Bay). The fact that Milwaukee is once again in a playoff position for 2024 is particularly notable because the team has used an astounding 16 different pitchers to start games so far. How long they can continue this Houdini act is unknown. But, if you need to bet on one team to collapse, you may want to put your money on Milwaukee.
7. Minnesota Twins [AL] 54-42 [.563] pace 91.1-70.9
The 2023 Minnesota Twins had a good season by constructing a team with deep depth. The strategy worked and continues to work in 2024. Of course, this blueprint has been used by many clubs over the years (John McGraw and Casey Stengel preached it), but never really for the reason the Twins needed to adopt it. The Twinks have two superstars, Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis, who simply cannot stay healthy. If the Twins ever get both men healthy for an entire season while they are still in their primes, it would probably be epic. But it is unlikely at this point. Injuries beget injuries. When any part of the human body gets hurt, other parts have to compensate. Those parts are then more prone to injury themself. The Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean reportedly hurt his shoulder after getting hit in the toe by a line drive. As long as the Twins are led by Buxton and Lewis, deep depth is the way to go.
8t. Atlanta Braves [NL] 53-42 [.558] pace 90.4-71.6
The Braves juggernaut seems to be permanently in second gear for 2024. The team’s best player, Ronald Acuna, is injured and out for the year. But he was having a down, way down, season even before he was hurt. Basically, every returning position player on the club, with the exception of Marcell Ozuna, is having an off-year. Despite this, Atlanta is on track for another 90 win season and play-off berth. Strangely, the primary reason for the club’s success this year has been it’s patchwork starting pitching staff. Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez were picked off the scrap heap and turned into aces. Max Fried came back completely from an injury plagued 2024 to give the team another ace. Sometimes, it is better to be lucky than good. If the offense ever comes back on-line, the Braves will probably come roaring down the stretch this year. All things considered, the Braves continued competitiveness indicates just how good this team would be with all engines firing.
8t. Boston Red Sox [AL] 53-42 [.558] pace 90.4-71.6
The Red Sox may be the surprise of the season. Perhaps Alex Cora is as good as his publicity claims. The Sox came into 2024 with a plan: 1) Hope enough of their players had good years that the BoSox could contend for a wild card; and 2) Have their starting pitchers throw far more breaking balls than they did in 2023. The first part worked well as the players, despite a bunch of injuries (Tristan Casas, Trevor Story, Vaughn Grissom, etc.), turned into a pretty deep and productive line-up. The second part worked, for awhile, as the starting rotation was lights out in the early season. But you have to wonder how good the BoSox would have been if they had not thrown away the oft-injured Chris Sale before the season started (for Grissom). Obviously, Sale’s return to his 2018 pitching form was not guaranteed. But there were signs in 2023 that it was possible. Making Sale walk the plank was a sign that the Red Sox front office saw this season as yet another rebuilding year. But Baseball can always surprise you. And possibly the biggest surprise of the 2024 season has been the possible transformation of Sox outfielder Jarren Duran into a superstar (or near superstar). Of course, it remains to be seen if Duran is just the second coming of Jacoby Ellsbury (one great season) or the real deal.
10. Kansas City Royals [AL] 52-45 [.536] pace 86.8-75.2
The Royals are one of the best stories in 2024. In 2023, the Royals went 56-106, finishing dead last in the American League Central, 31 games behind the first place Minnesota Twins. But the Royals had hope. The division was weak. In shortstop Bobby Witt, they had a potential franchise cornerstone. In Cole Ragans, they had a possible ace. So, over the winter, the Royals, took a page out of the Twins’ playbook and signed a bunch of deep depth for 2024. They say fortune favors the bold. This KC Royals team is living proof of that axiom. Bobby Witt apparently wants to make Royals’ fans forget George Brett. Cole Ragans has proven to be an ace for as long as his arm holds up. Pitcher Seth Lugo, picked up for deep depth, has been an even better than Ragans. Brady Singer went from washout to yet another very good starter. This is an easy team to root for. Here is hoping that the Royals can grab a playoff spot and make some ripples in the post-season.
11. Seattle Mariners [AL] 52-46 [.531] pace 86.0-76.0
The Mariners have spent the entire 2024 season so far pitching extremely well while hitting like termites have gotten into the wood pile. Julio Rodriguez, the team’s star, has been one of the main culprits for this offensive malaise. Last year, Rodriguez played 79 games in the first half of the season. His offensive stats were 329 AB/48 R/80 H/14 2B/1 3B/13 HR/43 RBI/.243 BA with a .410 SA. Then, playing 76 games in the 2nd half, Rodriguez crunched along at 325 AB/ 54 R/100 H/23 2B/1 3B/19 HR/60 RBI/.308 BA and a .560 SA. He turned 23 on December 29, 2023. It seemed likely that 2024, his 3rd season in the Majors, would herald the arrival of Rodriguez as a superstar with 35 to 40 Home Runs, 110 to 125 Runs batted in, and a batting average around .300 plus a slugging percentage well over .500. Instead, Rodriguez had an even worst 1st half in 2024 than he did in 2023. Will not hitting in the 1st half of the season be a feature, not a bug, in Rodriguez’s game going forward? If they can just start hitting again, the Mariners should cruise into another playoff spot.
12t. Houston Astros [AL] 50-46 [.521] pace 84.4-77.6
Houston is far past the GM Jeff Luhnow tenure now. The architect of the 2017 garbage-can-banging Champions was fired back in January 2020. However, the team he built continues on like some Frankenstein monster, winning the World Championship again in 2022, and still competing in 2024. It seemed like the Astros may may finally met their Waterloo this year, getting out of the gate with a brutal 12-24 record. Despite a decimated pitching staff, the team rebounded nicely to go 38-22 the rest of the way to the All-Star break. There is still enough talent here to compete. But the technocrats brought in by the late and unlamented Luhnow have been replaced by the Jock elite and those that sniff them. Eventually, enough talent will drain away that this Houston dynasty will collapse under the weight of yet unsigned Jose Abreu types. But 2024 will evidently not be that year.
12t. St. Louis Cardinals [NL] 50-46 [.521] pace 84.4-77.6
The St. Louis Cardinals had an off-year in 2023. Rather than shake up the club and bring in some young blood, the Cards’ GM John Mozeliak doubled down on the team’s veteran presence for 2024. He brought back the Field Manager, Oliver Marmol (despite the many signs that Marmol couldn’t manage a meat market). He rebuilt the team’s terrible starting rotation with a bunch of mid-30s free agents who seemed to be all but washed up. This strategy, bringing in even more veterans to prop up an old veteran team, has been used before. The Philadelphia Phillies even won the 1980 World Championship by trying it. However, the usual result is a going down in flames, let’s ride the Hindenburg right to the ground, disaster. But, in this case, the double down strategy has actually worked so far. It could even be argued that, if only the two Cardinals’ resident superstars, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, were performing up to par, the Cards would be even more competitive. Maybe the Redbirds will make another playoff run in 2024. But I simply cannot believe in this club. Bad management and bad karma normally make for bad results. Who would have thought that Masyn Winn would be the Cardinal’s best player in Spring Training this year?
14. New York Mets [NL] 49-46 [.516] pace 83.6-78.4
The Mets are another team trying a deep depth strategy. The team has been stockpiling decent players and now, even with multiple injuries, the strategy is paying off. The Mets have a very robust line-up. Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Alvarez, Pete Alonso, and J.D. Martinez can all crunch the ball. It has been further strengthened by the arrival of Mark Vientos. Barring any injuries, these players will provide the offense. The starting pitching is veteran deep while relief ace Edwin Diaz seems to have finally come back to his 2022 form. If it all comes together, the NY Mets could easily make the playoffs. On the success cycle, the Mets are somewhat of an anomaly. Steve Cohen, the Met’s owner, is reportedly the richest man in Baseball. With plenty of resources, he is trying to field a competitive team while building up a contender/champion from below too. It will be interesting to see the path that the Mets take over the next decade.
15t. Arizona Diamondbacks [NL] 49-48 [.505] pace 81.8-80.2
After losing to the Texas Rangers in the 2023 World Series, Arizona seemed to be a team on the upswing. But 2024 has just been one step forward and then two steps back. Despite the struggles of their best hitter and franchise player Corbin Carroll this year, the primary problem for the Serpientes has been their starting pitching. Merrill Kelly has been hurt. Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt have been mostly second-rate. Jordan Montgomery has lost whatever magic he had in 2023. The Snakes may still make a run this year. If Corbin Carroll can return to form and join the Diamondbacks deep line-up, Arizona will be able to make a playoff charge if the starting rotation is able to step up a little bit. Despite their appearance in the 2023 World Series, Arizona is not at the peak of the success cycle. They are still on the way up.
15t. San Diego Padres [NL] 50-49 [.505] pace 81.8-80.2
The Padres are somewhat unique in respect to the success cycle pattern. In typical cases, a team is either building up, holding on to the peak, trending down, or bottoming out. However, in recent years, the SD Padres threw just about everything they had into immediately peaking before the club’s owner Peter Siedler passed away. This frantic attempt to build a quick champion all but short-circuited the success cycle for San Diego. More importantly, it did not work and Siedler passed away in November of 2023. The Friars seem to have been left with an odd club of refugees from this noble (or crazy) attempt to win one for the Gipper. If they continue to try to win, the Padres risk being caught in the whirlpool that keeps teams in the middle: not good enough to compete and not bad enough to rebuild. Ten years from now, it will be very interesting to go back and see what the Padres gave up by trying to build a quick skyscraper made of straw rather than slowly building it with bricks.
17t. Pittsburgh Pirates [NL] 48-48 [.500] pace 81.0-81.0
The arrival of ace pitcher Paul Skenes has suddenly thrust the Pirates into a win now mode before their interesting core begins reaching free agency. With Mitch Keller and Jared Jones backing up Skenes (and possibly Luis Ortiz, if he is for real), Pittsburgh could give their opponents in the playoffs a rough time if only the Buccos can get there. Unfortunately, the Pirates don’t really have the offense to back up their pitching yet. Brian Reynolds is a good solid star. Shortstop Oneil Cruz has potential to be superstar. Ke’Bryan Hayes may just be having an off year. There is some potential in their rookies and on their farm. But as long as Skenes stays healthy, the Pirates are like the skinny weak guy in the room with the biggest gun.
17t. Tampa Bay Rays [AL] 48-48 [.500] pace 81.0-81.0
Tampa Bay’s front office deservedly has the reputation as being the smartest guys in the room. They keep on competing with a limited budget and near constant turnover of fungible players. Recently, many of the best front offices in Baseball have adopted the strategy of locking up their star and/or superstar players right after they debut in MLB (and sometimes even before their first game). Atlanta made such a fetish of this practice that they basically signed almost their entire up-and-coming team (applying an even greater strategy, spreading the risk). So when Tampa Bay signed 20-year-old future superstar Wander Franco after his rookie season in November 2021 to a 11-year/182 million dollar contract (with 12th year option for 31 million more), it seemed like Tampa Bay had frosted its cake. But sometimes reality smacks even the best laid and most intelligent plans upside the head. With Franco placed on the restricted list for having sex with a 14-year-old girl in his home country of the Dominican Republic, his entire career now is in jeopardy. The only good that come out of this for Tampa is that Franco had not really began to collect any of the monies due him yet (after making 2 million in 2024, his salary was scheduled to jump to 8 million in 2025 but salaries are not paid to players on the restricted list). Now the formerly named Devil Rays find their team in an unenviable position, stuck in the MLB middle. They will need all their smarts or just good luck to get out of this one.
19t. Cincinnati Reds [NL] 47-50 [.485] pace 78.5-83.5
The year 2024 will probably not be the first year of a future success cycle for the Cincinnati Reds. They already have a probable future franchise superstar, Elly De La Cruz, on hand. They also have a possible future ace (barring injury), Hunter Greene, in the rotation. The Redlegs are filling in the supporting cast (Spencer Steer, Andrew Abbott, the injured Matt McClain, maybe Rece Hinds). They reportedly have a good farm system. They are down at the very bottom of success cycle slope looking up. Now it’s just a question of some good luck in player development and drafting, lack of injuries, and maybe some choice trades for a couple of runs at a National League pennant. If the Baseball Gods are good, the spectacular De La Cruz will perform in the post-season soon.
19t. Detroit Tigers [AL] 47-50 [.485] pace 78.5-83.5
The year 2024 will probably not be the first year of a future success cycle for the Detroit Tigers. However, they now have future franchise clean-up hitter, Riley Greenez, on hand. They already have their once and future ace (barring injury), Tarik Skubal, in the rotation. The Felines are filling in the supporting cast (Reese Olson, maybe Colt Keith, the non-seriously injured Kerry Carpenter and Casey Mize). They reportedly have a good farm system. The Cats have a very tradeable asset in Jack Flaherty. They even have another clean-up hitter, Spencer Torkelson, who may be salvageable. They are down at the bottom of success cycle slope looking up. Now it’s just a question of some good luck in player development, drafting, lack of injuries, and maybe some trades for a run or two or three or more at the American League pennant. If the Baseball Gods are kind, the Detroit Tigers will have two 30-40 home run mashers in the heart of their order for the next five years or so.
19t. San Francisco Giants [NL] 47-50 [.485] pace 78.5-83.5
The story of the San Francisco Giants’ off-seasons in recent years has been their search for a tentpole franchise player. Despite all this, the Giants have had no luck. Their best player (by WAR) in 2024 is the offensively flawed but defensively gifted 31-year-old free agent Matt Chapman, signed right before the 2024 season started. If only the promise of Mike Yastrzemski’s first two seasons in the Majors has held up, the SF Giants would have their own star [161 G/563 AB/103 R/158 H/36 2B/7 3B/31 HR/90 RBI/.281 BA/.535 SA/5.3 WAR in 2019 and the 2020 strike seasons combined]. But instead, the 4th-generation Yaz, has had a very weird career, kind of like the Giants themselves recently. Mike Yastrzemski never really showed any promise in the minors. then burst on the scene (as detailed above), and now has settled in, from 2021-2024, as a very useful, but unexciting quasi-regular. The Giants have gone from mediocre (2017-2020), to awesome (107-57 in 2021), to basically exactly average (2022-now). The Giants need to break this cycle of gloom.
22. Chicago Cubs [NL] 47-51 [.480] pace 77.7-84.3
The Chicago Cubs are a hard team to root for because they are one of the many MLB teams owned by a disreputable billionaire. That being said, the Cubbies are one of many teams stuck in the muddling middle of the MLB: not good enough to compete and not lucky or bad enough to get the probable future superstars at the top of the draft. That being said, the Cubs have tried to use the strategy of deep depth (like Minnesota or Boston or San Fran). The basic concept of this strategy is to bring in enough Major League talent that, if they all (or most of them) have good seasons, your club will get into the playoffs. Unfortunately, when injuries and off-years swamp your players, the team will remain stuck in the middle with yet another year wasted. One very interesting aspect of the Cubbies player hoard is that, outside of the Dodgers, they have probably accumulated as much Japanese talent as any other MLB team. Seiya Suzuki is a very good player and may be even greater if he can just stay healthy for a whole season. Shota Imanaga has been a revelation on the mound. Of course, as a very unorthodox pitcher, Imanaga has had the drop on MLB batters. His ERA has risen as they get more familiar with him (now 2.97 at the All-Star break). It will be very interesting to see who ends up with a higher ERA at the end of 2024. Imanaga, or the more highly touted Dodger, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (currently on the injured list with a 2.92 ERA). As far as the Cubbies are concerned in 2024, it is a case of (to paraphrase the old Dodger slogan): Wait until next year.
23. Texas Rangers [AL] 46-50 [.479] pace 77.6-84.4
The 2023 Baseball World Champion Texas Rangers have played in 2024 like someone completely hung over from one hell of a party. Will they get over this vicious hangover before the bell chimes in Baseball’s version of musical chairs? Every year at least one team (sometimes more) in the Major Leagues is completely overwhelmed by injuries (in 2023, it was the Yankees). Perhaps the writing was already on the wall when Texas’ best player, Corey Seager, started the season with a hernia. If Josh Jung and Evan Cater (or even Jacob DeGrom) can return and contribute, if the regular line-up can play up to its standard, if Max Scherzer can remain healthy, the Sheriffs still have a chance. But 2024, so far, just seems like it is destined not to be the Texas Rangers’ year. The glow of the 2023 Championship will have to sustain them.
24. Toronto Blue Jays [AL] 44-52 [.458] pace 74.3-87.7
Break up the Blue Jays. This team is like watching water that never boils. At first, the strange nepotism of having a team lead by the sons of a superstar (Vlad Guerrero Sr.) and plain old star (Dante Bichette) was compelling. But it never congealed. The Club’s two superstars probably need to go some place else and be second fiddles on another team. The likelihood that Vlad Junior turns into the second coming of Prince Fielder increases every year. And who knows what has happened to Bo Bichette? Did the pressure of carrying this team turn him into a pumpkin? Or is he the victim of constant leg injuries this year but keeps on playing. There is a lot of talent here. Time to see if the Jay’s front office can turn this lumpy oatmeal into pudding by cleaning house.
#25-30: Bottom Feeders of 2024
25. Washington Nationals [NL] 44-53 [.454] pace 73.5-88.5.
The Nationals have one thing that the other five bottom feeder MLB teams (#26-30) do not: some justifiable hope. The Nats have traded and drafted well while lying down in the cellar. In fact, as the years meander by, the National’s trade haul from San Diego for Juan Soto will probably generate just as many articles as the St. Louis Cardinals long ago fleecing of Hall of Famer Lou Brock from the hapless Chicago Cubs. With the debut of James Woods in the MLB and the appearance on the horizon of Dylan Crews,* the Nationals have two potential superstars in the pipeline. And these two players are just the tip of the spear. The Nationals stand at the bottom of the success cycle hill. But they are planning a Light Brigade charge to the top.
*Every time I read the last name Crews, I think of the fantastic Burt Reynolds 1974 movie, The Longest Yard, possibly the greatest sports movie ever made. In that movie, Reynold played quarterback Paul (Wrecking) Crew. Unfortunately, I also have to remember the absolute abortion of the Adam Sandler remake. Will Dylan Crews be nicknamed “Wrecking Crews?” I hope not. Who would want to constantly remember something great that was turned into such crud?
26. Los Angeles Angels [AL] 41-55 [.427] pace 69.2-92.8
After being abandoned quite righteously by Shohei Ohtani, the Angels have adopted a dual strategy: 1) sign players who were high draft picks by other teams but have failed to thrive, and 2) sign players in the Draft that they can immediately throw into the crucible of MLB competition.* Neither plan has actually really worked yet. But this flotsam and jetsam have keep the club above the true depths of the the bottom four teams in 2024. Oddly enough, and despite the fact that the team is still owned by Arte Moreno, the Angels are an easy team to root for now. The field manager, Ron Washington, has a history just like his players. He has been knocked down but continues to get right back up. Unfortunately, over the long term, the LA Angels are probably going to continue to be stuck right where they are, in the lower class suburbs of MLB. And, if there is a God in heaven, he will get the talented but always injured Mike Trout out of here and on to a contender (like the Phillies), where he will immediately be healthy enough to play a full 150 games or so.
*They began this odd strategy after bizarrely drafting only pitchers in 2021. That strategy didn’t work either.
27. Oakland Athletics [AL] 37-61 [.378] pace 61.2-100.8
If they were a car, the Athletics would be stuck in neutral. The team is simply marking time until it’s Sacramento to Las Vegas travel plans are realized (or go up in flames). The only real question is: will the A’s completely commit to a five-year tear down plan or just try to muddle through? If they do commit, Mason Miller and his bazooka arm will be traded immediately before he has to undergo a, probably inevitable, Tommy John surgery (an ulnar collateral ligament strain put him into the bullpen). Brent Rooker, currently 29 years old, and every other player over 30 should be traded away for whatever they can bring in, either a suspect prospect or a ham sandwich. No matter whether they trade or stay the course, the Athletics’ position in the winning cycle will probably be wallowing in the shallow end of the pool for quite some time.
28. Colorado Rockies [NL] 34-63 [.351] pace 56.8-105.2
The Major Leagues most boring team is probably the Rockies. Probably the club’s two most interesting players (from an accomplishment perspective) are Charlie Blackman and Kris Bryant. Blackman is all but washed up while Bryant has been all but washed away by a constant stream of injuries and possibly indifference. Ownership & the front office are functionally clueless. Perhaps the only hope is that the Rockies draft well (or luckily). But the changes to the amateur draft make this much harder to do while haunting the lower depths of the Major League standings. Many companies operate on five (or ten) year plans. If the Rockies even have a plan, it is either unknown or, more likely, just incompetent.
29. Miami Marlins [NL] 33-63 [.344] pace 55.7-106.3
Does Miami suffer from the curse of Jose Fernandez? The team’s pitching seems to be repeatedly ravaged by injuries. If he had not died in a September 2016 boat accident, Fernandez would have turned 32 on July 31, 2024. Would his career already be over, his arm broken by the modern pitching obsession with throwing as hard as possible all the time? Or would his career have been simply derailed by injuries and possibly drug suspensions like a modern-day Dwight Gooden? Or would he have matured into a multiple Cy Young award winner? It is always good to remember that sometimes team building is more about luck than anything else. If only Fernandez’ boat had missed that pier. Before the 2024 season, the Fish flushed out the last little bits of the Derek Jeter’s former front office regime by throwing GM Kim Ng overboard while demoting her. However, there does not appear to be any plan in place on how to proceed now that she’s gone. The club seems to be operating on a wish and a prayer.
30. Chicago White Sox [AL] 27-71 [.276] pace 44.6-117.4
At the All-Star break, the White Sox still employ and regularly play two of the worst players in the Majors, Andrew Benitendi [the #2 worst player by WAR at -1.8] and Martin Maldonaldo [#4 at -1.5].* Both of these players were terrible free agent signings. However, it could have been much worse. Imagine if the Pale Hose had resigned Jose Abreu [#3 at -1.6] and Tim Anderson [#8 at -1.3]. Fortunately for Chicago, they did not bring either player back, hoping for a dead cat bounce but getting a dead cat splat. Both Abreu and Anderson have been discarded by their new teams like yesterday’s newspapers. Unfortunately for Baseball history, the White Sox did not keep their two washed up stars so they could make a run at the all-time 1899 Cleveland Spider record of 134 losses in a season. Here is hoping that the doomed White Stockings trade away their only remaining valuable players (Garrett Crochett in particular), so they can take a shot at the modern record for losses, 120 by the 1962 New York Mets. If you are going to go down in flames, you might as well make it epic. The White Sox position in the success cycle? The Pale Hose are flat on their faces while drowning in a one-inch puddle.
*The player with the worst WAR at the 2024 All-Star break was the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski at -2.1 wins below average.