Baseball 2024

[catfish1957]

He's a freak of nature! Just amazing. There will be a bunch of fans who will have the privilege of saying they were there the day Ohtani broke records. What a day for him. And he hasn't even started pitching yet.

Back when ESPN was a real sports network, they used to have thoughtful conversation, and remember (maybe early Bonds era) about the unlikelyhood of a 50/50 season due to the almost impossible combination of having both that level of  speed and the power to do it.

Granted this is the juiced baseball era, but there is no denying that Ohtani is a once in a generation or 2  talent.

[catfish1957]

6 games to go, and this is what the playoffs would look like if the season ended today.

American League
--------------------

WC 3 @ lowest win pct Div. winner.   KC/DET (tied) @ HOU best of 3
WC2 @ WC1 KC/DET (tied) @ BAL best of 3

Div winner with best record NYY (bye)
2nd best Div winner CLE (bye)

On the WC bubble- All three dvisional winners pretty much set.
----------------
MIN (one game behind KC/DET)
SEA (2 games behind KC/DET)

National League
--------------------
WC 3- NYM or AZ (tied) @ lowest win pct Div. winner.- MIL. (best of
WC2-  @ WC1-  AZ/NYM (tied)  @ SD.

Div winner with best record LAD (bye). Could change as Dodgers have only one game lead over Phillies (best of 3)
2nd best Div winner PHI (bye) (best of 3)

LAD has a 3 game lead, so that divisional race isn't settled yet.

NL teams on the bubble?- Only Atlanta, 2 games back out of the WC race

[AllThatJazzZ]

Let's go, Astros! There's nothing I'd enjoy more than to see Seattle have to watch the post-season from their couches.

[Hoodat]

Looking back on those Jan 1 predictions, here's how things turned out in the AL:

Blue Jays: Bo Bichette will establish himself among AL’s superstars
AVG - .225     4 HR     31 RBI

Orioles: They will reach the postseason again in 2024
Made Playoffs

Rays: The postseason losing streak will end
.500 team.  No postseason.

Red Sox: The Red Sox will win more games than they did in 2023
2023 - 78 wins.     2024 - 78 wins with 6 more games to play.

Yankees: Aaron Judge will try to break his home run record
Leads AL with 55 HR this year.     62 HR in 2022.



Indians: Tanner Bibee will be an AL Cy Young finalist
11-8     3.56 ERA     180 Ks     1.13 WHIP     Not a Cy Young contender.

Royals: Bobby Witt Jr. will be an All-Star
Made the All-Star team.  Let Royals in hitting, Runs, HRs, & RBIs.  Second in SBs.  Leads AL in Avg and Runs scored.

Tigers: The sluggish starts will end
Went 17-13 through the end of April.  Poised to grab a Wild Card spot.

Twins: Pablo López will win the AL Cy Young
15-9     4.11 ERA     190 Ks     1.18 WHIP     Not a Cy Young contender.

White Sox: They will be better in 2024 than they were in ’23
36 Wins.  Worst team in baseball.     61 Wins in 2023.




Angels: Mike Trout will have another MVP-caliber season
Hit .220     10 HR     14 RBI     On 60-day DL

Astros: Yordan Alvarez will win the AL MVP in 2024
4th in Hitting.     5th in Slugging.     7th in HR.     13th in RBI.     Good season, but not an MVP season.

A's: Brent Rooker will be an All-Star again
Better year than last.  Avg .296     38 HR     110 RBI.     But Mason Miller was the only A's player to make All-Star team.

Mariners: Julio Rodríguez will make a serious run at the AL MVP Award
AVG - .272     19 HR     63 RBI     Not an MVP season.

Rangers: Corey Seager will win the AL MVP
Good year, but not as good as 2023.  Finishes season on IR.




Best predictions:  Bobby Witt Jr., Brent Rooker (got robbed on All Star status), and the Tigers good start.

Worst predictions:  ChiSox, Mike Trout, Bo Bichette

[AllThatJazzZ]

Looking back on those Jan 1 predictions, here's how things turned out in the AL:

Blue Jays: Bo Bichette will establish himself among AL’s superstars
AVG - .225     4 HR     31 RBI

Orioles: They will reach the postseason again in 2024
Made Playoffs

Rays: The postseason losing streak will end
.500 team.  No postseason.

Red Sox: The Red Sox will win more games than they did in 2023
2023 - 78 wins.     2024 - 78 wins with 6 more games to play.

Yankees: Aaron Judge will try to break his home run record
Leads AL with 55 HR this year.     62 HR in 2022.



Indians: Tanner Bibee will be an AL Cy Young finalist
11-8     3.56 ERA     180 Ks     1.13 WHIP     Not a Cy Young contender.

Royals: Bobby Witt Jr. will be an All-Star
Made the All-Star team.  Let Royals in hitting, Runs, HRs, & RBIs.  Second in SBs.  Leads AL in Avg and Runs scored.

Tigers: The sluggish starts will end
Went 17-13 through the end of April.  Poised to grab a Wild Card spot.

Twins: Pablo López will win the AL Cy Young
15-9     4.11 ERA     190 Ks     1.18 WHIP     Not a Cy Young contender.

White Sox: They will be better in 2024 than they were in ’23
36 Wins.  Worst team in baseball.     61 Wins in 2023.




Angels: Mike Trout will have another MVP-caliber season
Hit .220     10 HR     14 RBI     On 60-day DL

Astros: Yordan Alvarez will win the AL MVP in 2024
4th in Hitting.     5th in Slugging.     7th in HR.     13th in RBI.     Good season, but not an MVP season.

A's: Brent Rooker will be an All-Star again
Better year than last.  Avg .296     38 HR     110 RBI.     But Mason Miller was the only A's player to make All-Star team.

Mariners: Julio Rodríguez will make a serious run at the AL MVP Award
AVG - .272     19 HR     63 RBI     Not an MVP season.

Rangers: Corey Seager will win the AL MVP
Good year, but not as good as 2023.  Finishes season on IR.




Best predictions:  Bobby Witt Jr., Brent Rooker (got robbed on All Star status), and the Tigers good start.

Worst predictions:  ChiSox, Mike Trout, Bo Bichette

@Hoodat

Thanks! That was interesting. Do you have the NL?

[Hoodat]

@Hoodat

Thanks! That was interesting. Do you have the NL?

@AllThatJazzZ


NL EAST

Braves: Max Fried will win the NL Cy Young Award
10-10     3.42 ERA     151 Ks     1.20 WHIP.  Not a Cy Young contender.  But Chris Sale is.

Marlins: Jazz Chisholm Jr. will return to All-Star form
Traded to the Yankees for three prospects including 19-yr-old SS Abraham Ramirez

Mets: The team will be better in 2024 than it was in ’23
Mets should finish around 15 wins better than last year and are vying for a Wild Card spot, but may come up short.

Nationals: Hunter Harvey will take over as closer
Hunter Harvey is a bum.  Traded to the Royals for 3B prospect Cayden Wallace.       ERA 4.44.     Zero saves.

Phillies: A true race in the NL East
Phillies were 'en fuego', but have played .500 ball since the All-Star break.   They've clinched the division title, with two other teams vying for a Wild Card.


NL CENTRAL

Brewers: Freddy Peralta will win the NL Cy Young Award

Peralta throws good heat, but at 11-8, he's no Cy Young winner.  That award will go to Chris Sale.
Cardinals: Reliable pitching could lead to NL Central contention

Other than Sonny Gray and Ryan Helsley, Card pitching has been horrible.  Currently trailing the Cubs.
Cubs: North Siders get back to playoffs

No playoffs for the Cubs this year.  And with no 'curse' to blame it on, people now know that the Cubs suck.
Pirates: Ke’Bryan Hayes will win his first Platinum Glove

Not likely with less than 100 games played.
Reds: Cincinnati will make the postseason

The Reds will not make the postseason for the remainder of the decade.


NL WEST

D-backs: Arizona will be playoff bound again
On the cusp.  A half-game ahead of the Braves for the last spot.  They close out at home against the Padres.

Dodgers: Dodger Stadium will be more electric than ever before
If it isn't, it should be.       Garvey 2024!

Giants: A Giant will win NL Rookie of the Year
Not with Pirate pitcher Paul Skenes boasting a 1.99 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP with 167 Ks in 131 IP.

Padres: San Diego will win more games than it did in '23
True.  Padres are peaking at the right time.  On pace to win 12 more games than last year.  Playoff bound.

Rockies: Ezequiel Tovar will go from an intriguing rookie in ‘23 to a mainstay
True.  He has a lock on his middle infield spot, and will hit before Cleanup in the batting order.

[Hoodat]

NL Wild Card race tightens up.  Braves are easing their way back in.  (Or more accurately, the Mets and Diamondbacks are easing their way out.)

All three are now within a game of each other.  The Braves get two more chances against the Mets before closing at home against KC while the Mets hit the road against the Brewers.  The D'backs also remain at home with one more contest with the Giants and finishing against the red hot Padres.  Of course if the Braves squeeze into that last wild card spot, bet the farm that they get swept in round 1.

@Polly Ticks

[AllThatJazzZ]

https://x.com/astros/status/1838770075278397945

Never would have dreamed this earlier in the year. I was sure the golden era was over. But they're RELENTLESS, and here we are owning the West!!

[catfish1957]

https://x.com/astros/status/1838770075278397945

Never would have dreamed this earlier in the year. I was sure the golden era was over. But they're RELENTLESS, and here we are owning the West!!

If you discount the irregular COVID season (2020), Astros have won 7 consecutive AL West titles, and now are in the playoffs 8 straight seasons.

No offense to my neighbors up north in DFW, but I knew last year was a fluke.

[AllThatJazzZ]

If you discount the irregular COVID season (2020), Astros have won 7 consecutive AL West titles, and now are in the playoffs 8 straight seasons.

No offense to my neighbors up north in DFW, but I knew last year was a fluke.

I was nervously watching both the Rangers and the Mariners earlier in the season. I remember when we started to inch up and run even with one or the other for a while and then finally start to pull away. It would be great to see a graph tracking the 162-season showing those dynamics.

[Polly Ticks]

NL Wild Card race tightens up.  Braves are easing their way back in.  (Or more accurately, the Mets and Diamondbacks are easing their way out.)

All three are now within a game of each other.  The Braves get two more chances against the Mets before closing at home against KC while the Mets hit the road against the Brewers.  The D'backs also remain at home with one more contest with the Giants and finishing against the red hot Padres.  Of course if the Braves squeeze into that last wild card spot, bet the farm that they get swept in round 1.

@Polly Ticks

Right?!?

I'm not sure if I'm hoping they DO make the playoffs or they don't. We've only had our opening day starting lineup healthy and available for 7 total innings this year, so it would be quite an accomplishment to even make it... but maybe better to just go home, heal up, and pray for better fortune next season.   

Baseball.  You gotta love it.

[catfish1957]

Right?!?

I'm not sure if I'm hoping they DO make the playoffs or they don't. We've only had our opening day starting lineup healthy and available for 7 total innings this year, so it would be quite an accomplishment to even make it... but maybe better to just go home, heal up, and pray for better fortune next season.   

Baseball.  You gotta love it.

Sadly,  the most boring pennant races I've seen in at least 10-15 years.  Let's hope the playoffs are more exciting.

Only real interest is which 3 of 4 make it in NL WC.

[catfish1957]

Semi-poll for other Briefers....   What do you think of the best of 3 WC serirs being played at ALW (Houston) and WC1 (BAL), and all 3 at home?

I fell sorry for the fans of teams like the Tigers and Royals who haven't seen a home playoff game in 9 or 10 years.  And might not, based on this format.

[GrouchoTex]

https://x.com/astros/status/1838770075278397945

Never would have dreamed this earlier in the year. I was sure the golden era was over. But they're RELENTLESS, and here we are owning the West!!

Yes Ma'am, They did it!
Taking a 1/2 day off in about 10 minutes to go watch them this afternoon, at a local watering hole with some friends.

[corbe]

Houston Astros Overcome Massive Odds To Win AL West Title

Story by Tyler Maher • 13h

It wasn't easy, but the Houston Astros are AL West champs once again.

The Astros clinched their fourth straight division title with a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night. Like they have all season, Houston overcame an early deficit, rallying from a 3-1 hole to defeat their division rival.

The Astros have now won the AL West in seven of the last eight years, the lone exception being when they finished second to the Oakland Athletics in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Houston is the only MLB team to win their division in each of the last four years.

While many faces (Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez) have stayed the same during that time, many are new as well. The Astros had to rely on an abundance of rookies and relatively unknown players this year to help compensate for all of their injuries and aging stars.

Despite their impressive track record of success, Houston finishing first was anything but a foregone conclusion a few months ago.

In fact, it looked extremely unlikely.

<..snip..>

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/houston-astros-overcome-massive-odds-to-win-al-west-title/ar-AA1r9wT3?ocid=msedgntp&pc=EDBBAN&cvid=d2e7864cfbcf4b4ea1cb880684c4c908&ei=136

[catfish1957]

Houston Astros Overcome Massive Odds To Win AL West Title

With this staff, and Verlander @ 4-6, with a 5.55 era?

It's down right mircacle if you ask me.

[Hoodat]

NL Wild Card race tightens again.  Braves gain a game on NY and AZ.

Braves   87-71
Mets      87-71
D'backs  88-72

[AllThatJazzZ]

With this staff, and Verlander @ 4-6, with a 5.55 era?

It's down right mircacle if you ask me.

I'm not sure to whom you're referring when you gripe about the staff. I agree that Verlander became a problem, and IMHO he shouldn't play in the playoffs. I think Espada has managed a very difficult and challenging season excellently. Brown has located and brought in talent, and used our staff to help them get the kinks out. Abreu was a disaster, but they finally took care of that. The players brought up from AAA have contributed more than expected. Let's not forget that they had some huge shoes to fill.

There were some major roadblocks to navigate, and yet here we are having fought our way back to the top. Imagine what our win/loss totals would have been if we hadn't struggled so much the first couple of months. I'd given up on them, believing they were in a permanent funk for 2024 and am ecstatic to have been proven wrong.

The icing on the cake is that the Mariners are staying home again. 

[AllThatJazzZ]

It wasn't that long ago that I was wishing I had a graph to show the ups and downs of the Astros' season, shazam. I stumbled over this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUr44bhLbfM&t=18s

Can't watch right now because my eyelids are so heavy, so I'm parking it here to study it tomorrow. Maybe someone else would be interested too.

[Hoodat]

Braves gain again.

Braves   88-71  ---
Mets      87-72   -1
D'backs  88-73   -1

[AllThatJazzZ]

Braves gain again.

Braves   88-71  ---
Mets      87-72   -1
D'backs  88-73   -1

Wow. Hard to keep track of.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgtBb7mEsMQ





Here was some guy's/gal's predictions:
PREDICTION
WC
 ・Tigers vs Astros → Astros
 ・Royals vs Orioles → Orioles
↓ ALDS
・Astros vs Guardians → Astros
・Orioles vs Yankees → Orioles
↓ ALCS
・Astros vs Orioles → Astros

(I think the NL is the Padres)
WS
・Padres vs Astros → Padres

Btw I'm an Angels fan that has nothing to do with this






Anyone want to commit to predictions?

[corbe]

   It'll truly be a Cinderella moment if the Astros even get to the World Series, the cherry on top is if they WIN it.

   I believe in Cinderella

[MeganC]

Pete Rose died

[AllThatJazzZ]

Braves gain again.

Braves   88-71  ---
Mets      87-72   -1
D'backs  88-73   -1

@Hoodat

Congrats to the Braves and Mets. Poor D'Backs.






Predictions, anyone?

[Polly Ticks]

@Hoodat
Congrats to the Braves and Mets. Poor D'Backs.

I'm still not over that first game yesterday.  Good Lord.

http://twitter.com/CodifyBaseball/status/1840890069680603214