“Pitching Chaos” 2024 MLB Season for Statis-Pro Baseball

“Pitching Chaos” 

The Normalized 2024 MLB Season for Statis-Pro Baseball, c. 1987 cards

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2024 Detroit Tigers SPBB cards

2024 Detroit Tigers: 86-76, 3rd Place in AL Central

The Tigers’ story is amazing: Detroit sunk to 23-24 on May 20 and remained at or below .500 for the next 2 months leading into the trade deadline. Tarik Skubal was running away with the AL Cy Young, Riley Greene was turning into an All-Star, and Jack Flaherty was looking like the runaway Chris Fetter Reclamation Project of The Year winner. But it wasn't enough to cover for the roster’s dead weight at first base, in center, and especially at shortstop.  Their best hitting reserve catcher, Carson Kelly, pitcher Andrew Chafin, and a strong veteran hitter in Mark Canha all said their good-byes to Detroit. None brought back a big return. As we all know, Flaherty was dealt right at the trade deadline buzzer to the Dodgers, who sent back borderline top-100 catching prospect Thayron Liranzo and 24-year old AAA shortstop Trey Sweeney, who was having a below-average year in Oklahoma City to that point.  

It looked bad.  On Saturday August 10, Detroit was 55-63.  They had sent down last year’s best power hitter, Spencer Torkelson, and it did not look like the rotation or lineup had enough left to avoid another 90 loss season. But a funny thing happened on the trip to the bottom- it never happened. The Tigers won 31 of their next 44 using the capable Sweeney in place of the fading Javier Baez, and behind “Pitching Chaos”, using Skubal, Reese Olsen and rookie Keider Montero as primary starters down the stretch and filling in the last starting slots with the combination of relief pitchers Tyler Holton, Will Vest, Jason Foley, Brant Hurter, Brenan Hanifee and Sean Gunther, with Beau Briske emerging as a stopper.  This group dropped Detroit’s ERA from 7th in the AL to 2nd.  The team ERA was an MLB-best 2.72 from Aug. 11 to the end of the season.

It didn’t hurt that Torkelson returned to at least hit decently, Kerry Carpenter, Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling played exceptionally well, and Colt Keith, Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibanez combined for good middle infield play and key hits down the stretch.  But the key man was Skubal, who led AL pitchers in wins, ERA and strikeouts, becoming the first AL pitching Triple Crown winner in a 162-game season since then-Tiger Justin Verlander in 2011. Skubal was dominant down the stretch, posting a 1.85 ERA over his final eight starts and carrying a 28-inning scoreless streak from Sept. 18 until a five-run fifth inning that doomed Detroit in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians. 

2024 New York Yankees SPBB Cards

(Revised 11/21/2024)

2024 New York Yankees: 94-68, 1st Place in AL East

Let’s get this out of the way: Aaron Judge, 2024: BA: .322 (3rd) HR: 58 (1st) RBI: 144 (1st) OPS: 1.159 (1st) Walks: 133 (1st) Runs: 122 (3rd) FWAR: 11.2 (1st) BWAR: 10.8 (1st) Offensive War: 11.6 (5th all time behind Bonds and Ruth).

It is one of the greatest seasons in MLB history, and it managed to surpass 2022 Judge (.311, 62, 133, 1.111, 11.1 FWAR). It might be the best right handed hitting season in history. 

But Judge’s great run has a tendency to overshadow other subtleties of the Yankee season. For one thing Juan Soto arrived in New York and hit 41 HR, meaning the duo’s 99 combined HR finished third in Yankee history behind the M and M brothers in 1961 (115) and Ruth and Gehrig in 1927 (107).  While Giancarlo Stanton missed a lot of the season, he and Judge homered in the same game 14 times, tying the Yankee record set by Maris and Mantle in 1961. But the Yankees really played three seasons- a dominant start at 50-22 by June 14th, an absolutely terrible period during which they lost 20 of 30 games following injuries to Stanton, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and the pitching staff, then finally a resurgent period to win the East, with Gleyber Torres finding his home in the lead off spot, Luke Weaver as a closer, Jazz Chisholm, Jr. taking over at 3B, and Austin Wells as a starting catcher. The pitching was inconsistent wall to wall, although Gerrit Cole straightened himself out for the postseason and Luis Gil was equally capable of missing both the strike zone and opponent bats.  The Yankees finished 94-68 and won a bye, finishing off the Royals in four games in the ALDS and Cleveland in five games in the ALCS to win their 41st AL Pennant.

2024 Cleveland Guardians SPBB Cards

2024 Cleveland Guardians: 92-69, 1st Place in AL Central

Cleveland put five players in the All-Star Game, including starters LF Steven Kwan, and 3B Jose Ramirez, along wth utility plyer David Fry, 1B Josh Naylor, and closer Emmanuel Clase, who would easily win the AL Cy Young with 46 saves and a .61 ERA in any year where Tarik Skubal wasn't also pitching as he did. Cleveland finished 3rd in the AL in ERA, just decimals hehind Detroit.  They played their usual excellent defense, with perennial Gold Glovers 2B Andres Giminez and LF Steven Kwan, but 1B Josh Naylor, 3B Jose Ramirez and SS Brayan Rocchio were Gold Glove finalists. Cleveland's strength was a roster deep in fielding talent that could also hit, and a bullpen that included Clase, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin and Eli Morgan, who combined for 330 IP and ERAs all under 2.00. A case could be made for Ramirez as the best top five MLB player nobody knows, as he scored 114 runs, had 39 doubles and 39 HR, drove in 118 runs and stole 41 bases. They were hurt by season long problems with injuries to their outfield, and starting pitching, but two moves helped save their lineup- trading for CF Lane Thomas and promoting RF Johnkensy 'Big Christmas' Noel. These moves gave the Guardians right handed power to balance their left handed hitters, and Cleveland banged 185 HRs and stole 148 bases, 2nd in the AL. Cleveland won 92 games and the AL Central, and outlasted Detroit in the ALDS in five hard fought games, before the home run barrage from Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto finished them in the ALCS.    

2024 Los Angeles Dodgers SPBB Cards    

(This one’s for you, Max. Enjoy!)

2024 Los Angeles Dodgers: 98-64, 1st Place in NL West

It’s a testimony to the Dodger’s resilience that they lost to injuries both Tyler Glasgow and Gavin Stone, who combined for a 20-11 record, half a season of Max Muncy, nearly that of Mookie Betts, Justin Hayward and Miguel Rojas, but they still finished with the best record in baseball.  The injuries devastated the outfield in particular, although LA got a great hitting season from rookie Andy Page and they picked up Kevin Kiermaier and Tommy Edman before the trade deadline to help out in centerfield, a set of moves that paid off when Edman won the MVP of the NLCS. The Dodger attack was relentless, led by Shohei Ohtani, who bashed 54 HRs, stole 59 bases, batted .310, scored 134 runs and drove in 130, the all around play of 1B Freddie Freeman and SS/RF Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez’s 33 HR and 99 RBI. LA overcame a 2-1 deficit in the NLDS against their bitter rivals, the San Diego Padres to win in 5 games and then bested the Mets in the NLCS in 6 immensely entertaining contests to win their chance to reprise the 1981 World Series match against their historical rivals from the Bronx. There, they claimed their 8th Championship in five games behind the peerless Freeman. 

2024 New York Mets SPBB Cards

New York Mets: 89-73, 3rd Place in NL East

It was surreal but not surprising that the Mets ousted the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS at Citi Field to earn a trip against the Dodgers in the NLCS. It was surreal because of where the Mets came from to get there, digging themselves out of an early-season hole when all seemed lost to most. But it is not surprising because the Mets were quite literally the best team in baseball since June.  In order to get one step away from the World Series -- after persevering all year through gauntlets in their schedule that were supposed to end this magical ride, a season-long injury to their ace, and constant doubt from the outside -- the Mets stared adversity down and overcame it repeatedly.

A doubleheader the day after the regular season was supposed to end, where the Mets had to win a game at their perennial house of horrors in Atlanta in order to clinch a playoff spot? No problem -- even though they entered the ninth inning of Game 1 trailing. The Mets had taken a 6-3 lead into the 8th against the Braves only to see Atlanta score 4 to take a 7-6 lead. But SS Francisco Lindor (33 HR, 107 R, 91 RBI) hit a big 2 run homer to give the New Yorkers the vital split. 

Having to defeat a tough Brewers team on no rest and with no home games in the Wild Card Series, down to their last three outs in Game 3 with one of the best closers in baseball on the mound? Not an issue. The Mets season story changed with one swing off the bat of 1B Pete Alonso (34 HR, 88 RBI), who nailed a 3 run homer with one out and two on to win the NLDS. 

Taking down a Phillies team that was one of the most dangerous in the league? Check that one off, too, as the Mets first went into Philadelphia and split the first two games at the most intimidating stadium in the league. After that, faced with the task of becoming the first Mets team to ever clinch a playoff series at Citi Field -- and the first Mets squad in 24 years to clinch a series at home -- the Mets did it.  They pushed the Dodgers to six games in the NLCS before finally heading home, not bad for a team that had faced a 9-22 streak in early May and was 27-36 on June 8th. 

2024 Philadelphia Phillies SPBB Cards

Philadelphia Phillies: 95-57, 1st Place in NL East

On paper, and on these cards, the Phillies look like a tough draw.  Philadelphia posted the second-best record in the majors and led the NL East every day from May 3 to season’s end en route to their first division title in thirteen years. 

The Phillies were 62-33 leading into the final weekend before the All-Star break. They were 33-34 the rest of the way. Including the playoffs, they went 34-37 over a span nearly the length of a half-season.  Somewhere along the way, the Phillies stopped being the team that lost only five of its first 30 series. The starting pitching began to show signs of mortality, the early leads weren't as plentiful, the situational hitting less consistent.

They spent the entire second half showing they weren't that team of destiny anymore, that their first 3½ months might have been flukily hot.  And they proved it in the NLDS, losing three of four to a Mets team that thoroughly outplayed them in all phases of the game. 

This result was somewhat unexpected, unless you were paying attention to how the two teams were playing at the time.  Philadelphia had the best or second-best starting rotation and the best or second-best bullpen that made it into the playoffs, Zack Wheeler challenged Chris Sale for the National League Cy Young Award, Aaron Nola had a great season and Cristopher Sánchez (with his super changeup) and Ranger Suárez(with his five-pitch mix and command) rounded out a tough group of starters, and they had two All-Star firemen in Hoffman and Strahm who could pitch in high-stress situations. Offensively, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Alec Brohm and Trea Turner anchored a lineup that could explode but also slump.  But it all went for naught against a surging Mets team that ended their season, 4-1, in game four of the NLDS in New York. 

2024 Milwaukee Brewers SPBB Cards

Milwaukee Brewers: 93-69, 1st Place in the NL Central

Since 2018, the Milwaukee Brewers have ranked third in the National League with 580 regular season wins, have booked six trips to the post-season and have claimed four division titles.  But with just one playoff series win to show for it, the Brewers have been unable to solve the puzzle of October baseball. They got their chance this year against the New York Mets, who continued to surprise the postseason in what was widely considered a transition season. 

Milwaukee cruised to the NL Central title and the third best record in the NL behind one of the best bullpens in baseball and the emergence of multiple star-level contributors in the lineup. The Brewers bullpen had been solid all year long and entered the post-season firing on all cylinders. The relief crew was headlined by Devin Williams, Joel Payamps and Aaron Ashby and ranked among the NL leaders in ERA (2.72), strikeout minus walk percentage (18.3) and HR/9 (0.81) since the All-Star break. On the offensive side, Jackson Chourio slashed .310/.363/.552 with 12 homers in the second half to rank 10th in baseball in fWAR over that span, producing a formidable middle-of-the-order trio alongside Willy Adames and William Contreras.  The Brewers, second in the NL in steals, had three other active players with at least 20 stolen bases this season: Blake Perkins (23), Jackson Chourio (22) and Willy Adames (21).

The short straw was the pitching.  After losing Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles and Brandon Woodruff to shoulder surgery in the 23-24 off-season, the Brewers rotation was full of question marks behind Freddy Peralta entering 2024. And while the likes of Colin Rea and Tobias Myers stepped up to help carry Milwaukee through the regular season, the Brewers still didn’t have a definitive number 2 starter behind Peralta.  The shortness of the rotation overexposed the relief corps, resulting in Pete Alonso's historic, clutch home run in the ninth inning in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series that sent the Brewers packing. 

2024 San Diego Padres SPBB Cards

San Diego Padres: 93-69, 2nd in the NL West 

The Padres could do very similar things with their starting nine as the Dodgers, and while they were not quite as stacked, nobody was an easy out. The only below-average hitter in their starting lineup was Xander Bogaerts, but even he had a track record of being a great hitter. CF Jackson Merrill (.292, 24 HR, 90 RBIs) would have won Rookie of the Year in any season where Paul Skenes wasn’t also pitching. Manny Machado (.275, 29 HR, 105 RBI) had a 122 wRC+ on the season, after an elbow injury slowed his start, and he had a 141 wRC+ and .869 OPS going all the way back to the middle of May. Fernando Tatis, Jr. missed two months with a stress reaction in his right leg, but had an .868 OPS after returning from the Injured List in the beginning of September. Jurickson Profar (.280, 94 R, 24 HR, 85 RBI) had a career year with a .839 OPS. DH Luis Arraez had a bit of a down year with a .739 OPS, but still had 200 hits and won his third consecutive batting title (.314). 

With Dylan Cease, Michael King and Joe Musgrove, the Padres had a pitching staff built to challenge the Dodgers, and challenge they did, holding a 2-1 lead in the NLDS before succumbing in Game 5 to LA. But the Padres won 93 Games and gave LA all they could handle in their third such matchup since 2020. 

2024 Atlanta Braves SPBB Cards

2024 Atlanta Braves; 89-73, 2nd Place in NL East

The Atlanta Braves' 2024 season was plagued by injuries and underperformance, leading to a disappointing finish. It is a shame, because the Braves were as good as anyone when healthy. 

The Braves lost key players early in the season, including RF Acuña Jr., who tore his ACL in May, and SP Spencer Strider, who underwent season-ending elbow surgery after just two starts.  Although Strider was injured the Braves pitching was still very strong. Not only was the Braves pitching good, they had the best ERA and most strikeouts in MLB.  2B Ozzie Albies and 3B Austin Riley were also out for about a third of the season each.  1B Matt Olson, who had a career-best season in 2023, underperformed in 2024, dropping from .283, 54 HR and 139 RBI to .247, 29 HR and 98 RBI. At one point the once potent lineup just stopped hitting, forcing a last day doubleheader with the Mets that gave Atlanta a second game reprieve and a tiebreaker win over Arizona. 

Chris Sale won the Triple Crown and the NL Cy Young, leading the National League in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. However, he was unable to pitch in the wild-card round due to back spasms, forcing Atlanta to try second tier pitching against the ever- dangerous Padres lineup in the NL Wild Card round.  This did not end well, with San Diego bouncing the Braves in two quick games. 

2024 Kansas City Royals SPBB Cards

2024 Kansas City Royals: 86-76, 2nd Place in the AL Central

The 2023 Royals only eked out 56 wins and were largely unwatchable. In 2024, the team won an even 30 games more and at points looked like a legitimate threat to take the division.  They became the first team in Major League Baseball history to go from 100 losses to winning a playoff series.  This team was fun to watch, and it had stars. Gold Glove SS Bobby Witt Jr. (.332, 211 H, 32 HR 125 R, 109 RBI was the MVP runner-up. Both Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14, 223 K) (2nd) and Seth Lugo (16-9, 3.00, 181K) (4th) ended up in the top five of the AL Cy Young voting. Salvador Perez (.271, 27 HR, 104 RBI) was great, again. The Royals got to play in the second round of the October playoffs rather than to perform a sort of a death march as they had the previous September.

But it can be true that such a season can be both fantastic and frustrating—fantastic because of the outcome versus the prior year’s results, but frustrating because of this year’s emerging expectations confounded by what the Royals did in the final stretch, when they lost 18 of their last 29 regular season games and also got bumped from the playoffs at home.  With four excellent starters the Royals were set up as well as any team in on the AL side for a deep run, but while they were competitive in every game in the postseason, their play in the final analysis boiled down to “feisty, but overmatched.”