Rating MLB’s 10 Greatest Disappointments so Far in 2024

By means of slightly greater than two months of motion, the 2024 Main League Baseball common season has been chock filled with developments that nobody noticed coming.

A few of these are nice surprises, whereas others…not a lot.

In our rating of the season’s greatest disappointments to this point, preseason expectation is essential info. As an example, the Chicago White Sox are an abject catastrophe, presently on tempo for what can be a modern-day report of 121 losses. Nevertheless, preseason win complete strains had them projected for 100 losses, so what’s one other 20?

As an alternative of specializing in the White Sox or the supposed-to-be-equally-bad Colorado Rockies, the disappointing groups on this record are ones that not less than had a playoff pulse to start the season.

Equally, gamers chosen aren’t essentially the least productive, however the ones who’ve fallen furthest shy of what we thought they might do.

“Honorable” Mentions: Julio Rodríguez, Spencer Torkelson, Kyle Hendricks, Jorge Soler, Paul Goldschmidt, Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels

2024 Stats: .148/.207/.160, 0 HR, 3 RBI, -0.7 bWAR

2023 Stats: .280/.313/.347, 0 HR, 9 RBI, -0.7 bWAR

For probably the most half, the person gamers on this record are established stars who simply have not had it to this point in 2024.

That is not the case with Vaughn Grissom, who barely noticed big-league motion final season and has not but amounted to a lot within the majors outdoors of a formidable first 4 weeks of his profession in 2022.

There’s nonetheless a two-pronged, main disappointment in play right here.

The primary prong is that Grissom has constantly thrived within the minors. He hit .319 in 2021 and solely obtained higher from there, hitting .324 in 2022, .330 final 12 months and .333 within the 9 video games he spent in Worcester this spring. Over the course of his 5 seasons within the minors, Grissom posted an .883 OPS, working at a 162-game tempo of roughly 15 house runs and 30 stolen bases.

He is nonetheless solely 23 years outdated, however when is that middle-infield phenom going to seek out his strategy to the majors once more?

The second, far more painful prong, although, is the truth that Boston gave Atlanta Chris Sale and $17 million this previous offseason to accumulate Grissom. And whereas Grissom is struggling to get hits, Sale has been probably the most vital items retaining Atlanta afloat.

The Pink Sox had been going to lose the oft-injured Sale to free company this offseason and proactively grabbed a budding star who will probably be underneath crew management via 2029. It is believable that it will find yourself wanting like a sensible transfer a couple of years down the road.

Proper now, although?

Ouch.

Report: 27-30

Preseason Win Complete: 86.5

Going through the White Sox was precisely what the physician ordered for the floundering Blue Jays, successful 5 out of six video games towards the worst crew in baseball within the span of 10 days.

Can they carry that momentum via what’s going to be a hellacious stretch of video games for the subsequent month, although?

As a result of towards respectable competitors, Toronto has been a large number, unable to attain runs at wherever close to the extent that it ought to.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wakened on the plate in Could, batting practically .400, albeit with solely two house runs. Bo Bichette additionally sprang to life with 9 multi-hit performances within the span of 18 video games.

But it surely hasn’t been sufficient; even with Isiah Kiner-Falefa presently boasting an OPS of .700 or higher for what can be the primary time in his profession.

There are simply too many simple outs within the lineup, which has paired disastrously with each a bullpen that ranks among the many worst within the majors and Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman every underachieving his strategy to an ERA north of 4.00.

If the upcoming schedule—17 of the subsequent 26 video games towards groups comfortably within the playoff image—buries them even deeper within the standings, the commerce deadline fireplace sale could possibly be fairly the spectacle.

2024 Stats: .160/.260/.311, 8 HR, 19 RBI, 7 SB, -0.7 bWAR

2023 Stats: .254/.364/.425, 23 HR, 83 RBI, 22 SB, 3.5 bWAR

Throughout the winter conferences this previous December, there was speak of Randy Arozarena probably getting traded to Seattle in what would have been a large blockbuster.

The best way he is hitting to this point in 2024, although, the Mariners in all probability really feel like they dodged a bullet by not going all-in for the 2021 AL Rookie of the Yr.

Arozarena entered this season as one in all simply three gamers within the majors on a streak of three consecutive seasons with not less than 20 house runs and 20 stolen bases. The others had been Trea Turner and José Ramírez.

To Arozarena’s credit score, he’s roughly on tempo to increase that streak to a fourth season, working at a 162-game tempo of twenty-two.0 HR and 19.2 SB.

He simply may accomplish that by the pores and skin of his enamel and with the worst batting common in baseball.

The 2023 All-Star had a profession batting common of .265 and a profession on-base proportion of .351 two months in the past. Nevertheless, BABIP has defied him to a preposterous diploma. He completed every of the earlier three seasons with a BABIP of .310 or higher, however he entered play Friday with a mark of .191 that ranked dead last amongst certified hitters.

To some extent, that is simply horrible luck. But it surely’s additionally a product of merely not making good contact and a launch angle that is all out of whack. Arozarena’s line-drive rate (11.5 p.c) is approach down from his profession norms, whereas his fly-ball fee (45.3 p.c) is thru the roof.

It is not the breaking stuff, both. He simply can not hit fastballs this 12 months.

Per Baseball Savant, Arozarena entered 2024 batting .296 and slugging .526 on at-bats that ended on fastballs. These marks are at .139 and .287 this season.

So, sure, his BABIP is .191, however his anticipated batting common is not a lot better at .195. Issues have been tough, and they won’t be getting higher.

Report: 21-38

Preseason Win Complete: 77.5

With a preseason win complete that put their anticipated win proportion under .500, let’s be clear that the Marlins weren’t precisely anticipated to be a World Collection contender.

They had been speculated to win a strong 15-20 extra video games than the really horrible groups, although.

As an alternative, they’ve turn into one of many greatest dumpster fires of all.

They already traded away two-time batting champ Luis Arráez a month in the past, which has left this offense in a close to fixed state of struggling to string something collectively.

Miami did rating 17 runs out of nowhere in its remaining two video games of Could, however solely after scoring 10 runs in its earlier six video games mixed. And even after that outburst, they’re nonetheless averaging fewer runs per recreation than each crew aside from the White Sox.

The largest disappointment on offense has been the $5 million flier they took on Tim Anderson. The Marlins had been hoping his atrocious 2023 marketing campaign was a blip after 4 consecutive seasons batting north of .300, however he has as an alternative gotten even worse.

So far as the pitching goes, Ryan Weathers has been a pleasing shock, and Tanner Scott has one way or the other been a dependable nearer regardless of averaging seven walks per 9 innings pitched. But it surely will get ugly in a rush from there, highlighted by the failed try and convert A.J. Puk from a more in-depth to a starter.

There’s one different brilliant spot, as Jesús Luzardo has pitched fairly nicely since getting out to a brutal begin to the season. Nevertheless, it’s sounding like it would solely be a matter of time earlier than he joins Arráez on the record of gamers who the Marlins traded away. (Scott can also be pretty much as good as gone, as he’s an impending free agent.)

2024 Stats: 19.0 IP, 10.42 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 11.4 Okay/9, -1.0 bWAR

2023 Stats: 180.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 11.7 Okay/9, 6.2 bWAR

Blake Snell obtained a late begin to the 12 months after ready till halfway via spring coaching to signal as a free agent. Then, after making three disappointing begins, he spent a month on the IL with an adductor pressure.

So, sure, it is a small pattern dimension.

Nonetheless, what a colossal fall from grace from the two-time Cy Younger recipient.

In every of Snell’s 5 begins in 2024, he has allowed not less than one run per inning pitched.

He made simply two such appearances in all the 2023 season.

Although his Okay/9 remains to be wanting fairly good, his whiff rate on the non-fastballs is approach down from the place it had been the earlier two seasons.

Once more, small pattern dimension. Josh Hader had a equally baffling run two summers in the past earlier than bouncing again to his standard dominance. And thru 9 begins final season, Snell had a 5.40 ERA and was seen as one of many greatest causes the Padres had been underachieving.

Perhaps he figures issues out once more this June.

Up to now, although, he simply is not producing swings and misses like we’re used to seeing.

Report: 28-30

Preseason Win Complete: 88.5

At simply two video games under .500, the Texas Rangers are hardly a misplaced trigger. One good week and they’re proper again within the thick of each the AL West and the wild-card races. And we knew lengthy earlier than Opening Day that they had been designed to be higher within the second half of the season than the primary, as soon as they obtained Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Tyler Mahle again on the mound.

What the Rangers hadn’t deliberate for, nevertheless, was the offense taking a major step backward as an entire whereas a bunch of key gamers joined deGrom, Scherzer and Mahle on the IL.

Josh Jung began out on fireplace, however lasted simply 4 video games earlier than breaking his wrist.

Among the many 15 Rangers who’ve made not less than 20 plate appearances this season, the one one with an OPS of .800 or higher is Corey Seager—and he solely just lately caught fireplace, ending play on Could 5 with a .594 OPS earlier than mashing every little thing for 4 weeks.

Preseason AL Rookie of the Yr co-favorites Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford have each been underwhelming in between their IL stints.

The one beginning pitcher who was on the Opening Day roster who hasn’t hung out on the IL is Andrew Heaney, and he is having the worst 12 months of the bunch with a 4.47 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.

Issues simply have not gone based on plan, and it is frankly a bit miraculous the Rangers are treading water in addition to they’ve been.

All the identical, it is bizarre and disappointing to see the reigning champs sitting under .500 practically 60 video games into the marketing campaign.

2024 Stats: .197/.280/.289, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 9 SB, 0.0 bWAR

2023 Stats: .285/.362/.506, 25 HR, 76 RBI, 54 SB, 5.4 bWAR

We wrote yesterday about the way it appears to be like like Corbin Carroll is perhaps, form of, type of beginning to come to life. After posting a woeful .527 OPS via his first 43 video games performed, he had a .734 mark over his remaining 12 video games of Could, getting 4 triples and his first three-game hit of the season.

Nevertheless, even that stretch of improved play is a far cry from how spectacular he was in successful 2023 NL Rookie of the Yr.

This in all probability goes with out saying for a man who has gone from averaging one house run in each 26 journeys to the plate to at least one averaging one house run in each 122 journeys to the plate, however Carroll simply is not hitting the ball as exhausting.

His average exit velocity has dropped from 90 MPH to 87.1 MPH, and his hard-hit proportion has plummeted from 40.9 p.c to 33.1 p.c.

Carroll remains to be seeing the ball nicely. He is really strolling a bit greater than he did final 12 months, and his contact fee when he does swing is a tick up from 80.5 p.c to 81.0 p.c.

It simply hasn’t been the identical type of contact, whatever the pitch kind.

This has led to speculations that it could possibly be points with the shoulder that was surgically repaired in 2021 and re-injured final summer season. (Arizona has made no indications that the shoulder is an issue, and he has continued to play on an almost on a regular basis foundation.)

Carroll is way from the one disappointment for an Arizona crew presently six video games under .500. Eduardo Rodriguez has but to pitch. Jordan Montgomery has but to pitch nicely. Each Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen are presently on the IL. And Eugenio Suárez hasn’t been the slugger at third base the Diamondbacks hoped they had been getting.

But it surely’s Carroll’s poor begin that has gotten many of the consideration.

Report: 24-34

Preseason Win Complete: 81.5

For the second consecutive 12 months, the New York Mets put collectively the biggest Opening Day payroll, solely to perform diddly squat with it.

Whereas it is true that the expectations for this 12 months’s crew had been a far cry from what they had been heading into 2023, we’re nonetheless speaking about $300 million right here.

Sure, practically 1 / 4 of that complete is retained/deferred cash for the likes of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Bobby Bonilla that was by no means going to assist this season.

Nonetheless, there are 12 present Mets with eight-figure salaries, they usually’ve received the identical variety of video games as an Oakland crew with nary a participant making $10M.

Kodai Senga has but to pitch in 2024. Edwin Díaz just lately joined him on the IL. Brett Baty simply obtained despatched again right down to Triple-A. Each hitter with not less than 60 plate appearances has an OPS under .800. Each pitcher with not less than 20 innings pitched has an ERA north of three.00. And the physique language just about all through the roster has been abysmal.

Even retiring Darryl Strawberry’s quantity Saturday wasn’t sufficient to spark some give a darn within the Mets, as they proceeded to permit 10 runs in a loss to the Diamondbacks.

At this level, it appears to simply be a query of the place impending free agent Pete Alonso will get traded this summer season, and what number of different expiring property comply with him out the door.

Atlanta obtained contributions from everywhere in the roster en path to its MLB-leading 104 regular-season wins in 2023, however there have been eight major sights: NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., MLB home-run chief Matt Olson and the gathering of Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Sean Murphy, Marcell Ozuna, Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider.

Each on FanGraphs and Baseball Reference, these had been the eight crew leaders in wins above substitute; the celebs who carried them via a ridiculously potent offensive season and the ace who received 20 video games whereas placing out every little thing in his path.

Save for Ozuna making an attempt to hold the offense by his lonesome, although, these stars have been nonexistent in 2024.

Strider suffered a season-ending UCL harm after simply two appearances. Acuña wasn’t hitting like his standard self for 2 months, after which suffered a season-ending ACL harm. Murphy is lastly again, however he missed practically two months with an indirect harm suffered on Opening Day.

The opposite 4 have been largely wholesome—Riley missed two weeks in Could with a facet harm; Albies missed eight video games in April with a fractured toe—however have not been practically the collective power that they had been in 2023.

All instructed, they’ve gone from averaging 5.8 runs per recreation final 12 months to a modest 4.5 this 12 months. They’ve nonetheless managed to place collectively one of many higher data within the majors, however largely as a result of Chris Sale and Reynaldo López have been pitching out of their minds. If these veterans come again to earth earlier than Olson, Harris and Co. get right into a groove, issues may go south in a rush.

Report: 26-33

Preseason Win Complete: 93.5

Do you keep in mind the preseason hierarchy of MLB groups?

It was the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves jostling for the highest spot, co-favorites to win the World Collection. After which the AL favourite was the Houston Astros, supposed to complete a couple of video games forward of each the Yankees and the Orioles within the race for the AL’s No. 1 seed.

To place it flippantly, that is not the best way issues have performed out.

Every of the opposite high groups simply talked about is not less than eight video games above .500, whereas Houston would wish to reel off 15 consecutive wins to get there.

What’s baffling about their continued incapability to recover from the hump is there was plenty of particular person success.

Kyle Tucker has been unbelievable. Jake Meyers has vastly exceeded expectations. So has Ronel Blanco. José Altuve, Yordan Álvarez, Jeremy Peña and Mauricio Dubón have all been greater than ample, every with an OPS of .750 or higher. Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier have all been strong, when wholesome, every with an ERA under 4.00.

However the entire merely has not been larger than the sum of its components, struggling to string collectively a lot as a two-game successful streak until they’re going through the A’s or the Rockies.

It does nonetheless really feel like they’re getting ready to hitting their stride and occurring a run.

With every week that it does not occur, although, the frustration on this crew grows slightly stronger.