It’s baseball time!
And for those of us who love the game, it means we’ll have something to celebrate (or complain about), every day for the next seven months. Yearly reminder: Even the best teams in the world will make their fans angry 60 or more times this season. It’s a beautiful thing.
Baseball is one of the greatest forms of art in the world. It’s a game of inches, yet played at an unbelievable speed. It’s a constant chess match of pitcher vs. batter, manager vs. manager, luck vs. skill, and power vs. finesse. Leo Durocher once said: “Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.” As someone who has been around both my entire life — the pursuit of understanding is part of what makes it so great.
It’s time for my 2024 predictions, with a few notes for each team. Last season, I predicted 4 of the 6 division winners correctly, and missed badly on surprising teams like Texas and Baltimore.
AL WEST:
1. Astros- I give them the slight edge over Texas because of health. They know how to win, and they added Josh Hader.
2. Rangers- The defending champs could be even scarier this October as pitchers get healthy and young stars like Langford and Carter take over.
3. Mariners- An 88-win team last season, but still missed the playoffs. Would love to see them as a Wildcard team this time around.
4. Angels- Even Anthony Rendon doesn’t want to watch this team without Ohtani.
5. Athletics- It will be a brutal few years before Vegas
AL CENTRAL:
1. Twins- Probably the best all-around team in a weak division.
2. Tigers- Could have a winning season this year, with an outside chance of the division.
3. Guardians- Remember when they blew a 3-1 lead in the ’16 World Series?
4. Royals- Lots of young talent. When will it come together?
5. White Sox- I heard they have new food at the ballpark this year.
AL EAST:
1. Orioles- Pitching worries me a little, but they’re absolutely loaded with offense and young talent.
2. Rays- Rays gonna Ray again, and beat most projections.
3. Blue Jays- Difficult team to predict. Loads of potential, but it’s a tough division.
4. Yankees- Soto/Judge will be crazy, but I already questioned the pitching even before losing Cole to injury.
5. Red Sox- Solid team in the wrong division. Don’t sleep on them.
NL WEST:
1. Dodgers- One of the best teams on paper you’ll ever see. Their demise in October will be a joy for others to watch.
2. Diamondbacks- The most surprising team of ’23 added some good pieces. Still, the Padres/Giants are lurking.
3. Padres- Despite losing Soto, it’s a talented group that could be a threat in the Wild-Card.
4. Giants- They added a lot, but they’re pretty old.
5. Rockies- Mile high elevation. Mile below everyone else in the standings.
NL CENTRAL:
1. Cubs- Before you call me a homer, understand I picked the Cubbies to finish third last year. The addition of Craig Counsell was huge, and it’s a solid mix of veterans and youth on a hungry team.
2. Reds- This team probably has the highest ceiling of anyone in the division. I’m still not sold on their pitching, and they keep losing players this spring. I won’t be surprised if they’re playing October baseball.
3. Cardinals- After last year’s disaster, this team is ready for a fresh start. It still has a lot of talent. I don’t think they added enough (good) pitching to win the division.
4. Brewers- They lost their manager, their top two starting pitchers, and will be without their star closer for a while. Still, it’s a team that has surprised us year after year.
5. Pirates- This team has a lot of young talent and could surprise. They won’t be the easy series win of years past, and I won’t be shocked if they finish higher.
NL EAST:
1. Braves- The only thing stopping this team will be injuries or boredom. This ridiculous offense will ride into October again.
2. Phillies- They keep beating Atlanta in the October sprint, but I don’t see it in the six-month marathon.
3. Marlins- Decent team that needs a lot to go right if they want to contend.
4. Mets- It’s probably going to be a few years.
5. Nationals- Should be improved and they already gave good teams some fits last year.
Plaaaaaaay ball!
Tyler Smith covers the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Hoosiers for IndySportsLegends and is a frequent contributor to the Journal Review. He is also the youth and sports pastor at New Hope Christian Church.
