By Rockin’ Reese
Here we are, at long last. The 2024 MLB season has officially arrived. The teams have left their training parks in Arizona & Florida. Some of them are heading to their home parks, while others are going on the road. There are many questions that need to be asked, as this new season begins. Many, if not all of them, will be answered.
First & foremost, how will the Texas Rangers do? For the first time in franchise history, they will begin a season as the defending World Series Champions, which means every team (especially in the American League) will be gunning for them. Thankfully, for the Rangers, (manager) Bruce Bochy has been in this position with the San Francisco Giants. What may be cautionary is that all 3 times Bochy led the Giants to a World Series Championship, they failed to make the playoffs, the following year. Another question concerns (shortstop) Corey Seager. Last year, he hit a career-high 33 home runs, while hitting a career-low .245. Can the ALCS & World Series MVP improve both, as he prepares to turn 30 in April?
Another question team with some questions will be the team that the Rangers defeated in the World Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Corbin Carroll was a sensation for the eventual National League Champions. He was an all-star & the NL Rookie of the Year. What will the left fielder do for an encore? Another person that people will be looking at is (2nd baseman) Ketel Marte. While 2019 was his only all-star year, his breakout performance came in last year’s playoffs. He had a hit in every game of the playoffs, except for game 5 of the World Series, when the Rangers ended the season as champions. In the National League Championship Series, Marte set a MLB record of starting his first 16 career post-season games with a hit. That was part of the reason why he was the NLCS MVP.
Keeping things in the NL West, let’s look at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Of course, they made the biggest news of the off-season by acquiring (pitcher/designated hitter) Shohei Ohtani from (their American League counterpart) the Los Angeles Angels. While the AL MVP will try to dominate the NL scene, he knows eyes will be on him, even more. Can he bring Sho-time to a different L.A. area? Another player to look at is (pitcher) Clayton Kershaw. He will be in his 17th season in MLB, all with the Dodgers. Despite still showing he can play at a solid level, Kershaw has been plagued by injuries, in recent years. In fact, he’ll miss the 1st portion of the season, as he recovers from shoulder surgery. How much more of Kershaw will MLB fans see before he calls it a career?
The Baltimore Orioles will be another team of intrigue. Last season, they finished with an AL best record of 101-61, but were swept in the ALDS by the Rangers. Part of their success was from (AL Rookie of the Year) Gunnar Henderson. Fans in “Charm City” will be hoping Henderson can have similar or better results, this year. With one of the youngest rosters in MLB, the Orioles might be poised to use last year’s experience to build some momentum for a more successful post-season run. However, more teams will look at them as a threat, which could make things difficult for them to compete for an AL playoff spot.
The Atlanta Braves had MLB’s best record, last year (104-58). However, like the Orioles, they were one & done in the post-season. After an ACL injury, 2 years prior, (right fielder) Ronald Acuña Jr. showed he was back, as he was the NL MVP. Now, he has 1 last piece of unfinished business to take care of. He wants to win a World Series that he participates in. The big question for the Braves is can they take care of their NL East rival, the Philadelphia Phillies? The last 2 years, the Phillies eliminated them in the NLDS. If they somehow meet in the playoffs for a 3rd year in a row, can the Braves finally defeat the Phillies?
Some other questions that will surround the 2024 MLB season include the Phillies, specifically can they finally get past their playoff roadblock? Will the New York Yankees & Boston Red Sox both miss the playoffs in consecutive years, which hasn’t been done, since 1992 & 1993? How will the Okaland Athletics respond to playing their final year in Oakland? Will either central division be competitive? There are a lot of questions to be answered & during the year, we’ll get those answers. America, let’s…PLAY BALL!