Who will be the best players in baseball this season?
It seems like a relatively simple question, but when it comes to baseball prediction, there really is no such thing. At least that's what we tell ourselves.
Just before Opening Day, MLB.com assembled a panel of 11 writers, researchers and analysts Vote on their predictions for the 2024 All-MLB team. These so-called experts have done their best, but the baseball season has a way of interfering with even the most logical speculation.
And that's exactly what happened here. The MLB First and Second Teams, presented by MGM Rewards, were announced last month, with fan voting accounting for 50% of the process. Although some results certainly went as planned, there were plenty of surprises as well.
How did our voters perform? Let's take a closer look:
^Indicates that the player received votes in our pre-season poll.
What happened: Contreras (who got some recognition from our team), Perez, Rutschman, and Smith were All-Stars this summer, and at this point it looks like a close race. But then both Rutschman (.585 OPS) and Smith (.626) fell sharply in the second game, while Contreras rose (.896) and Perez (.739) held serve. In the end, it wasn't that close.
Lesson learned: Catchers get hit, and staying consistent at the plate for an entire season while also playing behind it is one of the hardest things you can do in baseball. Even the best in the game are not immune.
What happened: While Freeman was not an All-MLB selection, he became a postseason legend, World Series MVP And champion twice in October. A decent consolation prize. Harper reached first base as expected in his first full season at the position, but while some voters expected Guerrero to bounce back from below-average level in 2023, there weren't enough to predict the magnitude of that rebound.
What happened: Altuve has stuck to his side of the bargain, staying healthy and putting up another solid season. While Semien finished third in the AL MVP in 2023, this season it was Marte who finished third in the NL race, with his best offensive performance since 2019.
Lesson learned: Don't give up on Semien for 2025, as he has finished third in MVP voting in each of the past three odd-numbered seasons (2019, '21, and '23), while receiving no votes in any of the even-numbered seasons. . More importantly, perhaps it's time to give Marty his due as one of the best second basemen in MLB.
What happened: It's been a strange year for the hot corner, who has gone from being one of the most stacked positions in baseball in recent years to being mostly bereft of standout performances. Only three first basemen reached 4 war In 2024 (per Baseball Reference), the fewest in an uncut season in 31 years. That's down from 10 in 2016 and seven in 2023. One of those three was the ever-productive Ramirez. Riley, on the other hand, got off to a slow start He saw the end of his season By fracturing his hand in mid-August, leaving him with just 19 homers after hitting over 33 in three straight seasons.
Lesson learned: Don't count the 32-year-old Machado, who suffered an elbow injury in the second half of 2023 and then had offseason surgery. That restricted Machado to DH duties early in '24, but his final four months looked like the Machado of old: .879 OPS, 24 homers and 76 RBIs in 97 games.
What happened: Betts showed his versatility and attitude toward the team first by moving to shortstop primarily, but while he played a number of his games there in 2024, he returned full-time to right field after returning from an IL stint in August. 12. And that's where he ended up on the All-MLB ballot, too. But even if Betts had stayed at shortstop, he wouldn't have gotten the better of Witt, who was all-out She blossomed into a five-tool star At the age of 24.
Expectations: Ronald Acuña Jr,atl; Julio Rodriguezsea; Juan SotoNew York (I) | Fernando Tatis Jr,SD; Aaron the judgeNew York; Corbin CarrollArizona (second)
results: Soto, Justice, Bates (I) | Jackson Merrill,SD; Jarren DuranBoss; Teoscar HernandezI wish (the second)
What happened: Soto and the judge Dominate in the Bronxwith the latter returning from an injury-shortened season to win his second AL MVP award. Otherwise, it's been a tough year for our first team, with Acuña lost for the season after 49 games, and Rodriguez and Carroll unable to fully overcome a cold first half.
Lesson learned: Sometimes, the role of a star is truly unpredictable. Although Merrill had a lot of potential hype, there was no reason to believe that a 21-year-old learning a new position (center field) in his first experience with the Majors would immediately become One of the best all-around players in the game.
What happened: We finally got one goal down, but that was a bit of a slam dunk. Ohtani, who has been moved to the full-time DH job through his recovery from Tommy John surgery, has yet to be relieved. Another season for the ages. Alvarez did what he's done his entire career: march at an elite level. That was enough to put off a thrilling 39ers season from Marcell Ozuna and give us our only clean sweep.
Lesson learned: Ohtani impressed us about a reliable result as is the case in baseball.
Expectations: Spencer Strider,atl; Corbin Burnspal ; Zack Wheeler,fi; Pablo Lopezminute; George KirbySea (first) | Logan Webbsixth ; Scobal pullwhich; Luis Castillosea; Zach Gallenfrom A to Z; Max Friedatl (ii)
results: Chris Sale,atl^; Scobal. Paul Skinshole; Wheeler, Burns (I) | Seth LugoKS; Dylan stopped,SD^; Shota ImanagaCHC, Framber Valdeznew; Michael KingSD(II)
What happened: Strider underwent season-ending elbow surgery after two games, and instead it was another Braves pitcher, Sale, who He ascended to NL Cy Young honors. Burns and Wheeler were great as expected Scoop more than that. All of our remaining picks had strong seasons, or better, but it wasn't enough. Some of the other MLB players (Cease, Valdez) were no surprise, but Skinnes was It even outweighed its huge noiseImanaga outplayed his more popular compatriot Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Lugo shocked everyone by throwing over 200 quality innings in just his second season after switching from the bullpen.
Lesson learned: When it comes to predicting pitchers, you're always at the mercy of which elbow flexors hold up and which don't. But Sale showed that even a 35-year-old with an impressive recent injury history always has a chance Rediscover some magic.
What happened: Diaz and Hader continued to hit at a rapid pace, but neither reached their usual level of run prevention. Things were even worse for Duvall, who lost his last job and in reality She was sent to Triple-A For a while in August. On the other hand, class Published relief season of all timecausing his ERA to drop from 3.22 to 0.61. Helsley led the Majors with 49 tackles in his first full-time season on the job, while Miller was an impressive revelation as a starter and the 37-year-old Yates blossomed in his best season since 2019.
Lesson learned: Predicting attenuator performance from year to year is like throwing darts in a wind tunnel.
2024-12-18 03:07:00
