It's a Wrap!
Groucho Marx once famously said: “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” In this last edition of the Baseball Bench Coach for 2024, let’s discuss three different types of baseball “clubs” with one certainly no one would ever want to be a part of.
50/50 Club. Wow, this is a one-person club whose only member, Shohei Ohtani, joined just over a week ago. On September 19th in a game against the Marlins, Shohei might have had the single biggest offensive showing ever – 6 for 6; 3 HRs; 10 RBIs; and 2 steals. Eye popping numbers, yes, but just an example of the kind of power and speed Ohtani has exhibited throughout the season. That night he became the first MLB player in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 stolen bases in a season. Dodger catcher Will Smith attributed much of Shohei’s success to his preparation: “He works harder than anybody. He scouts really hard. He’s playing a different game so it’s fun to see.”
To put it in perspective, baseball only has had six players in its history to have reached the 40/40 club – Jose Canseco (1988); Barry Bonds (1996); Alex Rodriguez (1998); Alfonso Soriano (2006); Ronald Acuna, Jr. (2023); and of course now Ohtani. Why is this such a difficult feat? One answer is that the type of baseball played in different eras always seems to change. For example, most recently we’ve seen the emphasis of speed on teams in the 1960s-1980s and the power obsessed style of play over the past thirty years. It’s rare that a player has the opportunity to display both the talents of power and speed.
While the 30/30 club has more members, still in the scheme of things relatively small, 47, the list contains baseball’s greatest legends, including Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Baseball Digest once called the 30/30 club “the most celebrated feat that can be achieved by a player who has both power and speed”. And now we have a player like Shohei Ohtani who reached that club just four months into this season!
All Time Team Losses. My allegiance to MLB in Chicago is certainly on the north side with the Cubs, but I must say that I wouldn’t have wished the agony of the past White Sox season on anyone. It was a season of 121 losses, breaking the prior record of 120 losses by the woeful 1962 New York Mets. Last Sunday in San Diego, Chicago’s Southside team broke the AL record of 119 losses by the 2003 Tigers before a sellout crowd at Petco Park on the Padres “Fan Appreciation Day”. The Sox returned home this past week before some not so appreciative crowds, swept the Angels, and held onto hope at 120. History was made this weekend at Comerica Park with loss 121. Along the way, the White Sox were swept in 24 separate series, won just three games in July and four in August, had three losing streaks of at least 10 games, and set a franchise record of 21 straight losses.
All year we’ve seen the comparison to the prior holder of the record, the ‘62 Mets. Their manager, Casey Stengel, was famously quoted: “Can’t anybody play here?” Those Mets also had three losing streaks of more than 10 games, the longest being 17. Their starting pitchers recorded an all-time low of just 23 wins, and their team batting average, ERA, and fielding percentage were the worst in the game, a trifecta of sorts.
Yet, that team was an expansion team, not a “rebuilding” team like the current Sox. And here’s where the comparison clearly ends. The Mets fans loved their ’62 team with a season attendance in the middle of NL teams that year. This 2024 version of the White Sox was not so lucky at the ticket office, especially in the last month of the season. It was all very unfortunate.
World Series Winners. Every team wants to be in this club. MLB had its first World Series in 1903. In a few weeks we will witness the 120th World Series. So far the AL team has captured the crown 68 times and the NL, 51. I’ve used this space in the past to provide a ranking of the playoff teams and my take on how the playoffs will play out. This year I simply have a hunch on the teams that will take the NL and AL pennants, and one Wild Card team that might really make some noise.
In the National League it would be easy to say that the NLCS will match the Dodgers and Phillies, two teams that have some of the great stars in the game today. Not so fast. I think the NL playoffs will be decided in the bullpen, and that means the Brewers will win. With a bullpen that includes Joel Payamps, Trevor Megill, and Devin Williams, you better be ahead against Milwaukee going into the seventh inning. Championships are won in the back end of games. The Brew Crew rules in 2024.
On the AL side, the Yankees with their powerful lineup would be a safe choice, but not mine. I like the Guardians. Cleveland took control of the AL Central in mid-April and have been in sole possession of first place all but one day in the last five months. It’s a team that has had the “it” factor throughout the season. While All-Stars Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor, and Steven Kwan aren’t Judge and Soto, their consistency and big moment hits have been just as outstanding. Cleveland’s bullpen has carried the team in 2024 with the number one closer in the game, Emmanuel Clase, ready to take the ball in the ninth.
If you are looking for a surprise Wild Card team, don’t look further than the hottest team in baseball, Detroit. The Tigers won 30 of their last 40 games to close out the season. Detroit features the clear favorite for the AL Cy Young, Tarik Skubal. No team wants to face him twice in a playoff series.
And here’s the World Series winner . . . the Guardians. For the first time since 1954, Cleveland will be the World Champions of baseball.
It’s a wrap!
Until next season,
your Baseball Bench Coach