Dodger’s Shohei Ohtani Didn’t Make This Club
Pirates blame the coaches, not the manager or front office, for another unremarkable season.
Shohei Ohtani’s outstanding 2024 season included National League MVP and the league leader in home runs and RBIs. He came up short on the Triple Crown, and even bigger, he missed his shot at a club that only five major leaguers occupy.
Here are updated highlights on five stories related to the 2024 MLB season.
Surprise teams in 2024
The LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres kicked off the 2024 MLB regular season in South Korea. Both teams were expected to make the playoffs, and both teams did. In fact, the only surprise team that made the National League playoffs was the New York Mets.
The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals are two teams that few people predicted would make the playoffs. Both did.
Reds lack depth once again
The Cincinnati Reds had a record of 19–23 after the all-star break. The Reds were 12–21 after the July 31 trade deadline (post-season stretch).
The Reds missed the post-season for the 11 time in 12 years.
The unexpected side of the story is that the Reds concluded the 2024 season with a final team batting average of .261, ranking them sixth in the National League. They were second in stolen bases. Once again, the pitching fell apart down the stretch.
Verlander is out of the playoffs
Justin Verlander is not on the Houston Astros’ playoff roster for their Wild Card series against the Detroit Tigers. Ironically, the Tigers were the team that moved Verlander to the Astros in MLB’s former trade waiver rule.
Jesse Winker is the notable player who made it onto a playoff roster after being cut in August. Winker was cut by the Milwaukee Brewers in August and made it onto the New York Mets’ Wild Card roster.
Pirates fire coaches, not the manager
The Pirates fired three coaches (hitting, bullpen, and strength) but kept manager Derek Shelton. That’s a strange turn of events that I didn’t see coming.
I still believe the Cardinals will make a move on manager Oli Marmol.
I thought the Reds’ David Bell and the Cubs’ Craig Counsell would get another year, but don’t be surprised if either gets the ax. Bell did.
Ohtani didn’t make it
Only 5 players in Major League Baseball have joined the 20/60 club, which refers to players who achieve at least 20 home runs and 60 stolen bases in a single season. Elly De La Cruz made it this year; Shohei Ohtani did not.
Ohtani’s had an incredible 2024 season with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases. This historic performance made him the first player in MLB history to join the 50/50 club.
The last player to barely miss the 20/60 club? Ronald Acuña Jr. Acuna made it into the club with a great season in 2023.
Another crazy offseason
MLB is considering a rule requiring starters to go at least six innings in their starts. This would be too much standardization and risk alienating fans. Just take a look at what happened to NASCAR.
Look for another crazy offseason as baseball continues to try to grow the fan base and advertising dollars. The recent changes have worked out this far, so let’s give them a little more time to settle in.
The 2024 MLB Playoffs and beyond
There’s still much more left in 2024. Maybe I’ll do another article, but maybe not. With the Reds out of the playoffs, I’ll pull for the underdog Braves, Royals, and Tigers. It’s hard to say “underdog Braves” — at this time last year, I thought they may have been the greatest single-season team ever to play the game.
JD Solomon resides in the Carolinas, where he fishes, sails, and coaches baseball. Professionally, JD Solomon is the founder of JD Solomon, Inc., the creator of the FINESSE fishbone diagram®, and the co-creator of the SOAP criticality method©.
