The MLB season is one month underway, and some teams have already jumped out to strong starts. Here are the top five MLB teams through the first month of the 2024 season.
1. Baltimore Orioles
With the second-best record in baseball, the Baltimore Orioles have continued to dominate in the beginning of the 2024 season.
Baltimore has a strong balance of offensive firepower and impressive pitching. 2023 Rookie of the Year winner Gunnar Henderson is playing at an MVP level. Henderson is tied for first in MLB with 10 home runs and already has 2.2 bWAR.
Additionally, the entire pitching staff has pulled its weight recently. The Orioles have held their opponents to two runs or less in each of the past seven games — a feat that Baltimore hasn’t accomplished since 1980.
Baltimore defeated its mightiest opponent — the New York Yankees — three times in a four-game set at Camden Yards in late April and early May. The two teams’ battle for the AL East crown will be must-watch MLB action for the rest of the season.
2. Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies hold the best record in baseball and are two games above the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. They’re undeniably on one of baseball’s best starts in 2024.
The most surprising contributor so far this season is third baseman Alec Bohm. Following his 2020 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up season, Bohm had been a below-average hitter. He has completely turned that around in the first month of the 2024 season. Entering Sunday’s slate of games, Bohm was leading baseball with a .364 batting average and 32 RBI. Additionally, Bohm has an OPS above 1.000 and an on-base percentage above .430.
He has completely raked in the first month of MLB action.
Two of Philadelphia’s starting pitchers, Ranger Suarez and Zack Wheeler, hold ERAs below two. The pair simultaneously hold top-10 ERAs. Their contributions have resulted in a 3.36 ERA — eighth-best in baseball.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Since April 23, the Los Angeles Dodgers have won every single series, including against one of the NL’s top-tier teams: the Atlanta Braves.
Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani continues to dominate in his first month with the Dodgers. He leads baseball in batting average, home runs, slugging percentage and OPS. Additionally, Mookie Betts and Will Smith are on stellar starts to the season. Freddie Freeman hasn’t been as consistent in 2024, but his impressive track record indicates he’ll return to a top-10 NL MVP level player.
Additionally, the Dodgers’ pitching staff is seventh-best in baseball with a 3.35 ERA. Tyler Glasnow has shined in his first season donning Dodger blue. He boasts a 6-1 record while leading all pitchers with 63 strikeouts and innings pitched.
In a somewhat disappointing NL west early into the season, Los Angeles is the only team above .500. They are 5.5 games above the San Diego Padres.
4. New York Yankees
Through one month of the MLB season, the New York Yankees have been the fourth-best team in MLB, only a few spots behind previously mentioned Baltimore Orioles.
While 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge has struggled early into the season, new Yankee Juan Soto is picking up the slack. Soto has eight home runs, a .316 batting average and a .980 OPS. His lethal eye and power have contributed to monstrous numbers. Soto leads baseball in walks and on-base percentage. Soto was traded to the Bronx Bombers during the offseason, and he has dominated.
The Yankees’ pitching staff has performed incredibly, despite team ace Gerrit Cole not pitching so far this season. New York is third in baseball with a 2.97 ERA. The Yankees lead baseball with 16 saves this season, with 11 of them coming from closer Clay Holmes, who has yet to yield an earned run in 16.1 innings of work.
5. Cleveland Guardians
Finally, the Cleveland Guardians are the fifth-best MLB team through one month of the 2024 season. A demonstration of elite offensive and defensive production, the Cleveland Guardians are top-10 in both runs scored (168) and team ERA (3.41). Cleveland is in first place in the AL Central through the first month of the 2024 campaign.
Two-time left field Gold Glove winner Steven Kwan has been Cleveland’s most productive hitter in 2024. Kwan. He’s hitting .353 with three home runs, 11 RBI and the same number of walks as strikeouts. Unfortunately, Kwan suffered a hamstring injury during the weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels. Kwan’s injury is especially tough for Cleveland, who has utilized Kwan’s early-season dominance to a 21-12 record.
First baseman Josh Naylor has put together a strong offensive month for Cleveland, too, as he has smashed eight home runs and has an .887 OPS.
When a team is in a position to win the game, there aren’t many better options than Emmanuel Clase. Clase has accumulated nine 10 saves in 12 opportunities this season for the Guardians. He is looking for his third consecutive season leading MLB in saves.
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