1 Word to Describe Every MLB Team Early in 2024 Season
We're a week and a half into a 162-game season, so there's only so much anyone can say about each of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball.
We can, however, try to say a lot by saying a little.
Here's the deal: Each team gets one word to summarize how they've started the 2024 season. Just one, and no repeats or hyphens are allowed.
Of course, this doesn't mean you're about to read an article that doesn't even amount to 100 total words. Each one-word description is also followed by a section explaining it. These in and of themselves are 100 words or less.
We'll go three teams at a time and in alphabetical order by city.
Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta, Baltimore Orioles
1 of 10
Arizona Diamondbacks: Underachieving
Record: 4-5, 2nd in NL West
The Diamondbacks have scored 19 more runs than they've allowed, yet they have a losing record? Even if their 16-1 win over the Colorado Rockies in their opener skews the data, that still doesn't feel right.
The defending National League champs should start winning more consistently, especially if Corbin Carroll wakes up. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year is far better than the guy with the .568 OPS he is so far.
Atlanta: Panicked
Record: 5-2, 1st in NL East
Atlanta's season was off to a weird start even before it got to this weekend. They'd had a couple of rainouts and they have still yet to see much from reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., who's still waiting on his first long ball of the season.
Things didn't really take a dark turn, however, until an MRI on ace right-hander Spencer Strider's elbow on Saturday revealed damage to his ulnar collateral ligament. It's very bad news that could lead to even worse news if he needs a second Tommy John surgery.
Baltimore Orioles: Entertaining
Record: 5-3, 3rd in AL East
Yes, the Orioles were also entertaining last year as they busted out of a rebuild and won 101 games. But now they have a proper No. 1 starter in the excellent Corbin Burnes, and they've already won two games in walk-off fashion.
There's also the promise of further entertainment to come. Because if anyone out there is unaware of what's going on in Norfolk, that's where Jackson Holliday has the Triple-A Tides off to a 7-1 start in which they've scored 98 runs. Holy moly and/or smokes.
Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox
2 of 10
Boston Red Sox: Crafty
Record: 6-3, 2nd in AL East
The Red Sox haven't played the cleanest baseball amid their hot start, but that just speaks to what a team can do when its starting pitching is on point. And Red Sox starters are definitely that, having racked up a 1.72 ERA with 55 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 47.0 innings.
The key ingredient is fastballs, or rather lack thereof. Boston's starters have a league-low 15.1 percentage of four-seam fastballs used so far. That's pitching coach Andrew Bailey's doing and, hey, if it's working, it must be good.
Chicago Cubs: Surviving
Record: 5-3, T-3rd in NL Central
Cody Bellinger and Justin Steele were the best hitter and pitcher, respectively, that the Cubs had last year. And as such, it should be an issue that the former is hitting .226 with one home run and that the latter is on the injured list with a strained hamstring.
And yet, the Cubs have a winning record. Chalk that up to Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel living up to their latent slugging potential, as well as to Shōta Imanaga taking an immediate liking to blowing away major league hitters.
Chicago White Sox: Punchless
Record: 1-7, 5th in AL Central
Even before star center fielder Luis Robert Jr. hit the injured list on Saturday with a hip injury, the White Sox offense look like one that couldn't hit water if it fell out of a...well, you know the line.
I mean, 13 runs? Seriously? Even the Oakland Athletics have scored more than that. It may be especially time to be worried about Andrew Benintendi, whose club-record $75 million contract has thus far bought a .253 average and five home runs through 159 games.
Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies
3 of 10
Cincinnati Reds: Encouraged
Record: 5-3, T-3rd in NL Central
To be clear, I'm not talking about Elly De La Cruz here. It's still easy to be gobsmacked by his sheer talent, but he's following up a 33.7 strikeout rate in 2023 with a 45.5 percent clip thus far in 2024. That's not going to play for much longer.
How about Cincinnati's starting pitching, though? After posting a 5.43 ERA last season, it's down to 3.30 at the outset of this season. And contrary to Boston's starters, their guys are bringing it with an average fastball of 95.0 mph.
Cleveland Guardians: Blindsided
Record: 7-2, 1st in AL Central
The vibes were nothing but good for the Guardians before Saturday. A 6-2 start is good. A 6-2 start with a plus-30 run differential? That's even better.
But then, shortly before Cleveland collected its seventh victory, the team found out that 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber needs Tommy John surgery. Especially considering that he had been off to such a promising start, it's a devastating blow.
Colorado Rockies: Hopeless
Record: 2-6, 5th in NL West
There are good pitching teams, and there are bad pitching teams. Then there's 50 feet of crud, and then there's the Rockies. They had a league-worst 8.37 ERA even before they finally had their home opener at Coors Field on Friday.
And don't think I'm letting you off the hook, Kris Bryant. Maybe you don't want to be there, but can you at least try? Because watching you go 3-for-25 with 12 strikeouts is just plain sad.
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Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals
4 of 10
Detroit Tigers: Dangerous
Record: 6-2, 2nd in AL Central
This is partially meant to describe the general vibe of this Tigers team. They were the last team to lose after starting 5-0, and even the defeat that dropped them to 5-1 was a game they were three outs away from winning.
And then there's Detroit's pitching. It's been nothing short of terrific in posting a 2.51 ERA, with a good mix of contact avoided and hard contact stifled. Keep an especially close eye on Tarik Skubal as a guy with crackling Cy Young Award energy.
Houston Astros: Flummoxed
Record: 2-7, 4th in AL West
The Astros have already tossed a no-hitter (cheers, Ronel Blanco) and only been outscored by six runs, and yet they're five games under .500 and sitting with the A's in the AL West cellar? Did baseball change its rules or something?
Nah, this is just bad luck. The Astros have lost three games by one run, including two in which the normally Teflon-coated Josh Hader let them down in the ninth inning. Even good teams have stretches like this, and Houston's is simply happening at an awkward time.
Kansas City Royals: Watchable
Record: 5-4, 3rd in AL Central
As they've scored 17 more runs than they've allowed, the Royals are another team that should have a better record. And, indeed, they would if they hadn't lost two games in walk-off fashion to the buzzsaw Orioles.
On the plus side, the early returns in Kansas City are those of a team that should be way more palatable to fans than the ones they had been seeing. Bobby Witt Jr. and Cole Ragans, in particular, are rising fast as one of the better star-ace duos in the sport.
Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins
5 of 10
Los Angeles Angels: Relieved
Record: 5-3, 2nd in AL West
This is not just in the sense that the Angels aren't stumbling as much as they might have in their first steps out of the Shohei Ohtani era. They're also staying upright despite Anthony Rendon's best efforts (2-for-27) to trip them up.
There's also what the Angels are seeing from Mike Trout and Taylor Ward, both of whom have hit three home runs. Trout is Trout, but this is a nice reminder that Ward has also been an impact player when healthy.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Overwhelming
Record: 8-3, 1st in NL West
Speaking of Ohtani, he's only recently gotten going and yet the Dodgers have been raking every step of the way. They've scored at least five runs in 10 of their 11 games, also hitting at least one homer in all but two of those games.
Just as frightening is the notion that this team hasn't peaked yet. Ohtani is likely going to stay hot, after all, and the Dodgers have enough arms standing by on the injured list to open up (I'm genuinely sorry for what's coming) an Arm-y Surplus store.
Miami Marlins: Pathetic
Record: 0-9, 5th in NL East
It's not just that the Marlins are 0-9. It's also that they've been outscored by 32 total runs, with only one of their losses coming by way of a one-run defeat.
Yet this is also referring to Bruce Sherman's ownership. Playoff berths in 2020 and 2023 notwithstanding, his tenure is more notable for having worn out the patience of Derek Jeter and Kim Ng and spending as little money as possible. Bang up job, Bruce.
Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets
6 of 10
Milwaukee Brewers: Unexpected
Record: 5-2, 2nd in NL Central
The 2023-24 offseason wasn't the Brewers' finest hour, specifically to the extent that they waved goodbye to Craig Counsell and traded Corbin Burnes. But does anyone in Milwaukee still care right now?
One would think not. There's a lot to like about these Brewers, up to and including newcomer Rhys Hoskins, ascendant rookie Jackson Chourio and the rejuvenated Christian Yelich. Since May 2, 2023, he's a .292 hitter with 19 home runs in 124 games.
Minnesota Twins: Sputtering
Record: 3-4, 4th in AL Central
Don't worry, Twins fans. Your team is still the favorite to win the AL Central, and by a fairly comfortable margin at that. One also assumes they're not exactly weeping at the news of Bieber's season coming to an early end in Cleveland.
Still, it majorly sucks that the Twins lost Royce Lewis to a severe quad strain before their opener was even over. And for a team that co-led the AL in home runs last season, the team's MLB-low three long balls isn't exactly what anyone was hoping for.
New York Mets: Backwards
Record: 2-6, T-3rd in NL East
At least when compared to what they were bringing into the 2023 season, the arms the Mets had lined up for 2024 didn't look like much. So, go figure that said arms have thus far racked up a 2.92 ERA.
Likewise, go figure that an offense that was supposed to be very nice has instead been as cold as ice in scoring only 22 runs. J.D. Martinez's incoming debut should help spur things forward. In the meantime, the spotlight is squarely on Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo.
New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies
7 of 10
New York Yankees: Scrappy
Record: 7-2, 1st in AL East
Are the Yankees really this good? Almost certainly not. They won't bat 1.000 in one-run games all year, and they may play more of those than they want to if Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo don't find the fountain of youth.
Yet as weird as it is to hear a bunch of guys who aren't allowed to grow beards or wear chains refer to themselves as "dawgs," there's undeniably a chip on this team's shoulder. And at least for now, I'm willing to believe in the lasting power of said chip.
Oakland Athletics: Painful
Record: 2-7, 5th in AL West
As in, it's literally painful to watch the A's play baseball. There's nothing this team is good at and a whole bunch it's bad at. Playing defense is the most notable early example of the latter. Whereas no other team has made more than nine, the A's have committed 15 errors.
Oh, and remember the whole "Rooted in Oakland" thing? Yeah, that hasn't aged well. They'll soon be the Sacramento A's...except not, apparently. It's emblematic of a franchise that very much cares about where it wants to go, but nothing else in the meantime.
Philadelphia Phillies: Underwhelming
Record: 4-4, 2nd in NL east
The Phillies are probably going to be fine. They also got off to slow starts in 2022 and 2023, after all, yet that didn't stop them from advancing to the World Series in the former and to one game short of the World Series in the latter.
All the same, it's a bummer that Trea Turner has started cold again. An even bigger bummer is that the bad old days have returned for the bullpen. It has a 6.30 ERA to rank fourth from the bottom of MLB.
Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants
8 of 10
Pittsburgh Pirates: Merciless
Record: 7-2, 1st in NL Central
This is not meant to play on the whole "Pirates" thing...OK, maybe it is, but it's also meant to call attention to how the Bucs mercilessly punched down at bad opponents in winning six of their first seven games. As teams go, the Marlins and Nationals aren't the best.
Credit is due where credit is due, though, and you have to admire these Pirates for how they've pillaged in clutch moments. They're batting .309 with two outs and runners in scoring position, whereas their pitchers are only permitting a .216 average in those spots.
San Diego Padres: Clutch
Record: 5-6, 2nd in West
At least in comparison to 2023, anyway. Last year's Padres treated situational hitting like an alien concept, particularly with runners in scoring position. They hit only .241 in such spots, good for fifth from the bottom of MLB.
So far in 2024, they're at .330 with runners in scoring position. Small sample size and all, but it is reflective of an apparent change in attitude under new manager Mike Shildt. Even if it doesn't show in their record, he has them actually trying to have an identity this year.
San Francisco Giants: Vulnerable
Record: 3-6, 4th in NL West
The Giants look good enough on paper, and they'll only look better once Blake Snell makes his debut on Monday. Which is basically to say they're still a halfway decent back to make the playoffs when all is said and done.
The NL West isn't going to wait for the Giants to catch up, however, and there's surprisingly a lot riding on Snell's debut. He needs to be the guy who turns the tide in the wake of the team's pitchers having served up a 5.57 ERA so far.
Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays
9 of 10
Seattle Mariners: Overmatched
Record: 4-5, 3rd in AL West
This is referring to Seattle's offense and only Seattle's offense. Mariners hitters have hit just .211 and struck out in 29.4 percent of their plate appearances. The record for a non-shortened season is 26.7 percent, set by the 2021 Cubs.
This is especially discouraging in context of how the Mariners wanted to add contact to their offense over the winter. They didn't do nothing in this regard, and it should show in real life. But to date, it simply hasn't.
St. Louis Cardinals: Unimpressive
Record: 5-4, 5th in NL Central
The Cardinals began the year as the favorites to win the NL Central, so it's nothing if not disappointing to see them at the bottom of the division again. This is albeit with a winning record, but still.
The Cardinals just haven't played good baseball, least of all regarding an offense that's hit only five home runs and struck out at a 25.1 percent clip. To these ends, it's alarming that Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado have a .631 OPS and one homer between them.
Tampa Bay Rays: Volatile
Record: 4-5, T-4th in AL East
Though the Rays won 99 games last year, you would have been hard-pressed to find anyone willing to bet they would do so again this year. This is a shallower team than the one the Rays had throughout much of 2023.
That especially shows on the pitching side of things, where even the Rays' 5.60 ERA feels too good to be true. They have 72 strikeouts against 37 walks in 80.1 innings, marking quite the fall from grace after they finished last year ranked third in MLB in K/BB ratio.
Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals
10 of 10
Texas Rangers: Resilient
Record: 6-2, 1st in AL West
It's astonishing how much talent the Rangers have on the injured list. Take a look around, and you'll see two Cy Young Award winners (Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer) and two of their best hitters from 2023 (Josh Jung and Nathaniel Lowe).
Yet the defending World Series champs just keep winning, and just wait until those two prized rookies of theirs get going. Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford have a combined .702 OPS with zero home runs. They're better than that.
Toronto Blue Jays: Thin
Record: 4-5, T-4th in AL East
The Blue Jays have three games this season in which they've gone off for eight, nine and eight runs, respectively. Otherwise, they've scored only eight runs in the other games they've played and have been on the butt end of both no-hit and one-hit butt kickings.
There must be a whole bunch of people in Canada ready to say, "Told you so." It was clear in 2023 that this team was one or two good hitters short of really breaking out, yet the front office spent the winter doubling down on run prevention.
Washington Nationals: Uninteresting
Record: 2-6, T-3rd in NL East
Perhaps this isn't fair, least of all to CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. The two of them have thus far been a dynamic duo on the middle of the infield, pairing up for a .989 OPS and seven runs batted in.
But, what can I say? I prefer my bad teams to be The Road-levels of depressing, a la the Rockies, A's and Marlins. As they actually have some things going for them—[gestures in the direction of the names above]—the Nats are a little too inoffensive to fall into that category.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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