As we rank all 30 MLB teams in this final Stock Watch of the 2024 regular season, we can start to pen a few epilogues on a campaign that is nearly completed yet has so much left to tell us.
Like last year, we're using the September edition to identify the biggest successes and failures for each team this season.
There is no set criteria for identifying these developments. They can be a team trait or statistical category, something revolving around a single player or a position group or even something off the field. They can be an expression of resounding success or thudding failure, or they can merely be a result of bucking expectation.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Win average: 97.0 (Last: 95.2, 2nd)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 99.3%)
Champions: 19.4% (Last: 19.1%)
Biggest success: It's obvious and undeniable: Shohei Ohtani was everything the Dodgers hoped for and more. Already baseball's first 50/50 player, Ohtani has become a Dodgers icon in his first season at Chavez Ravine. And this is even before we start pondering him assuming the closer mantle at some point during a deep L.A. playoff run.
Biggest failure: Something has to change with how the Dodgers manage their starting pitchers. Maybe it's increasing their emphasis on durability in how they choose pitchers. Maybe it's figuring out whether the processes that help push pitchers to perform at higher tiers also push them to the IL. Whatever it is, the Dodgers simply have had too many good pitchers get hurt too often, and it's not the first season in which this has happened.
2. Philadelphia Phillies
Win average: 96.1 (Last: 95.0, 3rd)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 99.0%)
Champions: 17.2% (Last: 15.1%)
Biggest success: Cristopher Sanchez's rise has been a huge boost to this rotation. At 27, Sanchez has qualified for the ERA title for the first time in his career and done so with a 3.24 ERA/2.86 FIP that makes him a fine third option behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. This has been especially important given the second-half struggles of Ranger Suarez, who looked like a Cy Young candidate during the first half. If Suarez rediscovers his footing by October, the Phillies' playoff rotation, thanks to Sanchez, will be as good as anyone's in the bracket.
Biggest failure: Dave Dombrowski's focus is always on the 26-man big league roster. This season that has been shown in the form of lack of rookie production and a trade deadline that, despite the pickup of reliever Carlos Estevez, might have been better if the Phils had a deeper pool of prospects. If not for exceptional injury luck at the top of the roster, the lack of depth could have kneecapped the season. But, as often happens with Dombrowski teams, it did not.
3. New York Yankees
Win average: 94.5 (Last: 97.2, 1st)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 99.7%)
Champions: 18.9% (Last: 16.5%)
Biggest success: The hype around the new Aaron Judge-Juan Soto duo was considerable when the season began. All they've done is respond to that with mutual MVP-level seasons and spawning comparisons to dynamic tandems of the past, including the unapproachable Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig pairing.
Biggest failure: There's really no such thing as a foolproof bullpen. And for all the consternation about the Yankees' relief staff, their composite numbers really aren't bad. But is it championship caliber? Can Luke Weaver carry the high-leverage load? Will journeymen Ian Hamilton and Jake Cousins be enough to support Weaver deep into October? Well, maybe -- they've been really good. Still, on a team with so few holes, this is the area most likely to sink the Bombers when the season pushes into its next phase.
4. Cleveland Guardians
Win average: 93.3 (Last: 93.4, 5th)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 95.9%)
Champions: 8.8% (Last: 6.4%)
Biggest success: Led by that rarest of things -- a reliever who is a legit Cy Young candidate -- the high-leverage contingent of the Cleveland bullpen has been devastating. Emmanuel Clase (46 saves, 0.65 ERA) leads the way, but Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin have been almost as good. Cleveland has won 44 games by one or two runs, a figure topped only by Tampa Bay across the majors.
Biggest failure: Like the Dodgers, the Guardians' rotation has seen too much IL time. Shane Bieber going down in April was perhaps the starkest example. Either way, this has resulted in a rotation performance that has ranged from inconsistent to just plain bad all season.
5. Milwaukee Brewers
Win average: 92.7 (Last: 88.4, 8th)
In the playoffs: 100.0% (Last: 84.8%)
Champions: 4.3% (Last: 3.7%)
Biggest success: What the Brewers have done in 2024 probably has not gotten enough attention. Over the past few years, they've changed managers and lead baseball execs. The roster has turned over and, with it, various manifestations of emphasis, with athleticism moving to the fore with the position group, and relievers carrying a larger-than-ever load among the pitchers. Through it all, the Brewers keep winning -- even in campaigns like this one, when they appeared to be retrenching. This might be baseball's best-run organization.
Biggest failure: You have to dig deep, but let's say first base. This has been a problem area for years, and the Brewers have never really zeroed in on a solution. This season, Jake Bauers and Rhys Hoskins have had their moments, but it's still the weakest position on the depth chart. Milwaukee first basemen rank 27th in bWAR. Christian Yelich should learn the position.
6. San Diego Padres
Win average: 91.9 (Last: 88.0, 9th)
In the playoffs: 99.4% (Last: 76.1%)
Champions: 5.0% (Last: 3.2%)
Biggest success: Jackson Merrill would be a Rookie of the Year candidate on any team, but on many of them, he'd be vying for that honor as a shortstop. On a San Diego roster full of shortstops, he has done it as a scintillating center fielder. He has also been the catalyst of a San Diego team that shapes up as awfully dangerous as the playoffs approach.
Biggest failure: The second season of Xander Bogaerts' 11-year contract has not been great. Bogaerts missed several weeks with a fractured shoulder, so there's that. However, at the time he went down, Bogaerts was hitting .219/.265/.316. He has been better since returning (.292/.333/.426) but he still hasn't produced runs at a clip you want from someone occupying that salary slot -- especially when that player turns 32 in less than two weeks.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
Win average: 89.9 (Last: 87.2, 10th)
In the playoffs: 92.5% (Last: 67.4%)
Champions: 4.6% (Last: 3.0%)
Biggest success: The Arizona offense has been one of the most explosive groups in the majors. The Diamondbacks lead the big leagues in scoring by a decent margin, and while their home venue plays into that, Arizona has also been a top eight or so offense when away from Chase Field. The Snakes rank in the top two in all three slash categories, and only the Dodgers have homered more often among NL clubs.
Biggest failure: When Arizona acquired Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery, it looked like the D-backs had supercharged their rotation. Whether it's injuries, a short spring (in the case of Montgomery) or simply bad pitching, the moves have yet to pay off. Together, Rodriguez and Montgomery have a 5.93 ERA and just seven quality starts out of 28. Montgomery accounts for six of those quality starts, but his numbers lapsed so badly that for a time he was bumped to the bullpen.
8. Baltimore Orioles
Win average: 89.4 (Last: 94.9, 4th)
In the playoffs: 99.4% (Last: 98.6%)
Champions: 4.4% (Last: 8.9%)
Biggest success: Gunnar Henderson's sophomore season has propelled him into the stratosphere as one of the game's emergent stars. By the time the season is over, Henderson might have the best single-season bWAR figure for any Browns/Orioles player not named Cal Ripken Jr. or George Sisler. Henderson didn't turn 23 until June 29. Nevertheless, if not for some historic performances elsewhere in the AL, he'd be headed for the MVP award.
Biggest failure: Baltimore's injury-riddled lackluster second half opens a lot of possibilities for this slot. But we'll zero in on one aspect, which is the puzzling season on offense from Adley Rutschman. His defensive numbers remain strong, but Rutschman's third season has seen an across-the-board decline with the bat. Most puzzling has been a 4% dip in walk rate from a hitter who seemed almost preternaturally selective at the plate.
9. New York Mets
Win average: 89.1 (Last: 85.4, 13th)
In the playoffs: 58.8% (Last: 44.7%)
Champions: 1.6% (Last: 1.5%)
Biggest success: It worked! New baseball chief David Stearns deployed a similar depth, roster iteration and internal development approach to this year's Mets as to the one he headed up in Milwaukee. It took time for the approach to bear fruit, but on a team less star-laden than past editions of the Mets, New York has steadily forced its way into the playoff picture. With each passing day, it looks like New York will have two teams in this season's October derby. Just wait until the Stearns Mets start to spend.
Biggest failure: Kodai Senga was supposed to ascend to No. 1 starter status on the new-look Mets. Thanks to shoulder and calf injuries, he has given New York one start and 5⅓ innings. Increasingly it's looking like he might make it back in some role before the season is over, so even this disappointment might yet work out for the plucky Mets. Yes, I called them plucky.
10. Houston Astros
Win average: 88.3 (Last: 84.4, 15th)
In the playoffs: 99.7% (Last: 50.4%)
Champions: 8.8% (Last: 3.2%)
Biggest success: Early in the season, we could write with accuracy that the Astros had an entire starting rotation on the IL. The group has never gotten fully healthy, yet Houston has emerged with a powerhouse rotation, one so good it's not certain that Justin Verlander can crack the playoff roster. It has been a group effort, but leading the way has been stalwart Framber Valdez, who has a claim to being baseball's best right-now starting pitcher.
Biggest failure: The Houston bullpen is a bit of a puzzle as the playoffs approach. The Astros have leaned heavily on star closer Josh Hader, who has been inconsistent. Hader has 31 saves and should crack 100 strikeouts for the fourth time in his career. But he has also allowed 12 homers and has already pitched in a career-high 66 games. How this will play once we get to October remains to be seen.
11. Atlanta Braves
Win average: 88.3 (Last: 89.3, 7th)
In the playoffs: 49.8% (Last: 85.4%)
Champions: 1.8% (Last: 5.7%)
Biggest success: The Braves have gotten award-level performances in each macro group of the roster. And they've needed them, especially in the wake of Ronald Acuna Jr.'s knee injury and disappointing showings all over the place. Those elite seasons: Marcell Ozuna, who was an NL MVP contender for much of the season, Chris Sale, a shoo-in for NL Cy Young, and Raisel Iglesias, who has been the league's best closer.
Biggest failure: Where to start? Before the season, we wondered whether it was the Dodgers or the Braves who ought to be anointed as baseball's biggest behemoth. If not for the star turns noted above, the Braves wouldn't be positioned as well as they are. Even so, Atlanta needs a late turnaround just to return to the playoffs for a seventh straight season, and its six-season streak of winning the NL East is kaput.
12. Kansas City Royals
Win average: 86.7 (Last: 86.6, 12th)
In the playoffs: 89.2% (Last: 45.5%)
Champions: 2.5% (Last: 1.5%)
Biggest success: There's a lot to work with here in a season that's seen so much go right. The choice is easy, though: Bobby Witt Jr.'s emergence as one of baseball's five best players -- or better. Witt's rise, and the extension he signed with the Royals last winter, is really what set this miraculous season in motion. Longtime Royals fans have waited and waited and waited for the arrival of George Brett's heir apparent. More than 30 years after Brett retired, he's finally here.
Biggest failure: The Royals' bullpen has been fluid all season, and that's putting a kind spin on it. The picture has only clarified during this crucial stage of the season (and likely beyond) that deadline pickup Lucas Erceg is the clear alpha of the group. If the Royals' season crashes, this will be the biggest reason.
13. Minnesota Twins
Win average: 85.1 (Last: 91.4, 6th)
In the playoffs: 63.1% (Last: 90.1%)
Champions: 2.0% (Last: 7.2%)
Biggest success: Despite extended injury absences from their three best hitters -- Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa -- the Twins have mashed their way back into contention this season. Position player depth, especially when it comes to internally developed hitters such as Trevor Larnach, Austin Martin, Matt Wallner, Ryan Jeffers, Brooks Lee and Jose Miranda, has been a standout trait for the organization.
Biggest failure: The Twins' starting pitching has been thin, and the hurlers overall haven't kept pace with their hitting counterparts. Pablo Lopez and emergent righty Bailey Ober have been a good one-two, and longtime prospect Simeon Woods Richardson has found his way. But once Joe Ryan went down with a shoulder injury, Minnesota struggled for answers like the kind the organization provided for the offense.
14. Detroit Tigers
Win average: 85.1 (Last: 76.4, 23rd)
In the playoffs: 43.1% (Last: 0.4%)
Champions: 0.7% (Last: 0.0%)
Biggest success: With the Tigers making a serious, late and borderline shocking run at a playoff spot, it seems even more incredible that Tarik Skubal's name was frequently whispered in pre-deadline rumors. Skubal seems a sure bet to win Cy Young honors while posting the best season by a Tigers hurler since Verlander was around.
Biggest failure: The Javier Baez contract looks like one of the biggest free agent follies ever. Frankly, it's kind of sad to see when we're talking about a player who at one time was considered baseball's most exciting player. (But not in an organized ESPN bracket kind of way anymore.) Baez has hit .221/.263/.347 as a Tiger. Since his 2024 ended because of hip surgery, the Tigers have gone 16-7.
15. Chicago Cubs
Win average: 82.9 (Last: 79.9, 20th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 7.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.2%)
Biggest success: When Shota Imanaga signed with the Cubs over the winter, it was easy to call him a consolation prize in the wake of Yoshinobu Yamamoto's massive contract with the Dodgers. Instead, Imanaga has outproduced his countryman, going 14-3 with 2.7 bWAR, the latter compared to Yamamoto's 2.0. Yes, Yamamoto has been injured, but staying on the mound is part of it as well. Anyway, even when you consider the ERA+ gap (148 to 133 in favor of Yamamoto), Imanaga's volume and much, much friendlier contract mark him as way more than a consolation prize.
Biggest failure: Time comes for all athletes, and so it appears to have arrived for Kyle Hendricks. The last Cub from the 2016 championship team, Hendricks has had a fantastic career, and if this season is it, he has no reason to hang his head, though the Cubs could certainly have used some positive production from him in 2024. Still, let's just hope that if Hendricks is done, the way in which he's gotten hitters out over the past decade -- i.e., by skillful pitching -- doesn't go with him.
16. Seattle Mariners
Win average: 82.6 (Last: 85.0, 14th)
In the playoffs: 4.3% (Last: 53.0%)
Champions: 0.1% (Last: 2.1%)
Biggest success: The rotation. With Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller emerging, the Seattle starters were a terrific one-through-five when everyone was healthy. The Mariners lead the majors in rotation ERA and quality starts. The ERA portion is in part due to the effects of T-Mobile Park, but keep in mind that Seattle also leads the majors in quality starts on the road.
Biggest failure: The offense. With a late-season surge, the Mariners' team average might reach .230. You don't want your biggest failure to be at the macro level, which is where something as encompassing as "the offense" resides. But there is a reason Seattle is going to miss the playoffs with a rotation like the one described above.
17. St. Louis Cardinals
Win average: 81.6 (Last: 80.8, 17th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 11.7%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.2%)
Biggest success: Masyn Winn is a fairly clear pick here, especially given the Cardinals' perfectly middling season. It feels like for every positive development there's been an offsetting negative. (Land Erick Fedde at the deadline? Great! Wait, a guy who went 7-4 for the White Sox has gone 1-5 for St. Louis? How is that possible?) Anyway, Winn's elite defense, top-notch baserunning and developing contact-with-pop bat has him penciled in at shortstop for the Cardinals for years to come.
Biggest failure: Paul Goldschmidt (.713 OPS) and Nolan Arenado (.708) are racing to the finish line in their quest to finish with a .400 combined slugging percentage. They're the difference between where the Cardinals are and where they wanted to be.
18. Boston Red Sox
Win average: 80.9 (Last: 86.9, 11th)
In the playoffs: 1.0% (Last: 53.9%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 1.8%)
Biggest success: Jarren Duran turned the corner from potential to production this season and did so in a magnificent way. Duran has posted elite offensive numbers and defensive metrics while also tearing up the basepaths. He's another player who got lost in the high-level AL MVP race, but there are many seasons in which a showing like his would get him the nod.
Biggest failure: Boston's rotation sparkled early in the season, but as Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford have fallen off, the void opened by the Chris Sale trade seems all the more yawning. There's no certainty that Sale would have morphed back into peak Chris Sale had he remained in Boston, but it's hard to see why that wouldn't have happened. This is what a healthy Sale does. It does not help one iota that the player Boston received for Sale -- Vaughn Grissom -- has contributed bupkes.
19. Tampa Bay Rays
Win average: 79.2 (Last: 80.1, 19th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 4.1%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.1%)
Biggest success: Most of what I wrote about the Rays at the trade deadline holds up here. The Rays' 2024 season never quite took off, but by proactively offloading in July, Tampa Bay looks poised for a major bounce-back in 2025 and beyond.
Biggest failure: As we look forward to seeing Shane McClanahan back in action, and to full seasons from Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen, Shane Baz, Taj Bradley and others, have the Rays figured out if there is a way to keep their hurlers on the mound? Tampa Bay figures out a lot of stuff. It would be good to figure this out.
20. San Francisco Giants
Win average: 78.0 (Last: 81.4, 16th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 11.2%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.2%)
Biggest success: The signing of Matt Chapman paid off, and boy did the Giants need it. It paid off in the form of an All-Star caliber season, arguably the best by a Giants third baseman since the days of John McGraw. Even better: Chapman signed an extension that stabilizes at least one spot on the field for a few years.
Biggest failure: So far, the signing of Korean star Jung Hoo Lee has not worked out. The glaring caveat is of course injury -- Lee's season ended on May 12 because of shoulder surgery. Lee had an 86 OPS+ over 158 plate appearances when he was injured, so his Giants career already was off to a slow start. He, and the Giants, have a lot riding on his 2025 performance.
21. Toronto Blue Jays
Win average: 77.8 (Last: 74.2, 24th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.1%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Biggest success: It's not that we doubted Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could still produce like a star. After two straight seasons in which he didn't, though, you could not help but wonder when it might happen. The answer turned out to be May 5. That's the day after his OPS dipped below .700 and on which he hit a grand slam off Washington's MacKenzie Gore. Since that game, Guerrero has hit .348/.417/.604. Star Vladdy is back and better than ever.
Biggest failure: This has been a flop of a season for Bo Bichette. It's been a matter of both injury and performance. Calf injuries have limited Bichette for months and kept him out altogether beginning on July 19. He finally rejoined the lineup on Tuesday and went back on the IL on Thursday with a fractured finger. Still, Bichette has gotten into 81 games during which he's hit .225/.277/.322. He entered the season, his age-26 campaign, with a career slash of .299/.340/.487. With both Bichette and Guerrero looking at free agency beyond 2025, everything in Toronto is in doubt right now.
22. Texas Rangers
Win average: 77.7 (Last: 79.6, 21st)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 8.3%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.3%)
Biggest success: The Rangers' planned title defense became something of a lost season due to down years from too many hitters and way too many injuries all over the roster. Still, there's an emerging core of young talent in Texas who will hopefully meld with a healthier roster of veterans next season. That group is led by Wyatt Langford and includes Evan Carter, Josh Jung, Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter.
Biggest failure: Maybe it was a pipe dream all along. At least externally, you could sell yourself on the idea that the Rangers would hang on the fringes of playoff contention long enough for a recharged, healthy rotation to lead them back to the Fall Classic. Imagine unleashing a vintage one-two of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer on any opponent in a short series. Well, none of it came close to materializing.
23. Cincinnati Reds
Win average: 77.6 (Last: 78.4, 22nd)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 4.3%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.1%)
Biggest success: In his second season, Elly De La Cruz established himself as one of the best, and most exciting, players in baseball. On one hand, this is no surprise. On the other hand, when a player has as much swing and miss in his game as De La Cruz, you can't take this for granted. That trajectory of improvement is important, too, because as good as he's been in 2024, De La Cruz is just scratching the surface.
Biggest failure: My depth charts turn a player's name red when he hits the IL so I can see at a glance who's out. The Reds' rotation features five young standouts, led by Hunter Greene. Alas, four of those names are in red, with Greene joined on the IL by Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft. This is a problem the Reds need to solve, especially since the one name still in black (Rhett Lowder) just reached the majors.
24. Pittsburgh Pirates
Win average: 75.9 (Last: 80.3, 18th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 9.2%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.2%)
Biggest success: Paul Skenes has started 21 games and had just one where he has allowed as many as four runs -- and that was to the Dodgers. He's been as good in September as he was in May. The Pirates have never really had anyone like him. Pittsburgh has had 519 instances of a starting pitcher going at least 120 innings in a season since 1900. Skenes has an ERA+ of 204, which, as you probably guessed, tops the list. Second place is John Candelaria, circa 1977 ... at 169. More big picture: The Pirates' Skenes-led rotation has been playoff caliber since he arrived, and is something more than worth building around going forward.
Biggest failure: The Pirates' status as contenders was tenuous when the deadline came around. Their acquisitions didn't move the needle (Bryan De La Cruz, Jalen Beeks), but a more aggressive approach probably wouldn't have kept the house of cards from collapsing. Even as they've been rebuilding, the Pirates have generally been able to find quality relievers. This season has been a grind, particularly for now-former closer David Bednar, and the unit cratered right after the deadline, killing -- for now -- any positive vibes that had emerged around the team. But this is still a club with a bright future.
25. Washington Nationals
Win average: 71.7 (Last: 71.5, 25th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Biggest success: The Nats have had a lot of good news on the young player front this season. The headliner in that realm is getting James Wood to the majors at 21 and watching him more than hold his own. Patient and powerful, Wood isn't a finished product, but at 21, who is? Wood needs to cut down on the whiffs. If he does, the Nationals will have a lineup linchpin for years to come. Side note: Wood is 6-foot-7. Is it just me, or does it feel like there is rising population of big league position players who are built like NBA stretch-4s?
Biggest failure: Second-half CJ Abrams? Drawing conclusions by splitting half-seasons is a dubious practice, but nevertheless, Abrams' falloff has been perplexing. Early in the season, it looked like Abrams had arrived as a right-now star. He had a .831 OPS with 15 homers and 15 steals at the All-Star break. Since then, he's hit .182 with a .541 OPS. The Nationals would feel a lot better about this if Abrams were to finish strong.
26. Oakland Athletics
Win average: 70.8 (Last: 67.8, 27th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Biggest success: Brent Rooker (.956 OPS) and Lawrence Butler (.843 overall and 1.018 since July 1) have emerged as a dynamic one-two offensive punch. Overall, Oakland has been solidly above average at the plate most of the season. The improvement has been encouraging enough that if the Athletics weren't bolting town, their fans might actually have something to look forward to.
Biggest failure: Everything that's led up to Sept. 26 -- the date of the last home game for the Oakland Athletics.
27. Los Angeles Angels
Win average: 66.0 (Last: 70.4, 26th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.1%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Biggest success: In his second season, Zach Neto is headed for a bWAR in the 4.6 range that will rank as one of the 10 best ever for an Angels shortstop. Ahead of him are six Jim Fregosi campaigns, two from Andrelton Simmons and David Eckstein's memorable 2002 showing. See, it's not all bad in Orange County.
Biggest failure: That Anthony Rendon had a .574 OPS and zero home runs? That Mike Trout played in just 29 games? That despite playing just 29 games, Trout still ranks 11th on the Angels in bWAR? That Shohei Ohtani is on his way to baseball's first 50/50 season ... for L.A.'s other team? That the Angels might set a franchise record for losses and gave their lead exec an extension? Take your pick. This is a choose-your-own-adventure game, but be warned: No path leads anywhere good.
28. Colorado Rockies
Win average: 62.0 (Last: 58.8, 29th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Biggest success: The Rockies have a few above-average showings from position players but none better than that of center-field whiz Brenton Doyle. Doyle looked like a budding Gary Pettis entering the season -- great glove, no bat. After winning a Gold Glove as a rookie, Doyle has followed up with another season of outstanding metrics with the glove. But after an impossibly low OPS+ of 53 at the dish in 2023, he's up to 107 this season with 22 homers and 29 steals to date. Put those things together and you have something the Rockies need a lot more of -- a good baseball player.
Biggest failure: The Rockies still have a chance to finish .500 or better at Coors Field. They also might lose more games than anyone on the road, though it would take an unlikely White Sox surge to make that happen. Still, no team has a larger gap between home and road performance. Sure, it's the same as it ever was. But if the Rockies are ever going to build anything sustainable, isn't this a gap that must be closed?
29. Miami Marlins
Win average: 59.1 (Last: 60.4, 28th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Biggest success: After yet another pivot away from success, the best thing you can say about this Marlins season is it got them a few months closer to 2025. Whether or not that proves to be good news will depend on how the offseason goes. For now, we can dream of Sandy Alcantara and a slew of talented hurlers all getting healthy at the same time.
Biggest failure: Before the season, you could squint and see hope that the Marlins did well to shore up the shortstop position with low-investment pickup Tim Anderson. After all, Anderson is only two years removed from his last All-Star appearance. Instead, Anderson looked even more done than he was in Chicago, posting an anemic 28 OPS+ and managing 53 total bases on his 50 hits. Not much went right for Miami, and the Anderson gambit typified the season.
30. Chicago White Sox
Win average: 38.8 (Last: 41.7, 30th)
In the playoffs: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Champions: 0.0% (Last: 0.0%)
Biggest success: Garrett Crochet. It's hard to believe anything could qualify as a success on the worst team in history, but Crochet has been outstanding. His FIP (2.85) has been built over 30 starts, and he's going to top 200 strikeouts without qualifying for the ERA title. Perhaps best of all is that Chicago throttled his innings way down, preserving his arm and, perhaps, his trade value for this winter.
Biggest failure: Setting records for things like losses in a season and worst winning percentage feels like a solid pick here.