As the end of June is here and July is upon us, MLB baseball is alive and well in the summer of 2024. Lots has happened in the past week, but here are the 10 biggest storylines
Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper head to the 10-day IL
The Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in the MLB, but for the next 10 days, they will be without their two big left-handed hitters, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Harper, out with a hamstring injury, has been outstanding at the plate, posting a .303 average and hitting 20 home runs. With a record of 55-29, Philadelphia is set up for another deep playoff run. But with Schwarber and Harper out for the short term, where do they turn to find production on the offensive side? Trae Turner is having an outstanding season, but you do have to fill the void of 37 home runs for the next 10 days.
The "Grimace" Mets keep winning
It’s June 12. The New York Mets are 28-37 and 6.5 games back of a wild card spot. Then, the McDonald's mascot Grimace throws out the first pitch.
Since that first pitch was thrown, the Mets are 12-3 and in a wild card spot. It started by sweeping the Padres and series wins over the Rangers, the Cubs and the Yankees. What has happened between now and June 12? The bats have woken up with a batting average of .300 and 32 home runs as a team. This comes at an exciting time, though. Does Mets owner Steve Cohen believe in this team enough to buy at the deadline and make a push this year, or will he stick to the plan of having this be a transition year?
The Yankees have struggled through recent skids
Times are tough in the Bronx right now for the pinstripes. Having not won a series since June 12, the Yankees have hit a wall halfway through the season. Getting swept by the Mets and losing series to the Braves and Orioles, New York has to regroup with a six-game homestand coming up this week. Gerrit Cole is back in a Yankee uniform and he got knocked around by the Mets, allowing six earned runs in four innings pitched. New York is well positioned with a 54-32 record, but the recent skid has to come away with more questions than answers. Can you trust this bullpen outside of Clay Holmes? Can you trust Marcus Stroman?
James Wood’s debut
It's time, Washington. It is finally time to sit back and enjoy the James Wood show. He is finally being called up to the big leagues and is set to make his Major League debut. The 6-foot-7 lefty is a consensus top-five prospect in all of baseball and utilizes some game-changing power at the plate. Wood is hitting .353 with a 1.058 OPS in Triple-A this season, and he is ready for the challenge of big-league pitching. The Nationals post a 39-44 record, just four games out of the wild card. Wood is expected to come in and hit for power right away.
Max Scherzer returns as it is do or die time for the Texas Rangers
The defending champs have gotten off to a slow start in 2024. With a 38-46 record, future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer has returned to pitch for them. He has gone 10.1 innings with eight strikeouts and a 1.74 ERA in two starts this week. Texas has to turn it around sooner or later because it will be bold and willing to sell pieces by the deadline to try and retool for 2025.
Luis Robert — when is he moved?
It's no secret that the White Sox plan to trade the Cuban outfielder before the trade deadline. The White Sox are in full rebuild mode, so having a guy on their team who can hit 40 home runs is not a part of the recipe. There's no doubt Robert will be traded before July 30; the question is just when and to whom he will be traded. The White Sox post just a 24-62 record this season, and keeping Robert on a rebuilding team does not make sense. Teams that have been rumored to take a swing at the all-star outfielder would be the Dodgers, Phillies, Braves, Royals, Yankees and Blue Jays. Another surprising team that has been thrown around a lot is the Pirates. Their farm system is loaded with starting pitching, and they desperately need a big league bat to help them make a wild card run.
With inconsistencies, could a rebuild be in the Toronto Blue Jays’ picture?
The Toronto Blue Jays have been underwhelming this season. Posting a 38-45 record, they are seven games out of a wild card spot. The question now becomes, where do they go? Have we seen what the duo of Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette can be? Do you blow it all up? Do you trade short-term guys and try to retool for 2025?
All options are on the table for Ross Atkins and the Toronto Blue Jays. Guerrero Jr. and Bichette have been rumored to be in trade talks with specific teams around the league, and a new and fresh farm system might be what the Blue Jays need. Time will tell, but the next month will show a lot of what the future might be like in Toronto.
Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday returns to the lineup after injury
The Orioles’ top prospect, Jackson Holliday, returns to the lineup in Triple-A after suffering a right elbow inflammation injury. Holliday is back and playing full-time. After a very brief stint in the Major Leagues, Holliday struggled, posting a 2-for-34 stretch after he struggled to catch up to big-league pitching. Now the question becomes when the Orioles possibly call back up Holliday. Did they rush him and stunt his development as a hitter? I expect Holliday to be in the majors sometime in the next few weeks.
The Guardians keep on winning
The Cleveland Guardians are the story thus far of the 2024 MLB season. After Terry Francona stepped down as manager last October, many people just brushed Cleveland to the side. However, the new manager and former player Stephen Vogt has picked up where the future Hall of Fame manager left off. Cleveland has a 52-30 record and is first in the AL Central. Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan are having career years. After losing their ace Shane Bieber to Tommy John surgery, the pitching staff has been phenomenal, led by Tanner Bibee, having a career year with a 3.47 ERA. No one wants to match up with this pitching come October, and the hitting of Cleveland can win them many baseball games.
Paul Skenes continues to dominate
Rookie sensation Paul Skenes continues to show why he is one of the best pitchers in the MLB. The 6-foot-6 right-hander posted a six-inning, eight-strikeout performance against the Atlanta Braves. He is now the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out 70 batters in the first nine games of their MLB career while not allowing more than a dozen runs. With 61 strikeouts through eight games, Skenes is slowly becoming one of the more dominant pitchers in the Majors.
Team of the Week
NL: San Diego Padres
Going 5-1 this week, the Padres swept the Nationals then took two out of three from the Red Sox. With Fernando Tatis Jr. going on the IL, San Diego has looked strong and has moved into the No. 2 wild card spot in the NL with a record of 46-42.
AL: Houston Astros
Going 4-1 this week, the Astros have entered the wild card picture in the AL. Just 3.5 games back, Houston cruised to series wins over Colorado and the New York Mets to get them to a 42-41 record. You can never count out the Astros.
Player of the Week
NL: Jonathan India
The Reds' second baseman has been an absolute terror lately. He has a 12-game hitting streak and has doubled in eight straight games. This past week, he posted a .538 batting average and a 1.536 OPS. He has been one of the bright spots in the Reds' starting lineup this year.
AL: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The Blue Jays sensation has been on a mission to get his team into a wild-card spot this past week. He hit .500 this past week and had a 1.673 OPS. He has homered six times in his previous eight games, tallying 15 RBIs in his last six games.
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