Early Season Surprises & Dissappointments

Shota Imanaga (surprise)

Before the 2024 season kicked off Shota Imanaga was viewed as an insurance option for teams who were unlikely to secure one of the top free agent starters. With 10 MLB starts under his belt he is boasting a 1.86 ERA and a 5-1 record. While Imanaga may not have the strikeout stuff of his WBC teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto, he has been incredibly efficient with a 0.100 WHIP and 1.6 BB/9. Couple that with the ability to limit home runs in today's power-focused league and you have the makings of a Cy Young winner on a fairly affordable 4 year $53 million deal. Speaking of the Cy Young award, the last pitcher to win both the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young in the same season was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. Although there is a lot of baseball left to play, it appears that Imanaga is on track to be only the second player to accomplish that incredible feat.

Corbin Carroll (Disappointment)

Coming off a season where he signed a massive extension, made his first All-Star appearance, took home National League Rookie of the Year honors and helped propel the Diamondbacks to the World Series, expectations were sky high for Carrol in 2024. Unfortunately it seems the sophomore slump is a real thing and has hit Carroll like an 18-wheeler. Thus far the young phenom is hitting .197 with only 2 home runs and a 0.0 WAR. In addition to a major step back at the plate, he has not had the same success on the base paths that he enjoyed in 2023 where he swiped 54 bags and was only caught stealing 5 times. In 2024 he has successfully stolen 9 bags but has been caught stealing 4 times. This could be the result of Carroll trying to do too much with the limited opportunities he has had due to his .280 OBP. Needless to say, Carroll is highly likely to turn things around sooner than later. He is one of the most talented five-tool players in the game and Arizona has the utmost confidence in his abilities. The Diamondbacks are currently 6 games below .500 however, and the longer Carroll takes to get on track the more difficult it will be for the team to make a return trip to the postseason, even with plenty of other talented pieces on the roster.

Kansas City Royals Starting Rotation (Surprise)

As a sports fan nothing makes me happier than a good ole’ fashioned “told ya so”. In my preseason hot takes I predicted that the Royals would play postseason baseball in 2024 and the team is currently on track to do just that. However, even the most optimistic Royals fans would not have predicted the dominance that the rotation has displayed early in the year. In 2023 the Royals starting rotation had a collective 5.13 ERA which was good for 27th in the MLB. This season, with the additions of veterans Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, that number has dropped to 3.13. While last season's standout trade acquisition Cole Ragans has been erratic at times his numbers through 11 starts this year are comparable to the 12 games he started for Kansas City to wrap up last season. Add in an improved Brady Singer and Alex Marsh and you've got one of the best starting rotations in the entire league.

Houston Astros (Disappointment)

Going into the 2024 season the Astros were considered a favorite to compete for yet another World Series title, with betting odds trailing only the Dodgers and Braves. Currently however, they are sitting at a 24-31 record and trailing the Mariners by 5.5 games in the AL West. If the Astros were struggling in one specific category there likely wouldn't be so much talk about the end of their championship window. Unfortunately for Houston though, they are struggling in multiple facets of the game. Their pitching staff as a whole is near the bottom of multiple critical pitching categories including WHIP and walk rate. Much of this can be chalked up to injuries to the pitching staff, but the same excuse cannot be used to explain the struggles of their much hyped bullpen anchored by Josh Harder and Ryan Presley (4.13 and 5.31 era respectively). Things don't get much better on the other side of the ball with the offensive production way down from last season. While Kyle Tucker continues to play like an MVP candidate, the supporting cast has simply not been up to par. From Altuve cooling down after a red-hot start, to the dumpster fire that was Jose Abreu (now in the minor leagues), to Bregman's puzzling lack of production, the offense simply may not have the firepower to compete like the Astros of recent memory. In the end I expect the Astros to figure things out and make a serious run at the postseason, although it will be a much more difficult task given their dismal start to the season.

San Diego Padres (Surprise)

Rounding out last season the San Diego Padres employed three of the top bats in the MLB in Machado, Tatis and Soto. When the blockbuster deal that sent Soto to New York was completed many baseball fans, including myself, were under the impression that a mini-rebuild was underway. Fortunately for the Padres they have replaced much of the offensive production lost with the addition of Jurickson Profar. Currently Profar, who is signed for just $1 million, is among the league leaders in a plethora of offensive categories including RBIs, OPS and Avg. In addition to bolstering their offensive on a budget, the Padres also brought in Dylan Cease to reinforce the top of the rotation. Nobody will argue that Cease is in Cy Young form to kick off the season, but he is vastly improved from 2023 and is giving the Padres more than many expected. While the Padres may not be competitive come playoff time, they are in a great spot if they decide to be sellers at the trade deadline thanks to the moves they made in the off-season. Profar would effectively be a free rental for a World Series contender and could command a handful of solid prospects. Cease on the other hand is likely to sign an extension with San Diego after costing 4 prospects to bring in and would be the anchor of their rotation for years to come.

Superstar Injuries (Disappointment)

While the 2024 season is still quite young, it feels like we have had a year's worth of serious injuries thanks to the number of superstar players going down. From MVP caliber bats like Mike Trout and Ronald Acuña, to Cy Young favorites Spencer Strider and Gerrit Cole and even Rookie of the Year contender Jung Hoo Lee, far too many exciting players have been lost to season ending or long term injuries. The league needs marquee names on the field to keep fans engaged, and teams need their star players in order to compete for a Championship, and fans pour a great deal of time and emotion into each game. Even though there is never a positive to a player suffering a major injury, we will have the opportunity to see other guys step up and some of these teams will likely replace lost production through big trades which will be something to keep an eye on come late July.

John Siebels is the owner of Springhill Sports Cards, he collects and sells sports cards on Ebay, you can find him on Instagram and his Ebay store here