Orioles, Guardians are banging for the buck
A team-by-team snapshot of the American League at the (roughly) halfway point.
The 23rd and 27th highest-paid teams in baseball are ruling the American League at Fourth of July weekend, leading various Evil Empires and Nations and reigning world champs.
Baltimore, which pays out $94.9 million to its athletes, is no surprise. Cleveland ($101.8M) is. As the Yankees ($303M) frantically reach for the ripcord and the Texas Rangers ($228M) wonder if 2023 was merely the filling of an inside straight, the Orioles and Guardians keep finding young, hungry offensive players who haven’t hit the jackpot yet. Or, in the case of Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez, decided to take less money to live by Lake Erie.
Individual talent is everywhere you look in this league. Aaron Judge looks destined for another MVP award, but arguments could be made on behalf of Ramirez, Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. The wild-card race includes the reborn Royals, the stubbornly relevant Astros and the plucky Red Sox, among others.
Here’s a team-by-team look at what’s happened so far and what the trade deadline could bring:
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Record: 56-32
Runs Per Game: 1st.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 2nd.
OPS: 1st.
Bullpen WHIP: 2nd.
Breakout Player: In his first full season, third baseman Jordan Westburg has a .830 OPS.
Disappointment: Austin Hays was supposed to be part of this renaissance but has only 140 plate appearances. A strained calf cost him a month.
Fun Fact: Orioles haven’t been under .500 since April 9 of last season.
Needs: With Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez leading off the rotation, maybe the bullpen? Everything else is locked and loaded.
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
Record: 54–32.
Runs Per Game: 3rd.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 3rd.
OPS: 6th.
Bullpen Whip: 1st.
Breakout Player: David Fry has played seven positions and is hitting .300 with a .914 OPS.
Disappointment: Triston McKenzie has walked 49 batters and has a 5.11 ERA.
Fun Fact: Emmanuel Clase, the closer, gave up 8.4 hits per nine innings last year. 4.7 this year.
Needs: They probably wouldn’t turn down shortstop help, but the Guardians really could use a starter. Then again, they weren’t supposed to be “buyers” this year.
NEW YORK YANKEES
Record: 54-36.
Runs Per Game; 2nd
Runs Allowed Per Game: 4th
OPS: 2nd
Bullpen WHIP: 7th.
Breakout Player: Luis Gil is 9-4 with 53 hits in 89 ⅔ innings, despite recent struggles.
Disappointment: Gleyber Torres is 27, no longer a “prospect,” with 11 errors and a .642 OPS.
Fun Fact: Only six American League hitters had 32 home runs and 83 RBI last year. That’s what Aaron Judge has after 86 games.
Needs: Once this freefall ends, they’ll need a healthy Anthony Rizzo and a highly-functioning Gerrit Cole for the playoffs.
MINNESOTA TWINS
Record: 49-39
Runs Per Game: 4th
Runs Allowed Per Game: 9th.
OPS: 3rd.
Bullpen WHIP: 4th.
Breakout Player: Griffin Jax has a 4.24 career ERA but is at 1.93 this year, with a career-high 12.3 strikeouts-per-9 rate from the bullpen.
Disappointment: Royce Lewis’ health or lack of same. The former first-overall pick has 10 homers in 99 plate appearances but is on the injured list yet again.
Fun Fact: Twins are one game over .500 when they’re not playing the Angels or White Sox.
Needs: Could always use another reliever, but they shouldn’t tinker much.
BOSTON RED SOX
Record: 48-39.
Runs Per Game: 6th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 6th.
OPS: 5th.
Bullpen WHIP: 5th.
Breakout Player: Catcher Connor Wong came from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade. He has improved his OPS from .673 to .838 and is hitting .323.
Disappointment: Brayan Bello was Boston’s top hope in the rotation, but has a 5.19 ERA.
Fun Fact: For the 15th time in his 15 seasons, closer Kenley Jansen is striking out at least 10 men every nine innings.
Needs: Second in steals, seventh in homers. A different, intriguing young team. Could use some power.
SEATTLE MARINERS
Record: 49–41
Runs Per Game: 13th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 1st.
OPS:14th.
Bullpen WHIP: 2nd
Breakout Player: Injuries have limited Bryan Woo to eight starts, but he has a superb 0.689 WHIP with two home runs in 40 innings.
Disappointment: Last year’s top A.L. rookie, Julio Rodriguez, was batting seventh in a recent game. He has only 15 extra-base hits and has already fanned 100 times.
Fun Fact: Mariners are 18-9 in one-run games, 6-3 in extra innings.
Needs: Anyone with a bat, and bring a friend. M’s can’t lean on their 29-16 home record to nail down the A.L. West.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Record: 48–42
Runs Per game: 7th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 5th.
OPS: 7th.
Bullpen WHIP: 14th
Breakout Player: At 34, Seth Lugo never had won more than eight games and had only 64 career starts. Now he’s a strong Cy Young candidate with a league-leading 11 wins and a 2.17 ERA.
Disappointment: Leftfielder MJ Melendez has a .260 on-base percentage
Fun Fact: Bobby Witt has nine triples, equaling the Angels and Toronto and surpassing the White Sox by five..
Needs: Bullpen help, delivered at Amazon speed.
HOUSTON ASTROS
Record: 46-42.
Runs Per Game: 5th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 9th.
OPS: 4th.
Bullpen WHIP: 6th.
Breakout Player: Ronel Blanco began the year with a no-hitter and hasn’t let up. He’s 8-3 with 58 hits allowed in 96 innings.
Disappointment: Leftfielder Chas McCormick had an .842 OPS last year but is at .597 this year.
Fun Fact: Yordan Alvarez has 19 home runs. A 30 home run season would be his fourth consecutive.
Needs: Another starting pitcher, but the Astros are cooking. They won 13 of 17 after they ate Jose Abreu’s ill-advised contract.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
Record: 44-44.
Runs Per Game: 11th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 11th.
OPS: 11th.
Bullpen WHIP: 10th.
Breakout Player: Taj Bradley has settled into the rotation with a 1.120 WHIP in 10 starts.
Disappointment: Jose Siri (.205 average, 30 RBI in 75 games) and Randy Arozarena (career-low OPS of .663) are running neck-and-neck.
Fun Fact: The Rays lead the A.L. in steals, and Richie Palacios has stolen 13 in 14 attempts, which may be why he has 37 runs and only 53 hits.
Needs: If they decide they’re players, another starting pitcher would help.
TEXAS RANGERS
Record: 40–48.
Runs Per Game: 8th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 9th.
OPS: 8th.
Bullpen WHIP: 13th.
Breakout Player: Ex-Yankee Josh Smith took over for third baseman Josh Jung and is hitting .293 with 34 RBIs. Last year he hit .185 in 90 games.
Disappointment: Evan Carter played in World Series games before he made an Opening Day roster. Reality has visited him this year, with a .188 average before he got hurt.
Fun Fact: Kirby Yates, 37, has saved the bullpen. He’s given up 13 hits in 30 ⅓ innings, with 12 saves.
Needs: The rewind button. Last year’s world champs are having one of those years.
DETROIT TIGERS
Record: 40-48.
Runs Per Game: 9th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 9th.
OPS: 12th.
Bullpen WHIP: 8th.
Breakout Player: Riley Greene’s third year is better than his second was, and his second was better than his first. He’s slugging .507 with 17 homers.
Disappointment: Former first-overall pick Spencer Torkelson homered 31 times this year, but had four in 54 games this year and was exiled to Toledo.
Fun Fact: Tigers are well on their way to a ninth consecutive losing season and haven’t been to the playoffs since 2014, which was their fourth straight playoff trip.
Needs: Tigers have rehabilitated Jack Flaherty into a tradeable commodity. They have the makings of a good staff but need consistent hitters.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Record: 39-49.
Runs Per Game: 12th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 12th.
OPS: 10th.
Bullpen WHIP: 12th.
Breakout Player: Reliever Trevor Richards has given up 22 hits in 46 innings.
Disappointment: Two-time A.L. hits leader Bo Bichette is having a wretched year. His batting average of .226 is 65 points off his career average, and his OPS of .605 is 198 points off his career mark.
Fun Fact: Toronto is 9-15 in one-run games and has two walkoff wins all season.
Needs: The Jays are old and overpaid, but the first to go in a dumping operation could be Bichette (26) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (25).
ANGELS
Record: 36-51.
Runs Per Game: 10th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 14th.
OPS: 9th.
Bullpen WHIP: 11th.
Breakout Player: Logan O’Hoppe, 24, could be the Angels’ best catcher since at least Bengie Molina. He has driven in 38 runs and has a .795 OPS.
Disappointment: Mickey Moniak, a former first-overall pick by the Phillies, is hitting .193 with 14 extra-base hits in 69 games.
Fun Fact: Carlos Estevez and the Angels bullpen have saved 70 percent of their opportunities, third in the league.
Needs: More starting pitchers, an international scouting operation, and something, anything, from Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Record: 33–57.
Runs Per Game: 14th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 13th.
OPS: 13th.
Bullpen WHIP: 9th.
Breakout Player: Mason Miller, from Gardner-Webb University, has struck out 66 and given up 18 hits in 37 ⅔ innings as the A’s closer. That’s nearly 16 strikeouts per nine innings.
Disappointment: The A’s were hoping veterans Ross Stripling and Alex Wood would help lead the rotation, but they’re a combined 2-12 and are both on the injured list. They’re also the two highest-paid A’s.
Fun Fact: Six players have arbitration rights for 2025 but no one is signed past this season.
Needs: The true need is an escape to Las Vegas, but that is four years away, at least.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Record: 26-64.
Runs Per Game: 15th.
Runs Allowed Per Game: 15th.
OPS: 15th.
Bullpen WHIP: 15th.
Breakout Player: Garrett Crochet is 6-6 for this carbuncle of a ballclub, with 141 strikeouts in 101 and ⅓ innings.
Disappointment: The line forms at the left. Andrew Benintendi, who was one of the league’s best young outfielders in Boston, has an OPS of ..537.
Fun Fact: The White Sox bullpen has a save percentage of 43. Everyone else in the league is over 50 percent.
Needs: Their rotation has a chance, with Crochet, Erick Fedde, Jonathan Cannon and Drew Thorpe, and Luis Robert Jr. is a credentialed centerfielder. They need to stay. Everything else must go.