A new baseball season often brings unexpected surprises, but the first month of the 2024 season has left fans and analysts alike scratching their heads. From the remarkable rise of the Kansas City Royals to the shocking collapse of the Chicago White Sox, the early weeks have shown just how unpredictable the game can be. While one team thrives on young talent and pitching dominance, the other struggles to find even a glimmer of hope.
Through 25 games there has been multiple teams who were expected to be really bad, but are near the top of their division. The team who has impressed the most is the Kansas City Royals.The Royals started off the year with a 15-10 record, after finishing with a 56-106 record in 2023. The Royals have a ton of young talent such as Bobby Witt Jr.,Vinnie Pasquantino, and Cole Ragans. Along with the up and coming stars, they have veteran leaders such as Salvador Perez and Adam Frazier. Perez leads the team in 4 hitting categories which includes batting average, home runs, runs batted in, and on-base percentage. Witt has the team lead in hits with 32.
Seth Lugo is having an exceptional start to the year. He has thrown a total of 38 innings and only surrendered 7 earned runs which equates to a 1.66 ERA which leads the Royals pitching staff. Lugo also leads the team in wins with 4. He also has only lost one game so far. Brady Singer and Alec Marsh are the 2nd and 3rd best pitchers in the rotation. They have combined for a 2.65 ERA in 61 innings with a 5-1 record. John Schreiber has been a lock down reliever with 6 holds and a 0.69 ERA in 13 innings.
A solid offense and phenomenal pitching staff is the main reason the Royals are off to such a great start in 2024. Let’s see if they will continue their success or fall off like in previous years.
The White Sox are by far off to the worst start, and most disappointing. In their first 25 games, they have only won three, which is the worst start to a season ever. To start the year there aren’t many bright spots for this team, but Gavin Sheets has been impressive. He’s leading the team in batting average with a .272 average. He’s also leading the team in hits and on-base percentage. Erick Fedde is the only competent pitcher on the roster, he’s leading the team in wins and ERA with 2 wins and a 2.60 ERA.
Garrett Crochet looked good in his first 2 starts of the year throwing 13 innings and only allowing 2 earned runs. In those 13 innings he also struck out 16 batters. After start 2, Crochet looked like he was going to have a Cy Young type year, but things took a turn. In his last 5 starts, he’s thrown a total of 21.2 innings and given up 22 earned runs raising his ERA to 5.97. Along with Crochet, the whole White Sox pitching staff has been bad, hence the 3-22 record.
The early days of the MLB season often separate contenders from pretenders, and this year is no exception. While the Royals are proving their doubters wrong and laying a foundation for a promising season, the White Sox are battling a nightmarish start that threatens to derail their year entirely. As the season progresses, fans will be watching to see if Kansas City can sustain their momentum and whether Chicago can find a way to salvage some pride. In baseball, as in life, it is not how the game is started—it is how it is finished.
