The 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is here and fans are excited to see their favorite teams play this year. Opening day was on March 28, where all thirty clubs played their first game of the season. Last season, the Texas Rangers won the World Series and were the champions of the MLB. The Rangers are looking to repeat and win it all again, while many other contenders have arisen and have improved. The Orioles are one of these contenders, as they had a great regular season last year, having the best record in the American League. They have also gotten better, adding some good players to their pitching rotation.
There are some new contenders this year, as some teams have improved tremendously. In the American League, the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians have started the season off really well, turning it around after missing the playoffs last year. The Pittsburgh Pirates have started fast, having the best record in the National League currently. They have had years of losing seasons and it is looking like they could make some noise this season.
“I think that the Dodgers will be the best team and win it all this season. We have the best pitching rotation in the whole league, and our offense is elite. We just got Shohei Ohtani, one of the biggest stars in baseball and Mookie Betts has been solid for us these last few years,” senior and Dodgers fan Isaac Lee stated.
The Dodgers are the early season favorites to win the World Series. The past few seasons, the Dodgers have been one of the best teams in the MLB. They won it all in 2020, however these past few years, they have fallen short. They have improved however, and added arguably the face of baseball, Shohei Ohtani. Many believe Ohtani will be the player to get the Dodgers across the line this year.
“The Braves are looking like a good team this year and should be exciting to watch,” senior Andrew Eaton explained.
The Braves are the team with the second best odds. The Braves, like the Dodgers have been one of the best teams in the league these past few years. They have won more recently however, winning it in 2021. They will be looking to go far this year, especially with young star Ronald Acuna playing well.
“A player that I am really excited to watch this season is Mike Trout. He is going to
be playing in his fourteenth season and is a legend of the game, so I am excited to see what he brings to the MLB this season,” Eaton said.
Mike Trout has been one of the most consistent players ever since he started playing in the MLB. He has not had the best playoff success but that does not diminish his other successes in his career.
Many in the Baltimore area are excited for the Orioles season this year, especially after last season. They are looking to build off of their regular season success last year. Last season the Orioles had their best season in a while, ending the regular season with the best record in the American League. However, the season ended in disappointment, with the Orioles getting eliminated by the Rangers in the Divisional Round.
“I think the Orioles are going to go to the AL Conference finals this year. They have some great players like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson that are only gonna improve this season since they are young,” Eaton stated.
Ever since Adley Rutschman was called up to the Major League he has been the key to the Orioles success. On the other hand Gunnar Henderson had a great rookie season last year, winning AL rookie of the year. Jackson Holiday, the number one ranked prospect in the league, had been killing it in the minors for the Orioles the last few years and it is likely that he recently was called up to play in his first Major League game. He made his debut against the Boston Red Sox on April 11. This is huge as he could be a star player for the Orioles in the future. The Orioles have improved the bullpen, adding star pitcher Corbin Burnes to their pitching rotation, which was very needed.
“A player on the Orioles I am excited to watch for sure is Corbin Burnes, a former Cy Young award winner. He is definitely going to be one of the best pitchers in the American League this season,” Lee explained.
There are high hopes for the Orioles around Baltimore and fans want the team to build off of their success from last year.
This MLB season should be very exciting, as come postseason time, very good baseball will be played with all the talent in the league. In Baltimore, there are high hopes for the Orioles, since they are trying to improve from last year and make a deeper playoff run.