The American League (AL) is filled with talented teams and players, but they all can’t make the postseason. There is only room for so many, and the same goes for individual awards. In this exercise, we will be making AL bets for the 2024 campaign. Here are my predictions for every American League Team!
AL Bets: One Prediction For Each American League Team
Baltimore Orioles: Kyle Bradish will win the Cy Young award
Bradish might not be flashy or famous like Gerrit Cole or Kevin Gausman, but he might be close to their talent level and just put everything together in 2023 with a 2.83 ERA in 168.2 innings and a 2.34 second-half ERA.
Do that for 200 innings (not an unreasonable total), and he has everything in place to compete for the AL Cy Young.
Tampa Bay Rays: Josh Lowe will lead the Rays home runs and stolen bases
In 2023, Lowe hit 20 home runs and swiped 32 bags in just 135 games. Isaac Paredes enjoyed a best-case scenario in the power department last year (31 home runs) and might see that number decrease. Lowe could push for 30-35 thefts again in 2024.
A slight step forward in the power department will likely result in this AL bet paying off nice dividends.
New York Yankees: The Yankees will return to the World Series and lose to LA
The Yankees haven’t played in the Fall Classic since 2009 but are slowly putting together a nice team. Juan Soto, Marcus Stroman, and other newcomers make significant contributions, and the team returns to the last series of the season, but the Dodgers are just too much to handle there.
Boston Red Sox: Kutter Crawford will make the All-Star Game
Crawford broke out last year with a 4.04 ERA in 129.1 innings with the Sox, but he has the potential for much more. He strikes people out (25.6 percent K%), doesn’t give away many walks (6.8 percent BB%), and minimizes hard contact.
If you are looking for bold AL bets, this one might be just that.
Toronto Blue Jays: Ricky Tiedemann will win the AL Rookie of the Year award
Alek Manoah isn’t exactly the most trustworthy pitcher, potentially opening a spot in the rotation for southpaw sensation Ricky Tiedemann.
Although he isn’t the poster child for health himself, Tiedemann carries some serious heat on his fastball and has wicked stuff that leads to some insane strikeout rates. It may be bold, but Tiedemann can pitch 100 innings and still win the AL ROY.
Minnesota Twins: Royce Lewis will play 140+ games and hit 40 home runs
In 2023, we got a glimpse of what a healthy Royce Lewis can do. He hit .309 with 15 home runs in just 58 games. Knee injuries have delayed his full-season breakout, but that could come in 2024, and we are betting it will. With 140-145 games, Lewis could very well hit 40 home runs.
Cleveland Guardians: Bo Naylor breaks out and hits 30 homers with 80 RBI
The Naylor brothers, together with Jose Ramirez, represent most of the Guardians’ offensive core. Bo, in particular, has a chance to be a very special hitter: he already hit 11 homers in the majors in just 67 games during his debut season, and there is potential for much more.
The batting average might not be pretty, but the younger Naylor can very well hit 30 dingers and drive in 80 runs from the catcher position, which would comfortably make him an All-Star.
Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr. will have a 30/50 season
Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. finished his sophomore campaign with 30 homers and 49 stolen bases. We are betting he goes the extra mile and logs the first 30-50 season in American League history in 2024: only Ronald Acuna Jr., Barry Bonds, and Eric Davis (all National Leaguers) have done it.
Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal will finish second in Cy Young voting
Skubal made a triumphant return from flexor tendon surgery last year: in 80.1 innings, he had a 2.80 ERA and an elite 2.00 FIP, with 14 walks and 102 (!) strikeouts.
His fastball velocity spiked after the procedure, going from 94.2 mph on average in 2022 to 95.8 mph in 2023. All the ingredients are there for an explosive 2024, and as far as AL bets go, his success is a good one as long as he is healthy.
Chicago White Sox: Chicago will lead the AL in losses
The White Sox are a mess, with a team that lost 101 games in 2023, with the prospect of trading their best pitcher, Dylan Cease, and with a mediocre farm system. It’s not that the Oakland Athletics are much better, but they might even win more games than the Sox.
Houston Astros: Yordan Alvarez will lead the AL in home runs
An injured list stint per year plus maintenance days often limit the uber-talented Yordan Alvarez to 130-140 games per season. He played 114 last year, but even that was enough for him to go yard 31 times.
With 550 plate appearances and still very much in his prime, 2024 will mark a career year for Air Yordan, and he has a good chance to lead the junior circuit in homers.
Texas Rangers: The Rangers will miss the playoffs
This might be one of our boldest AL bets in this exercise. The Rangers are excellent when healthy, but that is exactly the key to this: Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer will miss a big chunk of the year, and Jordan Montgomery isn’t a lock to return.
That, and the fact many of their hitters had career years and are likely to regress a bit, could doom them. There are four legitimate, playoff-caliber teams in the AL East, and the Astros and Mariners still lurk in the West. 2024 might not be the Rangers’ year.
Seattle Mariners: Julio Rodríguez will be the AL MVP
Julio Rodriguez is already a star. He hit 32 home runs in 2023, stole 37 bases, scored 102 runs, drove in 103, and played fantastic defense in center field. He still has some untapped potential, though, and that’s scary for the rest of the league.
We are betting he puts it all together and reaches the .900 OPS plateau for the first time. That, and getting his Mariners into the postseason, will be crucial for his MVP chances. We believe they are extremely good.
Los Angeles Angels: The Angels will lose 100 games
If the Angels couldn’t make the postseason even once in six years since Shohei Ohtani arrived, you can bet they are in for some trouble in 2024 (as the odds predicted, he signed with the Dodgers).
Mike Trout hasn’t exactly been the definition of health in recent seasons, and Anthony Rendon might be a lost cause. Things will get ugly in a hurry for LA.
Oakland Athletics: Zack Gelof will log a 25/25 season
It’s hard to make any optimistic AL bets regarding the A’s. Their ownership and front office have their heads elsewhere, and they sure aren’t investing in their roster to compete.
We will say this, though: Zack Gelof will be one of the few bright spots in the lineup and will flirt with a 30-30 season, settling for a 25-25 one instead. That’s not too shabby.
