For about 30 seconds, there was nothing but deafening silence to be heard during the sixth inning of Bally Sports Kansas City’s broadcast of the Kansas City Royals‘ clash against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Royals analyst Rex Hudler took the microphone to further break down Kansas City right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo whiffing Brewers shortstop Willy Adames with an 81.7-mph slurve.
“And then you drop the deuce on the outside part of the plate,” Hudler said. “That big curveball, nice, right out of the zone, just like you like it.”
Play-by-play announcer Ryan Lefebvre didn’t say a word. He let the moment breathe with viewers soaking in every last word of Hudler’s funny phrasing.
Finally, the silence broke.
“Just to clarifyâa deuce is a curveball,” Lefebvre said.
“Yeah, it’s two,” Hudler responded, referencing the number of fingers that catchers use to signal for a curveball.
Too funny.
Adames eventually got his revenge for the sixth-inning strikeout, blasting a three-run go-ahead homer in the top of the ninth. The Brewers beat the Royals 6â5.
Anyone whoâs ever started a new job knows the feeling. Youâre new to the area, perhaps you donât know the workspace layout very well. Coworkersâ names prove elusive. Maybe you do something mildly embarrassing to leave a shaky early impressionâfor example, in the case of Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser, throw away a treasured keepsake of your nine-time All-Star closer.
Thereâs a reason they call them rookie mistakes: Itâs because rookies make them. A lot of them.
But fear not, newbies, because the 2024 season is now more than a month old, giving plenty of opportunities to shake off the early butterflies and settle into your new lives as big leaguers. To mark the occasion, we present to you the first edition of Sports Illustrated's Rookie Roundup. Each week, weâll check in on the latest from the gameâs standout first-year players, alternating between the American and National Leagues.
The idea is to shine a spotlight on the best (and most entertaining) happenings from rookies far and wide. Weâll cover the headliners, of courseâand with the steady influx of young talent, there are plenty of already big names to trackâbut also aim to uncover hidden gems making names for themselves as the season progresses.
This weekâs focus is simple: Weâll highlight the five best AL rookies so far, with the NLâs top five coming next week. All of the players considered have, of course, made their fair share of rookie blunders. But theyâve made up for them (and then some) with their stellar play to this point.
1. Colton Cowser, OF, Baltimore Orioles
Baltimoreâs organizational rebuild (read: tank-a-thon) from the late-2010âs resulted in the franchise picking in the top-five of the draft in four consecutive years from â19 to â22. One of those picks turned into Cowser, whose 26-game debut last season (with a .115 batting average and zero home runs) left a lot to be desired. Named to the Opening Day roster by manager Brandon Hyde after posting a 1.136 OPS during spring training, Cowser seized an everyday role by the seasonâs second week and hasnât looked back.
Cowserâs hitting profile is a modern twist on the "three true outcomes" template: lots of walks and strikeouts, sure, but plenty of hard contact (rather than merely home runs). His 34.3% strikeout rate is the eighth-highest among players with at least 90 plate appearances, and his 38.1% whiff rate is the seventh-highest. But a quick glance at his Baseball Savant page shows plenty of red bars, as Cowserâs barrel rate, hard-hit rate and expected slugging percentage all rank in the 90th percentile or better. Combine all that with a 10.1% walk rate and excellent defense, and Cowser could follow in Gunnar Hendersonâs footsteps and make it back-to-back Rookie of the Year awards for the Orioles.
2. Mason Miller, RP, Oakland Athletics
If they gave trophies to teams for putting together five-and-a-half weeks of mediocre play when almost everybody in the baseball world expected nothing short of total ineptitude, the Athletics would get one. The franchise is in an abysmal position, with an owner resolved to move the team to Las Vegas and coming off consecutive 100-plus loss seasons. While the roster is low on household names (an Aâs staple as old as time itself), the team has outperformed projections to this point with a 17â18 mark, and Millerâs been a key reason.
A five-year college career spent at Division III Waynesburg (with one season at Gardner-Webb) didnât keep Miller from being drafted by Oakland in the third round in 2021. He logged just 28 2/3 minor league innings from â21 to â23 before debuting in April of last year. Miller pitched in 10 games for the Aâs last seasonâsix of them startsâand impressed enough to make the roster out of spring training this season as a part of the bullpen.
Thatâs an extremely truncated acceleration timeline, which is sort of fitting given how quickly Miller has ascended into becoming the leagueâs most dominant closer. His fastball averages (yes, averages) 100.7 mph, and heâs struck out 29 of the 54 batters heâs faced this season. Miller is a perfect 8-for-8 in save chances, helping Oakland to a 7â5 record in one-run games. His FIP currently sits at -0.06, and while itâs sure to climb out of the red eventually, Millerâs already established himself as one of baseballâs most electric pitchers.
3. Wilyer Abreu, OF, Boston Red Sox
Abreu earned himself a late August call-up in 2023 but retained his rookie status coming into â24. He hit well in his debut, and has built on last yearâs showing to quickly become one of Bostonâs most important pieces so far.
Abreu ranks fourth among AL rookies in runs scored (16) and RBIs (13), adding strong defense in right field and speed on the base paths, going a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts. If thereâs a reason to temper optimism a bit, itâs the fact that his .297/.381/.473 slash line is buoyed by a .403 BABIP. Statcast paints a far less enthusiastic view of Abreu, with an expected batting average of .225. Even if regression is on the way, heâs shown enough to solidify promise as a bonafide everyday player.
4. Luis Gil, SP, New York Yankees
New Yorkâs rotation has collectively risen to the occasion in reigning Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Coleâs absence, and Gil has more than done his part in the efforts.
The 25-year-old has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his six starts. His most impressive outing was also his most recent: 6 1/3 shutout innings against the Orioles on Wednesday. Gil averages 11.61 strikeouts per nine innings, fourth-most among pitchers who have thrown at least 30 frames. Walks have been an issue, though one thatâs trending in the right direction: He gave up 17 free passes in 19 2/3 innings in his first four outings, but has allowed only three in his last two starts.
5. James McArthur, RP, Kansas City Royals
A Royals team coming off of a 106-loss campaign has been one of 2024âs biggest surprises so far, with a 20â15 record and the second-highest run differential (plus-44) in the AL. Thereâs plenty of credit to go around the roster, but McArthurâs emergence as a lockdown closer (Sundayâs blown save against the Rangers notwithstanding) deserves recognition.
McArthurâs best asset is his control. Heâs walked only two of the 66 batters heâs faced so far, compared to 18 strikeouts. Missing bats is also a strength, as McArthur has a whiff rate of 34.9%. Sundayâs meltdown was his first blown save since taking over as the teamâs closer, but even then, his strengths were on display. He drew 18 swings on his 30 pitchesâwith eight of them whiffsâand he didnât walk a batter. McArthur spent six years in the Philadelphia Philliesâ system working primarily as a starter before being traded to the Royals in 2023, beginning his transition to the bullpen. He seems to have found his rhythm there, and has so far played a crucial role in one of MLBâs best success stories.
Kansas City Royals catcher/first baseman Salvador Perez had a little fun joking with a cameraman during Monday's 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees at Kauffman Stadium.
In the top of the eighth inning, Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo, facing Royals' relief pitcher Dan Altavilla, fouled off an 0-1 fastball towards the Kansas City dugout area, which is where Perez, playing first base on Monday night, headed in pursuit of the ball.
When the foul ball landed out of his reach amidst a crew of camera operators, Perez couldn't help but joke with one of the camermen. Mics picked up Perez's funny moment with the cameraman in a video shared by Talkin' Baseball on X, formerly known as Twitter.
âHey you shouldâve moved. Oh my god. You donât have a glove!" Perez said with a smile as the man burst into laughter.
Yeah, where were you on that one? In all seriousness, thank you Salvador Perez for making a seemingly routine pop fly a moment of comedic relief.
Perez and the Royals (39-28) will play three more games against the Yankees (47-21).
We're officially more than two months into the 2024 Major League Baseball season so it's time to take a step back and take a look at the futures markets.
What teams have underperformed? What teams are a surprising contender? Are there any teams we should bet on now or are there a few we should stay away from?
In this article, we're going to take a look at the latest World Series odds for all 32 teams. Let's dive into it. All odds listed in this article are via FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Dodgers, despite underperforming by their standards, are still set as the World Series favorites at +260, which is an implied probability of 27.78%. There's no denying the talent this roster has and they're still playing well enough to have a hefty lead on the NL West.
The New York Yankees have been the best team in baseball through the first two months. Their pitching has been sharp and their offense, specifically the play of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, has been unbelievable. If I were to pick one team to win it all at this point of the season, I'd pick the Yankees.
The Phillies have the best record in the National League at 44-19. They have a great chance to yet again go on a deep playoff run.
The injury bug has bitten the Braves, most notably Ronald Acuna Jr., who will miss the rest of the 2024 season. There's still plenty of time for them to rally and there's a reason they're still fourth on the odds list to win it all.
The Orioles are still well behind the Yankees in the AL East, but at 39-22, they'll be back in the playoffs once again.
The Seattle Mariners lead the AL West, but their offense needs to wake up if they want to be true World Series contenders in 2024.
The AL Central was supposed to be the worst division in baseball, but as of writing this article, four of the five teams are at .500 or above, including the Minnesota Twins at 33-29.
The Houston Astros don't look like the same contender they once were. Their metrics are still respectable and their offense has woken up in recent weeks. If there's one team that has got off to a slow start that I could see getting hot in the second half of the season, it's the Astros.
The Cleveland Guardians are eye-popping 40-21 as of writing this article. While that's impressive, I wouldn't be surprised if he saw some regression from this team in the second half of the season.
The Milwaukee Brewers lead the NL Central and have had one of the better offenses through the first two months of the season. They are a team to watch in the National League.
It's been a bad start to the season for the defending World Series champions. Their offense has been middling and their bullpen continues to cost them games. They need to find a way to turn the ship around or they're going to fail to make the playoffs.
The Kansas City Royals might be the single most surprising team in the Majors this season at 37-26. Not only has their record been good, but they have the metrics to back it up. Between strong offensive statistics and more than one Cy Young candidate in their rotation, the Royals could be a Cinderella story in 2024.
The Blue Jays may be the most disappointing team in the Majors. Despite looking like a talented squad on paper, their offense has been without teeth and their bullpen has been abysmal. On top of that, their rotation hasn't been nearly as good as it was last year. Time is running out for Toronto.
I feel sorry for Mets fans. It's been a disaster of a season and they're already 16.5 games back from the Phillies in the NL East.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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