1 stat for every team to marvel at from 2024 season

1 stat for every team to marvel at from 2024 season

2:00 AM UTC

Part of what makes baseball the best are the feats and amazing stats accruing left and right, every single day. We chronicle them throughout the year, but there’s no better time than before the calendar flips to take a look back.

It’s hard to pick just one per team after yet another season that gave us so much fodder. No team or player can be summed up in one stat alone, but information can entertain and give us insight into the season that was, even if it doesn’t encapsulate the entire year in one fact. If you’re looking for more on your favorite teams or players, check out the MLB milestones reached in 2024 and look out for the biggest stories of the ‘24 season, coming on New Year’s Eve.

To wrap up the year and get everyone ready for 2025, here’s a look at one amazing stat for each of the 30 teams from this past season.

Jump to: AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: It was a great year for , who hit a career-high .323. He had a particularly outstanding stretch from July 14-Aug. 14, when he hit .465 with a 1.506 OPS and 12 homers in 26 games. He became the ninth player since at least 1901 to hit at least .450 with 25 extra-base hits in a single-season 26-game span. Guerrero joined Richard Hidalgo (2000), Willie Mays (1958), Joe DiMaggio (1937), Lou Gehrig (1936), Joe Cronin (1933), Al Simmons (1931), Chick Hafey (1928) and Paul Waner (1927).

Orioles: The youth continued to be the name of the game in Baltimore. With Jordan Westburg, Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman, the 2024 Orioles became the first team to have three All-Star position players who were in their third career season or earlier. Henderson started the game at shortstop at just 23 years and 17 days old. The only players in Orioles/Browns franchise history with an All-Star Game start at a younger age are Jerry Walker (1959 -- 20 years, 172 days), Ron Hansen (1960 -- 22 years, 97 days and 99 days -- two ASG) and Vern Stephens (1943 -- 22 years, 263 days).

Rays: In 2024, Statcast introduced bat tracking, showcasing another aspect of the game that excels at. For Díaz, 19.2% of his swings were blasts, the third-highest rate in the Majors behind Juan Soto (21%) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (19.4%). What does that mean? A blast is a batted ball that has both a fast swing and is squared up, which means it reached at least 80% of possible exit velocity based on bat speed and pitch speed. In other words -- crushed. MLB hitters hit .563 with a 1.184 slugging percentage and 99.9% hard-hit rate on blasts in 2024.

Red Sox: led MLB in doubles and was tied for the lead in triples with Corbin Carroll. It was the eighth time a player had at least a share of the MLB lead in both doubles and triples for a season. The last time it happened was in 1968 by Lou Brock. Before that, it was Stan Musial (in 1943 and '48), Bobby Veach (1919), Ty Cobb (1917), Honus Wagner (1900) and Ross Barnes (1876).

Yankees: was dominant in 2024, winning the second unanimous MVP in Yankees history, joining Mickey Mantle in 1956. Here’s just one example of how dominant he was. Judge entered the day on Sept. 18 with 26 more RBIs than any other player in MLB. That was the largest margin for the MLB RBIs leader entering a day since Ted Williams led Joe DiMaggio by 26 RBIs on Sept. 26, 1942. The 26-RBI difference was the same as the difference between No. 2 Shohei Ohtani (110) and No. 32 Bryce Harper (84) that day.

AL CENTRAL

Guardians: Another season, another outstanding performance from José Ramírez. He became the first player in Cleveland history with multiple 30-homer, 30-stolen-base seasons as well as the second third baseman with multiple 30-30 seasons, joining Howard Johnson (three). He also hit his longest home run under Statcast at 451 feet and mashed a 116.6 mph double, which marked his hardest-hit batted ball in that span.

Royals: continued to impress in Year 3. He had a stellar all-around season, coming in at the 99th percentile in batting run value, 96th in baserunning value and 95th in fielding run value. He’s only the second player to be in the 95th percentile or better in batting, baserunning and fielding run value for a season since all were first tracked in 2016, according to MLB’s Jason Bernard. Witt joined Mookie Betts in his 2018 MVP season.

Tigers: After winning a pitching Triple Crown this season, added an even rarer combo to his resume by winning the American League Cy Young Award on his 28th birthday. Skubal became just the second individual to win a BBWAA Award -- that’s Manager of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP -- on his birthday. The MVP has been awarded since 1931, Rookie of the Year joined the fray in 1947, Cy Young in 1956 and Manager of the Year in 1983. In other words, this is a pretty large sample size of awards in baseball history. The first birthday winner was Roy Campanella on Nov. 19, 1953, when he won his second career MVP Award.

Twins: had a career year, making his first All-Star Game. He had a historic season in terms of versatility. He became the first player in MLB history to make at least 25 appearances at five or more defensive positions in a season. Castro made 56 appearances at shortstop, 40 at second base, 34 in left field, 30 in center field and 27 at third base. He also pitched in two games, for what it’s worth, and did not allow a run.

White Sox: had a streak of five straight hits all being home runs in June. He was the first White Sox player with such a streak since himself in August 2020, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It was one of 12 streaks by a White Sox player in the Expansion Era (1961) of at least five. Robert and Paul Konerko are the only White Sox with two such streaks.

AL WEST

Angels: notched a strikeout on a 105.5 mph pitch on Sept. 3, setting the record for the fastest strikeout pitch in the pitch-tracking era (2008). The prior fastest had been a 104.7 mph strikeout, also by Joyce earlier in the season and later tied by Aroldis Chapman. Joyce’s 105.5 mph pitch was the third-fastest overall under tracking, behind only 105.8 mph and 105.7 mph from Chapman.

Astros: threw a no-hitter on April 1 against the Blue Jays, the first of the 2024 season. Houston became the fourth team to get its first win of a season in a no-hitter, joining the 2001 Red Sox (Hideo Nomo), 1972 Cubs (Burt Hooton) and 1940 Cleveland (Bob Feller), per Elias. It was also new manager Joe Espada’s first win. He was the first manager in MLB history to get his first win, either in MLB or for a particular team, in a no-hitter. The Astros have thrown seven no-hitters since they were last no-hit in Matt Cain’s 2012 perfect game. That’s the longest team streak of no-hitters, including playoffs, without being no-hit in MLB history.

A’s: It was the summer of . He had two three-homer games, joining Gerónimo Berroa in 1996 as the only A’s players with two in a season. Butler was the third player, age 24 or younger, with two three-homer games in a season, joining Mookie Betts (2016) and Ralph Kiner (1947). Between Aug. 27 and Sept. 4, he set an A’s franchise record with an extra-base hit in nine consecutive games. The prior record of eight had been established in 1939 by Dick Siebert and tied four subsequent times, but it was never broken until Butler.

Mariners: posted his second consecutive season with at least 30 home runs in 2024. Overall, he finished the year with 93 career home runs, the most by a catcher in his first four seasons in MLB history. He’s one ahead of Hall of Famer Mike Piazza. Even more impressive for Raleigh is the fact that in his first season, he had just two homers in 47 games.

Rangers: introduced himself to MLB in a big way this season. He became the first rookie in MLB history with a cycle, a grand slam and an inside-the-park home run in a season, according to Elias. Langford was also one of just two players in MLB history -- at any point in their careers -- to have a season with a cycle, a walk-off grand slam and an inside-the-park home run, joining Jackie Robinson in 1948.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: had finished top five for Cy Young six prior times entering 2024. That’s the most top-five finishes by a pitcher before winning his first Cy Young, as Sale did in 2024. At 35 years and 184 days old on the final day of the season, Sale became the fifth-oldest first-time Cy Young winner. He was younger than only Early Wynn in 1959 (39 years, 266 days), Dennis Eckersley in '92 (38 years, 1 day), R.A. Dickey in 2012 (37 years, 340 days) and Warren Spahn in 1957 (36 years, 159 days). And keep in mind that the Cy Young was first awarded in 1956.

Phillies: had another powerful season for the Phillies, hitting 38 home runs. Those included two three-homer games, making him the first player in Phillies history with multiple three-homer games in a season. The only other Phillies with multiple games with at least three home runs in a career are Mike Schmidt (three) and Johnny Callison. Schwarber has three three-homer games out of the leadoff spot in his career, tied with Alfonso Soriano for the second most in MLB history and behind only Mookie Betts (five).

Marlins: On July 28, hit his first career home run in a game where he hit for the cycle. He became the eighth player to hit his first career home run in a game where he cycled, joining Fred Lewis (5/13/2007), Luke Scott (7/28/2006), Gary Ward (9/18/1980), Cliff Heathcote (6/13/1918), Bill Hassamaer (6/13/1894), Bill Van Dyke (7/5/1890) and Chippy McGarr (9/23/1886), per Elias.

Mets: Whether you want to credit OMG, Grimace, a pumpkin or simply the baseball gods, there’s no question the Mets made a habit of unexpected comebacks late in the season.

On Sept. 30, they became the second team to clinch a postseason berth in a game in which they were behind heading into the eighth, took a lead (or tied), then fell behind again (or tied) and then retook the lead in the ninth inning, joining the Pirates on Sept. 18, 1903, per Elias. When the Mets won Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Brewers, they became the first team to clinch a postseason spot and win a playoff series both via games in which they faced a deficit in the ninth inning or later.

Nationals: The Nationals had eight individual three-stolen-base games this season, three more than any other team. From April 7-9, they had a player do so in three consecutive games. The Nationals became the third team since 1900 to have a player steal at least three bases in three straight team games, joining the 1983 A’s (Rickey Henderson, all three) and 1914 Indianapolis Hoosier-Feds (Benny Kauff, Charlie Carr, Vin Campbell/Bill McKechnie), per Elias.

NL CENTRAL

Brewers: , 20, made his presence known in his first postseason appearance. The rookie hit a leadoff home run in Wild Card Series Game 2 at 20 years and 205 days, becoming the youngest player in postseason history with a leadoff blast. He added another in the eighth inning of that game, making him the second-youngest player in postseason history with a multihomer game, older than only Andruw Jones in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series (19 years, 180 days).

Cardinals: We need to talk about ’s arm. In just 187 career games, he already has each of the Cardinals’ 19 fastest-tracked assists by infielders under Statcast (2015). His 97.2 mph assist on Sept. 4 was the fastest of his career and tied for the ninth fastest by an infielder since 2015. He hit 15 home runs and had 11 stolen bases, becoming the second Cardinals player with at least 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a season at age 22 or younger. Winn joined Mike Donlin in 1900.

Cubs: showed off his highly touted speed and fielding prowess in 2024. He was in the 98th percentile in baserunning run value and the 99th percentile in fielding run value. His average sprint speed was 30 ft/sec, which is in the elite threshold. That was on display on Aug. 23, when Crow-Armstrong hit an inside-the-park home run. His home-to-home time was just 14.08 seconds, the third-fastest tracked under Statcast. Only Byron Buxton can boast a faster number, with blazing times of 13.85 seconds on Aug. 18, 2017, and 14.05 seconds on Oct. 2, 2016.

Pirates: Day was an event every time he took the mound, and with good reason. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick made a seamless transition to the Majors. He won NL Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the fifth No. 1 overall pick in the Draft to win the award. Skenes joined Carlos Correa in 2015 (drafted 2012), Bryce Harper in '12 (drafted 2010), Darryl Strawberry in 1983 (drafted 1980) and Bob Horner in 1978 (drafted 1978).

Reds: was electric yet again in 2024. He became the third player with at least 100 stolen bases in the first two seasons of his career since the modern stolen-base rule was adopted in 1898, joining Vince Coleman and Rickey Henderson. De La Cruz reached 100 stolen bases and 100 extra-base hits in 251 career games, surpassing Juan Samuel’s 253 games for the fewest to those marks in MLB history. He also became the only player since 1900 with 80 stolen bases, 80 extra-base hits and 80 walks over his first 200 MLB games.

NL WEST

Dodgers: was on another level this season, establishing the 50-50 club and winning his third unanimous MVP. No other player has even won two MVPs unanimously. Ohtani became the second player to win the MVP in both leagues, joining Frank Robinson. He is the second player in MLB history with at least one season with 50 stolen bases and one season with 200 pitching strikeouts, along with John Ward. Ward did so before both the mound was moved to its current distance (1893) and the modern stolen-base rule was adopted (1898).

D-backs: Another new Statcast feature in 2024 was enhanced baserunning metrics to better quantify value. The best all-around baserunner this past season was , with a baserunning run value of +12. This considers stolen bases and caught stealing, as well as extra bases taken. Carroll had a four-run lead on anyone else in the Majors in this category, with Ohtani and Maikel Garcia at +8.

Giants: homered in five straight games from July 9-23, tying the MLB rookie record and setting a Giants rookie record. He was the eighth Giants player to homer in at least five consecutive games since 1900, joining Barry Bonds (four streaks, last: 2004), Robby Thompson (1993), Jack Clark (1978), Willie Mays (five streaks, last: 1966), Walker Cooper (1947), Mel Ott (1932) and George Kelly (1924).

Padres: threw his first career no-hitter on July 25 after losing a no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth inning on Sept. 3, 2022. He became the sixth pitcher to both lose a no-hit bid with two outs in ninth inning or later and then later complete a no-hitter in the Expansion Era, joining Roy Halladay, Dave Stieb, Tom Seaver, Jim Maloney and Larry Dierker. In 2022, his bid was broken up by Luis Arraez, who was on the bench for Cease’s team this time around.

Rockies: Talk about arm strength. There were four outfield assists tracked at 100 mph or higher in 2024, and two of them were from on back-to-back days. He was the first player with a 100-mph outfield assist in back-to-back games under Statcast, something that no other team had even done from different players, let alone the same, according to MLB’s Jason Bernard. Jones, who has played just 184 games in the outfield, already has five outfield assists of at least 100 mph in his career. That’s tied with Kevin Kiermaier for the most since 2015. Kiermaier played more than 1,000 games in the outfield during that span.