MLB’s East Divisions
Baseball is here. Kind of. It’s in South Korea at least. It’ll be all the way here next week. Before Opening
Day, it is time to run through the last of the baseball regions. If you missed them, take a minute and
check out the West and Central rundowns. Importantly, this is not a list of the best players on each
team. Rather, it is a look at one player who I think has an interesting storyline in the hobby this year.
American League East
Baltimore Orioles- The Orioles delivered last year and the excitement around them is growing. Their
young talent is superb, but I’m more interested in how the hobby treats Corbin Burnes if he performs
well. With Greinke, Kershaw, Scherzer, and Verlander on the way out, Burnes is in the mix with about a
dozen other players to be the next hobby-relevant pitcher. A Cy Young and a trip to the postseason and
we might all be kicking ourselves for not picking up Burnes rookie autos for less than the price of a retail
blaster.
Boston Red Sox- The Red Sox had a nauseating 2023. Red Sox fans were too sickened to notice that
Triston Casas put together a stellar year for a 23-year-old after starting slow. Casas has his sights set on
a .300/.400/.500 slash line. Should he reach that, his cards will look like a bargain. Currently, one can
pick up some solid rookie autos for under $40 and some stunning cards in the $100 range.
New York Yankees- The Martian is still off on the horizon. Now, it is Juan Soto time. If you listen to
collectors online, Soto has had a “down” last couple of years. Down for him means two All-Star
appearances, an OPS+ of 147 and 158, and a top-10 MVP performance. Soto seems like he has been
around forever, but he’ll only be 25 this season. The question is if he keeps performing like the last two
years which would put him in the HOF or if he can do his best PED-era Bonds impersonation and become
the biggest thing in the game. I’m betting on the latter and am expecting massive things from Soto in the
next few years. Also, pay attention to Giancarlo Stanton’s push to get to 500 home runs. His HOF
chances depend on it.
Tampa Bay Rays- Caminero is starting the season in the minors so let’s turn to Curtis Mead for a hobby-
relevant Ray. The rare Australian to make the majors, Mead’s biggest concern will be trying to find
consistent playing time. The Rays have an interesting mix of talent and some skilled players will be left
on the bench most days. If Mead gets a decent shot with regular playing time, he’s an opportunistic
enough baserunner to get 15-20 steals and has enough pop to hit 20 home runs. Mead has a shot to be
someone the hobby pays attention to. Realistically, his most likely outcome is being a utility player who
always struggles to get regular at-bats.
Toronto Blue Jays- This is do-or-die time for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the hobby. 2021 Vladdy was good
enough to be a top-five guy in the hobby. 2022 Vlad was still good enough to be a top thirty guy in the
hobby. 2023 Vlad should scare collectors. That Vladimir wasn’t good enough to sustain being a top fifty
guy in the hobby. Discount boxes are littered with rookies of players who had a fluky great year early
and never reached that level again. Collectors have already massively cooled on Guerrero and another
year like last year will see Vlad’s cards begin the sad migration from the showcase to the discount box.
National League East
Atlanta Braves- I’ve been hyping Michael Harris II in this column for over a year now. His cards became
much harder to win at auction once people began preparing for fantasy baseball. If Harris can just
replicate the second half of his season from last year over a full campaign, he’s looking at a 20/20
season and a potential batting title. He’s looked good this Spring Training and may are expecting his
power to develop further. If it does, he’s going to be in the MVP discussions.
Miami Marlins- The Marlins are the home of intriguing young pitchers that get hurt. I’m boycotting their
pitchers and watching Luis Arraez. Arraez is doing his best job to follow the Tony Gwynn path to hobby
stardom. Arraez will almost definitely finish his career with under 100 home runs. Even so, he’s got a
chance to make the HOF and get attention in the hobby. It’s going to take a lot though. He got a nice
spike when he flirted with .400 for a bit last year, but his cards settled back when his average dipped.
Another batting title would give him three in a row. That fact mattered more in the 80s and 90s though.
He’s going to need either a few years of high-average hitting (very likely) or he’s going to need one
breakthrough year with eye-popping numbers (possible) to get hobby attention. The Marlins might not
be worth watching in the hobby, but Arraez’s average sure is.
New York Mets- Pete Alonso is likely going to need 500 home runs to reach the HOF. That means he
can’t afford any dips in production, injuries, or any type of down year. He’s got all the extras one wants
in a baseball star, mainly that he’s a giant that swats homers. He’s charismatic enough that I’ve included
him in my PC despite being a Braves fan. Up until now, his cards have avoided going nuclear due to that
tough road to the HOF. I don’t think they will this year either barring a 50-60 homer season. I am
worried they’ll dip even if he hits 35 home runs. He needs to be hitting at least 40 for the next few
seasons to keep his cards at their current levels.
Philadelphia Phillies- I’m not particularly interested in Bryce Harper in 2024. There just aren’t any other
Phillies that I’m interested in from a hobby standpoint. Realmuto, Nola, and Turner haunt my dreams as
a Braves fan, but they don’t do much at all in the hobby world. So, Harper, it is. He’ll be great. He always
is. I fully expect his cards to slowly pick up some steam, but not too much. I don’t have many questions
about Harper at this point. He’s a known quantity and the hobby has already figured out how to value
him.
Washington Nationals- C.J. Abrams is the most intriguing youngster currently on the Nationals roster.
His numbers are pedestrian (being charitable) except for his base stealing. His other major asset is his
age. Abrams is young and collectors are looking at his age (23), his home runs last year (18), and his
stolen bases last year (47) and envisioning 30/30 seasons to come. It’s a long shot for sure. The good
news is that his cards are super cheap so at least the price is right.
Wrap Up
That’s it for the baseball preview. I’m sure many of you all are getting sick of baseball, but I’d expect one
more baseball article for Opening Day next week. I promise I’ll get to basketball or football the next
week.