Several interesting trends are developing just over two weeks into the MLB season.
An offensive lineup is mauling the marks established by the iconic New York Yankees of the mid-1930s.
The current Yankees shortstop is outperforming a certain Hall of Famer.
Ted Williams’ legacy looks secure – for now.
Baseball needs Mike Trout to regain his MVP form.
Long-dormant franchises are rising through the standings.
The big early-season question? Who is Brice Turang?
Ladies and gentlemen….your FIRST PLACE….Kansas City ROYALS!!! pic.twitter.com/MmQpGYDCZH
— J.C. (@rock_climber02) April 14, 2024
Can Modern Dodgers Match Iconic Yankees?
Imagine a lineup with seven players collecting 100 RBI campaigns.
Impossible?
Maybe not. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup could be the first to reach such unimaginable run totals. They could produce more offense than the 1936 World Series-winning Yankees.
The vaunted Yankees remain the game’s lone lineup to feature five hitters who hit the century mark:
- Lou Gehrig, 152 RBI.
- Joe DiMaggio, 125.
- Tony Lazzeri, 109.
- Bill Dicky, 107.
- George Selkirk, 107.
The run production helps explain how the Yankees went 102-51 and led the AL with 1,065 runs, 182 home runs, 997 RBI and 700 bases of balls.
1936 World Series recap, New York Yankees vs New York Giants. Gehrig carried https://t.co/TXVT5R7WPD pic.twitter.com/1V0yd0RLfp
— Dan (@NYSportsDan) October 28, 2023
Dodgers’ Strong ‘O’ Gets Stronger With Shohei Ohtani
Before signing Shohei Ohtani in the offseason, the Dodgers offense was one of the most feared in professional baseball, producing four players with 100 RBI seasons.
This season, the Dodgers remain on a torrid offensive pace. Entering Saturday, the Dodgers paced the NL in hits (149), homers (24) and RBI (86) and were tied with the San Diego Padres with 88 runs.
Could the Dodgers become the first lineup to produce six players with 100 RBI seasons?
Just consider the start of the heart of the team’s batting order:
- Teoscar Hernandez, 17 RBI entering Saturday.
- Mookie Betts, 14.
- Will Smith, 12.
- Max Muncy, 9.
- Ohtani, 9.
- Freddie Freeman, 8.
All six could be strong candidates if they remain injury-free.
Could the Dodgers stretch it to seven triple-digit run producers?
James Outman had seven RBI after producing 70 as a rookie last season.
Just imagine.
175 homers.
Congratulations Shohei on tying Hideki Matsui for most home runs by a Japanese-born player! pic.twitter.com/SH1E7oPLgl
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 13, 2024
5 Early MLB Observations
Here are five other season-opening MLB observations:
- Comparing 23-year-old Yankees shortstops from different eras, the current edition, Anthony Volpe, has proven more productive than Derek Jeter. The Hall of Famer completed his second full season with a 5.0 WAR in 1997. Volpe, however, is trending for a WAR mark of at least 6.0.
- Colorado’s Ryan McMahon entered Saturday batting .415, but dropped to .393 after going 0-for-3 during a 5-3 loss to the host Toronto Blue Jays. Will anyone match Ted Williams, who finished with a .406 batting average during the 1941 campaign?
- Can Mike Trout stay healthy? Since 2020, the three-time AL MVP has averaged just 60.8 games per season. In his opening 14 games, the 11-time All-Star has clubbed six home runs, tied for the most in the MLB lead with five others. No matter how his career develops from here, is Trout a first-ballot Hall of Famer?
- Are the 10-5 Kansas City Royals really in first place? Sure, it may be the AL Central, but who envisioned this offensive juggernaut? Following Saturday’s 11-5 victory over the host Baltimore Orioles, they have outscored their opponents by an MLB-best 38 runs.
- Cheers to the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, who started 10-3 with a run differential of plus-33. Will fans fill American Family Field with chants of “MVP … MVP …” for Turang in September?
Brice Turang, stay hot! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XxqmXpMLjk
— The Brew Crew Scoop (@BrewCrewScoop) April 9, 2024
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