MLB 2024 Handing out April grades for all 30 teams

Dodgers pitcher Sheehan undergoes UCL surgery

As the old saying goes, you can't win a pennant in April, but you can lose it. That might be the case for the bottom team on our list of first-month grades.

For the most part, we haven't learned a whole lot yet:

We knew the Braves, Dodgers and Orioles were going to be good, and they have been. We knew the White Sox and Rockies were going to be bad, and they have been. The best stories have been the teams off to surprising starts -- and, unsurprisingly, they earn our top marks.

Let's check in on all 30 teams and hand out grades, which we've weighted against preseason expectations while factoring in how and whom they've played.

Cleveland Guardians: A

Record: 19-9

Here's a good sign: The Guardians have already received nine home runs from their outfielders. No, that's not going to erase memories of Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez and Kenny Lofton, but Cleveland received just 18 home runs all last season from its outfield. Josh Naylor is bashing, Steven Kwan is raking, and the team is hitting .306 with runners in scoring position. With Shane Bieber out with Tommy John surgery and Gavin Williams still injured, the Guardians are scrambling a bit in the rotation, but they're scoring runs, and the bullpen is protecting leads. Are they for real? The run differential is legitimate. They've crushed the A's (6-1, plus-33 runs), but they're 5-2 against Boston and took a series in Seattle. The rotation will be tested, and I doubt the offense will finish second in the American League in runs -- which is where they currently sit -- but the AL Central is wide open.

Milwaukee Brewers: A

Record: 17-11

Let's see: Trade Corbin Burnes, lose Brandon Woodruff for the season, see your manager jump to your division rival, have your All-Star closer go down before the season begins with stress fractures in his back, have your hottest hitter through the first 11 games go on the injured list with a back issue, and see three different other starting pitchers land on the IL. This shouldn't be possible, but somehow, some way, the Brewers have found a way to overcome all of that and get off to a terrific start.

Yes, they're 7-2 in one-run games, but they're also 5-2 in blowout games. Even though Christian Yelich hurt his back, the offense has been better than expected, with William Contreras leading the way. The bullpen has held up without Devin Williams. Do they have enough starting pitching to do this all season? Maybe not -- and the two blowout losses to the Yankees on Saturday and Sunday are a bad sign -- but their playoff odds have increased from 30% before the season to about 50%.

Kansas City Royals: A

Record: 17-13

How fun has this been? Bobby Witt Jr. made The Leap a year ago. Now he's even better and in the running for the best player in the game with a lethal combination of elite exit velocity, speed and defense. Salvador Perez has suddenly cut way down on his strikeouts and is tearing the cover off the ball (lest we forget, he led the AL in home runs and RBIs in 2021). The interesting thing about this start is it's not because of all the offseason acquisitions. Seth Lugo has been outstanding (4-1, 1.66 ERA) despite averaging just 5.4 K's per nine, and Michael Wacha has been solid, but Hunter Renfroe, Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson haven't hit much, and Will Smith is 0-2 with an ERA in double figures. I have no idea if they can keep this up -- they're 9-1 against the White Sox and Astros -- but a competitive, out-of-nowhere Royals team would be a great story.

Baltimore Orioles: A-

Record: 18-10

There are huge positives all over the place: With Gunnar Henderson leading the way, the Orioles are mashing a ton of home runs and getting some surprising pop from the likes of Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg, which gives the lineup more length than it had a year ago. Burnes has pitched like the ace they needed with Kyle Bradish on the IL. On the other hand, aside from Burnes and two scoreless starts from Albert Suarez, the rest of the rotation has been more mediocre than good. Baltimore also sort of messed up the Jackson Holliday promotion and is facing its first AL East team of the season in taking on the Yankees this week. Still, in general, there's nothing here that suggests the Orioles won't be World Series contenders.

New York Yankees: A-

Record: 19-11

With Gerrit Cole out and Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres off to slow starts -- though Judge did hit two home runs this past weekend -- the Yankees will certainly take where they stand at the end of April. Given those variables, there could have been a different scenario in which the rest of the rotation failed to step up, Juan Soto folded under the pressure of playing in New York, and the no-name bullpen faltered. The Yankees swept the Astros to begin the season, which seemed like a bigger deal at the time than it does now, and the offense sometimes relies a little too much on Soto as a one-man show, but if the rotation keeps pitching like this until Cole returns and Judge starts mashing home runs, the Yankees will be in the race for the best record in the AL.

Chicago Cubs: B+

Record: 18-11

Yep, just as we expected, Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad are a combined 6-0 with a 1.48 ERA. Those two have covered for the injury to Justin Steele and the rough start for Kyle Hendricks (0-3, 12.00 ERA before landing on the IL). The offense has been solid if unspectacular, with Michael Busch carrying them early on with a streak of five straight games with a home run. With Cody Bellinger (two fractured ribs) and Seiya Suzuki (oblique) both currently injured, the lineup depth will be tested for a few weeks. The Cubs have done a great job of building 40-man depth -- guys like rookie starter Ben Brown and reserve outfielder Mike Tauchman have stepped up -- so they seem equipped to handle the missing pieces of the order.

Atlanta Braves: B

Record: 19-8

Well, let's see: Spencer Strider is out for the season, Max Fried isn't pitching the best ball of his life, Ronald Acuna Jr. has one home run, and Matt Olson and Austin Riley haven't gotten going, at least compared to last season. And the Braves still have the best record in the National League. Yes, they've taken advantage of an easy schedule with 11 games against the so-far horrible Marlins, Astros and White Sox, but they also won series against the Phillies, Rangers and Guardians and swept the Diamondbacks. It's a little scary to think how many wins they might rack up once Acuna, Olson and Riley heat up.

Philadelphia Phillies: B

Record: 19-11

While their current record is certainly nice enough and the rotation has been absolutely brilliant (Ranger Suarez became the first Phillies pitcher ever with five wins and an ERA under 1.50 in April), I'm not quite convinced the Phillies are going to challenge the Braves for the NL East title. They're 6-0 against the White Sox and Rockies, allowing just 14 runs in those six games, which makes them basically .500 against competitive teams. On paper, the offense feels like it should be more productive, but maybe we're just overrating it: The Phillies were fourth in the NL in runs last season (and did a huge chunk of damage in August, when they had a .907 OPS) and fifth in 2022. Alec Bohm is off to a great start, and Trea Turner is hitting well, so maybe those are good signs the lineup will be consistent in 2024.

Los Angeles Dodgers: B

Record: 19-12

Expectations were so unrealistic for the Dodgers coming into 2024 that barring another 111-win season like 2022, there were bound to be questions of, "What's wrong?" They're currently on pace for around 100 wins, and Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani have been playing MVP-level baseball, but there are some issues to focus on as the Dodgers build toward October.

The bottom of the lineup hasn't been productive -- though, they're going to score a ton of runs anyway, at least in the regular season. Bullpen depth is a potential problem, and they're relying on three key relievers who skew older -- two 36-year-olds (Ryan Brasier and Joe Kelly, who turns 36 in June) and one 37-year-old (Daniel Hudson). Finally, the rotation behind Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been inconsistent, and Bobby Miller is on the IL. Still, despite all of that, they're doing just fine. They're dangerous, and they have a very good team. I'm expecting another 100-win season.

Cincinnati Reds: B-

Record: 16-13

Maybe this deserves to be a half-grade higher based solely on Elly De La Cruz's out-of-this world exploits and, at a minimum, the Reds have shown they should be in the race all season. The rotation has been much improved, with a middle-of-the-pack ERA, and hopefully Hunter Greene's latest start (one hit in seven innings against the Rangers) is a sign of a breakout season. On offense, De La Cruz, the underrated Spencer Steer and the overlooked Jake Fraley have been excellent, but the rest of the lineup hasn't played at a playoff level, and losing Matt McLain to shoulder surgery was a big loss.

Detroit Tigers: B-

Record: 16-12

OK, I'm intrigued: Tarik Skubal is pitching like a Cy Young contender, the Tigers are getting some offense from the likes of Mark Canha, Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter, and the defense has apparently been good enough to help their pitchers to the lowest BABIP in the majors. On the other hand, Parker Meadows has struggled to make contact, Spencer Torkelson is still looking for his first home run, Colt Keith hasn't taken off, and Javier Baez is still awful. There just isn't enough offense here, and that's before Canha regresses from a .913 OPS.

Seattle Mariners: C+

Record: 16-13

For several years now, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has been trying to fill holes at second base and DH with miserable results:

2022: 2B Adam Frazier (OPS+ drops from 114 to 80) 2022: DH Jesse Winker (OPS+ drops from 143 to 103) 2023: 2B Kolten Wong (OPS+ drops from 116 to 33) 2023: DH AJ Pollock (OPS+ drops from 92 to 53) 2024: 2B Jorge Polanco (OPS+ drops from 115 to 73) 2024: DH Mitch Garver (OPS+ drops from 135 to 71)

Is this bad luck or bad process? Maybe a little of both. Four of those players were acquired by trade, while Pollock and Garver signed as free agents. One thing all six players have in common: All were in their 30s. Betting on non-great players to keep producing in their 30s is always going to be risky. The overall pitching staff has been excellent -- before Sunday's loss to Arizona, they had a 1.47 ERA over the previous 15 games -- and the bullpen surprisingly effective despite season-long injuries to Matt Brash and Gregory Santos. But Polanco, Garver and Luke Raley (no home runs, no walks) need to start hitting if this team wants to see October.

Boston Red Sox: C+

Record: 16-13

New pitching coach Andrew Bailey has the Red Sox throwing more breaking balls, and that approach has worked wonders, with the rotation posting a 2.11 ERA through the team's first 28 games. The only problem is Nick Pivetta (right elbow flexor strain), Garrett Whitlock (oblique strain) and Brayan Bello (lat tightness) are all on the IL, so they have had to turn to Chase Anderson and bullpen games to fill in. Throw in Trevor Story's season-ending fractured shoulder socket and Triston Casas' torn cartilage in his rib cage and all the good vibes have been cooled for now.

Washington Nationals: C+

Record: 14-14

Not much was expected from the Nationals, so this grade is neither a positive nor negative indicator of where the team stands. CJ Abrams certainly earns an A+ for his start as he continues to grow as a hitter, showing real power and improving his strikeout-to-walk ratio. I'm curious as to whether he can remain at shortstop in the long term; despite his speed and above-average arm, his range metrics remain poor. It's not like the Nationals have any other options at the moment, but you have to wonder if Abrams eventually ends up at another position.

New York Mets: C

Record: 14-14

Everyone wanted to bury them after that 0-5 start, but the Mets recovered to win five series in a row -- against the Reds, Braves, Royals, Pirates and Dodgers, so no cupcakes in there, at least based on April records. (Indeed, New York has played the toughest schedule so far.) The Mets are seeing great production from the bullpen -- check out Reed Garrett's stats -- and just got J.D. Martinez into the lineup. The rotation has survived without Kodai Senga, but I'm not sure I'm buying into a group that has the highest walk rate in the majors. Are the Mets good? To make the playoffs, they probably need breakout campaigns from Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty. And we're still waiting on those two: Alvarez is out after thumb surgery, and Baty isn't hitting for any power.

Pittsburgh Pirates: C

Record: 14-16

The bright spots -- most notably the blazing start from rookie Jared Jones and good work from Martin Perez and Bailey Falter -- have been canceled out by slow starts on offense from Oneil Cruz (sub-.700 OPS), Henry Davis (.169, no home runs) and Jared Triolo (.556 OPS) along with a combined four blown saves from David Bednar and Aroldis Chapman. With Paul Skenes' debut imminent, however, and Mitch Keller likely to improve from a mediocre start, the Pirates have a chance at an excellent rotation the rest of the way, although innings limits for Jones and Skenes could come into play.

Minnesota Twins: C

Record: 15-13

Outside of Ryan Jeffers and Edouard Julien, the offense is off to a painfully slow start. (Of course, injuries to Royce Lewis on Opening Day then to Carlos Correa and Max Kepler haven't helped.) The back of the rotation already looks like a potential issue, which appeared to be the case all offseason, so that shouldn't be a surprise. I do like the back of the bullpen with Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart and Cole Sands, a group that will only improve once it gets Jhoan Duran back from an oblique strain. While the Guardians and Royals have generated great starts, the Twins have managed to hang around .500. The projection systems still see the Twins as favorites to win the division -- in what looks like a tight four-team race -- but they need to get their key guys back on the field.

Texas Rangers: C-

Record: 15-14

Yes, everyone knew the first half of the season might not be smooth sailing as the Rangers waited for Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle to get healthy and return to the rotation. But the rotation hasn't been the reason for Texas' so-so start while ranking in the middle of the pack in the majors in ERA. The offense hasn't quite reached the level of last year's dominant force, with Corey Seager sitting on two home runs, Wyatt Langford still seeking his first over-the-fence major league homer (he had an inside-the-park home run on Sunday) and Josh Jung injured. The Rangers also failed to take advantage of the soft spots in their schedule, going 3-4 against the struggling Astros and losing a series to the A's.

San Diego Padres: C-

Record: 14-18

I don't have any kind of read on the Padres just yet. Joe Musgrove has been getting blasted. Xander Bogaerts isn't driving the ball with any authority; he is in the eighth percentile of hard-hit rate, down from the 18th percentile in 2023, which in turn was down from the 47th percentile in 2022 and 65th in 2021. Manny Machado's right arm is finally healthy enough for him to play the field, so maybe his offense will increase, as well. On the other hand, Dylan Cease has been terrific, and rookie Jackson Merrill has been a pleasant surprise in center field, hitting over .300 and holding his own while learning a new position. Jurickson Profar has been the team's best hitter. So, what are the Padres? It's hard to say now, but probably a .500 team in the end. Catch a few breaks, though, and that could land them a wild card.

San Francisco Giants: C-

Record: 14-15

Outside of Jordan Hicks, who is transitioning nicely to a starting role, the Giants haven't received much from their newcomers. Blake Snell is 0-3 with a 11.57 ERA, and he landed on the IL. Matt Chapman has a .267 OBP. Jorge Soler has five home runs but just eight RBIs. Jung Hoo Lee has been OK, hitting .270 with as many walks as strikeouts and looking solid in center field. But Lee isn't driving the ball much, posting just five extra-base hits. He does have an above-average hard-hit rate, so there's a little more power there if he can learn to lift the ball more often.

Oakland Athletics: C-

Record: 13-17

Have they been good? Not really. Are they better than last season? Yes. The pitching has been much improved, although the offense has been struggling to keep the team batting average above the Mendoza Line. Paul Blackburn has done a nice job in the rotation despite not striking many guys out. But the breakout performer has been closer Mason Miller, who has showcased perhaps the most electrifying stuff from a reliever since Aroldis Chapman arrived in 2010. The other night, with the tying run on third base and two outs, Miller simply blew three 100 mph fastballs past Gunnar Henderson. Mix in his wipeout slider and Miller is going to rack up a ton of strikeouts and saves -- at least when he gets the opportunity to.

St. Louis Cardinals: D+

Record: 13-15

The Cardinals have been hurt the past couple of seasons by some decisions that just haven't worked out. Whether that's bad luck or something else, I don't know. They probably rushed Jordan Walker to the majors last season; he ended up back in the minors before returning and hitting better. However, Walker struggled again at the outset of 2024, and he is once again back at Triple-A. With Tommy Edman and Lars Nootbaar injured at the start of this season, St. Louis started Victor Scott II in center field, figuring he could at least play defense. Except Scott hit .085, and he is back in the minors, looking to find some shred of confidence. There seems to be a well, let's hope this works out belief: Let's hope Walker can play right field; let's hope Scott will hit enough; let's hope Lance Lynn bounces back; let's hope Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado turn back into MVP candidates.

While Lynn actually has been good, I think the Cardinals were so good for so long that maybe they started believing a little too much that any decision would work out -- even some pretty obviously bad ones. Walker has no business playing right field in the major leagues. Scott was clearly overmatched. Maybe having five starting pitchers aged 33 or older isn't the best way to build a rotation. The Cardinals aren't done in 2024 by any means, but the offense is struggling, and I'm not sure Goldschmidt and Arenado can find that MVP level to carry the lineup.

Toronto Blue Jays: D+

Record: 15-15

Too harsh? I think Blue Jays fans would agree with this grade. The team just hasn't clicked early on -- in large part because Kevin Gausman, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk, all All-Stars in 2022 or 2023, have combined for 0.1 WAR as the offense ranks 24th in the majors in runs scored. (Although Gausman's win over the Dodgers on Sunday was a good sign.) Jose Berrios and Daulton Varsho have helped pick up the slack, but the Jays need their stars to play like stars. The related question, however: Is Guerrero still a star? When do we start viewing his 2021 season as a fluke? If he isn't mashing in the middle of the order, this lineup might not be good enough in a tough AL East.

Tampa Bay Rays: D

Record: 14-16

Bottom line: The Rays have high expectations every season, so even a mediocre start earns them a low grade. (And considering the lowly White Sox just swept them, maybe even this grade is a little generous.) The Rays also have played the easiest schedule so far, so that is reflected, as well. Now it's not necessarily a surprise given they have an entire talented rotation on the IL, but isn't that inability to keep pitchers healthy a knock against the organization? As good as they are at pitcher development, there isn't an endless supply of major league pitchers out there. Of course, we've learned to never count out the Rays; once Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena start hitting and Josh Lowe gets back into the lineup, the Rays will probably be fine and go on a 20-5 run.

Arizona Diamondbacks: D

Record:13-17

The Diamondbacks have a huge positive run differential thanks to three wins by scores of 17-1, 16-1 and 14-1, but they've allowed five or more runs in more than half their games. Plus, they're 5-2 against the Rockies, so they're well under .500 against legitimate teams. Now, Merrill Kelly will miss a month -- joining Eduardo Rodriguez and Ryne Nelson on the IL -- while Zac Gallen left his start on Friday with a tight hamstring (although, he intends to make his next start). Corbin Carroll's slow start hasn't helped, either. The D-backs have to figure out how to stay afloat until they can get the rotation healthy.

Los Angeles Angels: D

Record: 11-18

There have been some bright spots here: Mike Trout and Taylor Ward have hit a bunch of home runs, Tyler Anderson and Reid Detmers have pitched well, and Jose Soriano has a chance to turn into a decent starter. But the Angels need young guys such as first baseman Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto to turn into key contributors at the plate, and that hasn't happened yet. And yes, Anthony Rendon is back on the IL with a hamstring tear. Miguel Sano is playing third base in Rendon's absence, the first time Sano has been there on a regular basis since 2019, which ... well, good luck to Angels pitchers.

Colorado Rockies: F

Record: 7-21

The Rockies lost 16-1 on Opening Day, giving up 14 runs in the third inning, and it has pretty much been downhill from there. Indeed, they became the first team since 1910 to trail at some point in their first 28 games. Last year was the first time in franchise history that the Rockies lost 100 games, and this year's club might give those 103 defeats a run. On the bright side, Brenton Doyle is producing at the plate, hitting over .300. (His expected average via batted ball metrics, however, is much lower.) Oddly, after Doyle's all-world season in center field last year, his defensive metrics are way down.

Miami Marlins: F

Record: 6-24

This has been painful, although not necessarily surprising, even after the Marlins made the playoffs last season. Nothing sums up the sad state in Miami more than the offensive production of the catchers: .088/.126/.110 with four runs and five RBIs. That isn't a misprint, dear readers: Marlins catchers are 8-for-91. So, if you need some reason to follow the Marlins, take a look at the worst offensive positions via OPS of the wild-card era (since 1995 and not including 2020):

2015 Mariners catchers: .464 2022 Rangers left fielders: .508 2011 Twins catchers: .509

Those Mariners catchers (mostly Mike Zunino and Jesus Sucre) hit .159/.205/.259 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs. The race is on!

Chicago White Sox: F

Record: 6-23

I think they can do it -- and by "it," I'm obviously referring to the modern record of 120 losses set by the 1962 Mets. The White Sox have won six games. The offense has a legitimate chance to be the worst since 1901, relative to the league. They did sweep the Rays over the weekend, which included a dramatic walk-off home run from Andrew Benintendi on Saturday (his second homer of the game after entering with just two extra-base hits). The pitching staff might not be historically awful, but it is last in the AL in ERA and certainly isn't good enough to carry the lineup. The defense was supposed to at least be respectable, but it hasn't been. This isn't just a train wreck. This is an 1877 locomotive careening down Lookout Pass with no brakes.

Houston Astros: F

Record: 9-19

Unlike the White Sox or Rockies, the Astros were supposed to be World Series contenders, so they secure the bottom spot on our list. Is a turnaround possible? Maybe the back-to-back wins over the Rockies in Mexico will jump-start this team. Still, the Astros have a .321 winning percentage. Here are the worst winning percentages in April since 1996 for teams that eventually made the postseason:

2001 A's, .320 (8-17, finished 102-60) 2015 Rangers, .333 (7-14, finished 88-74) 2006 Twins, .375 (9-15, finished 96-66) 2006 Padres, .375 (9-15, finished 88-74) 2007 Rockies, .385 (10-16, finished 90-73) 2014 Pirates, .385 (10-16, finished 88-74)

The pitching needs to get a lot better, Alex Bregman must start hitting and the Astros have to figure out first base, where Jose Abreu is hitting a sad .099 with no power. It can happen. But every dynasty crumbles at some point.