Reasons to Cheer and Reasons to Fear for Every AL Team

Exploring the good and the bad of all 15 American League teams right now

Royce Lewis is on pace to finish his career with 900 home runs. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Hi friends-

• Don’t forget we have our book club zoom on Monday, July 1st from 5:30 PM PT- 6:30 PM PT! Our selection is Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy by Jane Leavy. If you choose to listen to the book on Audible or Spotify, it’s read by the great Charley Steiner (of ESPN and Dodger radio fame). Looking forward to this one!

• Don’t forget that for paid subscribers we have a chat every Friday in the Substack app from 4 pm until the last games are over. We also have a zoom talking baseball from 12 PM PT - 1 PM PT every Saturday.

This is going to be a fun post because it gives me a chance to write about teams I have not yet said a word about this season. This is part one. I’ll send out my National League rundown later this week.

It’s also good to take a step back and zoom out because, whew, it’s been a pretty weird year! There are eight good teams in MLB (right now), five bad teams, and 17 teams that look pretty indistinguishable. Thanks to the janky expanded playoff, none of us have any idea who will win the World Series this year. It will probably be a team that is currently under .500. Catch the fever!

Without further ado, here are the reasons for optimism and reasons for roiling terror for every American League team:

AL EAST

1. Yankees (52-29)

   Reason(s) to cheer: The Bronx Bombers currently have the most wins in the American League. Luis Gil might win the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards, out of nowhere. Aaron Judge continues to be one of the best hitters who ever lived. Juan Soto is right behind him.

   Reason(s) to fear: Giancarlo Stanton was miraculously healthy until this week, and the club’s lineup looks pretty thin now without him. Gerrit Cole threw a clunker this week against the Mets. He should be fine, but it’s something to watch because they’re cooked in October without him. They are going to need help on offense, and its unclear where that will come from with so few teams selling at the deadline.

2. Orioles (49-30)

   Reason(s) to cheer: If it feels like Aaron Judge homers every day well I’ve got news: Gunnar Henderson does, too! This guy is 22 years old and boasts a 5.6 fWAR to lead the majors. The Orioles have played 79 games. Henderson is on pace for an 11.5 WAR season—which would be the best season by a position player in 10 years. In fact, only two hitters have turned in a 10+ fWAR season since 2015… Mookie Betts in 2018 (10.2) and Aaron Judge in 2022 (11.2). Judge, by the way, is currently at 5.5 fWAR, but he’s played 81 games so he’s on pace for an fWAR of *merely* 11. There’s a long way to go, of course, but it would be unbelievable if both of these players finished in double digit WAR. I just pray that injuries to either of these guys don’t rob of us of what could be an MVP race for the ages.

   

   Gunnar Henderson and his mustache hit another homer. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

   Reason(s) to fear: