Here's what we can learn from the 2024 Cleveland Guardians, above, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers. Houston Astros
• None of the four were considered better than a 50-50 proposition to make the playoffs when the season began.• All four rank 18th or lower in terms of metropolitan-area population. Cleveland, Kansas City and Milwaukee are the bottom three.To compare them, we'll make some quick observations of different facets of fielding and running a big league club, attaching metrics where we can.
The Tigers have the second-best injury index in the majors. Their most significant lingering injury down the stretch has been starting shortstopA generous description of the Detroit offense is that it has been opportunistic. The Tigers are 19th in runs per game despite ranking 28th in OBP, 22nd in slugging and 26th in steals. A saving grace has been a 10th-ranked performance with runners in scoring position. Defensively, the Tigers rank ninth in DEF.
Milwaukee hasn't skipped a beat but what's truly amazing about this version of the Brewers is that they've maintained their success despite fielding a very different kind of team. This version succeeds with dynamic young players all over the place, such as, and is even more fun to watch. The Brewers don't have a catchy brand name for the way they do things, but they probably should. Because this might very well be the best-run team in the majors.