5 MLB stars who outdid expectations in 2024 ft. Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge
During the 2024 MLB season, plenty of players had impressive seasons. There are a lot of talented players in this sport, and they routinely do well. However, there were also plenty of exceptionally good seasons, either because the player wasn't this good before or they somehow improved upon already being an incredible player. Either way, these five stars shocked the world with their performances.
5 MLB players who stunned the baseball world
5) Bobby Witt Jr.
Bobby Witt Jr. wasn't even an All-Star before 2024. The Kansas City Royals believed in him anyway, extending him on a massive deal. He made good on that by becoming an All-Star and then going on to have perhaps the greatest season not to win an MVP. It was one of the best shortstop seasons of all-time as well, proving the Royals right for extending him early.
4) Jarren Duran
Jarren Duran was hardly on the baseball world's radar. He had bounced up and down from the minor leagues, struggling to get going consistently at the MLB level. In 2024, it all clicked. He was an All-Star and had a strong case to be an MVP finalist, though he didn't get that honor. Duran proved himself as a star in the MLB after being relatively unheard of, using great defense and baserunning with a stellar bat to make good on the Boston Red Sox's belief in him.
3) Chris Sale
Chris Sale was a throwaway trade piece from the Boston Red Sox. After years of injuries, they decided it was best to move on. The Atlanta Braves swooped in and Sale had the best season of his career, winning the Cy Young award. Sale was hardly expected to make it through the season healthy, let alone dominate at the level he did in 2024. As a result, his trade from the Red Sox is now one of the most lopsided in recent memory.
2) Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani had never stolen 30 bases in a season, and he almost broke 60. He also set the 50/50 club by homering 54 times. The Los Angeles Dodgers star was the first primary DH to win an MVP award. Everyone knew Ohtani was special as he was a great hitter and a great pitcher. In taking one of those aspects away, Ohtani improbably got even better at the other one, posting career highs in virtually all offensive metrics.
1) Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge had one of the most unbelievable seasons in 2022, hitting an AL-record 62 home runs. It was a career year that no hitter would realistically hope to outdo. Somehow, Judge did. The New York Yankees hitter was better by wRC+, fWAR, batting average, slugging percentage, and many other metrics. This was achieved in spite of pretty below-average defense playing full-time center field, too.