Highlight baseball’s best of 2023
Ohtani, Acuña deliver seasons for the ages
Ohtani, obviously, was only just getting started. Once the season began he resumed his assault on baseball history and turned in his third straight season as a two-way cheat code.
At the plate Ohtani remained one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters, batting .304 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, 20 stolen bases and an MLB-best 1.066 OPS, and on the mound he was likely on pace for a second-straight top-five Cy Young finish before getting hurt in August. Even still, he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings (23 starts), and after the season he was unanimously named A.L. MVP for the second time in his career.
Meanwhile, Atlanta Braves five-tool superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. turned in a historic campaign of his own, becoming the first player in history to record 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a season.
Before Acuña, nobody had ever even had a 40-50 season, much less 40-70.
Acuña won N.L. MVP honors unanimously as well, shunting aside a challenge from Dodgers great Mookie Betts that would have been an easy MVP case in almost any other year. Now with Ohtani jumping to the Dodgers the two figure to go head to head in many MVP races to come, and probably some big playoff series in October as well.
Miguel Cabrera wraps up historic career
Miguel Cabrera will go down as one of the greatest players in baseball history, and though he’s long past his prime, it was still special seeing him take the field one last time.
Throughout his final season, and especially down the stretch in September, Cabrera was showered with love from fans at every park he visited. He received a standing ovation from the crowd during his last at bat at Fenway Park in August, and on Sept. 27 he hit the last home run of his career in an 8-0 home win over the Kansas City Royals.
The final career numbers for Cabrera: a .306 average, 3,174 hits, 511 home runs, 1,881 RBI, .901 OPS, two MVPs, 12 All-Star nods, four batting titles, the first Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 and a World Series championship as a rookie in 2003. That resume should comfortably earn Cabrera enshrinement in Cooperstown five years from now.
Young Sox stars step up
This past season brought mostly lowlights for the Red Sox, but one encouraging development was the strides taken by several young upand-comers who the club hopes to build around for years to come.
Jarren Duran, who had almost become an afterthought after two failed call-ups in 2021 and 2022, finally delivered on his immense promise and established himself as a potential top-of-the-order fixture. Triston Casas also proved his worth as a longtime top prospect, finishing third in the Rookie of the Year vote while posting a monster second half, and Brayan Bello took a giant leap forward to establish himself as Boston’s best starting pitcher at just 24 years old.
Those three should play a major role for Boston going forward, but just as encouraging as their progress in the big leagues was the breakout enjoyed in the minors by Roman Anthony. In his first full professional season the 19-yearold outfielder elevated himself from an intriguing recent draft pick to a Top 20 overall prospect, and if he continues on his current trajectory it’s not crazy to imagine he could be starting in Boston as soon as 2025.
Between the three who have already arrived and the big prospects rising through the ranks, the future is looking bright for the Red Sox even as the present remains frustrating.
Dodgers load up for big 2024
Coming into the offseason there were two obvious prizes up for grabs on the free agent market, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Dodgers got them both. If there were ever any doubts over their place as baseball’s premier organization, the Dodgers put them to rest with a forceful offseason that should ensure Los Angeles goes into 2024 as heavy World Series favorites. Between Ohtani, Yamamoto, fellow newcomer Tyler Glasnow and returning stars like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers have assembled a veritable super team, and more could still be on the way.
Can anyone else compete? Of course, this is baseball. People felt similarly about the New York Mets and San Diego Padres after their big offseasons last year, and the Atlanta Braves aren’t exactly a pushover in the National League. Still, by committing more than $1 billion in future payroll to bolstering what was already a loaded roster, the Dodgers have planted their flag at the center of the baseball world and thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of the league.
Whether or not anyone else can keep up will be one of the dominant stories of 2024. Buckle up.