Major League Baseball players often can feel otherworldly—they tower above six feet and have some crazy speed and strength. Plus, that hand-eye coordination is something that only some can dream of. But ever so often, even these titans have moments where they stumble. It reminds everyone that even the best athletes have bad days and that they’re only just humans. So, what are some of the top 10 letdowns of this year?

The Unbelievable White Sox

There are no two ways around it—it’s not great for baseball when a team loses 120 games or even more. Well, the Chicago White Sox did it and had a dreadful season. They have a 39-120 record when entering the final series. And with that, they tied in with the New York Mets 1962 record for the most losses in one season. From the Minnesota Twins to the Detroit Tigers, everyone feasted on their failures. The roster was just completely uncompetitive, and there was a huge performance gap. The baseball world was in awe with one question—how many games can they even lose!

The beaten-down Braves

It’s hard to believe, but the Braves were actually favorites in the NL East. But they suffered several health nightmares and lost Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider at the very start. But that wasn’t all. They even had no luck keeping Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley. Luckily, they were there in the playoff hunt, but all those championship wishes went to dust. The team was supposed to go further but just lost that momentum.

Jordan Montgomery: out of shape and form

Sometimes reaching for the best deal available might be great. Just look at Alex Bregman—he is still a free agent, having rejected a fair offer of around $156 million from the Astros. A similar thing happened when Jordon Montgomery rejected a four-year deal with Boston. He entered free agency, and the Diamondbacks signed him for a year for $25 million. But then, things only got worse for him, and he was out of shape and form. In 21 starts he had a 6.23 ERA. The owner even mentioned that it was his bad that he gave Jordon that amount of money; it was a waste!

Offensive problems struck the Mariners

Everything needs balance. The Mariners had some of the best pitching rotations, but their offense, not so much—they had Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and the team even had a shot to lead the majors in ERA. All they needed was an average offense to make it further in the playoffs; however, their attempt to reshape the lineup by focusing on contact over power fell flat. They got struck out more than any other team, the number now stands at 1,600 times and more. Things got so bad that they fired manager Scott Servais!

Blue Jays fans were red

Fans were already disappointed and red with the Blue Jays entering the season. They couldn’t get Shohei Ohtani, and even Matt Chapman left. Moreover, the team didn’t have any other plan B when they missed the now Dodger star and the result was a lackluster showing. The Jays’ season fell flat, and they ranked 25th in home runs and 27th in stolen bases. Now, the Toronto team is trying their best to turn things around, but it remains to be seen if someone big would want to go to their team. For instance, Juan Soto outright rejected it!

The Red Sox went Blue!

The Boston Red Sox had a goal—they wanted to go to the postseason. Yet, the injuries and suspension just kept the team far off the goal—Matt McLain and Hunter Greene are just two of them who got sidelined. Meanwhile, Noelvi Marte also got an 80-game suspension, and as if the season wasn’t already worse enough, they finished six games under David Bell, their manager, who was fired from his job. But as for this off-season, the Red Sox have been extremely active and aggressive—they have a lovely farm system, so, using that money to get Cornerstone seems to be the only logical for the team.

Big names who fell short

Some of the biggest names, those who are future Hall of Famers, had terrible seasons this time, all due to injuries. Clayton Kershaw, for example, accompanied by Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer; combined, they had 32 starts in total. Plus, their ERAs are unbelievable coming from them, raising questions if retirement time is knocking on their doors! But these names didn’t just include players but also had teams losing out on their expected outcomes. 

One such team is the New York Yankees, who sure did reach the World Series finale, but had their fair share of struggles in the offensive department at first base and left field. Rizzo hit just eight homers; his time on the injured list was also a major bummer. Ben Rice struggled too, and so did Alex Verdugo; with two vital positions not able to do their best, the result was a clear loss in the World Series.

Rangers and their rookies

The Texas Rangers came in with great confidence and hopes for their rookie outfielder. But their two hopes, i.e., Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford, both failed to make a mark. Carter played 45 games and got into IL. Langford started warming up, but it was too late. And they were out of the playoff race of Major League Baseball!

If this year was to be given a name, it could be ‘The Year of Pitcher Injuries’. Everyone from the Marlins to the Dodgers, Astros, and Rays lost several starting pitchers to injuries. The question truly is why this is happening now, the pitchers are throwing harder, and recovery times are still big issues. There seems to be no one answer. The year has come to a close, and clearly, it’s been full of surprises. Are there any other disappointments in your eyes? Let us know!