Teams to Look Out for After the All-Star Break -

With the first half of the 2024 Major League Baseball season in the books, we can now look forward to renewed momentum after the All-Star break. There will be some teams that will be desperately hoping to get things going, while others will want to carry on where they left off.

This year in the big league has already seen a whole bunch of young players taking the game by storm and possibly heralding a whole new era of baseball in the process. Veteran players, such as Aaron Judge, have also impressed, making this a memorable first half of the season.

As the players return from their All-Star duty and the MLB online betting sites stir back into action predicting who will win the World Series, we thought we would mention a few teams that we are keen to keep an eye on. Not all of them went into the break in top form, so the next few months are set to be as intriguing as ever in Major League Baseball.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers remain the favorite for many to go and win the Fall Classic but there are still some questions about performances. The good news is that Shohei Ohtani has been as devastating as expected and the Dodgers held a commanding lead in the NL West going into the All-Star break.

But those injuries have also had an effect. We will see what the team plays like when – and if – Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto return. If they can both stay healthy then the Dodgers should be able to make a good run to the World Series. More consistency will be needed though.

Boston Red Sox

There were not many pundits that had the Red Sox down to do anything this year, let alone make the playoffs. But an incredible June has everyone at Fenway Park very excited and the question will now be whether Boston can continue that form in the weeks and months immediately following the All-Star break.

Breaking through from the AL East will be difficult, of course, but a Wild Card spot is not an impossible task if the wins keep on coming. The change up in form has made the Red Sox buyers at the trade deadline and some good work behind the scenes has meant that a string of injuries has not been as problematic as they might have been.

New York Yankees

If the Red Sox might have wanted the All-Star break to have been delayed a little to make the most of their form, the Yankees will have been desperate for time to be called early on the first half of the season. A terrible slump in June has seen the Bronx Bombers fall back into the pack.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are still doing their thing, of course, but there has been a distinct fall in performance in recent weeks. All of that is savable, however, and the Yankees can still be typically aggressive at the trade deadline. They just need to start winning a few games again now.

Baltimore Orioles

One team that won’t be overly concerned about the Yankees malaise will be the Baltimore Orioles. There is obviously not much love lost between the two ball clubs and the O’s have certainly profited from the Yanks’ drop in form. In fact, Baltimore is arguably the best team going into the break.

The record on the road is good, as is the win percentage against other winning teams. Corbin Burnes and Jordan Westburg are both having standout seasons and the offense as a whole is probably the best in the league. If the pitching can improve a little, the Orioles could go all the way.

Cleveland Guardians

If the success of the Red Sox this year has been something of a surprise, then the Guardians leading the way in the AL Central, let alone the American League itself, has to be the story of the season so far. No one saw this coming but Cleveland has been the most consistent team in the league in the first half of the season.

Now it will be very interesting to see what the Guardians are like after the break. All of that momentum has been put on hold and the players will need to really put the work in to keep the team in its lofty position. But with a very winnable division, Cleveland should be on course for the playoffs at least.

Philadelphia Phillies

After all that gushing praise for the likes of the Red Sox and the Orioles, it seems a little unfair to leave it this late to talk about the Philadelphia Phillies. Currently the best team in Major League Baseball, the Phillies have led the way even with injuries to Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

Those absences have highlighted the lack of depth on the roster in Philadelphia. But the rest of the team has stepped up and helped the ball club send a franchise-record seven players to the All-Star Game. With the Braves falling away, a first divisional title since 2011 is almost a dead cert.

San Diego Padres

After the disappointment of missing out on the playoffs last year to the Arizona Diamondbacks – who then went on an incredible run all the way to the World Series – the Padres are looking good for some postseason action come October time. It has not all been plain sailing in San Diego though.

Losing against wild card rivals is never a good look when you find yourself in the same division as the Dodgers. But the fact that it sent five players to the All-Star Game shows there is talent at this ball club. There could also be some big pitching additions to bolster the final charge.