And just like that, the 2020 Major League Baseball regular season has come and gone. It seems like yesterday when many of us were still unsure whether there would be a baseball season at all. For that reason, among others, let's count our blessings and be thankful for what wound up being a truly thrilling past couple months.
The conclusion of the regular season now allows us to hand out our official report card.
Considering the circumstances thrusted upon these players -- condensed schedule, coronavirus-related interruptions, rule changes -- it may not be completely fair to critique such an abbreviated segment. If we would have graded the 2019 Nationals' first 60 games, it certainly wouldn't have been pretty, and they ended the season raising the Commissioner's Trophy. Nonetheless, these are the cards we were all dealt. Just remember when reading, these could all have look significantly different had a full 162-game schedule been played out.
Without further ado, here are our 2020 MLB regular season team grades.
AL EAST
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| Tampa Bay had high expectations heading into the season, and it did not disappoint. All while having to circumvent numerous injuries, the Rays took home their first AL East title since 2010 and took down the preseason World Series favorite Yankees to do it. Grade: A- | |
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| Same story, different year for the Bronx Bombers. When healthy, they might be the most dangerous squad in all of baseball. Had MLB not expanded the playoff field, the Yankees would have been on the outside looking in. Grade: C+ | |
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| The (Buffalo) Blue Jays did not know where they would be playing their home games until mere hours before their first game. Toronto didn't want them. Pittsburgh didn't want them. They were forced to play in a Triple-A stadium. And somehow, the fourth-youngest roster in the league are playoff-bound for the first time since 2016. Grade: A+ | |
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| A rebuilding franchise squeezing themselves into the playoff race is impressive. It seems the O's early success, though, was in large part due to their rather easy start to the schedule. They went 5-14 to end the season, but major props to this castoff roster for putting up a fight. Grade: C+ | |
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| A club that finishes dead last in their division and isn't even awarded with the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft for the subsequent year, that's a poor tanking job. With Mookie Betts now long gone and others set to hit free agency, Chaim Bloom and the Boston front-office are expected have a busy offseason. Grade: D- | |
AL CENTRAL
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| The biggest win for the Twins this year might be the fact that they ended up on the opposite side of the playoff bracket as the Yankees (13 straight playoff losses against the Bronx Bombers). More good news for the Twinkies: Byron Buxton is looking robust and scorching hot for an already stout lineup. Grade: B+ | |
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| It's not how you start, but how you finish. A grueling eight-game losing streak sank Cleveland out of the playoff picture in mid-September, but the team quickly bounced back winning nine of its last 11. With Francisco Lindor set to hit free agency after next season, their championship window appears to be a ticking time bomb. Grade: B | |
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| The White Sox would have had a perfect score if not for their poor final stretch. They held the best record in the AL on Sept. 19, but will enter the postseason on a sour 1-7 final eight games. Nevertheless, both Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson have strong cases for AL MVP, and the team made a massive leap into prominence. Grade: A- | |
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| Some better execution with runners on base and the Royals might have had a better fate. They finished sixth in the AL in hits, but hit just .242 with RISP (11th in AL). So long to the fantastic career of Alex Gordon. Grade: C- | |
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| Through the first month, the Tigers were one of the best stories of the season. Unfortunately they wrapped up the year going 4-14 in their last 18 games. Matthew Boyd and his inability to keep hitters in the yard is a major concern. Grade: D+ | |
AL WEST
Athletics
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| Heading into the season, there was a changing of the guard feeling among the AL West, and that's exactly what happened. Right from the start, the A's appeared to be the team of destiny after hitting two walk-off grand slams along with a handful of comeback victories. Losing Matt Chapman to hip surgery could beset their aspirations -- shoutout to Jake Lamb who has stepped up to fill the void. Grade: A | |
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| All eyes have been on Houston since the sign-stealing scandal was unearthed. Health plagued this team from the start, including season-ending injuries to Justin Verlander, Yordan Alvarez and Roberto Ozuna. They finished with a losing record for the first time since 2014, and two of their stars, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman, struggled mightily. Grade: C- | |
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| One of the youngest rosters in the league found themselves just a few games back of the second AL West playoff spot with a week remaining. While breaking the dreaded 19-year postseason drought wasn't in the cards, huge strides were made by Justus Sheffield, Dylan Moore, and AL Rookie of the Year candidate Kyle Lewis. Grade: B+ | |
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| Call me judgemental, but anytime you have the best player in the league in Mike Trout and you fail to reach the postseason is an automatic failure with a capital "F." Billy Eppler's inability to accrue pitching led to his firing as GM on Sunday, and the Halos are now yet again in limbo heading into the offseason. Grade: F | |
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| Manager Chris Woodward and the Rangers quickly became an enemy to the public after expressing displeasure in Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. breaking an unwritten rule during a game in August. Going all-in on Corey Kluber wound up being their demise as Kluber's tenure with Texas could end up totaling just one inning. Grade: F | |
NL EAST
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| Injuries in 2020 have been a storyline all season, and it certainly applies to the Braves. Their projected starting rotation is banged up: Mike Soroka (out for season, torn Achilles tendon), Max Fried (returning from left-side muscle spasm), Cole Hamels (out for season, shoulder), Mike Foltynewicz (designated for assignment) and Sean Newcomb (optioned). Luckily, Freddie Freeman has put together an MVP campaign to shoulder the offensive load. Grade: A | |
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| Miami had a two percent chance to make the playoffs, according to Sportsline preseason projections. They were forced to take nearly a two-week hiatus after 20-plus players, coaches and staff tested positive for COVID-19. Then they signed a bunch of replacement players to play until their active roster was cleared by MLB's COVID-19 protocol. Despite the odds, the Marlins put together one of the most improbable playoff seasons in recent history. Grade: A+ | |
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| Two years into the 13-year marriage with Bryce Harper and the Fighting Phils have yet to make the postseason. Joe Girardi's club became just the third team in MLB history to have a bullpen with an ERA of 7.00 or higher (7.06). The front office failed to address their weakness heading into the season and it bit them in the tail. Grade: D- | |
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| At this point, what do we make of the Mets? They had one of the best pitchers in the game in Jacob deGrom make a case for his third consecutive Cy Young. Michael Conforto had everything clicking at the plate (career-highs in BA, OBP). Dominic Smith enjoyed a breakout season. Yet, they finished fourth in the division. Perhaps new ownership can inspire a culture change. Grade: C | |
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| The World Series hangover was alive and well in our nation's capital. After riding their rotation to the franchise's first title a year ago, Stephen Strasburg tallied just five innings, Max Scherzer posted his highest ERA in nearly a decade, and the rotation compiled a 5.34 ERA. Good news: Juan Soto might already be a top-10 player at 21 years of age. Grade: D- | |
NL CENTRAL
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| Inconsistently consistent were the Chicago Cubs in 2020. They started the campaign going 13-3 and subsequently went on a 10-15 stretch. Then, the fighting David Rosses enjoyed a five-game winning streak in September, but finished the year losing six of their last nine. 'Twas quite a roller coaster for the North Siders. Grade: A- | |
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| The St. Louis Cardinals were the St. Louis Cardinals. Typical St. Louis season: nothing special, but just solid -- a perfect example of what a stellar defense (91 DRS, fourth in MLB) and pitching staff (3.90 team ERA) can accomplish. Grade: B | |
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| Whatever it was that clicked for the Reds in mid-September, thank goodness it did because things were heading toward disaster. Cincy was out of the playoff picture and in fourth place in the division, but an 11-3 record to close the year helped earn the No. 7 seed for the postseason. This starting rotation ... wow. Grade: B | |
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| The Brew Crew did the absolute bare minimum to slide into the postseason. In fact, they lost five of their last eight and finished below .500. Yet, they are headed to the playoffs because the Phillies and Giants basically said, "No, thanks" to the playoff invitation. Grade: C | |
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| The only reason the Pirates aren't receiving an "F" is because they secured the No. 1 draft pick for the 2021 MLB Draft. Boston, start taking notes. This is how you tank. Grade: D- | |
NL WEST
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| Los Angeles finished the year losing just one series (vs. Colorado) and never lost more than two straight games. Of course, a regular season grade for the Dodgers doesn't hold much weight nowadays. Judgement day will dawn come playoff time. Grade: A+ | |
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| What's not to love about the Slam Diego Padres? A franchise that has for so long been the laughing stock of the league has changed the narrative and become one of the most exciting teams in baseball. The only reason Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Pads aren't receiving a perfect score is because they went 4-6 against their Chavez Ravine foes. Grade: A | |
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| This was a tough grade simply because the expectations were so very low heading into the season for San Francisco. Players practically had to wear name tags early-on because few knew who they were. Strong seasons from Mike Yastrzemski, Brandon Belt and Alex Dickerson put themselves in a "win-and-you're-in" position for the final weekend, but they could not seal the deal. Grade: B- | |
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| Talk about a tease. Colorado was the hottest team in baseball to start the year (started 12-5). And then ... they won just 14 more games the rest of the way. Yikes. They won nearly as many games in their first two weeks as they did the remainder of the season. Grade: D+ | |
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| They might have been the most disappointing team in 2020. Coming off a strong 2019 campaign, the club was expected to battle with the Dodgers for the NL West crown. That did not happen by any stretch. The D-Backs now find themselves on the hook for another four years of an aging Madison Bumgarner. Grade: F | |
