A few months prior to the Spring Training period of the 2024 Major League Baseball season, I took a long walk on the beach and dreamed up a series of bold predictions for the upcoming season. To date, I do not have a podcast or a radio show to call into to announce my bold predictions to the world’s baseball listeners. I have you, the readers of my baseball experience blog, to vent and predict and enrage and awe with my baseball predictions. Some predictions I wish to come true, some I wish will never come true, some I can only hope and dream will come true. And with bold predictions, comes humility about their validity and whether or not they actually happened or have any hope of happening. So, with the season hitting the 80-84 games played mark (depending on rainouts) which marks the official halfway point in the season, here is a review of my bold predictions for the 2024 Major League Baseball Season:

1. A significant figure in the steroid era will gain a sizeable endorsement from a well known Cooperstown Hall of Fame member. Sort of happening, but not really in the way I predicted. With the sad news recently of baseball legend Willie Mays, Barry Bonds has emerged on a national scene, appearing on various baseball broadcasts to talk about his godfather (Willie Mays) and Mays’ impact on baseball. Bonds looked good and spoke well and in a way reminded folks that he was once the greatest hitter in all of Major League baseball. For like a decade… So maybe, its Bonds that gets the momentum here.
   • My prediction was Roger Clemens.
2. Professional baseball will parlay its commercial success with special events like the Little League World Series matchup and the Field of Dreams game and begin to map out a yearly off-site game to be played at a renovated Negro Leagues Field site. Admittedly, I was obviously late to the party or parties because many were already organizing this exact situation at Rickwood Field behind the scenes. A Major League Baseball game was played at Rickwood this year, between the SF Giants and the STL Cardinals (June 20th) and by all accounts it was a massive success. It drew attention to the Negro Leagues, its players, its managers, and the famous field got a beautiful makeover. I hope this will continue to be a positive trend.
   • Prediction came true, but the truth is it started way before my idea.
3. Pitchers, completely fed up with the home run trot antics of the modern game, will begin to retaliate and “nail” the next batter up in record numbers. This one was more satirical than factual. However, the number of star players who have been hit by pitches, broken hands/fingers/wrists seems to be on the rise. Are the pitchers retaliating to a hitter showing them up? I tend to doubt it based on some of the pitchers’ reactions. They seem to be more upset about missing a spot or putting a runner on base. Believe me, if a Major League Baseball pitcher wants to hit a batter on purpose, it is a pretty safe bet that will happen.
   • Prediction – batters hit by pitch and sustaining injuries seems to be on the rise although not because the pitch hitting them was intentional.
4. A .400 average for the season, which has not been achieved since Teddy Ballgame (Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox) did it in 1941. Ok this prediction, which included the Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts (hit by a pitch and on the disabled list currently), is a long way from coming true. The highest batting average, according to MLB.com, at the moment is .317 by the Los Angeles Angels’ Luis Rengifo. One shining glimmer of hope is the Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan, who is hitting a robust .368, but does not yet qualify for the batting title due to lack of at bats needed for the stat. But, perhaps if Kwan stays healthy, my prediction may gain some momentum towards a .400 season.
   • Prediction – no Mookie Betts .400 season this year, unfortunately.
5. Sports betting is now as much a part of baseball as pine tar, the squeeze bunt, and spring training. Ever hear of Tucupita Marcano before 2024? How about Ippei Mizuhara? Two people (a player and a famous interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, respectively) both were nabbed in 2024 for betting scandals. Both will likely be banned from professional baseball, if not already. What stories will they tell, who else will they implicate? The influence of sports betting in professional baseball is massive. Not sure I want to see the results or who is and who isn’t betting on baseball at this point.
   • Prediction – tough to watch what will happen next with these MLB betting scandals.
6. Declining attendance numbers for Major League Baseball games vs Rising attendance numbers for Minor League Baseball games. This one I got wrong and even backwards. MLB numbers are holding steady, even up percentage points from last year. With major market teams like the NY Yankees, the LA Dodgers doing very well, fans are piling into both home and away games to see them. On the minor league level, attendance is down slightly YOY (year over year) numbers wise but that could change as the season progresses. As talent moves up to the “big club,” minor league attendance tends to take a dip at the ticket office.
   • Prediction – I don’t care what the numbers say, I still love minor league baseball games. Always have, always will.
7. There will be another Rhode Island Pitcher vs Hitter matchup in professional baseball. This prediction was well on its way to becoming reality when Johnston, RI’s Nick Raposo (STL Cardinals) was called up from Memphis to the big club this June. It turned out that it was only a weekend promotion to fill a roster spot was for Raposo. The RI native reported back to AAA Memphis after donning the #70 for a weekend series for the STL Cardinals club. September callups, another injury, a slumping catcher – all could pave the way for Raposo to get back to the Cardinals and then, a potential matchup against the San Diego Padres Michael King.
   • Prediction – short lived visit for Raposo, but hope that it is not his last visit to the big club
8. The Boston Red Sox will win the World Series. So, halfway through the season, with season ending injuries to starting pitchers and our starting shortstop, our All-Star caliber first baseman out for months, and crop of “kids” in the lineup who have no business performing years ahead of schedule – the Boston Red Sox have a winning record and are in the thick of not only the Wild Card race, but the race to the top of the American League East. Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself a bit with the AL East comment but the Wild Card spot is definitely in their sights. With 80 something games to play, a solid pitching staff, key players coming back, starters doing extremely well, a few All-Stars (in my opinion) in Jarren Duran and Tanner Houck, and a lot of luck – my prediction to win the World Series does not look have bad.
   • Prediction – I’m sticking with it. The Boston Red Sox will win the World Series in 2024!!!

So, there you go. Some of my predictions were ridiculous to begin with and remain that. Some were bold and far fetched, but heck, I said them and I was way off, so there you go. Others, well we have a long season left and anything can happen. Like the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series.

Go Sox!!!