As a Yankee fan, I absolutely agree on your ranking of the Yankees and also had them at 2 stars, and that due to Judge. I’ll be excited to watch them play because I’m a fan, but if I wasn’t, bleh.
But the one argument I’d make for being any higher would be the mention of 3 stars being, essentially, if you’re searching for a game to watch, check them out. The Yankees are actually at the lower point of this in their history I think with the Dodgers becoming a big target, but love them or hate them, most people have some kind of rooting interest in the Yankees (rooting for them to win or lose), which would make me more interested in watching any given game.
But yeah, they’re not a particularly fun team right now.
You’re absolutely right about the A’s. We went to over a dozen games last season and saw so much offensive talent on that team. And Denzel Clarke plays center like he’s playing on another planet.
And here’s a little secret…Sutter Health Park might be the best place anywhere in MLB to enjoy a game anywhere. Yes, summer days can be blisteringly hot, but the evenings cool down and are delightful. The venue is super intimate and cozy, fan-player interactions are off the charts good, and they give balls to kids like they’re giving away candy (my six year old got one nearly every game). Fisher is a jerk, and as a long A’s fan I’ve hated his shenanigans and boycotted the team for a few years. But there is no question in mind that seeing the A’s in Sacramento is a great experience for fans.
It’s an interesting exercise, but in my experience, any *individual baseball game* is super fun and exciting not because of a particular player(s), but by how the game actually plays out. Two of those 5 star teams are just as likely to have an 11-1 game (which is a slog to watch) as two of the 2 star teams are to have a back-and-forth, taut 6-5 game with a triple play, an amazing catch, and a walk-off two—run double in the gap. Each game is its own organic experience.
Dead & Company had three original Dead members: Bobby, Billy and Mickey. (Mickey Hart joined in '67, that's certainly "original" enough for anybody.) Bill Kreutzman retired before the last couple tours.
Hey- Nats fan here! What’s not “fun” about a half empty stadium containing 1) white collars only interested in networking and 2) federal employees hoping they have a job at the end of the day….doesn’t that sound like fun? Add the fact that the owner doesn’t enjoy the game and doesn’t much care about the fans.
If you are from the Bay Area, then the top two teams on this list are probably not fun to watch. The Dodgers for obvious NorCal vs. SoCal reasons. The A's because of what the owner did to Oakland. It doesn't matter who is on the field because of the bitterness.
For Giants' fans, Kruk Kuip, Miller and Flem can make any game fun.
The National League (47*) is slightly more fun than the American League (46*).
The most fun division in baseball is the AL East (18), followed by the NL Central (17), the NL West (16), the AL West (15), the NL East (14), and, of course, the AL Central rounds it out (13). I think it's hilarious that the margins between the two leagues are exactly one star, and each division is exactly one star above the others. There's absolutely NO WAY that Joe planned it like that, but it's cool that it worked out that way. The NL Central is the most tightly packed - no 1* or 5* teams. And the AL West has one from each star level - Sacramento (5), Seattle (4), Texas (3), Houston (2), and California (1).
How correlated are Joe's rankings with winning from last year? The average 5-star team had 85 wins last year; the average 4-star team had 86 (meaning that competence is, quite often, more boring); the average 3-star team had 81 wins, and the average 2-star team had 83 wins. The 1-star teams, of course, averaged only 64 wins, even with Colorado's 43-win season dragging them WAY down. So basically - it's REALLY boring to watch a bad team... but otherwise, your success is not all that correlated with how fun your team is to watch.
If I had a couple of quibbles with the list, I would say that I think Colorado is more pure FUN than St. Louis is... and I actually think the White Sox will be a little fun to watch this year. But other than that, this is basically right, I think.
No, Juan Soto is not a fun player. This is the same argument over whether he's this generation's Ted Williams, as if strikezone judgment and indifferent fielding defined Ted Williams's career. He also, you know, got some hits now and then. At Juan Soto's age, Ted Williams was hitting nine triples a season; Soto hits two. And let's not even talk about the strikeouts.
Ted Williams was a great hitter because he had great strikezone judgment. Fun. Juan Soto has great strikezone judgment and uses it to draw a lot of walks. Not fun. Not fun at all.
Soto's batting average was .263 last year. Barf. Since 2022 (his last year with the Nationals), his batting average is .268. Barf. Now, Soto's fun factor is helped immensely by the fact he stole 38 bases last year after never stealing more than 12. If he decides to keep running, I'm willing to reconsider.
Drawing walks may be winning baseball, but it is not the fun part of the game.
I lived in Oakland in the 90’s when I became a Baseball fan, and those A’s were so fun. It was the buildup to the moneyball era, when they lost a ton of games but you could see there was something there. Anyway, I keep trying to ditch them because, reasons, but dang it, this team has that same vibe!
Connelly Early. Remember that name. And, no, given his name, he didn't attend Princeton with Scott Fitzgerald. A Red Sox lefty starting pitcher, Connelly has a bit of Bill Lee existentialism in him, coupled with the composure of Bruce Hurst and the slingshot motion of Chris Sale. His initial game as a starting pitcher last September turned into a must-watch. Given that fact that he went to the Naval Academy and actually went through Plebe Year there, he's got a certain duende that you're just born with. I am even more transfixed watching him on the mound than Roman Anthony at the plate. And that's saying something.
Joe: Are you absolutely sure you are from Cleveland? Your postings about Duane Kuiper, etc., had me believing it, but if you do not think the Guards are fun . . . ?
Coming from 15 1/2 games back to win the division, AFTER losing the best closer in baseball and a pretty decent starting pitcher- not fun?
Have you seen the replay of Rocchio's home run in the last regular season game?
As a Yankee fan, I absolutely agree on your ranking of the Yankees and also had them at 2 stars, and that due to Judge. I’ll be excited to watch them play because I’m a fan, but if I wasn’t, bleh.
But the one argument I’d make for being any higher would be the mention of 3 stars being, essentially, if you’re searching for a game to watch, check them out. The Yankees are actually at the lower point of this in their history I think with the Dodgers becoming a big target, but love them or hate them, most people have some kind of rooting interest in the Yankees (rooting for them to win or lose), which would make me more interested in watching any given game.
But yeah, they’re not a particularly fun team right now.
You’re absolutely right about the A’s. We went to over a dozen games last season and saw so much offensive talent on that team. And Denzel Clarke plays center like he’s playing on another planet.
And here’s a little secret…Sutter Health Park might be the best place anywhere in MLB to enjoy a game anywhere. Yes, summer days can be blisteringly hot, but the evenings cool down and are delightful. The venue is super intimate and cozy, fan-player interactions are off the charts good, and they give balls to kids like they’re giving away candy (my six year old got one nearly every game). Fisher is a jerk, and as a long A’s fan I’ve hated his shenanigans and boycotted the team for a few years. But there is no question in mind that seeing the A’s in Sacramento is a great experience for fans.
Joe: come join us sometime to watch a game! 🙂
Stop giving your money to John Fisher.
I hear you, but I fought that fight and lost. Now I just want to enjoy the game with my family.
It’s an interesting exercise, but in my experience, any *individual baseball game* is super fun and exciting not because of a particular player(s), but by how the game actually plays out. Two of those 5 star teams are just as likely to have an 11-1 game (which is a slog to watch) as two of the 2 star teams are to have a back-and-forth, taut 6-5 game with a triple play, an amazing catch, and a walk-off two—run double in the gap. Each game is its own organic experience.
Dead & Company had three original Dead members: Bobby, Billy and Mickey. (Mickey Hart joined in '67, that's certainly "original" enough for anybody.) Bill Kreutzman retired before the last couple tours.
Jazz and Caballero will steal a lot of bases.
Not having Weather Day when the Angels (and Mike Trout) are in town is a grave mistake.
Hey- Nats fan here! What’s not “fun” about a half empty stadium containing 1) white collars only interested in networking and 2) federal employees hoping they have a job at the end of the day….doesn’t that sound like fun? Add the fact that the owner doesn’t enjoy the game and doesn’t much care about the fans.
Jays have Springer, Varsho, Barger, Clement, okamoto. They are beyond fun to watch.
If you are from the Bay Area, then the top two teams on this list are probably not fun to watch. The Dodgers for obvious NorCal vs. SoCal reasons. The A's because of what the owner did to Oakland. It doesn't matter who is on the field because of the bitterness.
For Giants' fans, Kruk Kuip, Miller and Flem can make any game fun.
By Joe's reckoning:
The National League (47*) is slightly more fun than the American League (46*).
The most fun division in baseball is the AL East (18), followed by the NL Central (17), the NL West (16), the AL West (15), the NL East (14), and, of course, the AL Central rounds it out (13). I think it's hilarious that the margins between the two leagues are exactly one star, and each division is exactly one star above the others. There's absolutely NO WAY that Joe planned it like that, but it's cool that it worked out that way. The NL Central is the most tightly packed - no 1* or 5* teams. And the AL West has one from each star level - Sacramento (5), Seattle (4), Texas (3), Houston (2), and California (1).
How correlated are Joe's rankings with winning from last year? The average 5-star team had 85 wins last year; the average 4-star team had 86 (meaning that competence is, quite often, more boring); the average 3-star team had 81 wins, and the average 2-star team had 83 wins. The 1-star teams, of course, averaged only 64 wins, even with Colorado's 43-win season dragging them WAY down. So basically - it's REALLY boring to watch a bad team... but otherwise, your success is not all that correlated with how fun your team is to watch.
If I had a couple of quibbles with the list, I would say that I think Colorado is more pure FUN than St. Louis is... and I actually think the White Sox will be a little fun to watch this year. But other than that, this is basically right, I think.
Games on Netflix? Bleh.
No, Juan Soto is not a fun player. This is the same argument over whether he's this generation's Ted Williams, as if strikezone judgment and indifferent fielding defined Ted Williams's career. He also, you know, got some hits now and then. At Juan Soto's age, Ted Williams was hitting nine triples a season; Soto hits two. And let's not even talk about the strikeouts.
Ted Williams was a great hitter because he had great strikezone judgment. Fun. Juan Soto has great strikezone judgment and uses it to draw a lot of walks. Not fun. Not fun at all.
Soto's batting average was .263 last year. Barf. Since 2022 (his last year with the Nationals), his batting average is .268. Barf. Now, Soto's fun factor is helped immensely by the fact he stole 38 bases last year after never stealing more than 12. If he decides to keep running, I'm willing to reconsider.
Drawing walks may be winning baseball, but it is not the fun part of the game.
So true. Soto is dull.
I lived in Oakland in the 90’s when I became a Baseball fan, and those A’s were so fun. It was the buildup to the moneyball era, when they lost a ton of games but you could see there was something there. Anyway, I keep trying to ditch them because, reasons, but dang it, this team has that same vibe!
I will never root for the A's again
Connelly Early. Remember that name. And, no, given his name, he didn't attend Princeton with Scott Fitzgerald. A Red Sox lefty starting pitcher, Connelly has a bit of Bill Lee existentialism in him, coupled with the composure of Bruce Hurst and the slingshot motion of Chris Sale. His initial game as a starting pitcher last September turned into a must-watch. Given that fact that he went to the Naval Academy and actually went through Plebe Year there, he's got a certain duende that you're just born with. I am even more transfixed watching him on the mound than Roman Anthony at the plate. And that's saying something.
Weather Day, no promotion has ever been set to have more ridicule than this.
BTW, the Yankees do have Jazz so they aren't bereft of speed.
Love Joe, as we all do here, but I'm pretty sure that Jazz was a "fun player" before he joined Joe's least favorite team.
I hope it gets rained out. That would be incredible.
Agree, that would be epic.
Joe: Are you absolutely sure you are from Cleveland? Your postings about Duane Kuiper, etc., had me believing it, but if you do not think the Guards are fun . . . ?
Coming from 15 1/2 games back to win the division, AFTER losing the best closer in baseball and a pretty decent starting pitcher- not fun?
Have you seen the replay of Rocchio's home run in the last regular season game?
Watch: https://www.mlb.com/guardians/video/brayan-rocchio-homers-5-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-field-bo-naylor-scores-pet