MLB Watchability Index for 2024 Season

The 2024 season is rapidly approaching, and preparations are being made by every MLB team to be contenders this season. Every fan has their reasons for watching their favourite team, whether it is for the all-around exciting play of the team, the sheer power of the players, or the watchability of the team's young players. Out of all 30 MLB teams, it can be difficult to determine the most watchable teams for the upcoming season. This is where David Schoenfield's watchability index comes into play, ranking each team based on seven different categories, creating a maximum score of 50. Let's take a look at the rankings from least to most watchable:

1. Washington Nationals - 11.5 points
2. Chicago White Sox - 12 points
3. Miami Marlins - 13.5 points
4. Colorado Rockies - 15 points
5. Oakland Athletics - 17.5 points
6. Los Angeles Angels - 18 points
7. Minnesota Twins - 18 points
8. Toronto Blue Jays - 19 points
9. San Francisco Giants - 19.5 points
10. St. Louis Cardinals - 21 points
11. Kansas City Royals - 21.5 points

Below are the seven categories used to determine watchability, along with the number of points for each team in each category. The team with the highest overall points was the San Francisco Giants, with 19.5 points, followed by the St. Louis Cardinals with 21 points, and the Kansas City Royals in third with 21.5 points.

Star Power (10 Points) - This category is based on the number of top-100 players on a team, with the points distributed based on where a player ranked in the top 100 and how many players are on the list.

1. Washington Nationals - 1 point
2. Chicago White Sox - 2 points
3. Miami Marlins - 3 points
4. Colorado Rockies - 1 point
5. Oakland Athletics - 1 point
6. Los Angeles Angels - 2 points
7. Minnesota Twins - 2 points
8. Toronto Blue Jays - 4 points
9. San Francisco Giants - 3 points
10. St. Louis Cardinals - 3.5 points
11. Kansas City Royals - 2 points

Youth (10 Points) - This category awards points for promising young players based on their projected WAR from MLB.com.

1. Washington Nationals - 2 points
2. Chicago White Sox - 1 point
3. Miami Marlins - 2.5 points
4. Colorado Rockies - 2 points
5. Oakland Athletics - 6 points
6. Los Angeles Angels - 5 points
7. Minnesota Twins - 2 points
8. Toronto Blue Jays - 1 point
9. San Francisco Giants - 4.5 points
10. St. Louis Cardinals - 3.5 points
11. Kansas City Royals - 2 points

Baserunning (10 Points) - This category awards points for teams that run the bases well, based on FanGraphs team metric.

1. Washington Nationals - 4.5 points
2. Chicago White Sox - 2 points
3. Miami Marlins - 1 point
4. Colorado Rockies - 1 point
5. Oakland Athletics - 3 points
6. Los Angeles Angels - 2.5 points
7. Minnesota Twins - 3 points
8. Toronto Blue Jays - 1 point
9. San Francisco Giants - 4 points
10. St. Louis Cardinals - 1 point
11. Kansas City Royals - 5.5 points

4- and 5-Star Catches (5 Points) - This category awards points for the number of impressive catches made by outfielders, based on the Baseball Savant site's statistics.

1. Washington Nationals - 1 point
2. Chicago White Sox - 3 points
3. Miami Marlins - 2 points
4. Colorado Rockies - 4 points
5. Oakland Athletics - 1 point
6. Los Angeles Angels - 1 point
7. Minnesota Twins - 5 points
8. Toronto Blue Jays - 5 points
9. San Francisco Giants - 1 point
10. St. Louis Cardinals - 2 points
11. Kansas City Royals - 4 points

425-Foot Home Runs (5 Points) - This category awards teams based on the number of home runs over 425 feet they hit, based on statistics from a year ago.

1. Washington Nationals - 1 point
2. Chicago White Sox - 2 points
3. Miami Marlins - 2.5 points
4. Colorado Rockies - 4 points
5. Oakland Athletics - 1 point
6. Los Angeles Angels - 2 points
7. Minnesota Twins - 1 point
8. Toronto Blue Jays - 1.5 points
9. San Francisco Giants - 2.5 points
10. St. Louis Cardinals - 3 points
11. Kansas City Royals - 2.5 points

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