Culture
'Just do the best you can': Exhaustion is part of it for the Women's Open field
!['Just do the best you can': Exhaustion is part of it for the Women's Open field 'Just do the best you can': Exhaustion is part of it for the Women's Open field](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/21135107/GettyImages-2167769491-scaled.jpg)
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Stacy Lewis is back sitting at the top table of the media room, answering a belated question from someone too shy to shout over the gusts of wind during the press conference.
Her five-year-old daughter Chesnee wants to know if she can get a swimming pool — “a big one” — if her mum wins here, as she did in 2013.
“I think I might be able to sort you out, girlie,” says Lewis.
Eleven years have passed since the Texan shot birdie-birdie on the final two holes to clinch the Women’s Open by two shots. The second shot into 17 remains the best of her career, so much so that the 5-iron is the only club she has kept for her office.
But in that time, as motherhood has usurped golf in her list of priorities and made her less tunnel-visioned, the demands of the LPGA Tour have become even more all-consuming.
This year’s tour started with two Florida events and ends with another three in the Sunshine State. The intervening 10 months? A map of tangled zig-zags across the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia that would not look out of place in Chesnee’s school jotter.
This week’s Open is the fifth major in as many months, not including the Olympic Games at France’s Le Golf National earlier this month. St. Andrews closes the majors season, but with the Solheim Cup in September and another Pacific leg this fall visiting China, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and Hawaii in the space of just 35 days, the schedule is rammed and not ending anytime soon.
We only ask the most important questions in this press conference!!!
Chesnee asked mom @Stacy_Lewis if she could get a swimming pool 🥰😂 pic.twitter.com/bhqgapR1Yz
— LPGA (@LPGA) August 21, 2024
Across the 33 combined LPGA Tour stops and majors this year, there are more than 215 hours of pure flying time. The overall mileage adds up to more than three trips around the world.
This is not a new problem — last year’s schedule included a record-breaking 18 occasions with more than 2,000 miles between tour stops. This season there was the travel to China and intra-continental visits to Thailand and Malaysia; criss-crossing from west coast Los Angeles to east coast New Jersey in May; June’s see-sawing from Michigan to the PGA Championship in Washington state and back again to Michigan, two six-hour flights with just four days rest in between each.
Eight-and-a-half months into the season, with winds of 40-45 mph forecast for Thursday and many players having not been able to play the Scottish Open to reacquaint themselves with links golf, can it be expected that any player is at the top of their game? “Probably not, no,” said Lewis, who is Team USA’s captain for the Solheim Cup in Virginia next month. “Those who played the Olympics, you talk to most of them and it’s just emotionally so taxing that week. So no, our schedule, especially Olympic years, is really, really tough.
“There’s been a lot of talk of schedule lately but also at the same time, I’ve been doing this for 15 or 16 years. You learn how to deal with it, and you learn how to be ready in those moments and really just do the best you can.”
GO DEEPER
The Women’s Open is at St. Andrews. The Old Course is ready to challenge the field
Since 2009, the purse at the Women’s Open has increased from $2.2 million to $9 million, a 409 per cent increase — tripling since AIG started sponsoring the tournament in 2020.
Lewis described the improvement in infrastructure and facilities at the Women’s Open as “night and day” compared to 2013 but believes their hands are tied when it comes to finding ways to ease the gruelling schedule.
“I think that’s the ideal but a lot of it is when do sponsors want to play and when do we get the golf courses?” she said.
“We don’t have the luxury of the PGA Tour that says, ‘We’re giving you X amount of dollars and we’re playing this week.’ We don’t have the money to just throw around.
“We are kind of at the mercy of sponsors. We are at the mercy of golf courses and it’s the nature of where we are. Would we like to be better? Yeah, absolutely. I think our team behind the scenes works like crazy on it but we’re a global tour, and I want to compete against the best players every week.
“So to do that, we’ve got to go play in Thailand because we have players from Thailand. We’re going to go play in Korea because we have players from Korea. I think that’s just the nature of it. It’s more getting into your head, to me, that this is a global tour. You say you’re going to go play on the LPGA Tour, this is also what you signed up for.”
World number one Nelly Korda, having won six tournaments in seven starts between January and May, including the Chevron Championship, has earned more than $3 million this year in prize money.
That allows her the luxury of skipping the full Asia swing, a seven-week lay-off early in the year that was sandwiched between her winning streak. But even the two-time major winner had to withdraw from the JM Eagle LA Championship in April, citing exhaustion.
![](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/21135711/GettyImages-2167743398-scaled.jpg)
Nelly Korda has taken frequent weeks off this season, a luxury not all LPGA pros can afford. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
Lexi Thompson opened up the conversation around the mental and physical demands of the LPGA Tour in May when she announced she was retiring at the end of the season, aged just 29.
She spoke about how “lonely” and all-consuming life on tour has been since she qualified for her first U.S. Open at 12 but believes there are ways the load could be lessened.
“The schedule for sure,” said Thompson. “I think all the travel gets a lot. I think the flow of schedule could be better. Certain events could be back-to-back that are close to each other. We travel a lot out of the country but it is a global tour so that comes with it, and we’re very lucky for the sponsors that we have outside the country.
“There is a little less weight on my shoulders after the announcement because it has been on my mind for a few years, so it’s something that’s been inside that nobody really knew about or what was going to happen.”
Catriona Matthew claimed her only major at the Open in 2009, winning at Royal Lytham & St Annes just 11 weeks after giving birth. Now 54 years old and making her last appearance at her home tournament, Matthew does not know how she managed to tour with her two children in the following years.
To keep chasing another major in a field so deep Lewis counts 60 per cent as having the potential to win requires supreme resilience.
Lydia Ko is looking to end an eight-and-a-half-year major drought this week but the Australian comes in hot after winning gold in Paris, becoming the 35th woman to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
She remains the youngest female to ever win on the LPGA Tour after her triumph at 15 years old, but 12 years later there was an immediate dose of realism about how long she is willing to overcome the sore backs she experiences in the morning — and whether she may bring forward her planned retirement at 30.
“In ways, it can be scary because I’ve played golf since I was five,” said Ko.
“This is my life whether I like it or not and golf has given me so much for me to be thankful for on and off the golf course.
“As much as we are very grateful to be able to do what we love and compete at a high level, I think there is the other side of things that you have to consider. As someone that’s maybe closer to that point in my career than when I was a rookie, you come to realise all of these things, and you respect the player for the decision that she came up with.”
There are players still determined to join the majors club, most notably England’s Charley Hull whose attitude towards a recent shoulder injury captures the mindset needed to cope with this relentless schedule.
“My shoulder just got a little bit tight so I have acupuncture in it every other day because when it’s cold, it can play up a bit,” she said.
“I’ve got degenerate arthritis in it, as well. So when it does get cold, it gets a bit stiff. I just try to keep it warm.
“Apart from that, I’m healthy and ready to go.”
(Top photo: Luke Walker / Getty Images)
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Culture
ESPN to name Mike Greenberg host of 'Sunday NFL Countdown'
![ESPN to name Mike Greenberg host of 'Sunday NFL Countdown' ESPN to name Mike Greenberg host of 'Sunday NFL Countdown'](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/20114456/GettyImages-1258647312-scaled.jpg)
Mike Greenberg will be the new host of “Sunday NFL Countdown” as ESPN sets up its lineup for its first Super Bowl in 2027, a source briefed on the matter told The Athletic on Tuesday.
Greenberg replaces Sam Ponder who was fired last week with one-year and more than a million dollars left on her contract. While she will be paid in full, ESPN made the move to tidy up its books with the fiscal year concluding at the end of September.
However, the Ponder decision was also designed to promote Greenberg, a long-time favorite of ESPN executives. As the host of daily “Get Up” on TV and “Greeny” on radio, Greenberg is already a ubiquitous presence on the network. Greenberg had a brief run as the lead NBA host before relinquishing those duties to Malika Andrews last season. He also hosts the NFL Draft on ESPN, which is considered a prestigious assignment.
Greenberg, 57, receives the job over Laura Rutledge, an up-and-coming star at the network. Although on the rise, this marks the second time in the last year that Rutledge, the host of the daily “NFL Live,” has lost out to a longtime ESPN anchor.
Just before last season, Scott Van Pelt was named the host of Monday Night Football’s “NFL Countdown” over Rutledge. Van Pelt’s Monday program has also been revamped as Jason Kelce replaced the recently fired Robert Griffin III. Kelce joins analysts Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark on Mondays.
On Sundays, Greenberg’s main set will include Randy Moss, Tedy Bruschi, Rex Ryan and Alex Smith; as well as insider Adam Schefter.
ESPN and ABC will have the Super Bowl for the first time in 2027, and the network executives are designing its weekly sets for that big moment in the company’s history.
Required reading
(Photo: Joe Murphy / NBAE via Getty Images)
Culture
Watching four games in four days – and what it revealed about the new Premier League season
![Watching four games in four days – and what it revealed about the new Premier League season Watching four games in four days – and what it revealed about the new Premier League season](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/19150146/0819_OpeningWeekend-scaled.jpg)
It’s off and running: Premier League season 33 has kicked into action and should the title race goes the distance, nine months and one week from now we will know if, on the banks of the Thames at Fulham, Manchester City have confirmed a fifth consecutive triumph or, at Southampton, if Arsenal have become champions for the first time in 21 years.
Or will Liverpool be celebrating Arne Slot’s first season on the last day at home to Crystal Palace? Could an outsider flourish?
There are familiar faces — James Milner and Ashley Young made their debuts in Premier League season 11. There is freshness, too, in Ipswich Town’s return after 22 years. Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Leicester City and Kloppless Liverpool all have new head coaches. Some clubs have new sporting directors and recruitment heads as well. It’s an evolving league in a developing industry. And in the stands, it remains packed out.
In total, 307 players appeared across the four-day weekend. Young’s sending-off was one of two red cards shown, on top of 38 yellows. There were 20 goals, one from a penalty kick.
Yet City’s long dominance means that, while there was much enthusiasm, there is an underlying tension that will not be eased (depending on the outcome) until those infamous 115 questions are addressed.
That figure hangs in the air, like Mikel Arteta’s joke about 114 points. Then there are questions of club owners, ticket prices and kick-off times, not to mention the video assistant referee (VAR) system and a new handball interpretation. Some of this came up as The Athletic spent Friday to Monday moving from Manchester United to Arsenal to Chelsea and then, finally, finishing in Leicester.
Conversations veered from names such as Joshua Zirkzee to Bukayo Saka to Raheem Sterling. There were unexpected detours into Manchester’s Suffragettes and Henry VIII’s view of St Paul’s cathedral.
But did we get any answers?
Friday night, Old Trafford, and as the Munich clock shows 7.55 a Manchester United fan in an old traditional kit scurries by like so many rushing to make kick-off. It says ‘Edwards’ on the back above the No 6.
As the music booms from inside the stadium — This Is The One by the Stone Roses — outside the East Stand there are still around 200 Fulham fans waiting to get in. They are chanting their version of Country Roads — “Craven Cottage, by the river…”
Despite all the speculation, Erik ten Hag is still the man in the Old Trafford dugout and the opening words of his match programme notes are: “As we kick off the 2024-25 season this evening, I hope you are all as excited as I am.”
Well, Erik.
Ten Hag goes on to list new signings for his squad, such as Zirkzee, and also in administration — Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox — and adds: “I am very excited to see where this new energy takes us.”
Yet Friday morning’s newspaper headlines had featured Ten Hag’s phrase from his Thursday press conference — “not ready” was his verdict on United — and as the game starts there is another familiar sight, that of United struggling for rhythm, creativity, cutting edge. After 19 minutes, the Stretford End breaks into a chorus requesting the Glazer family leave the building — it is 19 years since they arrived.
In the directors’ box on a rare visit, majority shareholder Avram Glazer is surrounded by the new faces of Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover (partial). The Glazers have heard these chants many times before. They have not left.
![](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/19150606/GettyImages-2167055733-1-e1724094382818.jpg)
Avram Glazer in Old Trafford’s directors’ box (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
But others have gone. Not far away, across the Trafford Road Bridge, one of them, Matthew Haley, is talking about it. Haley was 23 in 2005 when he decided he could physically support Manchester United no more and he departed with thousands of others to help form the protest club FC United of Manchester.
There were those who said ‘FCUM’ would not last until Christmas but here they are, three games into their 20th season, with their own stadium in north Manchester, an academy, a women’s team, 2,000 members and three full-time staff. They play in England’s seventh tier, the Northern Premier League. They play in red, white and black.
One member, one vote, FC United own themselves, but who in 2024, Haley is asked, owns football?
“Well, where to begin?” he replies. “The very wealthy, don’t they? They control it, they make the decisions.
“But ultimately, it is the people’s game, isn’t it? The reason football is as popular as it is globally is because working-class communities put their passion into it. As the saying goes, ‘football without fans is nothing’, and it’s so true.
“But over the years, big businesses have got a bigger stake and their best interests — and those of TV companies — are placed ahead of the fans.”
Haley is not here to congratulate FC United, but 20 seasons is “significant”. He says the club has endured because of Mancunian spirit: “Partly bloodymindedness, there’s a lot of stubborn people at FC United. And Manchester, it’s a city of protest — the Suffragettes, the trade unions.
![](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/19150933/GettyImages-1228724137-scaled.jpg)
FC United of Manchester fans set up their club in protest at the Glazers’ ownership (Tim Markland/PA Images via Getty Images)
“At the time, I don’t think there was a grand scheme to go on for 20 years. But a lot feel they didn’t leave their football club, their football club left them. It was a protest first and foremost and a way of keeping that protest going.”
FC United do not own protest — angry current United fans invaded Old Trafford in May 2021, forcing the fixture with Liverpool to be postponed, for example. At ‘FC’ there is still interest in all this and “cautious optimism” that Ratcliffe could bring positive change.
Endurance, of course, was well-known at United under Sir Alex Ferguson. Back at Old Trafford, one year after Raphael Varane had scored a late winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers — and Andre Onana got away with a clumsy right hook — Ten Hag introduces Zirkzee. And with an 87th-minute left-foot jab, Zirkzee floors U.S.-owned Fulham.
“We’re top of the league,” says a fan walking away, laughing at himself.
Saturday, north London: there is a broad and understandable sense the Premier League’s return has lacked some hype and anticipation. The European Championship and Copa America did not end until mid-July and were followed by the Olympics. There has been almost no time away from football and sport. It follows us everywhere.
But passing through thronged Upper Street, turning onto equally thronged Holloway Road, amid a red tide bound for Arsenal — and on a beautiful summer’s day — the new-season buzz was inescapable. Maybe it was the throwback 3pm Saturday kick-off, maybe it was last season and how close Arsenal came to ending City’s domination. But the Arsenal stadium was a happy place.
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Arsenal fans are in positive spirits, and no wonder (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
Can it be more than that?
Seasons sometimes bleed into each other — Ferguson’s United players recall him beginning the charge for the 2013 title on the bus home from Sunderland in 2012 after hearing of City’s Aguero moment. On Friday, Arteta spoke of a post-season dinner and how that near-success can help propel this season. He refers to the players, the club overall — and “how we feel playing at Emirates Stadium is another one”.
Arsenal have not been champions since leaving Highbury for the site at Ashburton Grove and the new stadium has been a drag on finances and, until the club’s recent revival, the subject of hot debates over tepid atmospheres.
If Arsenal are to displace City, then feeling comfortable and superior in their own place is essential. The squad has barely altered and Arteta has it training there more often. It is the sort of marginal gain Arteta calls “huge” and brought back Jurgen Klopp’s phrase when reflecting on Liverpool’s unsuccessful and successful title challenges: “Minutes, millimetres, inches decided things.”
Klopp was correct: in 2021-22, his Liverpool were unbeaten at Anfield and still finished second to City. In 2016-17, Tottenham were unbeaten in their last season at White Hart Lane, racking up 53 points at home, yet came second to Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.
On Saturday evening, after a sometimes convincing 2-0 victory over Wolves, Arteta explains his summer tour reference to “114 points” as a jokey response to the question of what Arsenal require to be champions. It will probably be 90 points or above and that generally means getting around 50 at home (though, in the Covid-19 disrupted season, City got only 41 at home; they still triumphed).
Arsenal’s points tally at home has gone from 41 to 45 to 47 over the past three campaigns. They lost twice last season, to Aston Villa and West Ham United. So there is room for home improvements. Admittedly, there is not much for error.
Therefore, Saturday was a solid start in terms of points. In terms of atmosphere, it was also encouraging. There is a newish, curious demand that grounds should be hostile, teeming with noise for 90 minutes regardless of the state of the game, the home team’s performance or the opposition: hence the recent importation from Europe of numbing drummers. “Un-British” as someone called it on Saturday.
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Arsenal fans salute their team (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
Arsenal have drums and ‘ultras’ — mocked by Wolves’ fans — but after Arteta’s continuity XI imposed themselves in the visitors’ half from kick-off, their aggression was met with the rising volume set off by the drumbeat and spiralling around the stadium. The first Arsenal corner excited some, then Saka was close with a shot and when Kai Havertz nodded in on 25 minutes, the stadium was already alive with noise. The supporters were feeding off the team and vice versa. It was no library.
It is best not to pretend it was a night match at Galatasaray or Marseille or Rangers, but it was animated and loud. And that’s OK.
After Saka scores a sharp second and the final whistle blows, Wolves manager Gary O’Neil calls this “such a tough place to come” and while he may have been commenting on Arteta’s players’ first-half attitude, he also mentions that “everybody knows these Arsenal fans are smelling another title charge”.
On top of that, all Gunners will be delighted to hear, O’Neil describes this red corner of north London as “an intimidating place”.
Sunday afternoon, west London and one year on from Chelsea displaying their new manager on the front cover of the matchday programme — Mauricio Pochettino — there is a picture of an 11-player huddle minus Pochettino’s successor, Enzo Maresca. But then, as well as managers, Chelsea do like accumulating footballers.
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Contrasting matchday programmes, featuring Mauricio Pochettino (left) and the class of 2024 (Michael Walker/The Athletic)
In August 2023, Pochettino was the Chelsea ownership’s third head coach hire (including caretaker managers) in the 15 months since Clearlake Capital acquired the club. Roman Abramovich’s assets had been frozen by the British government in March 2022.
Previously, there was Graham Potter and Frank Lampard for those who, reasonably, may need memories refreshed. Now it’s Maresca trying to maintain order, or the impression of it, and Raheem Sterling’s pre-match statement is an example of the seeming impossibility of that task.
One year ago, before Chelsea faced Liverpool here on the opening day, the CFCUK fanzine called the situation “carnage” and the author of that description, Charles Rose, is in a pub elaborating.
Rose watched his first Chelsea match at Stamford Bridge in April 1968 — against Manchester City — and is a typical, ordinary Chelsea fan, in one sense. In another, as the former chair of the Chelsea Pitch Owners PLC, Rose has a deep knowledge of the club and considered opinions on who owns football in 2024.
“Well, I know who it isn’t,” he replies to the big question, “it’s not the fans. Has it ever been? That’s debatable. But it’s gone further away from the fans than ever before. It used to be owned by patrician local owners, the successful butcher or businessman who wanted to do something for their town. It’s moved to being a geopolitical game, it’s moved to stratospheres beyond what we could ever have imagined.”
The Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO), as the name suggests, understand ownership. Formed in the 1980s when it looked as if Stamford Bridge would be sold to property developers, supporters came together and bought the land. The CPO owns the pitch, the stands and the megastore. To take them over requires a 75 per cent vote in favour from shareholders and the closest anyone has come is 61 per cent — Abramovich.
What did Abramovich own then?
“He owned the club itself, the players, and the valuable thing at Chelsea is the marketing,” Rose says. “Chelsea’s value is in its worldwide marketing, that’s what clubs are striving for.”
It is the same for Clearlake, who cannot redevelop the stadium without consultation with CPO, who know details such as Henry VIII’s 16th-century law on being able to see St Paul’s cathedral from various points around London, one of which is in the sightline of Stamford Bridge.
There is minimal contact with the new owners and Rose says, as a fanbase, Chelsea “had a sense of ownership then (in the past), and I still do, I talk about Chelsea in the first person, as ‘us’. But it’s never been more remote than it is now. They’re stripping the essence of what we think of as the club.”
Blue is indeed the colour.
Rose offers the losses of Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne as examples of Chelsea’s overstocking and misjudgement of squads, so he probably isn’t amused when Mateo Kovacic, who left Chelsea for City in June of last year, curls in City’s second goal to secure, as predicted, the three points.
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Manchester City park the bus at Stamford Bridge (Michael Walker/The Athletic)
As jubilant City fans walk along Fulham Road, past their team buses (plural) they are taking photographs of the ‘CHAMPIONS 4-IN-A-ROW’ livery, while taunting their rivals back in Manchester with this season’s terrace favourite climaxing:
All that money you spent
Since Ferguson went
And you’ll never win four in a row.
City stroll on. Chelsea play Servette of Switzerland in a Europa Conference League qualifier here on Thursday night.
Monday night in the East Midlands: it is past 10pm and Steve Cooper, his Leicester City players and mascot Filbert the Fox are still on the pitch. In the stands, supporters are on their feet. The applause is mighty. These are sights and sounds to behold for a stadium that does not reveal the clear belief Leicester can compete.
And after 45 minutes, those who think it’s all over for the three clubs promoted from the Championship, even before the first weekend is done, are having their opinion justified. Tottenham run away with the first half, scoring once, forcing corners every four minutes or so. There is evidence to support the motion.
![](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/19183752/GettyImages-2166764550-scaled.jpg)
At least one Leicester fan was fired up before kick-off (Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Leicester are losing heavily in lots of ways except the scoreline and the assumption is they, like Ipswich and Southampton on Saturday, will make it three defeats for the promoted trio, possibly without scoring a goal between them.
But football really is that funny old game cliche at times and Jamie Vardy really is that funny old striker. “Not normal” is Cooper’s phrase about Vardy’s fitness at 37.
He is still doing it, leading from the front, cajoling, battling, closing down and then when it matters, putting the ball away. Vardy’s goal here early in the second half, from his first chance, will not go down as one of his classics from his epic Leicester City seasons. But in the context of the night, in the context of the club’s mood and the promoted clubs’ perspective, it really matters.
![go-deeper](https://cdn.theathletic.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=128,height=128,fit=cover,format=auto/app/uploads/2024/08/20015808/GettyImages-2167464563-e1724133519666-1024x683.jpg)
Leicester fans left in the rain with hope; their fear was it would be with resignation.
“I’ll look at the first half because that’s my job,” Cooper says, late into the night. “But to do what we did in the second half in a really good atmosphere… it’s not a win but we’re up and running. It’s more than just a half-decent result.”
It does feel that way and the result is not just important for Leicester. It will have buoyed Ipswich and Southampton, too. It is premature to deduce too much but, faced with the Premier League clubs who finished third, fifth and seventh last season — Liverpool, Spurs, Newcastle — the promoted three conceded only four goals between them.
In 2024, there is a recency bias to the perception the three teams from the Championship will go straight back down. Last season, Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town were relegated having come up in 2022-23. The pessimism around the prospects of Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton are not without foundation.
This weekend 12 months ago, Luton lost 4-1 on their Premier League debut, Burnley conceded three without reply at home to City and did not win in the league until beating Luton in October. Sheffield United lost at Bramall Lane to Crystal Palace and did not win until November.
So when Ipswich’s lunchtime loss to Liverpool on Saturday is followed by Southampton’s at Newcastle, albeit narrowly, optimism dips. Yet Ipswich’s 38 per cent possession at Portman Road tells a story and Southampton’s 78 per cent at St James’ Park tells another.
The focus shifts to Leicester. In the first 15 minutes, Spurs seize almost 70 per cent of possession, win five corners and have one effort cleared off the line. It looks ominous.
But then Vardy strikes, Spurs disappear and maybe some recall that last season was only the second time in the Premier League era that all three promoted clubs went straight back down (1997-98 was the other).
![](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/19183815/GettyImages-2166789765-scaled.jpg)
The mood was transformed at Leicester by Jamie Vardy’s goal (Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
In the past seven seasons, Brighton, Wolves and Brentford have established themselves in the middle class. Bournemouth have rebounded from a relegation and it appears Fulham and Nottingham Forest might be able to cement their status.
Each acts as an example of what Ipswich and other clubs can do. They are also barriers to promoted clubs’ progress. That is the fight. Leicester know its scale more than most.
The weekend stops here, with one last question hanging: what are Tottenham?
(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
Culture
MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers, Rays rebound; Checking in on sneaky-good seasons
![MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers, Rays rebound; Checking in on sneaky-good seasons MLB Power Rankings: Dodgers, Rays rebound; Checking in on sneaky-good seasons](https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2024/08/19145013/0820_MLB-Power-Rankings-scaled.jpg)
By Grant Brisbee, Kaitlyn McGrath and Stephen J. Nesbitt
Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.
We’re approaching the business end of the season. With six weeks remaining, the postseason races are coming into focus as are the finalists for the annual awards.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Aaron Judge are each making a strong case for the American League MVP, while Shohei Ohtani is proving that even when he’s held to only hitting, he can be the heavy favorite to win his first National League MVP and third overall. Corbin Burnes and Tarik Skubal are the leading candidates for the AL Cy Young Award, while in the NL, Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler are favored for the honor.
We can all name plenty of players having standout seasons and getting deserved recognition — but what about those players flying just under the radar? In this week’s power rankings, we set out to identify those players having sneaky good seasons for their respective ball clubs.
Record: 74-52
Last Power Ranking: 3
Sneaky-good season: RHP Gavin Stone
The Dodgers would be absolutely hosed without Stone. Bobby Miller and Walker Buehler have combined for 17 erratic and ineffective starts this season, and Clayton Kershaw rejoined the team only recently. Tyler Glasnow is on the 15-day IL, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the 60-day IL with shoulder issues and River Ryan needed Tommy John surgery right as he was starting to impress.
Without Stone and his modestly successful 22 starts (3.63 ERA, 4.04 FIP), there would be a lot more panic surrounding the Dodgers. They probably weren’t expecting an NL West race this close, and they definitely weren’t expecting to need 17 different starting pitchers (and counting) this season. The peripheral stats suggest that Stone won’t be dominant until he returns to missing bats like he did in the minors. The Dodgers needed one of their gaggle of young starters to be sneaky good this season, and they needed it in the worst way. — Grant Brisbee
Record: 73-52
Last Power Ranking: 1
Sneaky-good season: RHP Michael Tonkin
After the opening month he had, who would have thought the 34-year-old Tonkin would have a 2.73 ERA with the Yankees? After signing a split contract with the Mets and breaking camp with them, the journeyman reliever was DFA’d then traded to the Twins only to be DFA’d by them and picked up again by the Mets, who subsequently DFA’d him once more after which he was claimed by the Yankees — all before the end of April. But after a blown save in his Yankees debut, Tonkin has found a home in the Bronx and earned his way into Aaron Boone’s circle of trust. Upping the usage of his two-seam fastball along with some runway to get comfortable seems to be the recipe Tonkin needed to put together a sneaky good season after a chaotic start. — Kaitlyn McGrath
Record: 73-51
Last Power Ranking: 4
Sneaky-good season: RHP Orion Kerkering
Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm have been the standouts from the Phillies bullpen — and both received well-earned All-Star nods because of it. But behind them, having a season just as good, though perhaps more under the radar has been rookie Orion Kerkering, who has a 2.51 ERA in 47 appearances with 53 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. He’s succeeded especially by limiting hard contact, holding the opposition to a 31.4 percent hard-hit rate that ranks in the 92nd percentile in the majors. Kerkering shot through the Phillies system last year, and made his MLB debut last September. Expectations were high for Kerkering this season, and he has lived up to them. — McGrath
Record: 73-53
Last Power Ranking: 2
Sneaky-good season: 1B/OF/DH Ryan O’Hearn
O’Hearn had five unremarkable years with the Kansas City Royals, compiling a .683 OPS, before he was DFA’d and landed with the Orioles in 2023 in a make-or-break year for his career. The first baseman broke out and he’s carried that success into this season, too. The left-handed hitter has a .801 OPS in 107 games and has been particularly effective against right-handed pitching, with an .818 OPS and all 12 of his home runs coming in situations where he has the platoon advantage. On a team with many big hitters, O’Hearn is making the most of his part-time role and for that reason, he’s authoring one of the best sneaky good seasons. — McGrath
Record: 72-52
Last Power Ranking: 6
Sneaky-good season: 3B Joey Ortiz
The seriously good Brewers have had no shortage of sneaky good seasons — we’ve previously noted Jackson Chourio and Bryan Hudson and Brice Turang — so we’re going with a guy who’s mostly flown under the radar. After going to Milwaukee in the Corbin Burnes trade last offseason, Ortiz has played plus defense at third base and been a steady contributor at the plate: .248/.345/.401, eight homers, seven steals. There’s more power in the bat than he’s shown so far this season, but in the meantime, he’s getting on base and displaying exceptional plate discipline to help lengthen the Brewers lineup. A 3 WAR rookie season won’t win hardware, given the competition, but it’s still sneaky good. — Stephen Nesbitt
Record: 72-52
Last Power Ranking: 5
Sneaky-good season: RHP Hunter Gaddis
Sorry Cade Smith, but once you get the Ken Rosenthal notebook treatment you’re not sneaking by anyone anymore. So let’s go with the Guardians’ other set-up guy. Gaddis entered this season with a 6.57 ERA in almost 50 innings in the majors. That stinks! So when he started the season with 13 consecutive scoreless relief outings, that was a surprise. Then when he served up six runs across his next three outings, that was not a surprise. And yet, entering this week, Gaddis has allowed only four earned runs since the start of May. That’s an 0.84 ERA in 42 2/3 innings, cutting his season ERA to 1.40. Good luck staying sneaky good at that rate. Just look at this stuff! — Nesbitt
Hunter Gaddis, Filth. 😷 pic.twitter.com/FAjIRzAjOw
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 25, 2024
Record: 71-55
Last Power Ranking: 8
Sneaky-good season: C Kyle Higashioka
Sometimes you have the kind of season where almost nothing goes right. Like, say, most of the seasons in Padres franchise history. But sometimes you have the kind of season where even the backup catcher is contributing. Higashioka’s on-base skills still leave a lot to be desired, but he’s hit 14 home runs in just 189 plate appearances, which is more than anyone in the Yankees’ infield this season.
The Padres were just looking for a catcher who wouldn’t mess things up, but they stumbled onto an accidental dinger machine, which is just how this team is rolling right now. — Brisbee
Record: 70-55
Last Power Ranking: 9
Sneaky-good season: 1B Carlos Santana
None of the other first basemen who were free agents last offseason have come close to matching the 38-year-old Santana’s value this season. Not Cody Bellinger. Not Rhys Hoskins. Not Rowdy Tellez or Joey Gallo or Matt Carpenter. The Twins signed Santana for $5 million, and he’s delivered a .241/.330/.432 slash line (112 OPS+) with 18 homers while playing outrageously good defense. He has accrued 13 outs above average, which is No. 1 among first basemen and twice as many as any first baseman not named Christian Walker (11 OAA). Pairing that defense with an excellent eye and solid switch-hitting pop, I don’t see why Santana wouldn’t keep finding one-year deals and play into his 40s. — Nesbitt
Record: 70-56
Last Power Ranking: 7
Sneaky-good season: Justin Martínez
Martínez has a National League Championship ring from his time with the Diamondbacks last season, but that doesn’t mean that he actually contributed. He walked 11 batters in 10 major-league innings, which was only slightly worse than the 48 batters he walked in 49 1/3 innings in Triple A. It would have been possible to make a list of “The 50 players who are likely to contribute to the 2024 Diamondbacks” without including Martínez.
Stuff is stuff, though, and Martínez has stuff. He’s one of the only pitchers who averages 100 mph on his fastball, and his Baseball Savant page is dripping with red ink (the good kind). If the Diamondbacks are going to get back to the World Series, they’ll need relievers. Here’s a sneaky good one. — Brisbee
Record: 68-56
Last Power Ranking: 11
Sneaky-good season: C Victor Caratini
Boy, did Astros fans deserve this one after suffering through three straight miserable offensive seasons from Martín Maldonado. The former Astros catcher had 1,212 plate appearances over the last three seasons, with a .183/.260/.333 slash line. He was under the Mendoza Line in all three. You might be thinking that he made up for all this with his speed, but that’s a common misconception. He actually wasn’t very fast at all.
The Astros found their primary catcher of the future last season, Yainer Diaz, and he’s having another excellent season. But when it’s time to rest him and keep him fresh, the Astros can turn to Caratini without losing too much offense. That’s the dream for every team. They all want a backup catcher who can hit a little, but that’s incredibly difficult to find. Here’s a fan base that appreciates it even more than others might. — Brisbee
Record: 70-55
Last Power Ranking: 10
Sneaky-good season: The starting rotation
When The Athletic’s Jim Bowden ranked every starting rotation before the season, the Royals were 23rd. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince didn’t even give them an honorable mention in his preseason top 10, either. Both writers were dead on about the Mariners and Phillies, who rank first and second, respectively, in rotation ERA this season. But third? That’s the Royals, at 3.56.
The current rotation stacks up like this:
Seth Lugo: 3.04 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, 159 2/3 IP
Cole Ragans: 3.18 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 147 1/3 IP
Brady Singer: 3.18 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 141 2/3 IP
Michael Wacha: 3.33 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 127 IP
Michael Lorenzen: 2.87 ERA, 4.76 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 15 2/3 IP
Ragans-Lugo-Singer isn’t the most intimidating starting three for a wild-card series, but, boy, they’re going to give the Royals a good chance to win. — Nesbitt
Record: 66-58
Last Power Ranking: 13
Sneaky-good season: RHP Jesse Chavez
We know what you’re thinking. Is Jesse Chavez still pitching? Is he pitching well? For the Atlanta Braves? The answer to those three questions is a resounding yes! The 40-year-old continues to be a reliable arm out of the bullpen for Atlanta, where he’s cultivated a legend status and earned the nickname “coach” in the clubhouse. In his 17th (!) season pitching in the majors — a career that includes stops with nine teams — Chavez has a 2.85 ERA in 39 appearances with 47 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings. The veteran has been particularly effective with runners in scoring position, holding the opposition to a .127 batting average in those situations. — McGrath
Record: 65-59
Last Power Ranking: 14
Sneaky-good season: RF Wilyer Abreu
When former Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom dealt Christian Vázquez to the Astros at the 2022 trade deadline for prospects Enmanuel Valdez and Abreu, there was consternation from the fanbase for moving on from the fan-favorite catcher. Two years later, however, the deal looks like a win for Boston, thanks in part to the play of Abreu. (Although apologies to Bloom will have to be forwarded to St. Louis, where he is now an advisor after being fired by the Red Sox.) The right-fielder had a .836 OPS through 96 games with 14 home runs, including a pair of emotional ones earlier this month. As the Red Sox try to desperately stay in the mix for a wild-card spot this year, Abreu at least looks like he’ll be a part of the solution in Boston for years to come. — McGrath
Record: 64-62
Last Power Ranking: 12
Sneaky-good season: CF Victor Robles
Quick, how old do you think Robles is? I would have guessed 30, and that he was a Nationals prospect a decade ago, if not more. Heck, he was a prospect for so long, you could have convinced me he was in the Expos’ system.
He just turned 27. While he’s probably not going to turn into an All-Star, he’s currently one of the only Mariners hitters with any idea how to hit a baseball, which makes him a precious gem. A .345 OBP with 14 steals and strong defense? Break out the rye bread and the salami, grandma, because you’re going to need to eat something while you’re hammering out a 12-year contract extension for the guy. — Brisbee
Record: 65-60
Last Power Ranking: 15
Sneaky-good season: LHP Sean Manaea
In the crowded NL wild-card race, we don’t know yet whether the Mets can make a late charge for the last spot. But what we do know is that starter Manaea has likely pitched his way into a neat multi-year deal this winter. The left-hander has a 3.46 ERA in 24 starts. According to ERA+, this has been his best season since 2018, when he had a 3.59 ERA in 27 starts for the Oakland Athletics. A free agent in the winter, Manaea has made the most of his platform year, while also helping the Mets at least remain competitive down the stretch. As one of the top left-handed starters available, Manaea’s sneaky good season could pay off big in the offseason. — McGrath
Record: 62-62
Last Power Ranking: 19
Sneaky-good season: LHP Garrett Cleavinger
This is what the Rays do. They take a relatively unknown pitcher, perhaps a guy who bounced around, and make him into one of the game’s most feared arms out of the bullpen. Enter this year’s example, Cleavinger, who previously pitched for the Phillies and Dodgers before finding a home in Tampa Bay. In 54 appearances, the left-hander has a 2.81 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 48 innings. His 29 percent strikeout rate ranks in the top 20 of qualified AL relievers and his average exit velocity of 86.5 mph ranks in the top 10 percent of the majors, making him one of the toughest relievers to square up. Thanks to advice from fellow Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen, Cleavinger has found success splitting his breaking ball into two pitches — his previous slider and a new sweeper that’s held batters to a .275 slugging percentage. Cleavinger is yet another reminder of the Tampa Bay Way. — McGrath
Record: 64-63
Last Power Ranking: 16
Sneaky-good season: LHP Erik Miller
Miller is a left-handed reliever who’s built like a power forward or tight end and throws 100 mph with occasionally nasty secondary pitches. The Giants got him from the Phillies for Yunior Marte, and it’s looking like a steal so far.
Don’t blame the Phillies (too much) for giving up on Miller. His stuff was obvious, but his command and control were dreadful, and he had a career 5.8 BB/9 in the minors. Something clicked for him, though, and since the beginning of May, he’s had a 2.90 ERA, with 47 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings. The walks still need to come way, way down, but he’s been a large part of a Giants bullpen that’s gotten more reliable as the season has progressed. — Brisbee
Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 18
Sneaky-good season: 1B Michael Busch
We’ve really rankled Cubs fans lately by not mentioning Busch among the top NL Rookie of the Year candidates. “If he were a Yankee,” one reader wrote, “the clarion call from the Bronx would be deafening.” Consider this your clarion call, Chicago! After arriving in a trade from Los Angeles, Busch started the season white hot and has been remarkably steady all summer. He’s providing standout defense at first base and a blend of on-base and power at the plate. It remains concerning that Busch has struck out in 31.2 percent of his plate appearances in the majors, but odds are that will come down slightly over time. — Nesbitt
Record: 61-63
Last Power Ranking: 17
Sneaky-good season: 1B/DH Alec Burleson
If you’d have told a Cardinals fan this spring that Burleson in his sophomore season would hit .280 with about 25 dingers and 10 steals, they’d have asked if they could give you a big ol’ hug. That’s a great year! Burleson has some obvious flaws in his profile, but there’s been a lot more good than bad. The biggest knock against Burleson: his atrocious defensive numbers. He played out of position much of the summer, bouncing between left and right field despite having no business being out there. Burleson could wind up being on the large side of a platoon, as he’s struggled mightily against lefties, but with his bat-to-ball skills and barrels he should remain a useful hitter for years to come. — Nesbitt
Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 20
Sneaky-good season: RHP Nick Martinez
Martinez has been sneaky good since returning in 2022 from a four-year stint in Japan. He had a 3.45 ERA over 216 2/3 innings for the Padres across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and has seen similar success in a bulk role with the Reds this season: 3.25 ERA in 97 innings. Martinez is a soft-contact savant. What’s changed this year, though, is that he’s simply not permitting walks. He’s the only MLB pitcher (minimum 90 innings) averaging less than a walk per nine innings this year; he has not allowed multiple walks in any outing. Cincinnati is a hard place to pitch, and Martinez has a much worse ERA at home (4.42) than away (1.71), but limiting walks and homers is a great recipe anywhere. — Nesbitt
Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 23
Sneaky-good season: CF Parker Meadows
A sneaky good stretch has saved Meadows’ season. One of the most gifted defensive outfielders in the game, Meadows was optioned to Triple A in May because he was batting .096. He returned to Detroit in July and had four hits in a series sweep of Cincinnati, then suffered a hamstring strain. He recovered, returned and hasn’t stopped hitting. He’s 20-for-57 (.351) with eight extra-base hits in 15 games since being recalled from the minors, and the Tigers are 12-3 in those games. After tallying three hits, including a walk-off single, in the leadoff spot against the Yankees on Sunday night, Meadows saw his season batting average rise above .200 for the first time all season. Considering where Meadows was a few months ago, the Mendoza Line never looked so impressive. — Nesbitt
Parker Meadows walks it off! Dan Dickerson on the call #RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/ckU1zwmTCL
— Dan Dickerson Calls📞 (@dannydHRs) August 19, 2024
Record: 58-66
Last Power Ranking: T-21
Sneaky-good season: C Joey Bart
The Pirates’ inability to identify their catcher of the future is not a new issue. They haven’t drafted one, haven’t signed one. When they added Bart, who’d busted in San Francisco, in a minor trade this spring, few thought they’d found a long-term contributor. But Bart has been one of the Pirates’ best hitters this season, with a .351 OBP, .882 OPS and career-high 12 homers. Bart’s defensive numbers are poor, so perhaps he’s a short-term solution at catcher, but if he hits like this the Pirates will gladly take him as the first baseman of the future. — Nesbitt
Record: 58-68
Last Power Ranking: T-21
Sneaky-good season: RHP David Robertson
Try to find another candidate for a sneaky good season on the Rangers. Go on, I dare you. The story of their season has been a surfeit of aggressively lousy seasons, nothing sneaky about it. So we’ll go with Robertson, who was in the same draft class with Max Scherzer and Joba Chamberlain, roughly six decades ago. He was teammates with a rehabbing Roger Clemens on the 2007 Trenton Thunder, and Clemens was in the Red Sox organization when Carl Yastrzemski was still playing. You can get from Robertson to Babe Ruth in five steps.
Robertson is also having a sneaky good season. Again. Not bad for a 39-year-old who had to pitch for the High Point Rockers a couple years ago just to get teams to notice him. — Brisbee
Record: 58-67
Last Power Ranking: 24
Sneaky-good season: RHP Chad Green
Green survived the Blue Jays’ purge at the trade deadline, and it’s a good thing he did because he has been far and away their best reliever. The veteran right-hander has a 1.82 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings. With their regular closer Jordan Romano on the 60-day IL and backup closer Yimi García traded to the Mariners at the deadline, Green stepped into the closer role and has gone a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities. There hasn’t been much good to come out of this season for Toronto, but Green’s first full season back after Tommy John surgery has been a bright spot and he’s also signed through next season. — McGrath
Record: 56-69
Last Power Ranking: 25
Sneaky-good season: RHP Jake Irvin
A year ago, Irvin looked like he might be a guy who could at the very least fill innings for the Nationals which is useful, if not spectacular. But this season, the 27-year-old right-hander has shown more promise and moved in the right direction. In 26 starts, Irvin has a 3.81 ERA and his 151 innings pitched lead all pitchers on the Nationals while his 2.7 bWAR is behind only CJ Abrams for the most on the team. A key to his success has been cutting his walk rate nearly in half, from 10.2 percent last season to 5.7 percent this season. If the Nationals are going to return to relevancy again, they’ll need the likes of Abrams, James Wood and MacKenzie Gore to perform. But after this sneaky good season, Irvin is showing that he too can be a key part of the future. — McGrath
Record: 54-71
Last Power Ranking: 27
Sneaky-good season: RHP Osvaldo Bido
Sometimes it’s good to be a team without a chance at the postseason. Experimentation is encouraged, if not necessary, and that’s how the A’s can follow a hunch and convert a 28-year-old minor-league free-agent reliever into a starter. Let’s not go overboard with his success in six starts, but the early returns are encouraging. Last year, he struggled with his command in the Pirates organization. This year, he’s allowing some of the weakest contact in the league. He has the lowest hard-hit percentage in the game. Exit velocity data is just as encouraging.
There will be an adjustment from the rest of the league. Each start will give opponents new ways to attack him. After another month, we’ll have a better idea if Bido is for real. My suspicion is that his command will need to improve for him to be a bonafide starter, but he’s done well so far. — Brisbee
Record: 53-72
Last Power Ranking: 26
Sneaky-good season: SS Zach Neto
Angels fans probably don’t think that Neto’s season needs an adjective. He’s just been good. He has a .779 OPS, which is 15 percent better than the average hitter, except he’s doing it as an excellent defensive shortstop. It’s less a sneaky good season and more of a sneaky great season.
We’ll let it qualify for this exercise because we’ll stretch the exercise to allow Neto’s breakout season to feel sneaky good about the Angels franchise as a whole. No, seriously. They drafted Neto 13th overall just two years ago, and he’s already thriving in the majors and looking like a franchise cornerstone. The organization has a long way to go, but developing an excellent shortstop is a heckuva start. Go on. Be a little positive about the Angels. As a treat. — Brisbee
Record: 46-79
Last Power Ranking: 29
Sneaky-good season: 1B/3B Jake Burger
It didn’t always look like Jake Burger would be on this list. As the Marlins were off to their dreadful start, the 28-year-old infielder had a .635 OPS with only 10 home runs in 73 games during the first half. But Burger has turned it on in the second half. In 28 games since the All-Star break, Burger has hit .321 with a 1.161 OPS. He’s hit 14 home runs in that span — including a stretch of eight games in August where he homered seven times. Thanks to the hot stretch, Burger has his season wRC+ back up to 113 which is in line with the rest of his career. It hasn’t been a memorable season in Miami, but Burger may have found a way to salvage his. — McGrath
Record: 46-79
Last Power Ranking: 28
Sneaky-good season: 1B/OF Michael Toglia
Toglia is an extremely large, switch-hitting first baseman who was drafted in the first round in 2019, only to get sucked into the COVID-19 maelstrom that cost minor leaguers a full season of proper development. He’s behind schedule compared to the typical first-round first baseman, but it’s not hard to guess why.
He’s up now, though, and he’s raking in the second half. His strikeouts are down, his walks are up and he’s already hit 20 homers. The most exciting part for the Rockies might be that he’s been even better on the road, which isn’t supposed to happen. The organization’s future is still dull and frustrating, but getting value out of first-round picks, even if it takes a few years, is how they’re going to get out of this mess. — Brisbee
Record: 30-96
Last Power Ranking: 30
Sneaky-good season: RHP Jonathan Cannon
Do you understand what you’re asking of me? The White Sox don’t have a position player above 0.5 fWAR. Their only pitcher above 1 fWAR is All-Star Garrett Crochet, who was the talk of July and therefore not at all sneaky.
There really is only one option, other than the under, and that’s Cannon. The former Georgia Bulldog has had a couple starts go sideways, but the overall line — 4.02 ERA, 4.70 FIP, 1.30 WHIP in 80 2/3 innings — is solid enough. Cannon has command but lacks swing-and-miss stuff. We’ll see how that goes. Normally Cannon would just be a bright spot for a bad team. But he has a big job the rest of the way: helping the White Sox try to avoid the most losses in modern history. — Nesbitt
(Top photo of Brandon Lowe: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
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