75 things for NASCAR’s 75th anniversary: Greatest pre-Modern Era drivers
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Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior Writer
We are closing in on the final handful of weeks of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, the stock car series’ 75th anniversary campaign. To celebrate, each week through the end of the season, Ryan McGee is presenting his favorite top-five things about the sport.
The five best-looking cars? Check. The five toughest drivers? We’ve got it. Top five mustaches? There can be only one, so maybe not.
Without further ado, our 75 favorite things about NASCAR, celebrating 75 years of stock car racing.
Previous installments: Toughest drivers | Greatest races | Best title fights | Best-looking cars | Worst-looking cars | Biggest cheaters | Biggest what-ifs | Weirdest racetracks | Best racetracks | Biggest scandals | Weirdest announcements | Greatest fights | Greatest rivalries
Five greatest pre-Modern Era drivers
There are only two lists remaining in our NASCAR 75th anniversary best-of celebration, and after tackling every subject from racetracks and rivalries to awesome cars and not-awesome headlines, it is time to buckle down and break down the true driving force behind stock car racing: the drivers themselves.
For those who don’t know, NASCAR’s history is broken up into two chapters, pre- and post-1972. That’s when the Grand National Series — founded in 1949 as Strictly Stock — became the Cup Series and the schedule was slashed from 40, 50, even 60-plus events per season down to the speedway-heavy 30-ish calendar model that it still follows to this day. From ’72 forward is known as the Modern Era. We’ll get to those guys next week. But today we’re kicking it old school, ranking the greatest racers of NASCAR’s rough hewn formative years, from 1949 through 1971.
So, grab a pair of aviator goggles, strap your seatbelt fashioned from a leather pants belt (it’s true, they did that) and read ahead as we present our top 5 pre-Modern Era NASCAR drivers.
Honorable Mention: Lloyd Seay
Seay was a Georgia-born moonshine runner who blistered the red clay tracks that were plowed into countryside so they could race and see who had the fastest bootlegging machine.
Anyone and everyone who saw Seay on those bullrings in the years that led up to World War II swore he was the best stock car racer who ever lived. That included NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr., who invoked Seay’s name as wondered aloud about where Dale Earnhardt ranked among the best ever shortly after The Intimidator’s death in 2001.
Seay won an untold number of pre-NASCAR stock car races piloting machines owned by cousin Raymond Parks and tuned by pal Red Vogt, the same men who won NASCAR’s first championships with Red Byron behind the wheel.
Why was Seay no longer piloting those rides? Because he was shot and killed by another cousin amid an argument over whether Seay had charged a purchase of sugar for moonshine cooking to that cousin’s bank account. That was in September 1941, the day after he’d won three races in fifteen days. He is buried in Dawsonville, Georgia, not far from the road where he once hauled liquor.
5. Joe Weatherly and Curtis Turner
Yes, the first real entry in this countdown is a total punt, including two drivers where there would normally be one. But anyone who knows anything about the Clown Prince of Racing and Pops also know that the two Virginians were rarely not in the same place at the same time, whether it was banging their doors for wins in NASCAR’s Grand National and Convertible Series, banging the wings of their self-piloted airplanes midair en route to the next race or banging beer mugs in the bar of a roadhouse the nights before and after all of those races.
Weatherly won 25 races and added back-to-back championships in 1962 and ’63 and was no doubt on his way to a lot more of each before he was tragically killed while running on the Riverside Raceway road course in the fifth race of the ’64 season. Turner won 17 races but never came close to winning a championship because, as was commonplace back in the day, he never ran a full schedule to battle for a title but was widely considered the best raw talent on the racetrack.
Turner’s resume also comes with the asterisk of feeling incomplete because of a lifetime ban that was slapped on him in 1961 for helping form a drivers’ union, requested by the Teamsters after they helped fund construction of his dream facility, the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Turns out “lifetime” meant four-ish years, when Turner came back in dramatic fashion to win the inaugural Rockingham race in 1965.
My favorite Turner/Weatherly story came from the late, great NASCAR radio legend Barney Hall, who once described for me a late night scene at the Holiday Inn that used to be across the street from Martinsville Speedway: “It was the night before a big race and none of us could get any sleep because our room doors were all open out to the hotel swimming pool and these guys were out there raising hell all night. I went out there to tell them to quiet down and there was Joe, Curtis, with Fireball (Roberts, who nearly made this list) and a bunch of girls. They were all running around, naked as the day they were born. Not the girls. Curtis and Joe!”
4. Ned Jarrett
Perhaps the greatest dichotomy in the history of sports nicknames is the one that was long ago bestowed upon Jarrett. “Gentleman Ned” is indeed one of the sweetest, kindest, most unselfish human beings I have had the pleasure of knowing and even working with during his years as an ESPN analyst. On the racetrack, though, he was genuine not-to-be-messed-with steely-eyed missile man, the winner of 50 races, the 1961 and ’65 Grand National championships, with another two Sportsman Division titles (grandfather of the Xfinity Series) to boot.
His signature win came in the 1965 Southern 500, when he won by 14 laps. The following year, frustrated by Ford’s withdrawal from the sport, he became the first and still only sitting Cup champ to retire.
All he did from there was become the greatest driver-turned-broadcaster in NASCAR history and begat another Cup champ, Dale Jarrett. All you need to know about the man that Ned Jarrett is you can learn in this story I wrote 12 years ago, about his relationship with another series champion, Bobby Isaac.
3. Buck Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. won 46 races, 45 poles and was NASCAR’s first back-to-back champion, winning Grand National titles in 1956 and ’57. He also won three Southern 500s and was a series runner-up twice.
As the 1960s arrived, so did his son Buddy, who won 19 races and a Daytona 500 to join his father in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. They ran 187 races together because Buck’s first start came in NASCAR’s first Strictly Stock race, on June 19, 1949 at the Charlotte Fairgrounds and his final start on Oct. 10, 1976 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a span of 27 years, 3 months, 22 days.
He had his greatest success as teammates with Tim Flock and Herb Thomas, two of the drivers he edged out for this spot in these rankings, all driving for the OG super team owner, Carl Kiekhaefer. I have almost too many favorite Buck Baker stories to tell, thanks to my friendships with Buddy and legendary NASCAR writer Tom Higgins, but the go-to has to be a story he told me about racing in the earliest days at Darlington.
“I used to keep a rubber bladder with cold drink in it stuck behind my seat, with a big straw I could suck on, and I really liked to drink tomato juice. I had a crash and that bag got tore up. When the ambulance came to get me the first guy who got to me saw that red tomato juice all over the place. He hollered, ‘Oh no! The sumb—h done cut his head off!’ and he passed out.”
2. Junior Johnson
I mean, come on, he’s the Last American Hero, right? There’s a reason Sports Illustrated in 1998 named Johnson the greatest all-time NASCAR driver, a fact that Junior loved to remind everyone of, especially drivers like Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip, who won championships driving for Johnson during his amazing career as a team owner.
He won 50 Grand National races as a driver, despite only 10 seasons of double-digit starts. He also never ran for a championship, but in 1965, the year before his sudden driving retirement, he won 13 times in 36 starts. He’s credited with discovering the aerodynamic draft during practice for the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959 and also won more races than anyone will ever know, not on the racetrack but outrunning federal agents as he hammered through the foothills of North Carolina running moonshine. As solely a team owner, he won another 119 races and added six Cups, split evenly between Yarborough and Waltrip.
I am digging through all my old North Wilkesboro files and just found this. The Moonshiners & Revenuers Reunion from 2010, held at Benny Parsons’ place in Wilkes County. Yes, that’s Junior Johnson doing donuts in a 1940 Ford. Shot it on my FlipCam! #NASCAR75 pic.twitter.com/CPBaNHHjb3
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) May 17, 2023
Speaking of the Cup, he’s also the man who initiated the conversations that resulted in that trophy and series becoming Winston Cup.
My favorite Johnson story: When the NASCAR Hall of Fame was being built in Charlotte, the curators had all of the parts and pieces to build a moonshine still for display but couldn’t figure out how to put it together. They called Johnson, who drove down from Ronda, North Carolina, climbed behind the display glass, and went to work, overalls and all. The Hall called me, so I went down and saw it for myself. Afterward, Junior gave me a jar of cherry ‘shine, “the real stuff, not what we sell in the liquor stores, so be careful” and I stowed it away. Nine years later, in December 2019, Johnson died. I broke out that jar and took a gulp to pay tribute. I genuinely do not remember the rest of that night and there is still a spot of dead grass in my backyard where my wife saved me by pouring out the white lightning that was left.
1. Lee Petty
In order to make a genuine case for consideration for this prestigious list, it isn’t enough just to win races, one must also win championships, set records and have a considerable impact on the direction of the sport as a whole. No one in NASCAR’s pre-Modern Era accomplished all of the above like Petty.
First, he ran in that initial Strictly Stock race in ’49, borrowing a neighbor’s car and wrecking it. Second, he won the series’ fifth-ever race later that summer. Third, he won 54 races, which stood as the all-time record for six years until it was finally topped by his son Richard (you might have heard of him). Fourth, he won the race that changed NASCAR forever, the inaugural Daytona 500 that took days to sort out via a literal photo finish over Johnny Beauchamp, a story that dominated the national sports headlines. Fifth, he was the first three-time Grand National champion, another mark that wasn’t matched or topped until his son did it. He also was the guiding force for the sport’s juggernaut team, Petty Enterprises, who continued to win for decades after his driving retirement, still managing the business from the front lawn where he hit golf balls and kept an eye on the race shop next door. And finally, he was the first person to take the plunge and make stock car racing his full-time job, stepping aside from his trucking business, which, as far he would ever tell, was not involved in any alcohol transportation (yeah, right).
My favorite Lee Petty story: In 1999, when Petty Enterprises held a press event to commemorate the team’s 50th anniversary, the patriarch fidgeted around on stage and said nothing, then tried to bolt out the side door for his house. I caught him and tried to ask a question about his longevity. He was 85, a year away from his passing, just days before grandson Adam made his Cup Series debut and five weeks before Adam died in a crash. Lee Petty interrupted me and said, “It’s like something that happened just the other day, you know what I mean? I was at the golf course this guy said to me, ‘Man, I’m damn glad to meet you!’ And I told him, ‘Hell, man, I’m damn glad I’m still here you so can meet me!'”
Here comes the American League!
The Detroit Tigers have retaken the No. 1 spot and are one of four AL teams in the top 10 in Week 10 alongside the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros — who cracked the top 10 for the first time this season.
The National League is still well-represented at the top of our list, with the usual powerhouses battling Detroit for first place.
Meanwhile, a number of clubs have continued their fall down our rankings this week, including the Boston Red Sox dropping to No. 22 and the Arizona Diamondbacks to No. 19, with each at its lowest ranking of 2025. Will they be able to overcome their struggles and bounce back?
Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Jesse Rogers, Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Record: 41-22
Previous ranking: 2
After serving up four home runs to the Rangers on May 10 and seeing his ERA rise to 4.61, Jack Flaherty has reeled off a 2.22 ERA over his past four starts. He is looking much more like the pitcher the Tigers had in the first half of 2024 before they traded him to the Dodgers then re-signed him as a free agent over the winter. In three of those four recent games, Flaherty threw his fastball just over 50% of the time, which he hadn’t done in any of his first eight starts. The Tigers also received consecutive scoreless starts from Keider Montero filling in for the injured Reese Olson. This rotation isn’t just Tarik Skubal. — Schoenfield
Record: 37-25
Previous ranking: 3
The Dodgers’ offense has kept L.A. in its familiar first-place perch despite widespread pitching struggles. The attack might be getting even more potent thanks to the sudden resurgence of Max Muncy, perhaps baseball’s hottest hitter. Muncy capped a seven-game stretch in which he hit .409/.500/1.227 with a game-tying homer in Tuesday’s dramatic extra-inning win over the Mets. It was Muncy’s sixth long ball of that stretch, during which he lifted his season OPS from .653 to .781. For the season, Muncy has a .945 OPS at Dodger Stadium, but an anemic .593 mark on the road. — Doolittle
Record: 39-23
Previous ranking: 6
Ronny Mauricio is back in the big leagues. The former top prospect debuted with the Mets in September 2023, but he tore an ACL in winter ball then had a second surgery last summer, ultimately missing the entire 2024 season. After hitting .515 with three home runs in nine games in Triple-A this year, the Mets called him up to replace the injured Mark Vientos on the roster. He went 0-for-4 on Tuesday while playing third base. The switch-hitter could get time at third, second and DH, although the Mets do have Brett Baty, Jeff McNeil and Luisangel Acuña capable of playing the infield, as well. — Schoenfield
Record: 37-23
Previous ranking: 4
Take 2 for Devin Williams. The Yankees righty is back in his closing role after Luke Weaver went down with a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for four to six weeks. Will Williams be better this time around? The Yankees think so after he had a decent run as a middle man. He hadn’t given up a run in 10 of his previous 11 appearances before returning to the closer job. Just as important, Williams walked only one hitter during that time frame while striking out 15. His first test back at closer came on Tuesday. And while he passed — New York beat Cleveland 3-2 — he did give up a run in the ninth. So, stay tuned. — Rogers
Record: 37-24
Previous ranking: 1
After a hot stretch against the Pirates, Rockies, A’s and Braves that saw the Phillies win 11 of 12 games, Philadelphia got swept at home by the Brewers over the weekend, losing the three games by a combined score of 28-11. Jesus Luzardo allowed 12 hits and 12 runs in a 17-7 loss, seeing his ERA climb from 2.15 to 3.58. He became just the 12th pitcher in MLB history to allow as many as 12 runs while pitching 3⅓ innings or fewer. On the bright side, while Ranger Suarez allowed seven runs in his 2025 debut, he has since had three scoreless starts in five appearances (although he picked up a no-decision in a 5-2 loss to Milwaukee as the bullpen blew a 2-1 lead). — Schoenfield
Record: 38-23
Previous ranking: 5
The Cubs are managing just fine without Shota Imanaga (hamstring) and Justin Steele (elbow), but they probably will look to augment their staff via trade come July. Chicago got a huge outing from second-year player Ben Brown over the weekend when he threw six shutout innings against the Reds, giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out nine. It came after the team used lefty Drew Pomeranz as an opener. That trend could continue, as Brown is a two-pitch pitcher who has trouble going through a lineup three times and sometimes gets into first-inning trouble. An opener addresses both issues. — Rogers
Record: 35-25
Previous ranking: 7
As the Padres keep trying to patch up their hole-riddled lineup, Manny Machado continues to put up All-Star numbers in his 14th season. Machado has never hit .300 in a full season (he hit .304 in the shortened 2020 campaign), but he might get there this year as he suddenly has become a line-drive force. He is striking out less than at any time since 2021, yet his average exit velocity is the highest it’s been during that span. Machado is 32, but he shows every sign of graceful aging as he approaches the 2,000-hit milestone for his likely Hall-of-Fame career. — Doolittle
Record: 32-28
Previous ranking: 8
Seattle slipped behind Houston in the AL West since we last convened, but the news out of the Great Northwest is getting brighter. Starter Bryce Miller was activated from the injured list after a three-week stay. Even better, Logan Gilbert was slated for a second rehab start as his recovery from a balky elbow nears completion. If Gilbert is activated soon, the Mariners’ projected five-man rotation — Miller, Gilbert, George Kirby, Luis Castillo and Bryan Woo — will be intact for the first time all season. That Seattle spent so much time in first place despite that fact could portend a happy summer for Mariners fans. — Doolittle
Record: 34-28
Previous ranking: 9
The Giants have slid in the standings and the win-loss column of late, as their robust pitching staff hasn’t been able to carry an increasingly foundering offense. With Wilmer Flores, Mike Yastrzemski and Jung Hoo Lee all slowing after good starts, first-year general manager Buster Posey has started to shuffle the roster, most notably designating LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment. In the minors, top prospect Bryce Eldridge was moved from Double-A to Triple-A, so perhaps he could help later in the season. For all the shuffling, the key remains free-agent splash Willy Adames, who continues to labor with a sub-80 OPS+. — Doolittle
Record: 33-28
Previous ranking: 12
The Astros returned to the top of the AL West for the first time since the initial few days of the campaign. They accomplished this despite an ongoing plague of pitching injuries and the lingering unavailability of star slugger Yordan Alvarez. Perhaps the biggest reason for the Astros’ ability to remain afloat has been shortstop Jeremy Peña‘s emergence into a top-10 overall player in the AL. The 27-year-old has morphed from a high-strikeout, low-walk power threat to a complete package at the dish. Peña has slashed his whiff rate to elite levels, losing no power in the process while continuing to shine on defense. — Doolittle
Record: 33-27
Previous ranking: 10
The Cardinals are holding steady in the NL wild-card race despite an up-and-down week. But the question continues to linger in St. Louis: Can the Cardinals stay in the race long enough to convince the front office not to trade away their pending free agents? Inside the clubhouse, undoubtedly that answer is yes. It might get to the point that outgoing top decision-maker John Mozeliak decides to add. Why not take one more kick at the can? — Rogers
Record: 34-27
Previous ranking: 11
Chris Paddack is turning into one of the pleasant surprises of 2025. After the Twins acquired him from the Padres in 2022, he underwent Tommy John surgery after just five starts, wiping out nearly two full seasons. He had a 4.99 ERA last year in 17 starts, allowing a .283 average. He allowed nine runs in his first start this year, but he has posted a 2.47 ERA since then. He then enjoyed his best outing of the season on Sunday in Seattle, allowing one run in eight innings with 10 strikeouts while throwing 110 pitches (although he came away with a no-decision in a 2-1 loss). — Schoenfield
Record: 34-29
Previous ranking: 20
Finally. The Brewers are showing some life. An eight-game win streak that ended Tuesday night vaulted them into the playoff picture. Their offensive surge has been led by Christian Yelich — who hit .414 with a 1.1313 OPS during the win streak — but he’s not the only one doing damage. Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick also had big weeks, contributing to a sweep in Philadelphia for the team’s signature series win so far this season. — Rogers
Record: 33-27
Previous ranking: 14
Jose Ramirez has been on extended hot streak. He had a 21-game hitting streak in May that included 11 multihit outings. After a hitless game on Friday, he followed with three straight two-hit games, raising his average to .330. Ramirez last hit .300 back in 2017, and his current OPS+ would be the second highest of his career, behind only the shortened 2020 season. He might not approach a 40/40 season like last year, when he fell one home run short, but he could be headed for a third 30/30 campaign. He should be the easy All-Star starter at third base for his fourth start in the Midsummer Classic and seventh selection. — Schoenfield
Record: 30-29
Previous ranking: 16
Junior Caminero is heating up, hitting .400 over a 10-game stretch that ended Tuesday. He hit five home runs and drove in a whopping 17 runs during that span, including a two-homer game against Houston over the weekend. He added another blast in Tuesday’s victory over Texas. He has been all over fastballs lately, hitting .292 on the season against them. His bat has helped push the Rays past .500 and back into the AL playoff race. — Rogers
Record: 27-33
Previous ranking: 15
Ronald Acuña Jr. has been terrific in his return from knee surgery, hitting .341/.413/.610 with three home runs in his first 11 games back. But the Braves also need a lift from Spencer Strider — and he hasn’t delivered it just yet. Strider made one start in April in his return from Tommy John surgery, but a hamstring injury caused him to miss a month. In three starts since coming off the IL, he has allowed 10 runs in 14 innings while walking seven batters and hitting three. He also served up three home runs in a loss to Arizona on Tuesday. It hasn’t helped that the lineup continues to scuffle, scoring just one run in each of two losses to the Red Sox. — Schoenfield
Record: 32-29
Previous ranking: 17
After tearing through Double-A and Triple-A, hitting .322 with 15 home runs in 50 games, Jac Caglianone made his highly anticipated MLB debut on Tuesday, going 0-for-5 in a 10-7 win over St. Louis. He hit sixth and served as the DH (after beginning to see some outfield reps in the minors). Despite the hitless outing, Caglianone showed off his potential, as he had four hard-hit balls of 95-plus mph. Three of those were groundouts, and one was a drive into right-center in his first at-bat that Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II made a fine running catch on. — Schoenfield
Record: 32-29
Previous ranking: 22
Toronto’s offense came to play against the A’s during a four-game sweep last week. The Blue Jays totaled 39 runs, led by Addison Barger, Bo Bichette and George Springer. Each had three home runs during Toronto’s five-game win streak, which ended on Tuesday in a loss to the Phillies. Thanks to the series against the pitching-challenged A’s, Toronto boasted the highest OPS of any team last week. The question is whether it can continue against better opponents. That hasn’t always been the case this season for the Jays; see Tuesday’s 8-3 loss to the Phillies as evidence. — Rogers
Record: 30-31
Previous ranking: 13
The Diamondbacks appeared to be most likely to challenge the Dodgers in the NL West. That could still happen. But for now, Arizona might challenge L.A. for the title of most disappointing starting rotation, at least among expected contenders. Arizona’s 23rd-ranked rotation ERA is bad enough. Then came this zinger: Ace Corbin Burnes, he of the $210 million contract, is on the IL with an elbow problem, the specific diagnosis of which has initially proved to be elusive. Not great. — Doolittle
Record: 29-33
Previous ranking: 21
The Rangers’ up-and-down start to the season has left them almost precisely mediocre, which isn’t exactly what they were shooting for. It has felt like every positive development that’s happened for Texas since Opening Day has been accompanied by an equivalent gut punch. The pattern continued last week, when Marcus Semien showed signs of catching fire after foundering the first two months as one of baseball’s least productive hitters. Alas, ace Nathan Eovaldi hit the IL with triceps fatigue, weakening a rotation big three (Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle) that has kept Texas in the realm of contention. And so on it goes. — Doolittle
Record: 30-33
Previous ranking: 19
TJ Friedl has given the Reds a needed boost at the plate, collecting 10 multihit games since May 19. The 29-year-old outfielder is having a resurgent season after seeing his OPS drop below .700 last year. This year, he has hit more in line with his 2023 campaign, when he smacked 18 home runs and compiled a .352 on-base percentage. He is showing a little less power than two years ago, but his on-base has shot up over .380, and he is hitting over .360 off fastballs. — Rogers
Record: 30-34
Previous ranking: 18
The Red Sox’s offense looks pedestrian without Alex Bregman, who’s been out with a right quad injury since late last month. The team ranks in the bottom third in run scoring during that time frame. Wilyer Abreu and Trevor Story have struggled the most, striking out about six times more than they’ve walked over the past half-month. That’s a recipe for some ugly at-bats. Fortunately, Rafael Devers has picked up the slack, averaging more than an RBI per game during Bregman’s absence. But Boston needs someone else to step up, as Bregman is going to be out for a while. Boston’s record as of late reflects its struggles. — Rogers
Record: 29-32
Previous ranking: 24
The Nationals had a nice road trip, winning two of three in Seattle and in Phoenix as the offense exploded for at least nine runs in four consecutive games. The highlights included a seven-run 10th inning against the Mariners and a 10-run first inning against the Diamondbacks in which the first 11 batters all reached base and five doubles were tallied. During the latter contest, the Nats scored nine runs before an out was recorded, the second most in a first inning since 1961. (The Red Sox scored 10 against the Marlins in 2003.) Luis Garcia had eight hits and six RBIs over the four outings, while the red-hot James Wood homered twice and drove in seven runs. — Schoenfield
Record: 28-33
Previous ranking: 23
The Angels have played the most road games in the majors, which has made their roller-coaster (but encouraging) start that much more impressive. Even better, they’ve played well away from Anaheim, generally remaining on the happy side of .500. The upside of such a road-heavy slate is that, by definition, the rest of their schedule will be MLB’s most home-heavy. For the Angels to take advantage, though, they need to actually start holding down the fort at the Big A, where they’ve gone 10-15. The hitters rank 5th in scoring on the road but 30th at home. That needs to change — Doolittle
Record: 24-36
Previous ranking: 27
Could a weekend sweep of an AL opponent mean the Orioles are back? Not likely, when you consider it was the lowly White Sox who failed to win a game in Baltimore. Even in taking the trio of games, the O’s only scored nine runs; but at least they pitched well, something that has eluded them for most of the season. That carried over to a 5-1 win at Seattle on Tuesday. Charlie Morton also has had a couple of good outings in a row that have led to wins. Perhaps he can right the ship enough to get traded, since it’s still a huge long shot for Baltimore to get back into the playoff race. — Rogers
Record: 23-39
Previous ranking: 28
OK, time for that annual exercise: Who on the Pirates can be unloaded to help other teams come trade season? Veteran infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa comes to mind. Andrew McCutchen, Tommy Pham, Adam Frazier and Andrew Heaney too. In other words, just about anyone this side of Paul Skenes can be had. If the Pirates can acquire even one hitting prospect to pair with Oneil Cruz, it would help. Cruz is their top hitter right now, ranking 40th in OPS in MLB. The next Pirate on the list is the 38-year-old McCutchen, at 81st. — Rogers
Record: 23-37
Previous ranking: 26
The Marlins became the first team to lose a series against the Rockies this season — and then the first to be swept by Colorado after dropping the final game in Miami. Monday’s announced home attendance was 5,894, which was a generous assessment of the actual in-game crowd. Pictures of a nearly empty stadium at first pitch filled social media. The game ended with a 6-4 loss. The Marlins had plenty of scoring opportunities but went just 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position. — Schoenfield
Record: 23-40
Previous ranking: 25
After showing some early signs of respectability and even a possible fringe run at a wild-card slot, the Athletics collapsed like the construct of a Jenga player who’s had one too many. The culprit has been pitching, particularly in the rotation, an area the A’s had hoped would be solid. Since the A’s topped out at four games over .500 (20-16), the starters have gone 3-24 with an ERA around 7.00, which is, unsurprisingly, the worst mark in the majors over that span. Double-digit outputs by the opposition have become the norm — as in 10 times over the Athletics’ past 25 games. — Doolittle
Record: 19-43
Previous ranking: 29
Down on the farm, there have been mixed reviews of Chicago’s highly regarded top five prospects. Hagen Smith had pitched just 25 innings in seven starts with 20 walks (although 42 strikeouts) in Double-A before going on the IL with elbow soreness. Colson Montgomery is hitting .191 in Triple-A. Noah Schultz has a high WHIP in Double-A (47 hits and 28 walks in 46 IP). Kyle Teel has hit well in Triple-A (.287/.389/.483) but has 54 strikeouts in 49 games. Braden Montgomery did earn a promotion to High-A but is hitting .246 there after hitting .304 in Single-A. Teel is most likely to make his MLB debut this year, although there’s little need to rush him with Edgar Quero and Matt Thaiss sharing catching duties. — Schoenfield
Record: 12-50
Previous ranking: 30
When a team is on pace to shatter the all-time loss record, you don’t generally expect any facet of that team to actually be good. However, the Colorado bullpen — despite having precious few leads to protect — has been positively not entirely terrible. (It’s all relative, of course.) For the Rockies, this could be more than a moral victory during a tortuously lost season. As the trade deadline approaches, Colorado might be able to capitalize on the always-busy derby for in-season bullpen help. Sure to attract calls are Seth Halvorsen and Jake Bird. — Doolittle
CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber promised himself after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April that he would be honest about his rehabilitation process.
Even though the Cleveland Guardians ace is going through his first setback, Bieber is trying to remain optimistic.
Bieber is in the middle of a seven-day pause from throwing after experiencing soreness in his right elbow following his first rehab start on May 31 and a bullpen session on Tuesday.
The right-hander was scheduled to make his second rehab start with Double-A Akron on Friday before being shut down.
“My mind went back to a very close buddy of mine said a few weeks or a few months back when I was starting bullpens. He was like, ‘Just don’t freak out. If you get a setback, everybody gets at least one,'” Bieber said before Saturday’s game against the Houston Astros. “I was hoping to be that anomaly, but at the same time, maybe it’s just part of the process and I’m trying to listen to my elbow and my body and do what’s best for myself and the team in the long term.”
Bieber will be checked again the middle of next week before the team’s medical staff and specialist Dr. Keith Meister decide the next steps.
Bieber threw 21⅓ scoreless innings in an Arizona Complex League game on May 31, which was his 30th birthday. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner faced nine batters, allowed one hit and struck out five while throwing 42 pitches.
“I’m a little frustrated with the timing of it as I get out here to Cleveland and join the team, but unfortunately, these rehab processes aren’t exactly linear,” Bieber said. “I’ve had a fantastic progression up to this point. A small hiccup, but hopefully we’ll just keep it at just that.”
Bieber — who agreed to a one-year, $14 million contract last fall with a $16 million player option for 2026 — appeared to be on pace to return to the Guardians’ rotation in late June, but that could be delayed until after the All-Star break.
Cleveland (33-29) went into Saturday 7½ games behind Detroit in the AL Central, and a half-game out of a wild-card spot.
Guardians starters have the sixth-highest ERA in the American League (4.11).
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