For what feels like the millionth time, baseball is back––and it’s back in a big way. We’re already halfway through April, but it feels like the middle of September with all the surprising and exciting MLB action we’ve seen through the first two weeks. Many people who prematurely heralded the 2018 season as extraordinarily predictable, myself included, are undoubtedly flooded by surprise, disappointment, and likely even jubilance, as the first 221 Major League ball games have been anything but predictable.
Of USA Today Sports’ six projected division winners, not a single one is in the lead through ~15 games. In fact, of the projected top-7 teams in baseball, only the Red Sox haven’t severely underwhelmed. Not only does this excite me as a Sox fan, but this unusual start to the season also makes me a more invested baseball fan. I’m able to better appreciate good baseball when I see it out of some of the more unexpected teams.
Let’s dive into each of the MLB’s six divisions and look into the teams who surprise me, scare me, excite me, and everything in between:
AL East:
The AL East was ushered in as one of the more exciting divisions for 2018, with both the Yankees and the Red Sox as possible World Series contenders. But April has shown us a lot about not only these two rivals but also the AL East darkhorse in the Toronto Blue Jays, the current second-place team at 9-5. While the Red Sox offense has soared, ranking first in team runs per game and third in team OPS, the Yankees’ superstar lineup has floundered in its ability to support their abysmal pitching (24th in team ERA), and I’m ecstatic about it.
AL Central:
After losing their first three games, the Indians have managed to pull themselves back into second place in the AL Central division––just a game back of the Minnesota Twins. Clearly, some early season struggles are more notable than others, and I’d say Cleveland shouldn’t be too worried (about their baseball team, at least). The bigger story in the AL Central is that of the Twins; while Minnesota continues to try to figure out its rotation, veterans Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer have carried this lineup to a 7-4 record, including a series victory over the reigning World Series Champs and first place in the division.
AL West:
The emergence of Shohei Ohtani as one of the most exciting players in baseball was expected, but the absolute dominance that he’s shown both at the plate and on the mound came as a bit of a surprise to many, even this Shohei Ohtani fanatic. At the plate, Ohtani is hitting .367/.424/.767 with three home runs and 11 RBIs, and on the mound he’s 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 0.46 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts. If that’s not absolutely incredible, I don’t know what is. On top of it all, the Angels are first in the AL West and 2.5 games ahead of the Houston Astros. The Astros aren’t playing poorly in their own right, but they’ve been somewhat streaky, losing games they certainly should not be losing. I would recommend keeping a very close eye on this division moving forward.
NL East:
When you think of the National League, I’m sure one of the first teams you think of is the Washington Nationals, right? Well, the Nationals are another team that has massively disappointed through the first couple weeks of MLB action. Other than Bryce Harper (slashing .300/.479/1.219 with seven home runs and 14 RBI) and Max Scherzer (3-1 with a 1.33 ERA, a 0.67 WHIP, and 38 SOs), the Nationals have struggled mightily en route to a 7-9 record after a 3-7 homestand. Washington has effectively left the door wide open for the New York Mets to burst right through and soar to a 12-2 record and first place in the division. New York has the second-best team ERA in the MLB at 2.78 and the fourth-lowest opposing batting average at .215. Wild stuff going on in the NL East.
NL Central:
The NL Central standings are so outrageously arbitrary right now that it reminds me a little bit more of Comedy Central. No? Okay. Well, right now the Pittsburgh Pirates without Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole are in first place in the division with 11 wins, 2.5 games ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals and 3.5 games ahead of both the Cubs and the Brewers. Just let that sink in a little. The Cubs are just another highly regarded team that has underwhelmed thus far, but it’s not really out of character for this team––last April the Cubbies went 13-11 after winning their World Series trophy. However, if the Brew Crew wants to stay afloat in an apparently competitive NL Central, they’re going to have to be better than a .500 team (currently 8-8).
NL West:
The Dodgers have been perhaps the biggest disappointment so far this season. The preseason NL WS favorites for many (myself included) have stumbled out of the gates to a 5-9 record, which is good for last place in the NL West. As bad as the Dodgers have been, the Arizona Diamondbacks have been incredible. The D’Backs offense, without J.D. Martinez in the middle of the lineup this year, has been surging (6th in runs per nine innings), and they’re doing it all with Paul Goldschmidt hitting just .235. Oh, Arizona’s pitching has also been phenomenal (outside of ace Zack Greinke sporting a meager 5.29 ERA). Watch out for Arizona in the NL West, because LA isn’t showing any signs of life right now.
(Statistics via MLB.com and Baseball Reference)
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