April is coming to a close and four weeks are in the books in the season. The ballots for the All-Star Game came out this week signifying that the season is officially in full swing.
Some teams are playing like they’re ready to grind out the whole 162 while others look like they left their bats bat at their spring complexes.
Some of the teams have shot out of the gates ready to prove a point, while some of the best teams of 2013 seem to have a hangover. No matter what team you’re a fan of, and whether they are succeeding or failing, you have to be happy because baseball here and not going anywhere for another six months.
30. Arizona Diamondbacks (Ranked 15 in Spring)
Wow, it really is hard to pinpoint one thing that has caused the Diamondbacks to fall this far. They looked strong on paper with Mark Trumbo protecting Paul Goldschmidt in the lineup, and it worked effectively before Trumbo hit the disabled list, but no one else in the lineup produced. The pitching staff has been horrendous with the worst ERA in the league of 5.27, and that’s after a few solid outings knocked it back down. Pitching goes right along with defense, so it’s no surprise that with that horrible defense they also have the most errors in the league.
29. Houston Astros (Ranked 29 in Spring)
The Astros aren’t good. They aren’t going to be good this year. They might not be good for a long time. They have some good things going for them. George Springer made his anticipated debut and has shown flashes, but after 12 games he is only batting .170 and striking out a little more than once a game. They still have Jose Altuve who looks like he’ll return to the All-Star game with his early performance, but other than him the offense is laughable. The pitching has been better, and they may have something in Collin McHugh who looked great in his first two starts, but with Scott Feldman injured there is not much else to be happy about in the starting rotation.
28. Chicago Cubs (Ranked 30 in Spring)
There is a lot wrong with the Cubs. They can’t buy a closer to save their lives. They can’t hit when their best pitcher is on the mound. Most of all, they simply are the Cubs. Unlike the Astros, they seem to be closer to being respectable with quality talent all over the roster. They have a few big problems, though. One problem is their most talented player, Jeff Samardzija, may be gone before the season is over. The other is that they are in what appears to be the most competitive division in all of baseball.
27. Pittsburgh Pirates (Ranked 6 in Spring)
What is wrong with the Pittsburgh Pirates? Last year’s Cinderella story is off to a horrible start and it has a lot to do with a horrible start on offense overall. You can somewhat exclude superstar Andrew McCutchen because his numbers are still good all around, but they’re not MVP caliber like they should be, and the rest of the offense is looking mediocre at best.
26. Seattle Mariners (Ranked 17 in Spring)
The M’s shot out of the gates sweeping the Angels in their opening series and looking strong against the Oakland Athletics in their second series, but they have fallen off since. They won four games of those first six games and have only won six more since and are 3-7 over their last 10 games. The pitching should eventually come back around as they get healthier, but if they are going to turn it around they are going to have to score runs as they are currently ranked 25 in the league in runs.
25. Cleveland Indians (Ranked 10 in Spring)
Much like the Mariners the Indians started off good taking two out of three from the Oakland Athletics, but they are 9-14 since the opening series. One of the biggest issues is the play of Carlos Santana. They have experimented with him at third base this season after moving Nick Swisher to first base full time, and so far the experiment has failed. He’s not looking great at third and it is affecting his offense as he is only batting .140. He is one of their best producers on offense over the last few years and if he continues to struggle, so will this team.
24. Tampa Bay Rays (Ranked 8 in Spring)
Unlike the other teams down here at the bottom, they probably don’t belong here and won’t be here long. They are struggling with injuries to their starting rotation as they have lost Matt Moore for the season to Tommy John surgery and have Alex Cobb and Jeremy Hellickson on the disabled list. Moore is obviously not coming back, but when Cobb and Hellickson get back this rotation will be one of the strongest in the American League and they will be back near the top of the AL East.
23. Cincinnati Reds (Ranked 9 in Spring)
The Reds have not looked great so far on offense. Team leader Joey Votto continues to walk like no one else in the league, but he is not driving in runs like the heavy hitter that he is paid to be. The pitching has been looking good, lead by Johnny Cueto’s stellar 1.15 ERA, but the bullpen has been banged up and Votto isn’t the only one having trouble driving in runs as the team is in the bottom third in runs scored.
22. Miami Marlins (Ranked 28 in Spring)
The Marlins have been better than expected. Jose Fernandez has continued to dominate hitters and Giancarlo Stanton has bounced back from a down 2013 season to start out red-hot. The team is overall doing well on top of those two as they are in the top third in batting average and in the top third in earned run average as well. If this team continues to play this well they will continue to move up, but it will be hard for them to take the next step with the Atlanta Braves dominating the division.
21. Boston Red Sox (Ranked 1 in Spring)
What is wrong with the Boston Red Sox? It is hard to nail it down, but to me it simply seems that the youth is not meshing with the veterans and the loss of Jacoby Ellsbury and Stephen Drew has had a bigger impact than they thought it would.
20. Toronto Blue Jays (Ranked 23 in Spring
Mark Buehrle is having a bounce back year and looks more like the man that earned a large paycheck from the Marlins, but the rest of the rotation, not so much. The offense is doing its part led by Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista, but Edwin Encarnacion will need to find his power stroke if they are going to make a run towards the top of the AL East.
19. Kansas City Royals (Ranked 16 in Spring)
The Royals appear ready to make a run at the AL Central title, but the lack of power in the lineup and the struggles of Mike Moustakas will need to turn around. They continue to pitch well behind rookie flamethrower Yordano Ventura and James Shields with Greg Holland slamming the door shut.
18. Baltimore Orioles (Ranked 14 in Spring)
The pitching has been all right outside of Ubaldo Jimenez whose struggles have really hurt the team every fifth day. The real issue with this team has been health. Star third baseman Manny Machado has not come back as quickly as they had expected and now slugging first baseman Chris Davis has hit the disabled list as well.
17. Los Angeles Angels (Ranked 19 in Spring)
The Angels continue to be an offensive juggernaut, but pitching continues to be a problem. The starting rotation has been upgraded, but the two at the top of the rotation C.J. Wilson and Jered Weaver have struggled slightly to open the season and the bullpen has continued to be a disaster.
16. Minnesota Twins (Ranked 26 in Spring)
The Twins have been the surprise of the season so far. The offense has come out swinging led by surprising star Chris Colabello and hot starts by Trevor Plouffe and Kurt Suzuki. The pitching continues to be a problem for the Twins, but if they can turn it around even slightly and the offense can keep this up then you can expect a lot from them the rest of the way.
15. Philadelphia Phillies (Ranked 25 in Spring)
The Phillies are right at .500, which is not what the Phillies fans will want, but it is pretty good for early on considering how slow this team has been to start the last few years. Their pitching hasn’t been great, but A.J. Burnett, Cliff Lee and Kyle Kendrick have been rock solid and Jonathan Papelbon has been more like the guy the Phillies paid big bucks for saving eight games in nine opportunities. If they can keep this up and Cole Hamels comes back at his normal level, they will be able to make a run.
14. San Diego Padres (Ranked 21 in Spring)
Three fifths of the Padres starting rotation has been solid to start the season but they have a serious problem scoring runs. The team is going to have a hard time making moves in the NL West if they cannot score runs better than this as the Giants are in the top third in runs scored and although the Los Angeles Dodgers are currently in the bottom third in scoring, it is highly likely they will up the scoring. The pitching has carried them so far, but they are going to need a lot more if they are going to make a splash.
13. Chicago White Sox (Ranked 22 in Spring)
Jose Abreu, that is all. Okay, that’s not all. They are going to have to overcome a weak starting rotation with Chris Sale on the disabled list and a bullpen that has blown five saves. As long as Abreu keeps doing what he’s doing, though, they are going to have a chance to win.
12. Detroit Tigers (Ranked 7 in Spring)
The Tigers are leading their division, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are dueling aces and they finally seem to have found the right closer. All must be good in Motown, right? Wrong. The offense is struggling to score runs and Miguel Cabrera has not quite been the guy who has won back-to-back American League MVPs. The pitching will get them in the right position to win, but they are going to need the offense to step it up if they are going to hold off the White Sox and the Twins.
11. Washington Nationals (Ranked 13 in Spring)
It seems like the Nationals should be in trouble with Bryce Harper struggling and now on the disabled list, but here they sit three games over .500. Where Harper has been absent, the rest of the offense has picked up the pace and with that pitching they should be able to make a run at the division. The only problem will be getting past the Atlanta Braves.
10. New York Mets (Ranked 20 in Spring)
What is going on in New York? They were not expected to be this good, especially with ace Matt Harvey likely to miss the entire season because of Tommy John surgery. Even without Harvey the pitching has been good, 12 overall in team ERA, and the offense has been just good enough to continue to win games. Other than the great starts to the season by Jon Niese and Dillon Gee, nothing has been outstanding, but they have been consistent. That consistency is leading to wins and should continue to do so.
9. Los Angeles Dodgers (Ranked 3 in Spring)
The Dodgers are not scoring runs like you would expect them to with that lineup and Clayton Kershaw has been on the disabled list yet here they are still right in the mix for the division early on. Kershaw will be back within the next week as long as his final rehab assignment goes well and the offense will likely heat up with the weather like it did last season, and if that happens they could take off away from the pack like they did in 2013.
8. St. Louis Cardinals (Ranked 2 in Spring)
The Cardinals continue to be one of the most well rounded teams in the league. They have solid young pitching that continue to grow and get stronger. They have replaced lost veterans with new veterans who seem fit right in with the team. The only thing stopping them from being the top team in the division is the red hot start by the division rival Brewers.
7. New York Yankees (Ranked 11 in Spring)
What is going on in New York, part two. The Yankees were a season long old joke in 2013, and Yankees ownership does not like to lose like they did last season. Most baseball fans expected both of those things to change this year, but this fast is just ridiculous. Masahiro Tanaka has turned out to be everything that he was advertised to be, CC Sabathia has discovered how to pitch around his lack of velocity and the offense has been just good enough to win games while they learn to mesh as a team. Every sport needs a bad guy, and for the American League that bad guy is back.
6. Colorado Rockies (Ranked 27 in Spring)
I really want to say good things about the Rockies. I want to praise that offense that Troy Tulowitzki and surprise star Charlie Blackmon are carrying right now, but I just feel like I’ve been here before. The Rockies came out of the gates hot last season, and then came the injuries to the same guys who seem to get hurt every single year. As good as they are right now, I fully expect that injury bug to strike again, and when it does I expect them to fall back into line as a mediocre team.
5. San Francisco Giants (Ranked 18 in Spring)
The story has changed over the past few seasons for the Giants. They won two World Series Championships based off of pitching and a weak, but timely, offense. They have evolved into an offensive team now, and that offensive power has put them into an early first place lead in the NL West.
4. Texas Rangers (Ranked 12 in Spring)
Texas has withstood injuries to nearly everyone in their starting rotation and the offensive struggles of first baseman Prince Fielder to still be one of the top teams in all of baseball. In fact, before being shutout by Athletics ace Sonny Gray it looked like they were ready to run away with a division lead. If Fielder can catch fire and the rotation continues to get healthy, they will be dangerous.
3. Oakland Athletics (Ranked 4 in Spring)
They have lost two of their top pitchers from 2013 to season ending surgeries and another to free agency, yet they continue to pitch at a high level and third baseman Josh Donaldson continues to grow into a superstar. The top of the rotation is looking like one of the best one-two combos in all of baseball early in the season with Gray and Scott Kazmir. If they can keep this up and the bullpen can get in order this team will continue to shine throughout the season.
2. Atlanta Braves (Ranked 5 in Spring)
Much like the A’s, the Braves have suffered season ending injuries to two key starting pitchers and lost another to free agency. Also like the A’s, they have overcome those losses to be one of the best pitching teams in the entire league. Some of it may be luck because it is hard to believe that Aaron Harang will keep up the amazing pace that he is on so far this season. There is no reason to believe, though, that the offense cannot continue their pace and stay on top of the NL East.
1. Milwaukee Brewers (Ranked 24 in Spring)
The Milwaukee Brewers are off to one of the greatest road starts in the history of baseball and that has led to one of the best starts in team history. They are currently dealing with minor injuries to stars Ryan Braun and Jean Segura, but still managing to find ways to win. The pitching has been tremendous led by a solid starting rotation and held down at the back end of the bullpen by Francisco Rodriguez’ best start in years. Eventually you expect this team to come back down to Earth some, but they are building a lead big that may help them cushion that eventual blow.