Jump to content

MLB Season - Biggest Surprises so Far


tx_rush
 Share

Recommended Posts

Without a doubt, the biggest surprise has been the AL West. Houston and Texas at the top of the division.....Anaheim, Seattle or Oakland leading the division would not have been surprising.

 

Just behind the West in suprises have to be the Minnesota Twins. Clutch hitting and excellent bullpen pitching have been the recipe for success. When they need a run, they find a way to score. We will see if they can keep it up.

 

Who is more likely to make the playoffs - Twins or Astros?

 

What other big surprises have you observed?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the problems of having a channel like YES is that I have basically stopped watching any baseball team that isn't playing the yankees, so I usually don't get to know the other teams until later in the season.

 

So, my biggest surprises are A-Rod hitting well and not being a distraction, and the Yanks leading the division in a year that most picked them at or near last in the AL East.

 

I'm also surprised by how crappy Cano is playing.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Twins. I don't think anybody expected them to turn out the way they did.

 

Apart from that, most of my attention is within the NL Central, which hasn't been much of a surprise, though Pitt took their time with getting their offense warmed up. Cardinals haven't surprised me at all, and neither have the Cubbies, though I'm quite pleased with how the Cubs are doing so far. Bullpen and some of the infielding needs work, but the offense just made the Nats their bitch last night with 14 hits. Cincinnati and Milwaukee haven't surprised me, though I guess I didn't think the Brewers would go that far down the shitter. 17 game difference between them and the Cardinals, by far the largest in any division.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the problems of having a channel like YES is that I have basically stopped watching any baseball team that isn't playing the yankees, so I usually don't get to know the other teams until later in the season.

 

So, my biggest surprises are A-Rod hitting well and not being a distraction, and the Yanks leading the division in a year that most picked them at or near last in the AL East.

 

I'm also surprised by how crappy Cano is playing.

 

Yankees are definitely a big surprise- maybe not as big of a surprise as Houston or Minnesota, but they look good. Tanaka looked really good during his last outing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Twins. I don't think anybody expected them to turn out the way they did.

 

Apart from that, most of my attention is within the NL Central, which hasn't been much of a surprise, though Pitt took their time with getting their offense warmed up. Cardinals haven't surprised me at all, and neither have the Cubbies, though I'm quite pleased with how the Cubs are doing so far. Bullpen and some of the infielding needs work, but the offense just made the Nats their bitch last night with 14 hits. Cincinnati and Milwaukee haven't surprised me, though I guess I didn't think the Brewers would go that far down the shitter. 17 game difference between them and the Cardinals, by far the largest in any division.

 

NL Central has not been terribly surprising. I knew the Cards would be good, just not this good. Cincinnati and Milwaukee were supposed to suck, and they are living up to expectations. Cubs were supposed to be improved, and they have. Pirates were supposed to be a playoff contender, and currently are looking like it.

 

The biggest hope for me is our starting pitching. Our 4 and 5 starters have been arguably weaker than in years past, but our top 3 look like a legit playoff rotation. Gerritt Cole is transforming into a true ace, Liriano when hes on is as tough to hit as anyone in the majors, and AJ has found the fountain of youth. If we make the playoffs, we actually have the starting pitching firepower to make a deep run.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good topic.

 

Personally, I don't think the Astros or the Twins are likely to make the playoffs, but then I usually put too much stock in the preseason predictions.

 

Other than those two teams and the aforementioned Yankees, I'm not surprised by a whole lot. I guess the Rays are a minor surprise (wish the Cubs still had Chris Archer), and the fall of the Tigers is a bit surprising. Maybe the fact that the Padres (who were supposed to be good) and the Rockies and Dbacks are as close as they are in the standings is another one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good topic.

 

Personally, I don't think the Astros or the Twins are likely to make the playoffs, but then I usually put too much stock in the preseason predictions.

 

Other than those two teams and the aforementioned Yankees, I'm not surprised by a whole lot. I guess the Rays are a minor surprise (wish the Cubs still had Chris Archer), and the fall of the Tigers is a bit surprising. Maybe the fact that the Padres (who were supposed to be good) and the Rockies and Dbacks are as close as they are in the standings is another one.

 

I think the Tigers are going to rebound and make the playoffs. They went through their bad stretch.

 

I think Houston is more likely to make the playoffs than the Twins, the sole reason being starting pitching. This Twins team reminds me so much of the Pirates from three years ago, who won a ton of close first half games- average starting pitching that was overacheiving, the bullpen got tired and the level of clutch hitting was unsustainable, and they missed the playoffs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good topic.

 

Personally, I don't think the Astros or the Twins are likely to make the playoffs, but then I usually put too much stock in the preseason predictions.

 

Other than those two teams and the aforementioned Yankees, I'm not surprised by a whole lot. I guess the Rays are a minor surprise (wish the Cubs still had Chris Archer), and the fall of the Tigers is a bit surprising. Maybe the fact that the Padres (who were supposed to be good) and the Rockies and Dbacks are as close as they are in the standings is another one.

 

I think the Tigers are going to rebound and make the playoffs. They went through their bad stretch.

 

I think Houston is more likely to make the playoffs than the Twins, the sole reason being starting pitching. This Twins team reminds me so much of the Pirates from three years ago, who won a ton of close first half games- average starting pitching that was overacheiving, the bullpen got tired and the level of clutch hitting was unsustainable, and they missed the playoffs.

Plus the Twins have more competition within their division. Maybe it's time to stop expecting the Angels to be good though. The A's are 13 games under 500 but with a positive run differential. I don't think bad Mariners teams should ever be unexpected... I don't see the Rangers being able to sustain what they've done either (maybe they're another surprise from the first third to 40% of the season.)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good topic.

 

Personally, I don't think the Astros or the Twins are likely to make the playoffs, but then I usually put too much stock in the preseason predictions.

 

Other than those two teams and the aforementioned Yankees, I'm not surprised by a whole lot. I guess the Rays are a minor surprise (wish the Cubs still had Chris Archer), and the fall of the Tigers is a bit surprising. Maybe the fact that the Padres (who were supposed to be good) and the Rockies and Dbacks are as close as they are in the standings is another one.

I'm really happy to see both teams do so well, as well as the Royals. Small market teams need to do well for the league to be healthy, instead of just being the farm system for the fuggin Yankmees, Dodgers and Red Sox. I especially enjoy watching the Twins at the expense of my hated White Sux :)

 

Go Cubs Go :)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good topic.

 

Personally, I don't think the Astros or the Twins are likely to make the playoffs, but then I usually put too much stock in the preseason predictions.

 

Other than those two teams and the aforementioned Yankees, I'm not surprised by a whole lot. I guess the Rays are a minor surprise (wish the Cubs still had Chris Archer), and the fall of the Tigers is a bit surprising. Maybe the fact that the Padres (who were supposed to be good) and the Rockies and Dbacks are as close as they are in the standings is another one.

 

I think the Tigers are going to rebound and make the playoffs. They went through their bad stretch.

 

I think Houston is more likely to make the playoffs than the Twins, the sole reason being starting pitching. This Twins team reminds me so much of the Pirates from three years ago, who won a ton of close first half games- average starting pitching that was overacheiving, the bullpen got tired and the level of clutch hitting was unsustainable, and they missed the playoffs.

Plus the Twins have more competition within their division. Maybe it's time to stop expecting the Angels to be good though. The A's are 13 games under 500 but with a positive run differential. I don't think bad Mariners teams should ever be unexpected... I don't see the Rangers being able to sustain what they've done either (maybe they're another surprise from the first third to 40% of the season.)

 

I agree with Seattle, until they prove otherwise you cant pencil them in as contending for a playoff spot. However, the pieces are there regarding starting pitching, and Cano is certainly capable of flipping the switch and playing like the old version of himself. The big problem for the Angels is starting pitching - Weaver is pretty good but not a #1. Everyone else on their staff is pretty unremarkable other than Richards, but he also has consistency issues

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm surprised Robin Ventura has a job. He's got to go. :facepalm:

 

Nude pictures of Einhorn do wonders for job security

And as a diet aid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Twins. I don't think anybody expected them to turn out the way they did.

 

Apart from that, most of my attention is within the NL Central, which hasn't been much of a surprise, though Pitt took their time with getting their offense warmed up. Cardinals haven't surprised me at all, and neither have the Cubbies, though I'm quite pleased with how the Cubs are doing so far. Bullpen and some of the infielding needs work, but the offense just made the Nats their bitch last night with 14 hits. Cincinnati and Milwaukee haven't surprised me, though I guess I didn't think the Brewers would go that far down the shitter. 17 game difference between them and the Cardinals, by far the largest in any division.

 

NL Central has not been terribly surprising. I knew the Cards would be good, just not this good. Cincinnati and Milwaukee were supposed to suck, and they are living up to expectations. Cubs were supposed to be improved, and they have. Pirates were supposed to be a playoff contender, and currently are looking like it.

 

The biggest hope for me is our starting pitching. Our 4 and 5 starters have been arguably weaker than in years past, but our top 3 look like a legit playoff rotation. Gerritt Cole is transforming into a true ace, Liriano when hes on is as tough to hit as anyone in the majors, and AJ has found the fountain of youth. If we make the playoffs, we actually have the starting pitching firepower to make a deep run.

 

As a Cardinal fan, I have to say I expected them to win the division, but did not expect them to start off this strong. The true test is coming though.... by way of quad strains. There's a lot of depth in the Cardinal organization in the outfield, but not necessarily in hitting... and definitely not in leadership (which, like Molina, is something that Holliday brings the team in huge bundles). I can't help but think the Cardinals will come back to the pack a bit now that Waino, Adams, and Holliday are out. Sure, Holliday is likely only temporary, but....

 

As for other surprises, I expected Houston to get closer to .500 this year, but didn't expect them to come out on fire. Anyone saying they saw this from Houston is either lying, high, or a ridiculous H-Town homer. That said, Houston is starting to come back to the pack. They will likely be in the hunt, but that AL West is an interesting place. Texas, I think, is just as much of a surprise.

 

I agree the Twins are a surprise, but I also think the AL East, in general, is something I did not expect.

 

In the category of non-surprises..... oh, look, the Colorado Rockies are a AAAA team again this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Twins. I don't think anybody expected them to turn out the way they did.

 

Apart from that, most of my attention is within the NL Central, which hasn't been much of a surprise, though Pitt took their time with getting their offense warmed up. Cardinals haven't surprised me at all, and neither have the Cubbies, though I'm quite pleased with how the Cubs are doing so far. Bullpen and some of the infielding needs work, but the offense just made the Nats their bitch last night with 14 hits. Cincinnati and Milwaukee haven't surprised me, though I guess I didn't think the Brewers would go that far down the shitter. 17 game difference between them and the Cardinals, by far the largest in any division.

 

NL Central has not been terribly surprising. I knew the Cards would be good, just not this good. Cincinnati and Milwaukee were supposed to suck, and they are living up to expectations. Cubs were supposed to be improved, and they have. Pirates were supposed to be a playoff contender, and currently are looking like it.

 

The biggest hope for me is our starting pitching. Our 4 and 5 starters have been arguably weaker than in years past, but our top 3 look like a legit playoff rotation. Gerritt Cole is transforming into a true ace, Liriano when hes on is as tough to hit as anyone in the majors, and AJ has found the fountain of youth. If we make the playoffs, we actually have the starting pitching firepower to make a deep run.

 

As a Cardinal fan, I have to say I expected them to win the division, but did not expect them to start off this strong. The true test is coming though.... by way of quad strains. There's a lot of depth in the Cardinal organization in the outfield, but not necessarily in hitting... and definitely not in leadership (which, like Molina, is something that Holliday brings the team in huge bundles). I can't help but think the Cardinals will come back to the pack a bit now that Waino, Adams, and Holliday are out. Sure, Holliday is likely only temporary, but....

 

As for other surprises, I expected Houston to get closer to .500 this year, but didn't expect them to come out on fire. Anyone saying they saw this from Houston is either lying, high, or a ridiculous H-Town homer. That said, Houston is starting to come back to the pack. They will likely be in the hunt, but that AL West is an interesting place. Texas, I think, is just as much of a surprise.

 

I agree the Twins are a surprise, but I also think the AL East, in general, is something I did not expect.

 

In the category of non-surprises..... oh, look, the Colorado Rockies are a AAAA team again this year.

Yep, the Rockies are bad again. Any team that's only one game better than the Red Sox might as well just pack it in and try to improve for next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Twins. I don't think anybody expected them to turn out the way they did.

 

Apart from that, most of my attention is within the NL Central, which hasn't been much of a surprise, though Pitt took their time with getting their offense warmed up. Cardinals haven't surprised me at all, and neither have the Cubbies, though I'm quite pleased with how the Cubs are doing so far. Bullpen and some of the infielding needs work, but the offense just made the Nats their bitch last night with 14 hits. Cincinnati and Milwaukee haven't surprised me, though I guess I didn't think the Brewers would go that far down the shitter. 17 game difference between them and the Cardinals, by far the largest in any division.

 

NL Central has not been terribly surprising. I knew the Cards would be good, just not this good. Cincinnati and Milwaukee were supposed to suck, and they are living up to expectations. Cubs were supposed to be improved, and they have. Pirates were supposed to be a playoff contender, and currently are looking like it.

 

The biggest hope for me is our starting pitching. Our 4 and 5 starters have been arguably weaker than in years past, but our top 3 look like a legit playoff rotation. Gerritt Cole is transforming into a true ace, Liriano when hes on is as tough to hit as anyone in the majors, and AJ has found the fountain of youth. If we make the playoffs, we actually have the starting pitching firepower to make a deep run.

 

As a Cardinal fan, I have to say I expected them to win the division, but did not expect them to start off this strong. The true test is coming though.... by way of quad strains. There's a lot of depth in the Cardinal organization in the outfield, but not necessarily in hitting... and definitely not in leadership (which, like Molina, is something that Holliday brings the team in huge bundles). I can't help but think the Cardinals will come back to the pack a bit now that Waino, Adams, and Holliday are out. Sure, Holliday is likely only temporary, but....

 

As for other surprises, I expected Houston to get closer to .500 this year, but didn't expect them to come out on fire. Anyone saying they saw this from Houston is either lying, high, or a ridiculous H-Town homer. That said, Houston is starting to come back to the pack. They will likely be in the hunt, but that AL West is an interesting place. Texas, I think, is just as much of a surprise.

 

I agree the Twins are a surprise, but I also think the AL East, in general, is something I did not expect.

 

In the category of non-surprises..... oh, look, the Colorado Rockies are a AAAA team again this year.

Yep, the Rockies are bad again. Any team that's only one game better than the Red Sox might as well just pack it in and try to improve for next year.

 

Maybe the Cubs can give any such team some pointers. By now they must be excellent at following that plan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Twins. I don't think anybody expected them to turn out the way they did.

 

Apart from that, most of my attention is within the NL Central, which hasn't been much of a surprise, though Pitt took their time with getting their offense warmed up. Cardinals haven't surprised me at all, and neither have the Cubbies, though I'm quite pleased with how the Cubs are doing so far. Bullpen and some of the infielding needs work, but the offense just made the Nats their bitch last night with 14 hits. Cincinnati and Milwaukee haven't surprised me, though I guess I didn't think the Brewers would go that far down the shitter. 17 game difference between them and the Cardinals, by far the largest in any division.

 

NL Central has not been terribly surprising. I knew the Cards would be good, just not this good. Cincinnati and Milwaukee were supposed to suck, and they are living up to expectations. Cubs were supposed to be improved, and they have. Pirates were supposed to be a playoff contender, and currently are looking like it.

 

The biggest hope for me is our starting pitching. Our 4 and 5 starters have been arguably weaker than in years past, but our top 3 look like a legit playoff rotation. Gerritt Cole is transforming into a true ace, Liriano when hes on is as tough to hit as anyone in the majors, and AJ has found the fountain of youth. If we make the playoffs, we actually have the starting pitching firepower to make a deep run.

 

As a Cardinal fan, I have to say I expected them to win the division, but did not expect them to start off this strong. The true test is coming though.... by way of quad strains. There's a lot of depth in the Cardinal organization in the outfield, but not necessarily in hitting... and definitely not in leadership (which, like Molina, is something that Holliday brings the team in huge bundles). I can't help but think the Cardinals will come back to the pack a bit now that Waino, Adams, and Holliday are out. Sure, Holliday is likely only temporary, but....

 

As for other surprises, I expected Houston to get closer to .500 this year, but didn't expect them to come out on fire. Anyone saying they saw this from Houston is either lying, high, or a ridiculous H-Town homer. That said, Houston is starting to come back to the pack. They will likely be in the hunt, but that AL West is an interesting place. Texas, I think, is just as much of a surprise.

 

I agree the Twins are a surprise, but I also think the AL East, in general, is something I did not expect.

 

In the category of non-surprises..... oh, look, the Colorado Rockies are a AAAA team again this year.

Yep, the Rockies are bad again. Any team that's only one game better than the Red Sox might as well just pack it in and try to improve for next year.

 

Maybe the Cubs can give any such team some pointers. By now they must be excellent at following that plan.

 

The difference here, though, is I have yet to meet a rational Cub fan who actually thought Chicago would be legitimately contending this year. I met many a supposedly rational Red Sox fan, however, who was ready to just hand the title over to Boston in Spring Training. All that said, it's a long season and a lot can and probably will still happen. I am not buying the Red Sox as cellar dwellers. I am also not buying the Cubs as cellar dwellers for the next few years either. The Rockies? Yeah. I am gonna go ahead and pencil them in for mediocrity for the next decade.

Edited by WorkingAllTheTime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing that's surprising me and for the better is the Blue Jays. They had the hitting power but their pitching staff was mediocre at best.

 

Now they're on a 11W streak with a hell of a run differential.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Twins. I don't think anybody expected them to turn out the way they did.

 

Apart from that, most of my attention is within the NL Central, which hasn't been much of a surprise, though Pitt took their time with getting their offense warmed up. Cardinals haven't surprised me at all, and neither have the Cubbies, though I'm quite pleased with how the Cubs are doing so far. Bullpen and some of the infielding needs work, but the offense just made the Nats their bitch last night with 14 hits. Cincinnati and Milwaukee haven't surprised me, though I guess I didn't think the Brewers would go that far down the shitter. 17 game difference between them and the Cardinals, by far the largest in any division.

 

NL Central has not been terribly surprising. I knew the Cards would be good, just not this good. Cincinnati and Milwaukee were supposed to suck, and they are living up to expectations. Cubs were supposed to be improved, and they have. Pirates were supposed to be a playoff contender, and currently are looking like it.

 

The biggest hope for me is our starting pitching. Our 4 and 5 starters have been arguably weaker than in years past, but our top 3 look like a legit playoff rotation. Gerritt Cole is transforming into a true ace, Liriano when hes on is as tough to hit as anyone in the majors, and AJ has found the fountain of youth. If we make the playoffs, we actually have the starting pitching firepower to make a deep run.

 

As a Cardinal fan, I have to say I expected them to win the division, but did not expect them to start off this strong. The true test is coming though.... by way of quad strains. There's a lot of depth in the Cardinal organization in the outfield, but not necessarily in hitting... and definitely not in leadership (which, like Molina, is something that Holliday brings the team in huge bundles). I can't help but think the Cardinals will come back to the pack a bit now that Waino, Adams, and Holliday are out. Sure, Holliday is likely only temporary, but....

 

As for other surprises, I expected Houston to get closer to .500 this year, but didn't expect them to come out on fire. Anyone saying they saw this from Houston is either lying, high, or a ridiculous H-Town homer. That said, Houston is starting to come back to the pack. They will likely be in the hunt, but that AL West is an interesting place. Texas, I think, is just as much of a surprise.

 

I agree the Twins are a surprise, but I also think the AL East, in general, is something I did not expect.

 

In the category of non-surprises..... oh, look, the Colorado Rockies are a AAAA team again this year.

Yep, the Rockies are bad again. Any team that's only one game better than the Red Sox might as well just pack it in and try to improve for next year.

 

Maybe the Cubs can give any such team some pointers. By now they must be excellent at following that plan.

 

The difference here, though, is I have yet to meet a rational Cub fan who actually thought Chicago would be legitimately contending this year. I met many a supposedly rational Red Sox fan, however, who was ready to just hand the title over to Boston in Spring Training. All that said, it's a long season and a lot can and probably will still happen. I am not buying the Red Sox as cellar dwellers. I am also not buying the Cubs as cellar dwellers for the next few years either. The Rockies? Yeah. I am gonna go ahead and pencil them in for mediocrity for the next decade.

 

With Pitt in the mix, it's become harder to predict if the Cubs will make the postseason. Lately their pitching is looking stronger than ours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Cubs have overachieved so far. Both Bryant and Russell have exceeded my expectations...Bryant is a much better all around player, in fact he won the game with his speed last night, and Russell is a great defensive player even at 21 and learning a new position.

 

As for the Red Sox, they are in pretty deep trouble. Not saying they can't come back but they're 10 under and have the worst run differential in the AL. Divisional mediocrity can only get you so far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Cubs have overachieved so far. Both Bryant and Russell have exceeded my expectations...Bryant is a much better all around player, in fact he won the game with his speed last night, and Russell is a great defensive player even at 21 and learning a new position.

 

As for the Red Sox, they are in pretty deep trouble. Not saying they can't come back but they're 10 under and have the worst run differential in the AL. Divisional mediocrity can only get you so far.

 

They're terrible this year. If they don't turn it around and at least look competitive heads will roll.

Edited by Rick N. Backer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Cubs have overachieved so far. Both Bryant and Russell have exceeded my expectations...Bryant is a much better all around player, in fact he won the game with his speed last night, and Russell is a great defensive player even at 21 and learning a new position.

 

As for the Red Sox, they are in pretty deep trouble. Not saying they can't come back but they're 10 under and have the worst run differential in the AL. Divisional mediocrity can only get you so far.

 

They're terrible this year. If they don't turn it around and at least look competitive heads will roll.

At least the Boston media will be supportive. :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...