MLB Season - Biggest Surprises so Far

[WorkingAllTheTime]

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.

 

The Pirates will come on strong. I think my beloved Birds will hold onto the division and Pitt is going to have a solid line on the first WC spot, but I agree the Cubs will have to play hard and tough to get that second spot given the situation in the NL West.

[WorkingAllTheTime]

Another surprise that I have only recently taken note of..... the resurgence of Albert Pujols. Phat Albert is indeed Phat once again.... at least for the time being.

 

Sure, some prognosticators are saying its because he finally has his legs and feet in a healthy place (probably true). Others are saying he benefits from the influence of Trout and other young talent because Pujols is himself so competitive (also probably true). Still others.... okay, only people in my immediate family.... say he sold his soul to the devil to get this kind of rebound (probably not true, but still possible).

 

I am buying on the notion of one more solid season from El Hombre (yeah, he hates that name, but whatever), but I am not buying on the idea of a career rebirth. Time is time. Age is age. Baseball is baseball.

 

The Angels still vastly overpaid for Albert's services and they will not get their money's worth, but it's genuinely nice to see him doing well and not playing the role of laughing stock. As a Cardinal fan, I am long done being angry with Albert for the whole "It's not about money" and "I want to be a Cardinal for life" thing when it really was about money all along. Of course it was about money. Good for him for getting paid and his going away actually helped St. Louis remain competitive (money for Molina, Wainwright, etc.). Plus, personal cost was his legacy in St. Louis and the fact no one will ever really remember him as an Angel, but that doesn't mean I don't want him to be respectable as an Angel.

 

All that said, I didn't think he would have this kind of season... at least the first half.

[tx_rush]

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.

 

The Pirates will come on strong. I think my beloved Birds will hold onto the division and Pitt is going to have a solid line on the first WC spot, but I agree the Cubs will have to play hard and tough to get that second spot given the situation in the NL West.

 

Had a scare today with McCutchen getting hit on the elbow...xrays negative thankfully. It will be interesting if see if any of the NL cemtral teams make any trades at the deadline. Pirates pretty much never do, I wouldn't mind getting Cueto or Hamels.

 

Going back to surprisee, AJ Burnett seems to have found the fountain of youth