Lincoln Zdunich
The MLB season always starts off with certain teams getting incredibly hot out of seemingly nowhere. Some of them are quickly snuffed out long before the dog days of summer. Others manage to keep producing and force their way into contention.
So far there’s been plenty of standouts. Here’s a few from each division that have really shone:
American League East
- Tampa Bay Rays, 1st in division (9-7)
The Rays were in an incredibly difficult position heading into the season. In an AL East that looked downright cutthroat (and had leveled up with trades and free agency pickups), the Rays didn’t do all that much this offseason. It led to an underwhelming feeling about the club heading into their return to Tropicana Field.
But Tampa Bay has rebounded from those worries quite well. They’re 7-3 in their last ten games, and Chandler Simpson is playing like a MVP-level candidate with a .407 batting average and seven stolen bases. All of that is without Junior Caminero, who’s only hitting .233 with two homers.
The pitching staff has been insane, anchored by Drew Rasmussen (1.13 ERA, 16.0 IP) and a resurgent Nick Martinez (2.16 ERA, 16.2 IP).
Will Tampa Bay stay in first in a division dominated by the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays? Likely not. But it’s been wonderful for Rays fans to get to watch with some hope for the rest of this season.
American League Central
- Minnesota Twins, 1st in division (11-7)
Minnesota had a fire sale at last year’s Trade Deadline and was assumed to be noncompetitive in an AL Central that is pretty dominated by the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers. But it’s been this Twins club, led by Josh Bell and Byron Buxton, who have retained first place.
The offense isn’t putting up particularly incredible numbers (.235/.336/.401 team slash line), but they’re third in MLB in home runs (24) and fourth in runs scored (98). But the real story has been their pitching.
The emergence of Taj Bradley (1.25 ERA) as a co-ace with Joe Ryan has been the best thing to watch this year. There’s a lot to suggest that that success may not continue (along with the Twins’ overall success), but Minnesota has been off to a fantastic start.
American League West
- Athletics, 1st in division (9-8)
Even before Jeffrey Springs almost no-hit the Yankees, the A’s were putting up some wild numbers.
Shea Langeliers, at one point, led the league in home runs with five. He has a .297/.348/.563 slash line through 16 games this season. There’s been an abundance of speculation asking if MLB could see another monster season from a catcher after Cal Raleigh’s ridiculous 2025. If anyone can do it, it’s Langeliers.
Returning to Springs, he’s authored a 1.46 ERA through 24 2/3 innings. His 0.77 WHIP and .134 opponent batting average are insane marks for a starter. Those numbers likely will tick up over the next few weeks as the A’s face the Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies.
- Los Angeles Angels, 3rd in division (9-9)
I know, I know, I know. The Texas Rangers are tied for first with the Athletics. And that’s awesome for Texas fans. But the Angels have been doing some insane stuff lately.
Mike Trout looks vintage with five home runs and 13 RBIs on the year. Jo Adell had the best defensive performance of the year (maybe in MLB history?) with three home run robberies. The Halos just hit back-to-back-to-back homers against the Yankees on Tuesday. Life’s been great.
The only problem has been the rotation. Apart from the emergence of José Soriano as an absolute ace (leads MLB with a 0.33 ERA across 27.0 innings pitched), the rest of the starting group has been lackluster. Yusei Kikuchi has a 7.50 ERA and has yet to pitch a winning game. Reid Detmers has been better (3.57 ERA, 22.2 IP), but struggled to miss bats with a .212 opponent batting average.
It’s great to see Los Angeles competitive once again. Whether or not it lasts is mostly dependent on health (like with every team), but they could possibly be a sneaky Wild Card team.
National League East
- Atlanta Braves, 1st in division (11-7)
Drake Baldwin, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, has been putting to bed any worries about a sophomore slump by slugging five home runs for a burgeoning Braves club. Baldwin has a .311/.378/.554 slash line through the first few weeks of the season.
Atlanta has been an offensive powerhouse so far this year. They’re second in MLB in runs scored (100) and batting average (.274), and fourth in home runs (21). Their stars have seemed to finally put it together after years of muddling around since that 2021 World Series.
The best sign has been the rotation. They’ve anchored the team while half their pitching staff rehabs their way back from injury. Reynaldo López, in particular, has been fantastic (2.18 ERA, 20.2 IP).
That’s all translated to Atlanta holding the top spot in a mostly-struggling NL East. As the Phillies and New York Mets underperform, can the Braves hold them off when they start to bounce back?
- Miami Marlins, 2nd in division (9-9)
If you told me on MLB’s Opening Day that Miami would be second in the NL East this far into the season, I would have probably laughed in your face. But this Marlins club has been must-watch baseball.
The rotation is dominant. Sandy Alcantara looks more and more like his Cy Young-self every day, which has made up for Eury Pérez’s early struggles. But the pitching has been more than made up for by a fantastic offense.
Xavier Edwards leads the team in batting average (.343), and Owen Caissie has two home runs with a .245/.309/.449 slash line. They got off to a hot start by sweeping the Colorado Rockies in walk-off fashion on Opening Weekend. That gave them some cushion recently, having gone 4-6 in their last ten games.
National League Central
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 1st in division (10-7)
Pittsburgh has sneakily been one of the best teams in baseball this season. Their offseason moves sparked a renewed hope that the Pirates could improve, and they have. Newcomer Brandon Lowe is slugging (seven home runs), Oneil Cruz is hitting .328 with five bombs of his own and Ryan O’Hearn is batting .305 with a .902 OPS.
The Pirates have seriously outdone themselves so far this year, and their pitching has been even better. The combination of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Braxton Ashcraft has been one of the best in MLB.
Apart from Cruz’s interesting defense in center field, this Pittsburgh club looks healthier than it has in a long time. They’re still my pick to take the NL Central by storm.
- Cincinnati Reds, 1st in division (10-7)
It’s been speculated for years that Elly de la Cruz had a monster season locked inside of him. It seems that the Reds‘ shortstop is finally starting to cash in on it. Through 17 games, he’s batted .284 with five home runs for a .912 OPS.
But the real offensive powerhouse has been rookie Sal Stewart. Stewart made his debut last season and was mostly solid. He’s turned it up this time around. He’s authored a .310/.431/.638 slash line so far this year. That adds up to a. 1.069 OPS mark that is the highest for Cincinnati.
The biggest question is the health of this rotation. If they can tread water until ace Hunter Greene returns later this year, the offense should, hopefully, buoy them.
National League West
- San Diego Padres, 2nd in division (11-6)
The Padres have been on a tear lately. They’ve won nine of their last 11 games, and are on an MLB-leading six-game win streak. If they can keep that up, they’ll hopefully overtake the Dodgers for first place in the NL West.
It’s been an all-around effort for San Diego. The offense has been slugging after struggling to open the year, going deep nine times in their four-game sweep of the Rockies. The rotation has been sterling, despite the recent loss of Nick Pivetta to the 15-day IL. And closer Mason Miller is on an historic tear, with a 29 2/3 scoreless innings streak.
If the Friars can keep the good vibes rolling through April, it will go a long way towards quelling concerns about their postseason hopes.
- Arizona Diamondbacks, 3rd in division (10-8)
The Dbacks were off to a rough start, getting swept by the Dodgers to open the year. Since then they’ve gone off, going 7-3 in their last ten games.
Corbin Carroll has looked like his star self again, with a .311 batting average and 11 RBIs. There were worries about his ability to come back from hamate surgery in his non-throwing hand, but he’s had no troubles. The troubling one so far has been Ketel Marte, who’s off to a .211 start to the year. He has cracked four moonshots, but the average is slightly concerning.
But Eduardo Rodriguez has looked every bit the dominant ace we saw when he took the mound for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic finale. He’s pitched to a 1.96 ERA to open the year. The WHIP is definitely high (1.22) and so is the opponent batting average (.218), but he’s gotten out of jams well.
If Arizona’s bullpen can lock it down (they haven’t lately), this team will go from good to great. They could even return to the postseason for the first time since they made it all the way to the Fall Classic in 2023.
