When we check the MLB standings today, the White Sox are the leader in the American League and in the National League, the San Francisco Giants are in the top. Are you surprised to see this?
In addition, the Red Sox lead in the AL East and the AL West leader is the Oakland A’s. In the National League, the Cardinals are the leader in the Central division and the Mets are currently in the top of the East.
When we take a quick look at pitching performance, the White Sox post a 3.27 ERA, leading the AL. In the meantime, the Padres have an ERA of 2.86, leading the majors. Additionally, the Dodgers have a 3.16 ERA and the Giants have a 3.29 ERA. The New York Mets have an ERA of 3.30. These teams do have good pitching staff. However, the Athletics have an over 4 ERA.
The Red Sox post a .772 OPS, leading the majors. Good offense truly helps the Red Sox stay in the top of the AL East. The Astros are also hitting well, slashing .266/.333/.432. Moreover, the Reds have an OPS of .760 and the Dodgers’ OPS is .752. The White Sox have an over .740 OPS as well.
So far, it’s not a big surprise to see that these teams are currently leading in the playoff race because their pitchers and batters are performing well. However, an early lead in mid-May does not guarantee a spot in the postseason.
Looking back to the 2019 season. The Indians failed to clinch a playoff berth even though they did play well at the beginning of the season. In the National League, things were more dramatic. 3 of the 5 leading teams didn’t play in October. On May 16, 2019, the Washington Nationals only won 18 games, while losing 25 times. Their record was only better than the Marlins. We might still remember the rest of the story, the Nationals won the World Series Champions.
When we look back at 2018, the Angels and the Mariners were off to a great start. But, the Angels finished the 2018 season with 80 wins and 82 losses and the Mariners finished 3rd in the AL West. Two teams in Philadelphia did have a great start in the 2018 season, however, the Phillies finished 3rd in the NL East and the Pirates finished 4th in the NL Central. The Arizona Diamondbacks were leading in the NL West in Mid-May in 2018 and the Dodgers were off to a horrible start in 2018. Nevertheless, the Dodgers won the NL West title, the Rockies clinched a playoff berth and the Diamondbacks finished 3rd in the NL West.
Furthermore, in the 2017 season, the Orioles had a pretty good start, but at the end of the season, they only won 75 games. In the National League, the Cardinals and the Brewers went well at the beginning of the 2017 season. However, they were not playing in October.
It’s good to see your favorite team play well to begin the season. Nevertheless, in a long season, there are a lot of possibilities. The Dodgers had a bad start in the 2018 season and they won the NL pennant. The Nationals’ start in 2019 was terrible, but they made it. These two teams tell us that everything could happen in baseball. It’s still early.
No comments:
Post a Comment