Let's Talk About Baseball

So far we have talked a lot about basketball and a little bit about football, but nothing about baseball. So, how are things going in America's past time? Specifically, what teams are playing above their preseason expectations? If the season were to end today, in the American League the Rays would win the East, the Twins would win the Central, the Rangers would win the West, and the Yankees would win the Wild Card. The result in the East is not all that unsurprising. So far this season, the Rays have been the best team in baseball. That is not surprising given the absurd amount of talent on that time. Either the Rays or my Yankees are sure to win the Wild Card, whichever one doesn't take the division that is. The biggest surprise is the fact that the East is only a two team race. Apparently the Red Sox pitching and defense experiment has failed. On to the wide open Central, no one should be surprised the Twins are winning. It feels like 3 or 4 teams have a chance to win this division every year and more often than not that team has turned out to be the Twins. With their offensive core surrounding Maeur, the Twins should keep on winning for many years to come. [On a side note, I am really excited for the Twins new outdoor stadium to open. Hopefully, the Minnesota weather can give them a really cool homefield advantage.] Finally, the biggest surprise in the AL is out West. In fact, the standings are the complete reverse of what one could expect. The Rangers have been up and coming for years, but they have final put together a pitching staff and turned a corner. Hopefully, they can sustain it all year because this team could be exciting come the postseason. The A's are right where anyone could expect them, playing well but with no chance of seriously contending. The Angels seem to final be declining after a decade of dominance in the West. All of the losses from their core have finally caught up with them. And finally, the most surprising team is the awful Mariners. With their much improved pitching, this team was a popular pick to win the division and a sleeper pick to win the pennant. Instead, the Mariners absolutely cannot score and are putting the best 1-2 pitching tandem in the league to waste.