Surprises and Disappointments In First Month Of Baseball
The first month of the Major League Baseball season has come and gone. It has been a very entertaining month. We have seen some HUGE homers, BIG strikeouts, and even some fights. There have been some teams that have surprised us with their start to the season and others who have disappointed us. Check out Christ Jones’ article on what to buy and sell so far this season.
Surprises
I will be using teams that I predicted would finish in 3rd place or lower in their division. There is still A LOT of baseball left so some of these teams could go back to where we thought they would be. But they could also maintain their hot start and ride it all the way to the playoffs.
Red Sox
I had the Red Sox finishing 4th in the AL East this year. Well they have the second most wins in all of baseball. They went on a 9 game winning streak in the middle of the month. The thing I was most worried about was the pitching for the Sox. That has been a real bright spot of them. The bullpen for the Red Sox has a 3.51 ERA in 105 innings so far. If the pitching can hold up the Red Sox could win the AL East with the way some other teams (that might be mentioned below) are playing.
Royals
The Royals have 1 less win than the Red Sox. I did think they would be better than the Indians but I did not think they would be leading the AL Central after the first month. The White Sox have had their fair share of injuries, so that helps. But the Royals lineup is really clicking. They have a team OPS of .710. They are finding different ways to win games. I do not think they will stay in first place but they could be a surprise team come Wild Card time.
Giants
Who had the Giants leading the NL West after April? No one? I know I had them finishing 3rd in the NL West. The Giants are currently tied with he Dodgers for most wins in the National League. They have been playing really well and taking advantage of the Dodgers and Padres beating up on one another. The Giants have only face the Padres 4 times in April and did not see the Dodgers. So we will see how they fair against the Dodgers and Padres the more they face off.
Disappointments
As I said about the surprises there is still plenty of baseball left in the season. These teams could turn it around very fast. But if they keep playing like they did in April they could find themselves in a huge hole that will be hard to climb out of.
Yankees
I had the Yankees having the second best record in the American League. They have not started out that way. They are at .500 with a 14-14 record. Injuries have hurt them in the young season. I do not think they will stay at .500 ball club, but I do not see them as the best team in the American League East any more. I believe it is now between them and the Red Sox. If the Yankees do not get healthy it could be another disappointing season.
Twins
The Twins were the second Wild Card team for me in the American League. That does not look like it will happen after the first month. The Twins sit at a 11-16 record after 27 games. They are not always beating the teams they should be beating. They lost 2 out of 3 to both the Mariners and the Pirates early on. I do believe the Twins are good enough to turn this ship around. They have experience to make it to the playoffs. They are a good team, only time will tell how good they really are.
Braves
The Braves sit at a 12-16 record in 4th place in the National League East so far. Like the Twins they were my second Wild Card team in my predictions. They have not had the best time coming out of the gate. The Braves stumbled out of the gate going 0-4 and still have not fully recovered. But the Braves are one of those teams they can turn it on in a flip of the switch. So I am not worried about their cold start.
Wrap Up
The Red Sox, Royals and Giants have all been great surprises in the first month of the season. While the Yankees, Twins, and Braves have all been disappointments. We will see how May treats these teams. Will some change to surprises? Or will others become disappointments? I cannot wait to see how much fun May will be. BIG guest coming BACK on Legends Lingo!
-Tom “Powder” Cadmus (@powder42308)
Images From:
https://athlonsports.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals-2021-predictions-projected-lineup-scouting
Kansas City Royals are going to have a sneaky good lineup in 2021
https://www.mlb.com/news/red-sox-2021-opening-day-roster
Early standings offer a glimpse of why SF Giants face such a distinct challenge in 2021
2021 Atlanta Braves World Series, win total, pennant and division odds