By Taylor Nigrelli/ The Hungry Dog Blog
We’re now more than three weeks into the MLB season and while the action thus far provides a small sample size, a few trends can be noticed. Some of these, such as the Angels struggling due to a complete inability to pitch, don’t come as a surprise. Other developments, such as the Rockies leading the NL West or the Nationals struggling thus far have come as a complete surprise.
It’s important to remember that most of these early concerns and surprises could be forgotten by June. But this doesn’t mean there’s nothing that can be taken from these first few weeks of action. The trick is to determine whether or not the trend is sustainable.
Oakland’s ragtag band of misfits
Through the first 21 games of the season, the perennially soft-hitting Oakland A’s are leading the Majors in runs scored. They’ve done this despite Yoenis Cespedes landing on the disabled list and more than half of the team’s at bats having been taken by Jed Lowrie, Josh Donaldson, Coco Crisp, Chris Young and Brandon Moss. But this less-than-imposing crew doesn’t necessarily mean the A’s are in for some major regression. Lowrie (.351/.432/.571, 3 hr, 14 rbi) seems to be the only one of the bunch playing well above his skill level.
So, while he may regress, the A’s are expecting Cespedes back from injury within the next few weeks and it’s safe to assume Josh Reddick won’t bat .164 all season. Some have speculated it’s Oakland’s clever use of platooning complementary players that has led to this rapid rise in offensive production. This seems to be the most likely explanation as general manager Billy Beane has long been at the forefront of using saber metric analysis and revolutionary techniques.
Oakland’s offense likely won’t be the best in baseball this year, but it is much improved from last year’s unit.
Rocky Mountain high
After losing nearly 100 games and finishing dead last in the NL West in 2012, the Rockies are 13-7 and leading the NL West so far this year.
This is a complete and total aberration.
Don’t get me wrong, the Rockies have more talent than they displayed last year. Michael Cuddyer is an underrated addition to the already solid core of Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Dexter Fowler. The pitching situation is still a mess, but the early schedule has masked that weakness. Colorado is 8-1 against San Diego and Milwaukee. They swept the Mets in a series that really shouldn’t have been played due to the sub-freezing temperatures. Besides that, they’ve gone 2-6 including sweeps at the hands of Atlanta and San Francisco.
The Rockies will likely win more games than last year but they have not yet proven themselves to be contenders.
Marlins North
While I predicted the Blue Jays would have more issues than most anticipated, I didn’t expect them to start this slow. Toronto is last in the AL East with a 9-13 record and a -29 run differential. Nearly the entire lineup has struggled to get on base thus far. J.P. Arencebia, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion have combined for 17 homers in the early goings, but Bautista (.190) and Encarnacion (.210) have struggled to anything but home runs. Supposed “savvy” signing Melky Cabrera is batting only .253 a year after winning the NL batting title while shortstop Jose Reyes will be out until, at least, mid-summer. All in all, the entire lineup has disappointed thus far.
The Jays real problem, however, has been the pitching. The staff that some believed could be the best in the American league has been one of the worst. The key to this winter’s mega-deal with the Marlins, Josh Johnson, is currently sporting a 6.86 ERA. Veteran Mark Buehrle’s is also hovering around six while Brandon Morrow and R.A Dickey have seen significant regression from last season. J.A. Happ, who was supposed to start the season in Buffalo, has been the Jays only effective pitcher in the early goings.
This story seems eerily familiar to the Marlins of 2012. After a big-spending offseason, the Marlins were expected to compete for the first time in years. They even changed their name to Miami, moved into a new stadium and re-designed their uniforms and logo. But somehow nearly every player on the seemingly talented Miami roster underachieved and the Marlins finished in last place, leading to a fire sale that sent Johnson, Reyes and Buehrle to Toronto. It’s doubtful the Blue Jays will lose 95 games and trade nearly the entire roster but a highly disappointing season seems well within the realm of possibility.
Ubaldo Jimenez and baseball’s strangest career arc
As I’ve stated upwards of 1000 times, the season is still young. But April couldn’t have been less kind to Jimenez. The embattled pitcher started 0-2 with a 10.06 ERA. He may very well be the worst starting pitcher in the majors at the current moment. These struggles are a far cry from 2010, when Jimenez was the league’s best pitcher. The then-Rockie was 15-1 at the All-Star break with a 2.20 ERA. However, he struggled late and finished the season 19-8. In fact, since that incredible start, Jimenez is 23-39 with over a five ERA. Baseball can be a strange sport, folks.
That’s it for this week. Stay hungry, my friends.
Who is the guy wearing Lackey’s uniform? It can’t be Jon Lackey. The guy wearing the uniform now is about 30 pounds lighter than the king of clubhouse chicken and suds.