By Josh:
We are just three weeks into the season but already we have discovered quite a bit about each of the six divisions. Here is my run down of what I think the most important things that we have learned about each division.
NL East “Surprise…..Maybe Not”
Atlanta 13-6
Washington 11-9
NY Mets 10-9
Philadelphia 9-10
Miami 9-11
The month of April can often cause shocking results as bad teams start off hot and good teams slowly heat up. This division is not experiencing this problem. No one is looking at these standings and wondering how this is happening. The Braves and Nationals are the two best teams and that wont change.
NL Central “Are They Drunk”
Milwaukee 15-5
St. Louis 11-9
Pittsburgh 9-11
Cincinnati 8-11
Chi Cubs 6-12
Well the Brewers are in first place and all I can think is that the rest of this division in drunk and not playing their best. I don’t know if the Brewers are the ‘real’ deal, but I do know that in a division that saw three teams make the playoffs last season, the Reds, Pirates and Cardinals can’t take the Brewers lightly or they might be in trouble when they start beating up on each other.
NL West “Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness”
LA Dodgers 12-8
San Francisco 11-9
Colorado 11-10
San Diego 9-11
Arizona 5-17
Money may not buy happiness but it might buy a NL West Championship. Even with Kershaw on the DL the Dodgers still look strong. The Diamondbacks on the other hand have fallen flat on their face. They must have had a few too many sips of the pee infested pool water from last year. The Giants do look better this year and could make for a great race that was expected to happen last season.
AL East “Am I Reading This Upside Down?”
NY Yankees 11-8
Toronto 10-9
Balitmore 9-9
Tampa Bay 9-10
Boston 9-11
Boston is in last place, the Rays are second to last and the Blue Jays are in second. This would look much more logical if the standings were flipped, but the Yankees are showing that it just might be age before beauty. It is still April so a lot can happen but even games in April count for the entire season.
AL Central “Whose In The Lead?”
Detroit 9-7
Chi White Sox 10-10
Kansas City 9-9
Minnesota 9-9
Cleveland 9-10
The Indians are in last place and yet are only a game and a half out of first place. This division will only get one team into the playoffs at this rate simply because all five teams are going to be taking it to each other. The Tigers may be in first place now but this is a long season and who knows what can happen.
AL West – “The Are Who We Thought They Were”
Oakland 13-6
Texas 12-8
LA Angels 9-10
Seattle 7-12
Houston 6-14
The A’s are in first and that is who people picked to win the West for the most part. The Rangers are a solid team and sitting in second is no surprise. The Angels are surviving because of some kid named Trout. Oh and the M’s and Astros are fighting to see who gets the first pick in the 2015 draft. It is sad to see but really this division is going to stay this way all season long unless something dramatic happens to a team.