By: Mike Carter
One of my favorite songs is called “No Surprises” by a band called Radiohead. One of the most important lines in it is “no alarms and no surprises, please.”
In the world we live in today, very little surprises me. Is anyone surprised anymore by the Twitter storms that come from a president who seems to think he is still on a reality show, under the cloud of investigation? Is anyone surprised that up until this weekend, it was snowing in the Midwest, in late April? Is there any surprise that the Cleveland Browns have the first pick in the NFL Draft this week? It’s the season of road construction and standardized testing for our kids, the season of unceasing yard work and the accompanying thumb blisters. No alarms and no surprises.
Yet in a seemingly moribund and macabre world, we all have to find out joy, somehow, some way, correct? And baseball season is back in full swing. Or should I say, full swings and misses? Almost 23% of all April at bats have ended with a punch-out. The strikeout rate has increased in MLB for eleven consecutive seasons. Let that sink in a minute. According to the Washington Post, over 20% of every at bat this year has resulted in a 0-2 count. Over 34% of all at bats end in either a home run, a walk, or a strikeout. We are currently on pace for 600 fewer home runs this year as well, but that could be attributable to the terrible April weather that has besieged most of America.
So, what have been my top surprises in MLB this April?
I have been surprised that Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have been so mediocre thus far. Of course, the Dodgers are missing their best player, Justin Turner, and both Corey Seager and Kenley Jansen have gotten off to slow starts. Both the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks are for real and the Dodgers better get right in a hurry. The Cubs have not hit yet, but they will, and their pitching has been poor. The Cubs don’t have an ace right now, and I don’t think they are going to go out and find one. Their guys historically are too good to be this bad for too long. The Cubs should come around soon.
I am surprised that Shohei Ohtani has been able to pull off his dual role. After watching him struggle in Spring Training, I thought he’d be fine on the mound, but struggle at the plate. His first two starts were against the not-so-mighty Oakland Athletics, but Ohtani put on a show. The power at the plate has surprised me. Early on, he looked susceptible to hard stuff on the inner half of the plate. But he has made believers so far with three home runs and an OPS over 1.000. If he continues to be successful balancing two roles, he could open the door for other players of his ilk. Keep in mind, however, we are only a month in to the season, and the league will adjust to him, and he will be forced to adjust back. He also is sporting a blister now, too, and he could start suffering the dings and bruises that all players get along the way. That being said, I am really pulling for the guy!
The Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets are both off to hot starts. The Red Sox are bludgeoning the American League thus far with a +65 run differential through twenty four games. The Mets have most of their pitching staff intact at this time, with apologies to the demoted and broken Matt Harvey, and don’t look to be slowing down. Shrewd late-spring additions like Todd Frazier and Adrian Gonzalez have paid dividends and it looks like the Mets can stick around, at least until the Washington Nationals get healthy and have a say in the NL East.
Know what hasn’t surprised me? The slow start of Giancarlo Stanton. Prone to strikeouts and dry spells as a member of the Miami Marlins, that has carried over to his debut on the massive New York stage. He’s barely hitting .200 with only five home runs thus far. He’s getting booed so far, but that won’t last for long when he starts hitting tape-measure shots. Coming soon…
There have been some young players that you should keep an eye on, if you have not already seen them or heard of them. Check out Ozzie Albies, playing second base for the Atlanta Braves. Gleyber Torres was just called up by the New York Yankees. Watch Teoscar Hernandez, an outfielder with the Toronto Blue Jays. Rhys Hoskins took the NL by storm last year and is off to another excellent start with the Philadelphia Phillies. Ronald Acuna made his debut for the Braves yesterday and went a modest 3-4 with a double, HR, two runs and two RBI’s. Sure, to come shortly is Eloy Jimenez (White Sox, please, we need something here on the South Side).
You never know what is going to happen; it’s truly amazing. Last weekend, lightly-known Sean Manaea no-hit the mighty Red Sox. Yes, Manaea is known to hardcore fans and fantasy buffs, but he’s not well-known outside of Oakland. That night he was excellent and mastered the best team in the game. A few weeks ago, the Houston Astros won a game 1-0 against the San Diego Padres when a popup went uncaught by the infield. A walk-off pop-up? I had never seen that before and might not ever again. Such is the glory of this great game. It will make you shake your head in wonder and amazement, sometimes on a daily basis. And I will take those alarms and those surprises, please.
What have you been surprised about so far this year? Isn’t baseball just the greatest game?