Binge Sports: MLB-One Month In
Okay, maybe we’re a day or two past an actual month, but I think you get the point. Welcome back to Binge Sports. It’s a crazy time of the year with all of the playoff action going on in the NHL and NBA. The so-called “Fight of the Century” between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is still a hot topic with all of the latest news, and I’ll be discussing all of those things in this week’s all new Binge Sportscast coming your way tomorrow. But I certainly don’t want baseball to get lost in the mix. We’re a month in, and we’ve already got some great stories happening. There’s a few things I expected, but there’s some surprises in there as well. So let’s take an early look at what’s going on in each division and continue our season-long vote on the division winners. The voting so far may surprise you.
W L PCT. GB WCGB
New York 17 10 .630 —- ——–
Tampa Bay 14 13 .519 3.0 ——–
Baltimore 12 12 .500 3.5 0.5
Boston 13 14 .481 4.0 1.0
Toronto 13 15 .464 4.5 1.5
Much to my surprise, the Yankees are leading thus far with 50% of the fan vote. Even more to my surprise is the fact that they’re leading this division. Although a lot of the talk has been about Alex Rodriguez and his controversial 660th homerun, the Yankees have been playing solid baseball lately. In a division in which each team has spent time atop the divison in the last two weeks, the Yankees have just played better recently. That’s about it. Only 4.5 games separate the top from the bottom. The Blue Jays have scored the most runs in the majors, so they could go on a big winning streak very easily. Baltimore’s offense has been solid, and Boston could be much better if they could just find some pitching (Cole Hamels, anyone?). Expect the order of this division to constantly change.
[yop_poll id=”205″]
AL CENTRAL
W L PCT. GB WCGB
Kansas City 17 9 .654 —- ——–
Detroit 17 10 .630 0.5 +3.0
Minnesota 14 13 .519 3.5 ——–
Chicago 9 14 .391 6.5 3.0
Cleveland 9 16 .360 7.5 4.0
Indians fans can blame Sports Illustrated for the shaky start, as they picked Cleveland to win the World Series. They were one of three teams tied at the top of the fan vote with 33%, the other two being Kansas City and Detroit, who are also nearly tied at the top of the American League Central. The Twins are a nice surprise, but the two teams ahead of them will be very tough to catch barring injury. The Indians have talent, but haven’t been able to put together a nice string of wins. As for the White Sox, I really thought they’d get off to a better start, but they’ve still got a lot of talent, and there’s a long way to go. But that’s an early hole to dig yourself into for the teams at the bottom in a very competitive division.
[yop_poll id=”206″]
AL WEST
W L PCT. GB WCGB
Houston 18 9 .667 —- ——–
Los Angeles 12 15 .444 6.0 2.0
Oakland 12 16 .429 6.5 2.5
Seattle 11 16 .407 7.0 3.0
Texas 10 16 .385 7.5 3.5
The Houston Astros are easily the biggest surprise in baseball, but some of you must have known something that I didn’t, as they led the fan vote with 67%. It looks like their rebuilding process is a little ahead of pace. But again, it’s early in the season. But after a month, it’s nice to have six game lead. It’s a lot easier when no other team in the division is over .500. The Angels need to move past the disaster that was the Josh Hamilton situation. The A’s are always a mystery. I really expected more from the Mariners thus far, and the Rangers are on the other end of this Josh Hamilton deal. All of these teams have great players and nice rosters, so it’s a little odd to see the division looking the way it is. But hey, good for you Houston.
[yop_poll id=”207″]
Okay, I know it’s early but I’d like to establish a theme for the rest of these throughout the season, so let’s go ahead and start this now.
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY
The Twins and Rays are tied for the second wild card spot.
W L PCT. GB WCGB
New York 17 10 .630 —- ——–
Atlanta 13 14 .481 4.0 1.0
Miami 13 14 .481 4.0 1.0
Washington 13 15 .464 4.5 1.5
Philadelphia 10 18 .357 7.5 4.5
I know Mets fans are probably cursing me for not calling them the biggest surprise so far, but they were in a little better position to compete than Houston. The Mets, however, are a nice surprise if you’re into that whole thing. The Phillies are just atrocious and look to get worse once they unload more players. The Nationals are probably still the favorite in this division, at least by your votes thus far at 50%. As for the Braves and Marlins, they’re at about where I expected them to be. They’re both right around .500 and will more than likely stay at that pace.
[yop_poll id=”208″]
NL CENTRAL
W L PCT. GB WCGB
St. Louis 20 6 .769 —- ——–
Chicago 13 12 .520 6.5 ——–
Cincinnati 13 13 .500 7.0 0.5
Pittsburgh 12 14 .462 8.0 1.5
Milwaukee 8 19 .296 12.5 6.0
The Cardinals are just doing what the Cardinals always do. They lose their ace and go on a tear. They’ve got the best record in baseball to this point and have distanced themselves from the second place Cubs after two come from behind wins the last two nights. The Cubs do look good with the new team they’ve assembled and Kris Bryant is as good as advertised. But just as I predicted last month, they’ll need to do a lot more to keep up with the Cardinals. The Pirates and Reds both have the potential to be in the wild card race, but the Brewers are basically already out of it. I’d expect some of their roster to be gone before July. As for the fan vote, it’s about what I expected it to be, and something I’m used to where I live, a 50/50 split between the Cardinals and Cubs.
[yop_poll id=”209″]
NL WEST
W L PCT. GB WCGB
Los Angeles 17 9 .654 —- ——–
San Francisco 14 13 .519 3.5 ——–
San Diego 14 14 .500 4.0 0.5
Colorado 11 13 .458 5.0 1.5
Arizona 10 14 .417 6.0 2.5
This division is playing out exactly like I thought it would. The Dodgers and Giants will continue to battle for NL West supremacy throughout the season, with the Padres coming in below the radar. The Rockies and Diamondbacks will have to do something very special to put themselves in any kind of position to contend. In my opinion, the Dodgers will continue to be the favorite, and right now, it looks like you agree with me. They lead the fan vote with 67%.
[yop_poll id=”210″]
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY
Did you change your vote? Tell me why below or follow me @BingeSports and/or @THElukenorris. This fan vote will be going on all season, so make sure to check back as I’ll constantly be monitoring each and every division. And one more reminder to stay tuned for an all-new Binge Sportscast coming your way tomorrow. Enjoy.