We're just over a month into the baseball season, and it's safe to say some unexpected things have happened thus far. The Yankees weren't supposed to be this good yet, the Rockies weren't supposed to be this good period, and I don't know what's going on with the Giants. Meanwhile, we've got the Orioles and Red Sox more concerned with throwing at each other than actually trying to win games. And to think, the fun is just starting.
I'll start with the Yankees. It turns out Brian Cashman knows what he's doing after all. After they started 1-4, everyone was thinking "Here we go again." They've lost a total of five games since then. I was at that game against Baltimore where they rallied from 9-1 down to win 14-11 in 10. It was one of the craziest games I've ever been to live. The excitement was gone from Yankee Stadium for the last couple years. It's back now, though.
There's one guy who's mostly responsible for this. Aaron Judge's at-bats have become appointment television. Even when he doesn't hit a home run, he crushes the ball. This guy's got superstar written all over him. He's even usurped Gary Sanchez as "that guy" on the Yankees. They've been waiting for that next transcendent star to become the new Face of the Franchise. I think they've found him.
Can Major League Baseball just put Judge in the Home Run Derby now? Seriously, what are they waiting for? The All-Star Game is in Miami, so you know Giancarlo's going to be in it. And who doesn't want to see that Judge vs. Stanton matchup? In fact, throw Eric Thames in there, too. Milwaukee took a gamble that Thames' numbers in Korea would translate to the Majors, and boy were they right! He's the biggest reason why the Brewers are right in the thick of things in a crowded NL Central.
Speaking of the NL Central, the Cubs certainly aren't playing like the Cubs of last year. Which isn't completely unexpected. Call it World Series Hangover if you like. But there's also no reason for concern on the North Side. They're still the best team in the NL Central by a wide margin. They'll get it straightened out. And, for as "bad" as they've been, they're still just a game out of first.
In their place, Washington seems to have taken over as the best team in the National League. Everyone already knew that the Nationals were good. But this good? Bryce Harper is back to being Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman is hitting .420! Seriously!? He's the runaway NL MVP after a month. Of course, their real test will come in October, which has provided them with plenty of problems over the last few years. I'm not saying they should start planning for the playoffs now. But they've been awfully impressive so far.
Teams that have NOT been impressive so far include the Blue Jays and Giants. After two straight trips to the ALCS, Toronto is a shell of its former self. I think what we're seeing this year is the importance of Edwin Encarnacion on that team. Sure, they're missing the injured Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki, but Encarnacion won't be coming back. And his absence is surely being felt. We're also seeing why nobody else wanted Jose Bautista as a free agent.
San Francisco, meanwhile, saw things go from bad to worse with Madison Bumgarner's dirt bike accident. He won't be back until the All-Star Break at the earliest, and who knows what kind of shape he'll be in when he does? Of course, there may not even be a need to rush him back. Because this sure has the makings of a lost season for the Giants (it is an odd-year anyway).
Then there's the Mets. I don't know of any other way to describe the state of that team than to use an expression us New Yorkers commonly use. "They're the Mets." What that means is crazy/bad things just find a way to happen around them. And it's rarely just one.
Case in point, Noah Syndergaard. He scratches himself from a start because of discomfort, refuses an MRI, says he feels fine, then gets pulled from his next start in the second inning with an injury that the MRI could've seen. Now he's out for an extended period when he simply could've just gotten the MRI when the team wanted him to.
When Syndergaard missed that start, the Mets moved Matt Harvey up a day to take his place. Except Harvey had thrown a bullpen the day before and was in "no position to pitch," and he made sure everyone knew it after he got rocked. As if throwing the team under the bus wasn't enough, Harvey missed his most recent start because he was suspended by the team. Although, he's blaming it on a miscommunication and is filing a grievance against the Mets.
Needless to say, the honeymoon is over with Matt Harvey and the Mets. He's no longer the pitcher that took New York by storm in 2013. It really started to go downhill when he came back out for the ninth inning in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series, only to have the Royals tie the game before winning in extras. Most people were already predicting that Harvey would no longer be a Met when he became a free agent, and I think this latest saga sealed the deal in that regard.
Lastly, we've got Starling Marte. His situation is just sad. The Pirates basically forced Andrew McCutchen to move to center field so that they could build around Marte in center. Except he failed a PED test and received an 80-game suspension. And he won't just miss half the season, he's ineligible for the playoffs (should Pittsburgh even get there). Which puts McCutchen back in center and a guy who should be playing in the Minors in right.
That old baseball axiom is "You can't win the pennant in April, but you sure can lose it." It's true. We're only a month in. There's still five months to go. But for teams like the Yankees, Nationals and Astros, it was a good April. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays, Giants and Mets have some work to do. Fortunately for them, they've got five months to do it.
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