The teams I am going to be talking about are the usual easy pickens. For years now, fans of these teams have cried themselves to sleep every night wishing they had an Aaron Judge, Jacob DeGrom, or even a Shohei Ohtani-type player. The good teams would walk into these ballparks with the utmost confidence and would expect an easy sweep. However, this year they have spat in the faces of the haters and the doubters and have given them the bird. Although it is very early in this long season of baseball, I cannot say these teams will keep up their performances so far. But, let these guys have their moments. God only knows if they will get them again.
Baltimore Orioles- These fools have been due for a while. They have had some big guys on their team in the past. Chris Davis, Kevin Gausman, Andrew Miller, and even Justin Turner. They’ve had the pieces, but have never been able to put them together. However, this year looks promising. With the likes of Adley Rutschman, Cedric Mullins, and Ryan Mountcastle, this team has a legitimate shot at making a playoff run. Currently, at 11-7, their winning percentage is at .611, and have been heavily offensively driven so far. Their pitching has been nothing less than mid, but if they make a few moves before the trade deadline it would make their team an even bigger force to reckon with.
Arizona Diamondbacks- These guys have had an extremely ideal start. Their pitching and their hitting have been some of the best in baseball. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have both been dealing. Kelly has the best ERA on the team and Gallen has the most strikeouts on the team. Their lineup is extremely young, with Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Josh Rojas being the heart of the youth. They also added a veteran in Evan Longoria and it has seemed to pay off. He has been a huge presence in the dugout and a loud voice in the clubhouse. He has been on a lot of winning teams and has multitudes of experience. They’re also in arguably the hardest division in baseball with the Dodgers, Padres, and the up-in-the-air Giants. So, to be the first in the division means a lot.
Pittsburgh Pirates- I don’t think anyone expected me to say this, but The Pittsburgh Pirates are 13-7 and have a .650 winning percentage. With only being a game and a half away from the 1st place Milwaukee Brewers. Their starting pitching hasn’t been bad. Other than Rich Hill (Dick Mountain). Johan Oviedo leads the team for ERA at 2.22. With Jack Suwinski leading the team in home runs. While Bryan Reynolds leads the team in both RBIs and batting average. Lastly, they have the 3rd most slugging percentage in all of baseball. With all those stats in mind, the Pirates have been an absolute problem to play against. They’ve won 4 in a row and have won 7 of his last 10. They also signed old-time friend Andrew McCutchen and he has been seeming to be good luck. I fear for whenever the Red Sox have to play them.
